Center for Environmental Journalism

‘The gold standard of fellowships’: Scripps journalists eager to create impact

Ellie Chase — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 20:37:45 +0000

‘The gold standard of fellowships’: Scripps journalists eager to create impact Ellie Chase Mon, 08/10/2026 - 14:37

Ellie Chase

Journalist Ayurella Horn-Muller was freelancing for the Miami New Times when she first heard about the Ted Scripps Fellowship in Environmental Journalism at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder.

It was eight years ago, and she was just getting her start in journalism. Horn-Muller covered local politics, arts and culture, but found herself drawn to environmental stories. When a mentor told her about the fellowship, the program became an aspiration she carried with her for years.

Ayurella Horn-Muller moderating a panel on the current state of food rescue at the 2026 ReFED Food Waste Solutions Summit in Charlotte, North Carolina. Photo by ReFED

This fall, she’s getting her wish: Horn-Muller, a staff writer at Grist, is among five journalists selected to this year’s fellowship.

“I cherish this opportunity. I’m not going to waste a single minute of it,” Horn-Muller said. “It’s always been, in my mind, the gold standard of fellowships in the journalism world.”

The Ted Scripps fellowships provide journalists education, professional development and support to produce exemplary reporting on environmental issues. The fellowship—which is housed in the Center for Environmental Journalism at the College of Communication, Media, Design and Information—offers journalists opportunities to hone their craft while spending a year auditing classes, attending seminars and pursuing an independent project.

Horn-Muller, whose reporting for the last four years has focused on climate change, food and agriculture, plans to look beyond the visible effects of environmental change to investigate how the climate crisis reveals deeper stories about ourselves.

“A fellowship like Ted Scripps offers something a newsroom can’t—time to sit with a project or subject instead of just reacting to the daily news cycle,” said Horn-Muller, whose work has appeared in national outlets such as CNN, National Geographic, The Guardian, El País and The Atlantic. She also is the author of Devoured: The Extraordinary Story of Kudzu, the Vine That Ate the South, a nonfiction environmental science book.

Her long-form investigative piece will examine what happens to a community's sense of identity when climate change disrupts the crop that defines a place. As inspiration, she mentioned the town of Yauco, in Puerto Rico—famous for its coffee farms, which were decimated during Hurricane Maria in 2017.

She will spend the academic year researching various communities whose history and economy revolve around agriculture, including Vidalia sweet onion farmers in Georgia and winter lettuce farmers in Arizona. Horn-Muller hopes to expose the cultural and psychological dimensions of the climate crisis, delving into concepts of place attachment and ecological grief.

“Journalism isn’t just about holding people in positions of power accountable,” she said. “It’s about creating a space for those without.”

This years Ted Scripps fellowship class. Jenae Barnes (upper left), Sam Brasch (upper middle), Amanda Eggert (upper right), Ayurella Horn-Muller (lower left) and Sam Price-Waldman (lower right).

This year’s group of journalists will comprise the 30th class of Scripps fellows at CMDI. Horn-Muller will be joined by Jenae Barnes, Sam Brasch, Amanda Eggert and Sam Price-Waldman.

Barnes is an award-winning journalist covering issues at the intersection of public health, environmental justice and the lived experiences of Black communities. As a fellow, she plans to research links between environmental justice issues and socioeconomic status in the U.S. and abroad.

Brasch is a public radio reporter and Colorado native who covers climate and environmental issues for Colorado Public Radio News. As a Scripps fellow, Brasch plans to study the history and science of air quality to produce podcasts and other long-form radio projects.

Eggert is an environmental journalist based in Bozeman, Montana, who focuses on housing affordability, land use and drought. Her time at CMDI will focus on the decline of Montana’s cold-water fisheries and policies that can combat that regression.

Price-Waldman, a documentary filmmaker, has produced character-driven reporting projects for HBO, Netflix, Showtime, The Atlantic, PBS and National Geographic. As a fellow, he will explore the emotional dimensions of environmental change and human relationships to the natural world.

“We are thrilled to welcome this cohort of fellows to the CEJ,” said Hong Tien Vu, associate professor of journalism and faculty director of CEJ. “Together, they reflect the full complexity of the environmental challenges our world is facing. I cannot wait to see what they produce during their time here.”

