¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä

The new reality of local environmental reporting involves reduced resources, staffing, and training for journalists who are expected to cover environmental issues. At the same time, large segments of the American population are uninformed about policy issues that affect their lives and their communities. This dichotomy sets up a conflict between the journalistic resources that a democracy cannot afford to lose and those that media outlets cannot afford to provide. This also calls into question the training of journalists and the needs of future journalists. The new expectations of journalists not only include an expanded ability to fill the role of expert reporters, but also the ability to provide coverage in a multimedia environment, which is not among the core competencies of traditional local media outlets. This study surveyed Colorado journalists across media platforms to better understand the conditions under which they report on environmental topics and the preparation and training that they’ve had.