Pitching the local angle of an international story
A tipsheet by Katie Coleman, graduate assistant and editor of EJ Magazine, Knight Center for Environmental Journalism. (This tip sheet was gleaned from the 2006 Society of Environmental Journalists national conference.)
Download a printable version of this tipsheet
If pitching stories about China to your local editor is a tough sell, consider what Tseming Yang, Vermont Law School professor, says about why China’s environment is important to Americans:
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China causes 25 percent of the air pollution on the U.S.’s west coast.
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China is the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases and will soon eclipse the U.S. for the number-one spot.
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Based on air quality, seven of the world’s 10 most polluted cities are in China.
Yang provides this comparison of environmental politics to give your story context:
Criteria |
United States |
China |
Population |
300 Million |
1.3 Billion |
Personnel in Federal Environmental Office |
18,000 (EPA) |
400 (State Environmental Protection Agency, or SEPA) |
Government System |
Independent state and local structures |
All state and local government officials report directly to Beijing (never just to SEPA) |
Payment of Government Officials |
Standard salaries |
Based on GDP of the village and/or province |
Influence of public, media and law cases |
High |
Low |
Here are a few story ideas about how international environmental regulations affect the U.S.:
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Mark Schapiro, editorial director for the Center for Investigative Reporting, says the European Union is about to pass legislation known as “REACH” (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals). It will subject tens-of-thousands of chemicals to risk analyses never conducted in the U.S., where a grandfathered clause in the Toxic Substances Control Act exempted about 62,000 chemicals from similar testing in 1976. If the U.S. wants to hold on to the European market, which is larger than the U.S. market, it will have to comply with these new rules, according to Schapiro. Read about REACH here.
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In a domestic effort to fill the data-, safety- and technology-gaps created by TOSCA, the California state government is discussing legislation that could put the Golden State on the forefront of chemical regulations, according to Peter Waldman, a senior special writer and news editor with The Wall Street Journal. Though the report — “Green Chemistry in California: A Framework for Leadership in Chemicals Policy and Innovation” — purposefully stays away from the new European model, it has similar goals. Read the report here.
Waldman also said a new precautionary labeling is being required in both the E.U. and China — but not the United States — that will warn electronics users when electronic parts will start to break down and become toxic. That means that the same electronic products sent to the E.U. with the label will be sold in the U.S. without the label.