Ellie Chase is studying journalism at CMDI, with a minor in business. She covers students and student news at the college.

As it celebrates 30 years, CMDI’s environmental journalism center welcomes five fellows eager to tell stories about climate, environmental justice, water, food, recreation and more.

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For reporters, the water beat is on fire

Joe Arney — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 17:50:41 +0000

For reporters, the water beat is on fire Joe Arney Fri, 07/31/2026 - 11:50

Extremely low water levels at Blue Mesa Reservoir, in Colorado’s Curecanti National Recreation Area, earlier this month demonstrate the impact of a winter with limited snowfall and a spring with record-high temperatures. Experts on CMDI’s Water Desk are helping reporters and the public understand the impacts on agriculture, recreation and life in the West. Photo by Mitch Tobin, The Water Desk.

Joe Arney

Covering climate issues in rural Colorado wasn’t the first time Caroline Llanes was tasked with reporting on water: She cut her teeth in Michigan, where she wrote about the Flint drinking water crisis, pipeline development at the Great Lakes and more.

But it was still an adjustment to go from those kinds of stories to covering the drought that’s imperiled the Colorado River and life in the western United States.

“Water issues take on a very different tone and tenor when you come out to the West,” said Llanes, now a rural climate reporter for Rocky Mountain Community Radio.

For Llanes and other reporters who dredge for stories in the ever-shallower Colorado River, a key ally in learning and mastering the beat is The Water Desk. The desk is an initiative of the Center for Environmental Journalism at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder’s College of Communication, Media, Design and Information. Its co-directors, Luke Runyon and Mitch Tobin, guide reporters on everything from snowpack tracking to beneficial use doctrines, while also encouraging connections among reporters to help them more effectively cover these topics.

“If you have a topic that you want to do a water story on, Luke says, ‘I have some subject matter experts that you can reach out to,’” Llanes said. “What makes The Water Desk so successful is they’re not afraid of a wonky story—which I love—and they are really focused on impact. Their resources are really valuable for reporters.”

Extreme fire danger

The importance of the Water Desk experts and their work has only grown in the midst of economic challenges for newsrooms and a fire season that’s burned more than 200,000 acres in Colorado, putting further strain on limited water resources.

Runyon said he knew what kind of summer he was in for after a woeful winter with extremely low snowfall and a record-warm spring that substantially shrunk snowpacks before March was out.

“This was already gearing up to be a really epic year because of some policy negotiations that were coming to a head,” said Runyon, formerly a managing editor at KUNC and host of a Murrow Award-winning podcast on the Colorado River. “Add the drought and the lack of snowpack on top of that, and it’s just been an onslaught for reporters.”

While ski resorts earned most of the headlines for recreation-related drought crises, fishing, boating, boarding and other summer pastimes have been imperiled by climate change, as well. Photo by Mitch Tobin, The Water Desk.

To prepare reporters to work on those stories, The Water Desk ran a webinar to offer insight into the kinds of topics likely to need coverage this summer. The desk also produces original reporting into climate issues: Earlier this year, Runyon went electrofishing—which is exactly what you think it is—with a Fish and Wildlife Service biologist to better understand how ecosystems are surviving as water levels plummet.

“I posted some photos of the Colorado in late April, and there’s a National Geographic editor who follows me on Instagram,” Runyon said. “And he was like, ‘This looks crazy. Should we do something about this?’”

That led to a feature in the magazine exploring the many users of a dwindling resource, and is one way his network—honed from a decade of river coverage—helps The Water Desk find experts and angles for reporters. But Water Desk experts also attend conferences and events where they can interact with the public and help answer questions around water.

It’s something he said should be a goal for reporters, even as news organizations are forced to do more with less.

“It’s so important to build more trust with your audience—to listen to the concerns of your community, and produce journalism that responds to those concerns,” Runyon said. “Mitch and I are out in the community giving talks on these issues, and it’s one of my favorite parts of the job.

“People know this issue is important—especially in a dry year—but they maybe don’t feel they have all the information, or know which questions to ask. It’s so rewarding to help people make sense of something that they know is important, but that we’ve made very complicated.”

