SEJ Weighs in on Khashoggi, Parks Canada; Plus, Zinke Calendar & Data Resources

A tagged bison, part of Canada’s Banff Bison Reintroduction Project. The SEJ wrote Parks Canada in September urging the agency to stop imposing barriers for reporters to speak with agency staff, including with a form related to requests for information on the bison reintroduction project. Photo: Parks Canada, Banff National Park bison blog. Click to enlarge.

WatchDog: SEJ Weighs in on Khashoggi, Parks Canada; Plus, Zinke Calendar & Data Resources

By Joseph A. Davis, WatchDog TipSheet Editor

1. SEJ Joins Coalition of Journalism Groups Urging Probe of Khashoggi Disappearance
2. SEJ Urges Parks Canada to Remove PIO Barriers to News Media Access
3. Who’s on Zinke’s Calendar? Information Missing
4. Some New Data Resources for Environmental Journalists

 

 

1. SEJ Joins Coalition of Journalism Groups Urging Probe of Khashoggi Disappearance

The Society of Environmental Journalists has joined a coalition of more than 35 journalism groups calling for a thorough investigation of the disappearance of a Saudi Arabian journalist and columnist for the Washington Post.

The journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, was a Saudi citizen who had a permanent resident visa in the United States. Once close to the Saudi government, he had become a critic of the current regime there and had exiled himself for safety. He was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on Oct. 2. Turkish police sources have told news media they have evidence he was murdered in the consulate.

The J-groups wrote to the Saudi ambassador to the United States on Oct. 11 “urging a full investigation into the disappearance of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi.” Read the text of the letter here.

The groups included the Society of Environmental Journalists, Society of Professional Journalists, American Society of Journalists and Authors, American Society of News Editors, Associated Collegiate Press, Associated Press Media Editors, Associated Press Photo Managers, Association of Alternative News Media, Association of Food Journalists, Defending Rights & Dissent and Freedom of the Press Foundation.

Also signing the letter were iSolon.org, Journalism Education Association, Local Media Association, Media Freedom Foundation, National Association of Black Journalists, National Association of Science Writers, Inc., National Federation of Press Women, National Newspaper Association, National Press Club, National Press Photographers Association, National Scholastic Press Association and the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.

Others included the National Writers Union/UAW Local 1981, NewsGuild-CWA, News Media Alliance, Project Censored, Radio Television Digital News Association, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and Tully Center for Free Speech. Also signing were the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists, Inter American Press Association, Religion News Association and North American Agricultural Journalists.

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2. SEJ Urges Parks Canada to Remove PIO Barriers to News Media Access

The SEJ urged Parks Canada to stop the agency’s public affairs staff from imposing barriers between reporters and other agency staff such as scientists.

“We insist that journalists be able to speak freely and openly with Parks Canada staff and scientists in a timely manner, whether that be on the phone, in person, or in the field,” the letter said.

The letter was sent Sept. 26 to Catherine McKenna, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change. It was also sent to Daniel Watson, CEO of the Parks Canada Agency. Co-signing the letter with SEJ was the Canadian Association of Journalists.

The groups said that they are “especially concerned about a standardized questionnaire that Parks Canada is sending journalists who request any information or media materials relating to the Banff Bison Reintroduction Project. This form asks journalists to describe how their reporting will benefit Parks Canada as well as the project itself, adding that ‘the review process is rigorous to determine the best alignment with internal goals for the reintroduction and not all projects will receive Parks Canada support.’”

The groups’ letter complained that “requiring members of the press to fill out such a form before connecting them to sources within Parks Canada strongly implies that this access will not be provided unless they promise to report uncritically on the agency and its project.”

SEJ and CAJ are working to schedule a telephone conversation with a top Parks Canada official to discuss the agency’s policies and practices. Read SEJ's September 26, 2018 letter to McKenna.

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3. Who’s on Zinke’s Calendar? Information Missing

There are black holes on Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s calendar — meetings that the public is not allowed to know about. Think of the possibilities at an agency that is supposed to be an honest steward of the U.S. taxpaying public’s lands and resources.

The public release of appointment calendars has been a touchstone of government transparency for years. Obama-era officials often made a point of putting theirs up on the web. Trump officials including former Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt tried to keep theirs private. Zinke has released his in response to Freedom of Information Act requests.

 

Investigative reporting showed that

the blank spots on Zinke’s calendar

went all the way back to his first day in office —

and that some of the mystery meetings

were with lobbyists.

 

Adam Aton reported in ClimateWire (requires subscription) that Zinke calendars released in response to a FOIA request often lacked information on who he met with or what the meeting was about. Sometimes the entry said only “external meeting” —  an entry that might or might not refer to a lobbyist.

Subsequent deeper digging by Sara Ganim and Gregory Wallace of CNN, on examination of other documents, showed that the blank spots on Zinke’s calendar went all the way back to his first day in office — and that some of the mystery meetings were with lobbyists. Two citizen advocacy groups have also taken Interior to court (requires subscription) under FOIA for failure to release travel records.

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4. Some New Data Resources for Environmental Journalists

• Think of it: “A Map of Every Building in America.” Maybe that’s something only a zoning reporter could love. Or maybe it’s the raw material of data-driven stories about how to make U.S. cities greener and more liveable. The New York Times has published this data (based on photo-interpretation) in searchable map form. Credit goes to Tim Wallace, Derek Watkins and John Schwartz.
• The floods that destroyed parts of Houston during Hurricane Harvey came as a surprise to some. New maps of flood-prone areas around Houston are now available from the U.S. Geological Survey. We learned about it from Abner Fletcher of Houston Public Media. “Inundation maps,” as they are called, have been very hard for journalists to come by over the years — at least from politics-driven agencies like the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps has often refused to release maps of who would be flooded by major disruptions like dam failures.

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* From the weekly news magazine SEJournal Online, Vol. 3, No. 37. Content from each new issue of SEJournal Online is available to the public via the SEJournal Online main page. Subscribe to the e-newsletter here. And see past issues of the SEJournal archived here.