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Journalist’s Trade: The Energy Beat

To a journalist’s ear, the words “energy” and “crisis” belong together, in part because coverage of energy issues has been fueled largely by episodic coverage of difficulties people confront when sources of energy diminish—such as gasoline price hikes and shortages—or they vanish, as in electricity blackouts. To some degree this approach is changing as better-trained journalists pursue stories about energy and keep watchful eyes on a wider range of critical energy issues. – Melissa Ludtke, Editor

Journalist’s Trade: The Energy Beat
Introduction
By Melissa Ludtke, Editor
Moving From a Backwater Story to a Front-Page Beat
From homeland security to economic growth, energy issues weave their way into coverage as renewable energy sparks new controversies.
By Edward Flattau
Energy Stories Shouldn’t Be Just the Big Ones
From reporting in Platts, complexities of energy issues can be woven together.
By Gerald Karey
Energy and Politics: The Stories Never End
‘If I could stomach dealing with BTU’s and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, my job would never be dull.’
By Margaret Kriz
Using Documents to Report on Mountaintop Mining
When coal industry officials and business leaders complain about coverage, ‘the only way to counter such pressures is with good, solid reporting.’
By Ken Ward, Jr.
Unraveling the Great Hydrogen Hoax
‘How well reporters handle this blizzard of claims and counterclaims will surely help shape the public debate on the matter ….’
By Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran
Terrorism Fears Thwart Journalists’ Reporting
Is the public being well-served by the government’s protection of information?
By Joseph A. Davis
Government Studies Vanish From Reporters’ View
At the Mobile Register, journalists encounter barriers to reporting on possible hazards and risks of a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal.
By Bill Finch
Keeping Reporters and the Public in the Dark
Secret dealmaking creates big challenges for journalists trying to cover the risks and benefits of energy decisions.
By Elizabeth McCarthy
The Language and Culture of the Energy Beat
By Elizabeth McCarthy
Why Did California’s Lights Go Out?
A reporting team looks for answers amid a new and complex electricity market.
By Rick Jurgens
Being a Watchdog of FirstEnergy Corp.
The Plain Dealer led the nation’s reporting after the massive 2003 blackout.
By Debbie Van Tassel
Using Narrative to Tell the Blackout Story
Reporting from inside a power plant helped to tell the dramatic story of decision-making when the lights went out.
By Mark Clayton
Green Buildings Need Sharp-Eyed Architecture Critics
‘Like other journalists, architecture critics need to be inquisitive and skeptical about what they see.’
By Randy Gragg
A Local Newspaper Invests in a Foreign Reporting Trip
To inform readers about wind farms and energy, The Cape Codder sends a reporter to Denmark.
By Doreen Leggett