Demystifying drought

Helping reporters demystify these complex topics for their audiences is a key mission for the desk. Runyon’s expertise was instrumental when Llanes reported on a story about how ski resorts are ramping up snow production to survive in a warmer climate. Data from The Water Desk helped her illustrate snow totals, and how much more precipitation was falling as rain, rather than snow.

“It’s so rewarding to help people make sense of something that they know is important, but that we’ve made very complicated.”

Luke Runyon, co-director, The Water Desk

“The Water Desk has all of those resources so readily available—it’s easy for reporters to find them,” Llanes said. “Even if the data don’t specifically make it into the story, those sources really help ground the piece you’re working on. It was a huge help.”

The desk also is creating opportunities for students through an internship program. A story Annie MacKeigan (MJour’26) recently published a story on how college campuses in the West maintain their bucolic splendor amid drought; that piece was picked up by NPR station KUNC and widely distributed.

“Working so closely with Luke and Mitch has been a really great way for me to understand how I should be reporting, as a journalist—but also, as someone who lives in the West in this water crisis, what needs to be shared and what should be talked about,” she said.

Those perspectives are why Hong Vu, associate professor of journalism and faculty director for the Center for Environmental Journalism, is proud of the work done on the desk.

“Water touches every life in Colorado—but the issues surrounding it are complex, polarizing, and technical,” Vu said. “What Luke and The Water Desk do to explain the challenges facing the Colorado River and the West helps people make sense of the complexity, ask more informed questions of experts and policymakers, and make better decisions for their families and communities.

“This is precisely the kind of journalism the CEJ seeks to support—reporting that bridges the gap between expert knowledge and public understanding in a healthy democracy.”

Now that she’s graduated and looking for full-time work in climate reporting, MacKeigan is able to appreciate how she improved as a reporter while being on the desk.

“Being able to see the growth in between the pieces I’ve worked on has been thrilling,” she said. “It’s been very rewarding to see how I’ve gotten better at it every time. And a big part of that is my relationship to my editors.”

Runyon is regularly asked to drag out a crystal ball and predict what future flow might look like on the river. He can’t do that, but if asked to read another set of tea leaves, he’ll tell you he expects reporters covering climate stories will have job security that’s hard to come by in the news business these days.

“When I first started covering water, you almost had to make a case for why you had somebody on the beat, because it wasn’t as pressing to people,” he said. “Now, that has changed completely. We have tons of reporters in our region who cover water. It’s a cool evolution to see how news organizations have come to realize this is a topic people are really interested in.”

Joe Arney covers research and general news for the college.

A woeful winter and searing spring have thrust a spotlight on climate journalism. Reporters throughout the West have an ally in CMDI’s Water Desk.

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Snow news day: The challenge of climate reporting as newsrooms cut back

Joe Arney — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 19:06:34 +0000

Snow news day: The challenge of climate reporting as newsrooms cut back Joe Arney Wed, 02/11/2026 - 12:06

The Flatirons, in Boulder, during a more typical winter. CMDI’s Water Desk has been fielding calls throughout the winter drought from resource-starved reporters looking for help covering a warm, extremely dry season. Photo by Joe Arney.

Joe Arney

Call it the winter of our discontent: With just 23 inches of snow accumulation since November, Boulder—and Colorado as a whole—is enduring one of the driest winters on record.

And as parts of Colorado and the American West start to look more like deserts, they’re becoming news deserts, as well. Cuts, closures and consolidations are shuttering newsrooms and robbing reporters of resources, making it harder to ensure the public is getting trustworthy, verified information about the scope of this crisis.

It’s a challenge Luke Runyon sees daily as co-director of The Water Desk.

Luke Runyon

“It’s been an extremely dry and extremely warm winter for the southern Rocky Mountains—really, for much of the West,” said Runyon, whose work with a local NPR station won a prestigious Murrow Award in 2024.

“What I’d love to see more of is reporters going into the field and talking to the people on the ground who have to make tough decisions because of a lack of water. But I understand why that doesn’t happen—it’s more expensive to do that kind of reporting, to find the characters who tell that story.”

It’s not that you can’t watch the local news to see reports of just how dry the weather has been. But resource-starved newsrooms have to make hard editorial decisions about which in-depth stories to pursue, and Runyon said environmental reporting struggles to compete with other beats—so it’s often scaled back.

