Society of Environmental Journalists

I've been a member of SEJ for years and attribute my success as a freelance journalist to the support, knowledge and guidance I've received from the impeccable organization. Annual conferences, databases, grant funding, and more help support environmental journalists of all stripes -- a task all the more critical as media organizations continue to gut their environmental coverage.

The Society of Environmental Journalists is one of the best places in North America to invest tax-free donations that support evenhanded and in-depth environmental coverage of issues that matter. The organization supports environmental journalism in all its facets, from newsroom to freelance, from print to broadcast to web. SEJ's annual conference is a superb compendium of the best available resources, on all sides of an issue. And the organization is utterly committed to complete transparency, not only in journalism, but in aspects of funding and support. I've been a member since 2003. My experiences with SEJ have made it, bar none, the best professional organization I've ever joined. The information and support I've received have made my continuing career in environmental journalism possible.

SEJ always brings its members the best information about the stories we are writing. The board members are dedicated to carrying out the mission of supporting and improving media coverage of environmental issues. The public benefits from the help SEJ provides its members. Many services, such as SEJ News and SEJ Watch Dog, are provided free to journalists who are not members as well. SEJ's staff are constantly active in reaching out to the community of journalists and the public in general. SEJ has helped my work and helped me develop as a professional journalist.

Professional organizations serving journalists are legion. Among these, SEJ stands out on account of their members' extraordinary generosity in assisting fellow members with journalistic advice on all ethical and business subjects, and answers to practical questions on everything from buying speech-recognition software to analyzing toxicology databases to finding an expert on forest management in Arkansas. As an SEJ member (I guess the category is "client served"), what I've been able to learn via SEJ is akin to what a student at the best journalism school can get from having immediate access to some of the best-qualified faculty in the world. These expert journalists are donating their time and energy out of love for their craft and for the other people who practice it. Valentine's day is the perfect time for a testimonial saying "I Heart SEJ."

SEJ is a place where journalists with an environmental beat can liaise with other professionals with common interests. I have enjoyed the wealth of resources that this organization brings to its members. Moreover I have been able to exchange ideas and make new and rewarding contacts through SEJ's community on-line forum. Thanks for letting me be a part!

I had the privilege of being a presenter at the SEJ 2012's pre-conference freelance workshop. I often work with professional writers and this writer's organization is one of the very best. SEJ helps good journalists become great and great journalists become outstanding. At the same time SEJ nurtures environmental writers it helps raise environmental awareness and protection. A terrific organization worthy of support from those who value excellence in journalism as well as those who care about the environment.

This organization not only provides a community for environmental journalists, but it also provides vital resources for supporting environmental journalism in the 21st century.

SEJ is an important resource for journalists covering environmental issues. Since joining in 1994, I've often turned to its online resources and tool for guidance. SEJ's annual conferences are unmatched in bringing reporters and sources together.

I've been a member of SEJ since 2009. In those few years, I have made contacts with colleagues and experts that I never would have made otherwise. I was honored to be asked to participate in this year's Conference and came away from the experience feeling more confident about myself and my career choice. I met people who I know will change the way I participate in journalism forever. Getting to be a part of such a broad spectrum of professionals has been such and honor and a privilege. This group maintains integrity in all aspects of their journalism while investigating some of the most complicated issues on the planet. SEJ is home and I am so glad to be a part of it.

Funders take note: there is no better 501c3 to donate to than SEJ. It's critical for the public that talented and dedicated journalists cover what is ultimately an existential beat for everyone on the planet. SEJ provides results that are both measurable and intangible. SEJ's existence has kept environmental reporters working even after they were laid off, downsized or saw their news outlets go bankrupt (including me). It's in no small measure SEJ's centrality in my professional life that kept me and many others innovating fresh ways to stay on this beat. SEJ helps keep us all informed on the latest science and politics, fights for access and transparency, and offers a space for connectedness and community at a time when our industry is cratering.

I'm a one-year member of the Society of Environmental Journalists. I am thoroughly impressed with the level of dedication to watchdog journalism and environmental reporting possessed by its members and administration, and I can't say enough about the organization as a whole. Impressive, one-of-a-kind, irreplaceable.

Since 1997, SEJ has brought year-round colleagues and synergy to my otherwise isolated freelance journalism business. The annual conference has not only nurtured these relationships; it has resulted in numerous assignments as well as a whole bunch of fun. This is a caring, supportive organization that has changed my professional life.

Ten years ago I was new to the environmental beat and in over my head. I cannot describe how lucky and relieved I felt to discover SEJ and its support network. I still rely heavily on SEJ's vibrant community of reporters, editors and university educators for tips, news scoops and support. It has had a huge influence on my reporting and my career.

I have been lucky enough to belong to this organization for the past three years, and it has been a great boon to my work as a freelance environmental journalist. The meetings, website, mentor program, and other SEJ offerings are outstanding.

I am one of the founders of SEJ and the organization has, by far, exceeded our expectations. It has, without question, helped to elevate the quality of environmental journalism in the US and abroad. Not a day goes by that I am not amazed by the power of the SEJ network of professionals. The contribution it makes to quality journalism is, in a word, amazing. Between the SEJournal, the networking and the national conferences, SEJ has been a primary reason why the quality of environmental coverage nationwide is so impressive and impartial.