18 Comments
Aug 26, 2022Liked by Emily Atkin

Wrote for two daily newspapers in Permian Basin before the frackquake hit and it became the world's largest extraction zone. Like most smaller communities/media markets, it's a rare day that any local journo steps up to folks w/ money. To its credit, the Odessa American let me run w/ regular stories about toxic water and radioactive waste. Of course, that was when all the fields were in decline and folks were feeling the weight of a long bust and willing to talk back to the big companies. Different times. After another 15 years writing elsewhere I tried to return w/ an EJ-centered news initiative to cover the Permian. Very nearly got it funded. Kills me that this is what they got instead.

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Aug 26, 2022Liked by Emily Atkin

The Red Hook Daily Catch is a local online paper in New York's Hudson Valley that is doing an excellent job of reporting local and regional news. They've recently been recognized for their reporting on the war in Ukraine.

https://www.thedailycatch.org/

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I work at the Omaha Reader, Nebraska's only nationally-recognized alternative publication. Despite being the 39th-largest city in America, Omaha STILL doesn't have an official climate action plan. We've been covering the impact of the climate crisis on our town, including just recently with an article about a road that's been a flooding hazard for more than half a century. Give us a look, and if you like what you read, we'd appreciate your support. https://thereader.com/news/saddle-creek-floods-now-fact-of-life-for-locals

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Aug 26, 2022Liked by Emily Atkin

"The Land" is doing an outstanding job providing independent and high-quality local news coverage for Cleveland, Ohio. They deserve support. https://thelandcle.org/about-us/

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Aug 26, 2022Liked by Emily Atkin

"The River" is an online paper in the Hudson Valley / Catskills region of New York, with some excellent climate reporting.

https://therivernewsroom.com/

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We have a great local paper in Lake Oswego Oregon. The Lake Oswego Review. It is owned by an Oregon businessman, and there are sister papers in other towns. Very supportive of sustainability and very independent. We are fortunate!

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48hills.org

Independent San Francisco News + Culture

Editor and Founder: Tim Redmond

Launched in 2013

Tim Redmond had previously been the editor for the San Francisco Bay Guardian, a free alternative newspaper published weekly. SFBG was founded in 1966 and shut down in 2014. I'm happy that Tim has continued his work through 48hills. They are entirely community supported. Their mission is to "amplify marginalized Bay Area community voices, uplift local arts and culture, employ local writers and editors, and deliver in-depth reporting, breaking news, and analysis of city issues from a non-corporate, hyperlocal angle."

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Just the latest in the 5,000 year history of elites grabbing and holding their power through whatever means necessary. As long as we have societies hierarchically organized these problems will persist. Great piece though.

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Happy birthday, Emily!

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How could anyone forget Art Cullen and the Storm Lake Times Pilot? The paper’s investigation of the agricultural industrial complex earned a Pulitzer Prize, and the paper continues to report on Big Ag and it’s impact.

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Aug 31, 2022·edited Aug 31, 2022

The Addison County Independent in Middlebury, Vermont (https://www.addisonindependent.com/) does fantastic local journalism, including coverage of environment-, energy- and climate-related topics.

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Actually now that I think about it, it was unfair of me to basically say I know nothing of local news. Earther has excellent coverage and reporting of the drought issues in the American Southwest and the crisis with the Colorado River, along with a lot of other great journalism, and their reporting relies on local news in the area. So in a way, I do rely on local reporting specifically: https://www.kunc.org/western-water-coverage

But I also wanted to second the mention of the phenomenal work of Molly Taft, and really everyone at Earther. They deserve so much more appreciation and support instead of being relegated to a subsection of Gizmodo, when the value they provide outweighs most of the Gizmodo sister sites, let alone something like Jalopnik, as if reporting on cars matters that much with a climate crisis going on.

So I would say KUNC and Earther deserve HEATED reader’s attention, especially if someone wants to learn more about and follow the drought issues in the Southwest and the crisis of the Colorado River.

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The elites always use propaganda. They always use lies. They always use subterfuge. The use of subterfuge to confuse people has been their tactics for more than 10,000 years, and it's not surprising that fossil fuel companies are using subterfuge through local newspapers to confuse people about oil exploration, and it's good to expose their subterfuge and 'meaningless bullshit' about carbon intensity and pollution and their deceptive solar projects through this write-up.

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This is great stuff. Although depressing.

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You mentioned Russia in the last article and I'm curious if you know of any reporting on their activities in the climate denial space or their climate strategy. Because while someplace China has its own problems with fossil fuels and of course authoritarianism, they seem to be at least making an effort to have some sort of net-zero strategy, it is my perception that Russia would be as if Chevron ruled an entire country. And to be clear I'm not dismissing the United States historical or current responsibilities for climate action.

Rather odd request I know, but just curious if you have come across any in depth reporting about Russia in your work.

Which is amazing as always, thank you for these two great articles. Wish I could help with your request, but as a young person reading local news is like...

Well it's like something, I'm drawing a complete blank on an analogy sorry.

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