We ignore water coverage at our own peril, Runyon said, especially as climate change stresses ecosystems, upends established norms and ushers in more brutal fire seasons.

“The reason snow gets so much coverage in the winter is because it has all these domino effects that are felt through the rest of the year.”

Luke Runyon, co-director, The Water Desk

“Access to water is the issue affecting the modern West, one that underlies almost every major question we’re talking about,” he said. “It pops up in housing, agriculture and our ability to feed ourselves, recreation and the broader environment. If we’re not talking about water, we’re missing a huge piece of what it means to live in the west.”

Beyond just financial support

At The Water Desk, Runyon works directly with the journalists trying to tell those stories. Its work has evolved as the needs of journalists have changed. The team used to exclusively provide financial support through small grants; today, it also offers assistance with data visualization and mapping on big stories, even direct editing support from Runyon, who’s covered Colorado River issues for nearly a decade. The Water Desk, which is housed out of the Center for Environmental Journalism at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder’s College of Communication, Media, Design and Information, also contributes original reporting on timely issues.

That’s important because while there are good reporters covering water issues, it’s been a hard time to be a journalist—especially one covering a highly complex issue like water, “because it isn’t easy to understand the crazy infrastructure, the complicated legal mechanisms in place to manage water,” he said.

A major story right now that is getting national attention is the need for an updated management proposal for the Colorado River, which supplies water to seven Western U.S. states and Mexico. The states, which disagree on how to manage a shrinking supply of water, missed a fall deadline to submit a plan to the federal government; the new deadline is Saturday.

“The timing of this very dry year comes at a critical moment for the river itself,” Runyon said. “I think you’ll see more being written on this leading up to the 14th.”

Most of the stories Runyon is fielding calls about right now concern poor skiing conditions and the economic impact on resorts and mountain towns. He expects the cycle to turn to agriculture in the spring—especially how farmers will adjust plantings in the face of shortages—and to recreation and ecology in the summer.

“The reason snow gets so much coverage in the winter is because it has all these domino effects that are felt through the rest of the year,” Runyon said.

Finding ways to help a dwindling cast of media to tell deeper and more impactful stories remains his greatest challenge, but Runyon does see opportunities for people looking to break into journalism, especially as new platforms allow reporters to offer their audience deep dives on important topics like climate and water.

“There are a lot of cool, innovative startups out there,” he said. “And there is a much broader definition of who gets to call themselves a journalist. You can be an expert with a Substack newsletter, and you’re basically running your own small business. Hopefully, there’s more of that to come.”

Joe Arney covers research and general news for the college.

CMDI’s Water Desk has expanded the services it offers to resource-starved reporters who need help covering complex stories around the Colorado River and climate change.

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10 for 10: Centers making an impact

Amanda J. McManus — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 21:20:40 +0000

10 for 10: Centers making an impact Amanda J. McManus Mon, 11/17/2025 - 14:20

Centers and labs at CMDI are important not just because of the insights discovered by the researchers and creatives working within them, but because of the impact they offer to the public.

Here are some signature labs and centers from CMDI’s first decade.

Center for Communication and Democratic Engagement: Aims to learn from deliberation, dialogue and educational events tied to communication and democratic practice.
Center for Documentary and Ethnographic Media: Creates opportunities for the public to engage with documentary films, especially through the signature Mimesis festival, in Boulder.
Center for Environmental Journalism: Journalists who complete a fellowship from the center have been responsible for award-winning work on environmental issues.
Center for Media, Religion and Culture: Studies the complex relationship between media and religion in an entangled world.
Community Engagement, Design and Research Center: Partners with communities at home and abroad to build resilient, equitable cities and neighborhoods.
Immersive Media Lab: Invites people to explore augmented and virtual reality environments to develop different perspectives on emerging challenges.
Media Archaeology Lab: A peerless collection of obsolete, but functional, technology to experiment with and imagine roads not taken in tech and society.
Neuro D Lab: Explores the intersection of design, neurodiversity, equity and innovation to ensure designs—from products to wayfinding—work intuitively for all users.
Sustainability and Storytelling Lab: Aims to understand how stories influence the ways we practice sustainability and shame unsustainable methods.
Visual Evidence Lab: Studies how the legal system can be better equipped to handle video and photographic evidence presented in court, including deepfakes and generative A.I.

