Government

Might the incoming Trump administration attempt to blot out any data that undermines his environmental policies, especially around global warming? Many recall, for instance, the 2017 disappearing of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s informative climate change web pages. The new EJ TransitionWatch column explores the concern and offers a heartening assessment of the prospects of preserving these archives of essential information.

Under the last Trump White House — and in quite a few presidential administrations — shoddy treatment of journalists by federal agency press offices has been the norm. And WatchDog Opinion worries it will be even worse in the new Trump administration. So it’s time to remind public information officers what we journalists fairly expect. From the latest WatchDog, an updated reporter’s bill of rights.

Fluoridated drinking water has helped limit tooth decay in the United States for decades. But that could come to an end in the Trump administration, if fluoride nonfan Robert F. Kennedy Jr., slated to head Health and Human Services, has his way. In the first installment of SEJournal’s new weekly EJ TransitionWatch column, we examine the challenge to this public health success story. Plus, questions to ask and resources for your reporting.

Again this year, a petrostate hosts the COP climate gathering. Azerbaijan as host not only raises questions of how an oil-rich nation can help foster the fossil fuel cuts needed to stem climate change. But WatchDog Opinion also worries what Azerbaijan’s poor press freedom record will mean for journalists covering the gathering and for the civil society that normally enlivens the meeting.

Following Donald Trump’s election to a second term, SEJournal revisits our prospective coverage of his upcoming administration. Read what a Trump 2.0 would mean for the environment, take a closer look at how the Justice40 program hangs in balance and whether weather data would be withheld from the public. That, and more WatchDog Opinion columns on prospects under Trump. Plus, Trump-environment headlines.

The United Nation’s annual climate change meeting is underway this week and if you’re seeking databases on greenhouse gas emissions, the latest Reporter’s Toolbox suggests they might not be from the U.N. Instead, look for the best data from the European Commission’s EDGAR project. What makes EDGAR’s data particularly strong and how to make the best use of it in your reporting.