Zaktansky, John, Riverkeeper, Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association, 112 Market Street, Sunbury, PA, 17801, midsusriver@gmail.com.
Over the past year, the greater watershed has experienced a wide number of hot-button environmental issues. These have included a massive sewage spill near Selinsgrove that highlights the aging infrastructure concerns across our area, a fracking wastewater incident near Williamsport that left a rainbow-color sheen on the river and questions about public health, increasing concerns about emerging contaminants such as microplastics, pharmaceuticals and PFAS, a growing number of invasive species threats and more. The Heartland region is blessed with a wide number of quality universities with research components that study a wide number of environmental issues, but much of that work never connects with the general public. Meanwhile, mainstream media is struggling to cover a growing number of major stories with shrinking newsrooms and resources. Reporters have to multi-task as photographers, videographers, editors and social media influencers on each beat, leaving little time for meaningful research and indepth reporting.
This session is focused on bridging the gap between these two areas and how groups like the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association can help. We will look at easy-to-locate resources and tips for people on all sides of this situation … students and professors looking to simplify their work for the general public without taking away its importance and impact. Journalists looking to beef up their environmental reporting while having just a minimal layman’s understanding of bigger concepts, and how they can broaden their toolbox. We will be looking at specific examples of events over the past year and hot-button issues to see what questions are not being asked and how to better educate the public about issues so they can respond, protect themselves and their families and better address some of the sources of these concerns.
Environmental, Journalism, Research, Storytelling