Here are 10 centers and labs that have created public impact in the college’s first decade.

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Roam if you want to. Unless you’re a wild animal

Joe Arney — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 15:11:51 +0000

Roam if you want to. Unless you’re a wild animal Joe Arney Tue, 10/21/2025 - 09:11

A coyote wanders through urban parkland in Chicago at night. It was a coyote in New York's Central Park that first got Hillary M. Rosner interested in how wildlife roams from place to place—and the human-made obstacles that thwart them. This coyote, which was being tracked with a radio collar, was struck by a car and killed just months after this photo was taken. Photo by Corey Arnold.

Joe Arney

Hillary M. Rosner was a young editor with the Village Voice in the 1990s when she read about a coyote living in Central Park.

Nowadays, that’s not quite so special—the park is home to resident coyotes who prowl the improbably green space at the heart of Manhattan. But what fascinated Rosner was their improbable journey—how the animals successfully navigated the urban jungle, and why they chose to do so.

“That idea—just wondering how this coyote navigated these concrete canyons to get to the park—really stuck with me,” said Rosner (MEnvSt’06), an assistant teaching professor of journalism at the College of Communication, Media, Design and Information and associate director of its Center for Environmental Journalism. “As I got more into environmental and science journalism, the stories that most moved me were in some way about animals whose lives were changed because of human infrastructure.”

Hillary M. Rosner

That curiosity has culminated in a new book, Roam: Wild Animals and the Race to Repair Our Fractured World, out this month from Patagonia. In it, she draws upon a career of environmental journalism to share stories of the struggles animals face in overcoming human-made boundaries.

Restoring empathy

Her goal is to encourage readers to abandon a human-centered view of the world in favor of one that demonstrates our interconnectedness with the planet, while learning to view other species with empathy and compassion.

The connections she explores in the book are both literal—for example, creatures needing to get from one point to another—and more abstract, such as how animals connect to an ecosystem to affect its resilience and adaptability. “And it’s about showing how human infrastructure presents a barrier to this idea of connectivity for all these other species,” she said. The book further spells out the ecological consequences of a world where wild animals cannot roam—an inability to spread plant life, less genetic diversity—threatening species’ adaptability and survival—and the extinction of charismatic species.

If that sounds dire, Rosner will be the first to tell you there’s real urgency behind the topic. Her work took her around the world to see the obstacles humans have created for wildlife. In Kenya, as more land becomes privately owned, more fences are going up, blocking long-held migration routes. Closer to home, Donald Trump’s funding freeze has canceled wildlife crossings along U.S. highways.

“If we continue to act as though we are the only species on the planet, it’s going to become self-fulfilling.”

Hillary M. Rosner (MEnvSt’06)

“I talk about a lot of bad things that are going on, but the book is about solutions—the race to repair our fractured world,” Rosner said. “It’s about people all across the world doing incredible work and devoting their lives to reconnecting the planet for other species. And I think that is hopeful.”

Rosner’s work has appeared in some of the most influential news outlets in the country—The New York Times, National Geographic, Scientific American, The Atlantic—following her pivot to environmental reporting, which owes quite a bit to her graduate work in environmental studies at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder, as well as a Ted Scripps environmental journalism fellowship.

“I took an amazing biogeography course during my Scripps fellowship, which really helped shape my thinking around this project, in terms of species movement and the role humans have in shaping that,” said Rosner, who today oversees the Scripps program as part of her work with CEJ. Her work also was influenced by fellowships from Knight Science Journalism at MIT and the National Science Foundation.

Barriers beyond borders, highways

As you might expect from someone with such curiosity for the natural world, Rosner took the most enjoyment from how much she learned about the world through her reporting. A concept she particularly enjoyed exploring was anthropogenic resistance—the invisible ways humans impede animal movement.

“For instance, you may have a physically passable route for a bear, but you have a lot of hikers who recreate in that area, so it won’t go there,” she said. “We more readily think of border walls or highways, but humans have created all sorts of hidden barriers to animal movement that we don’t often think about.”

Her book is a call to action that we need to start thinking otherwise—and quickly. A key theme in Roam is one of empathy, as she invites readers to bring a different perspective to how they, too, move through the world.

