What are some of the key differences that you perceive between today's reporting on environmental issues and the general state of environmental coverage in 1990, when SEJ was just gearing up?

When SEJ was launched in 1990, interest in environmental news was rapidly increasing. The Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska in 1989 had dramatically increased public concern about the environment. The Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident in 1986, growing awareness about global warming and the hole in the ozone layer in the late 1980s and other environmental problems all contributed to heightened public concern about the environment at that time. I believe that overall public interest in the environment has declined a bit since the late 1980s. However, it's possible that Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath will bring about a resurgence of interest in the environment again. There is no shortage in the number of important environmental stories to report about.

Overall, since 1990 I think that the quality of the best environmental reporting has improved and become more sophisticated. But the issues have also become more complex and more difficult to cover.

What do you think are the principal factors responsible for these changes?

I think SEJ has played an important role in improving the quality of environmental reporting through its national conferences, SEJournal, its web site and other programs. SEJ and its dedicated network of environmental reporters have made a major difference.

In terms of why there has been a decline in environmental reporting, I think that the lack of a spectacular environmental disaster, such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill, has been one of the factors. Many news organizations are reactive and respond to dramatic events.

You've said that environmental reporting isn't just about the environment beat anymore -- that reporters with other assignments and beats are increasingly expected to pay attention to environmental considerations, too. Is this a trend that you think will continue? How do your programs at MSU's Knight Center reflect it?

Yes, I think this trend will continue. In my classes at MSU and in the workshops that Dave Poulson, the assistant Knight Center director, and I organize, we seek to educate and train not just environmental reporters but all reporters. We regularly lecture about environmental reporting to all types of journalists and to many different journalism classes. There are important environmental stories to be found and covered by business reporters, religion reporters, sports writers, and general assignment reporters. We think it is important that they all know something about reporting about environmental emergencies, evaluating environmental risks, finding experts, using databases, etc.

As environmental issues and concerns have seeped into other beats, do you think there's been a corresponding decline in the importance that some supervisors at newspapers and other news organizations assign to the environment beat, per se?

Yes, I think this may be the case. When there is a designated environmental reporter in a news organization, that person becomes a lobbyist for the importance of these stories and the beat. If a reporter is covering many different issues, he or she is less likely to push for environmental stories. Of course, there can be a danger in advocating too strenuously for these stories because sometimes editors think the reporter has become biased. But I'm a big advocate of specialized environmental reporters because they bring a depth of knowledge and experience to covering this beat.

The environment beat has become much more firmly established, especially at large and mid-size newspapers, than it was when SEJ was founded. As someone who believes strongly in the importance of good reporting on environmental issues and problems, do you ever worry that this trend could be reversed?

Yes, I am concerned with the decline in resources that exist in many news organizations when corporate owners seek to maximize profits. There is less money available for travel and fewer journalists to cover the news. Some news organizations are not replacing specialized reporters, such as environmental and science reporters, when those specialists leave. Beats do wax and wane in importance. There are far fewer labor reporters than there were 30 years ago. In the 1970s there were many more energy reporters than there are today.

There's a lot of flux in the news industry, broadly defined, right now. Executives worry about how to arrest the decline in interest among young people in the news, particularly in newspapers. Blogs proliferate, amid other internet sites that provide news, commentary and gossip. Uncertainty abounds about the future direction of television news -- on both the broadcast networks and cable channels. Any thoughts about what all of this uncertainty and change may mean for environmental coverage in the future?

Journalism is undergoing many changes in terms of economics and technologies. There are many worrisome trends but there are also positive ones. I'm intrigued by the growth in citizen journalism. I was in London on July 7 when terrorists bombed the mass transit systems. Many of the best photos taken inside the subways came from non-journalists using cameras on their cell phones. I also think we may see more in-depth environmental reporting carried out by nonprofit organizations, such as universities and journalism organizations. I am very concerned about the growing restrictions journalists face in obtaining information and am glad SEJ has taken a leadership role in fighting to combat this trend.

Any advice for beginning -- or veteran -- journalists about ways to keep their reporting on the environment engaging and up-to-date?

Read widely. Study the work of some of the best environmental reporters, such as Mark Schleifstein of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Ken Ward, Jr. of the Charleston (W. Va.) Gazette, and Jim Bruggers of the Louisville Courier-Journal. There are many dedicated environmental reporters doing outstanding work. You can find examples of top environmental reporting at the environmental journalism gallery of SEJ's web site. Look for ways to engage readers through storytelling, narratives, photography and graphics. Translate jargon and make your stories as interesting and compelling as possible. Become a member of SEJ and attend its conferences, if possible.

Your program at Michigan State recently received a $2.2 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to expand its efforts. Another $2 million was pledged by the university. What's in store, thanks to this major infusion of money?

We are developing a specialization in environmental journalism in our master's degree program. We will add courses in environmental reporting for radio and television. We expect to offer some online courses and publish a textbook. We will offer many more workshops, both in the United States and internationally. Dave Poulson and I will participate in a workshop in India in November and we have in the works workshops in China and Latin America. We are planning some national "boot camps" to train journalists who are new to the environmental beat. We also will conduct practical research on the state of environmental reporting. We also hope to try out some interesting experiments to further develop environmental reporting and the ways that it is disseminated. We have many ideas and plans, which we will carry out during the next five years -- and beyond.

To find out more about our plans, contact me at Detjen@msu.edu, Dave Poulson at poulson@msu.edu or Barb Miller, the Knight Center secretary, at Mille384@msu.edu. Or contact the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism at Room 382, Communication Arts Building, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1212.