“The idea of empathy was not an idea I was thinking about when I started this project,” Rosner said. “When I look around, it’s clear to me that empathy is lacking across the board right now—but perhaps if we can learn to see other species with empathy, it will help us see one another with empathy, also.”

There’s also a more pragmatic reason to take Rosner’s work seriously. Like it or not, those same connections between wild animals and the natural world also link us to the environment.

“We must better understand and appreciate how intimately we are connected to nature,” she said. “I mean, I say it in the book: If we continue to act as though we are the only species on the planet, it’s going to become self-fulfilling. That’s not a world we’ll want to live in, or be able to live in.”

Roam is available for limited release now, and will officially be available at bookstores and online Oct. 28.

A herd of elk at their winter refuge outside Grand Teton National Park, in Wyoming. Photo by Florian Schulz.

Kenya's major highways and railways include underpasses to allow elephants to navigate human infrastructure. Photo by Richard Moller.

Joe Arney covers research and general news for the college.

A new book from a journalism professor looks at human-made barriers—visible and not—that have disrupted animal migrations and threaten our ecology.

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Wildfires, water quality, weather patterns: Scripps fellows have ambitious plans for climate reporting

Joe Arney — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 22:25:22 +0000

Wildfires, water quality, weather patterns: Scripps fellows have ambitious plans for climate reporting Joe Arney Thu, 06/26/2025 - 16:25

By Sharon Waters

The 2025-26 class of Ted Scripps Fellows in Environmental Journalism at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder’s College of Communication, Media, Design and Information will explore a range of issues related to climate change, encompassing emerging infectious diseases to technology’s potential role in catching arsonists responsible for wildfires.

Part of the college’s Center for Environmental Journalism, the Scripps fellowship gives full-time journalists the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and understanding of a variety of topics, so they can more effectively report on pressing environmental issues in ways that resonate with broad audiences. Over a nine-month period, fellows attend classes, participate in weekly seminars and field trips, and meet experts as they develop independent journalistic projects related to the environment.

Established in 1993, the Scripps fellowship has been based at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder since 1997, making this the 29th class to join the program as part of the university.

This year’s fellows are:

	Ben Cathey, meteorologist and environmental/science reporter, WLVT. Cathey will spend his fellowship pursuing a serialized set of news pieces on wildfires. With the Front Range as a backdrop, Cathey plans to predict weather patterns governing wildfires while studying the use of artificial intelligence and drones to spot fires and catch arsonists. Cathey has won Emmy and Edward R. Murrow awards, and his work has been honored by The Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists and American Meteorological Society.
	Erin Douglas, climate reporter, The Boston Globe. As a Scripps fellow, Douglas will study the relationship between climate and emerging infectious diseases. At the Globe, Douglas covers climate adaptation and resilience, including rising sea levels, disaster recovery, inland flooding and water quality. She has also covered climate change for The Texas Tribune and energy and environment issues for the Houston Chronicle. Douglas’ work has been recognized by Investigative Reporters and Editors, Society of Environmental Journalists, and Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. She was part of Tribune teams honored with Murrow awards in 2022.
	Christopher Solomon, freelance journalist. A full-time freelancer since 2002, Solomon writes frequently for The New York Times. His work also has appeared in Outside Magazine, National Geographic, Wired, Travel + Leisure, Orion and other national publications. Solomon is a former staff reporter for The Seattle Times and was a contributing editor and contract writer for Outside. His work has been featured seven times in the annual Best American anthologies of notable writing from HarperCollins.
	Chris Walker, freelance journalist. During his fellowship, Walker will study corporate sustainability, with a focus on how investors, regulators and the current political climate are influencing climate actions by businesses. His environmental reporting includes stories about a Turkish town’s fight against a coal plant, rights of nature lawsuits, and climate denialism among oil and gas executives. A three-time Livingston Award finalist, Walker has been a staff writer at two alt-weeklies and an editor with 5280. His work has appeared in The Ecologist, Westword and The Lever.
	Amanda Williams, special projects editor, NPR 1A. As a fellow, Williams will explore intergenerational stories of climate change around the world, connecting family stories of environmental change to climate solutions. Williams hopes to center young people in her reporting, including her daughter, born in 2024. At NPR’s 1A, Williams manages long-term projects, including on-air series, partnerships and events, plus daily news coverage. She was a local newspaper reporter in southern Virginia and a student reporting fellow with the Pulitzer Center.

The newest class of fellows at the Center for Environmental Journalism brings experience from NPR, The New York Times, National Geographic and more.

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Dry goods

Anonymous — Sun, 29 Oct 2023 05:05:30 +0000

Dry goods Anonymous (not verified) Sat, 10/28/2023 - 23:05

Joe Arney

Photos by RJ Sangosti

Photographer RJ Sangosti carved out a niche in environmental journalism because crime stories had a way of following him home when he was working general assignment for The Denver Post.

“I want to stop people, make them think, and elevate how we are conserving water and planning our growth in the West.
—RJ Sangosti

He’s still doing great work—but it’s still following him home.

Sangosti has been documenting the Colorado River’s decline at the Post and through other channels, including a Scripps Environmental Journalism Fellowship at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder. He also has received grants from CMCI’s Water Desk to travel and hire artists to showcase his work on the river.

That support emboldened him to approach the story of a local river as a national crisis—a key goal of the Water Desk, which is dedicated to improving journalism connected to the Colorado River, especially around changes driven by climate, population and politics.

“The fellowship made me aware that journalism is not just the one big story—it’s about helping people understand and tell stories about the river,” he said.

A Gunnison native who grew up fishing and playing in the Taylor River, Sangosti hopes his work creates a visual story of the river that inspires others, including widespread sharing of his photos through the Post and, one day, a comprehensive website with photos, charts, maps—even drawings from Indigenous people who live nearby.

“I want to stop people, make them think, and elevate how we are conserving water and planning our growth in the West,” he said.

Joe Arney covers research and general news for the college.

RJ Sangosti grew up on the water. Now, he’s documenting the decline of the Colorado River as a photojournalist for The Denver Post.

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�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Center for Environmental Journalism Welcomes 25th Class of Fellows

Anonymous — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 03:34:15 +0000

�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Center for Environmental Journalism Welcomes 25th Class of Fellows Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/04/2021 - 21:34

The Center for Environmental Journalism is proud to welcome its 25th class of Ted Scripps Fellows, who will spend nine months at the �鶹��Ѱ��’s College of Media, Communication and Information working on long-term, in-depth journalistic projects and reflecting on critical questions.

Melissa Bailey
Sasha Chavkin
Marissa Ortega-Welch
Luke Runyon
Anna V. Smith

Learn more about the 2021-22 Class of Ted Scripps Fellows in Environmental Journalism »

The Center for Environmental Journalism is proud to welcome its 25th class of Ted Scripps Fellows, who will spend nine months at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder and CMCI working on long-term, in-depth journalistic projects and reflecting on critical questions.

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�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Center for Environmental Journalism Welcomes New Class of Fellows

Anonymous — Wed, 22 Jul 2020 23:13:19 +0000

�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Center for Environmental Journalism Welcomes New Class of Fellows Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 07/22/2020 - 17:13

The Center for Environmental Journalism is proud to welcome its 24th class of Ted Scripps Fellows, who will spend nine months at the �鶹��Ѱ��’s College of Media, Communication and Information working on long-term, in-depth journalistic projects and reflecting on critical questions.

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Faculty Now: Fall 2019

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Dec 2019 19:55:34 +0000

Faculty Now: Fall 2019 Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 12/13/2019 - 12:55

Updates from our all-star professors, researchers and innovators.

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Center for Environmental Journalism

‘The gold standard of fellowships’: Scripps journalists eager to create impact

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For reporters, the water beat is on fire

Extreme fire danger

Demystifying drought

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Snow news day: The challenge of climate reporting as newsrooms cut back

Beyond just financial support

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10 for 10: Centers making an impact

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Roam if you want to. Unless you’re a wild animal

Restoring empathy

Barriers beyond borders, highways

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Wildfires, water quality, weather patterns: Scripps fellows have ambitious plans for climate reporting

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Dry goods

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�鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Center for Environmental Journalism Welcomes 25th Class of Fellows

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�鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Center for Environmental Journalism Welcomes New Class of Fellows

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Faculty Now: Fall 2019

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�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Center for Environmental Journalism Welcomes 25th Class of Fellows

�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Center for Environmental Journalism Welcomes New Class of Fellows