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Researchers collect seawater samples. From the story “Rising Temperatures Are Scrambling the Base of the Ocean Food Web.” Image by Billy Hickey/The New York Times. United States.
How To Tell the Stories of Our Marine Environment
“A lot of people do not necessarily see the ocean, or live next to the ocean, but their lives, their future are completely intertwined with the ocean for the simple reason that the ocean and the climate are inseparable.” — Interview participant, Making Waves: Ocean Media Landscape Report
At the Pulitzer Center, our mission is not only to support journalists, but also to drive innovation in journalism. For our ocean reporting, that means conducting research on the existing media landscape in order to identify baseline knowledge, gaps in coverage, and opportunities for reporting to raise public awareness of declining ocean health. Now, we are excited to share that research to amplify possibilities for ocean reporting.
Two events next week will shine a light on the critical role of ocean reporting for our planet’s health: A webinar on Tuesday, March 18, will feature Ocean Reporting Network Fellow Jenn Thornhill Verma and grantees Barry Christianson and Carl Smith for a discussion on how ocean reporting can include diverse voices and challenge conventional narratives. On Thursday, March 20, The Ocean’s Stories Symposium at the University of California, Berkeley, will be a full-day event focused on the future of the ocean, with lightning talks, expert panels, and a keynote address.
We’re also building an online toolbox for journalists who want to report on ocean issues. On our website’s new Resources page, you can explore toolkits and methodologies, "Behind the Story" profiles with journalist grantees, and webinar recordings. You’ll find explainers on ocean reporting, how to investigate illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, how to report on plastic pollution, and more. Pulitzer Center Ocean Editor Jessica Aldred recently published a tipsheet in Covering Climate Now; or if you want to hear more from Carl Smith after attending the webinar on Tuesday, read about his trip to a remote Micronesian atoll in this Q&A.
As always, you can also read the latest stories we’ve supported on ocean issues on our website. Recent reporting highlights include a story on how rising temperatures are affecting plankton, the base of the ocean food web, by Ocean Reporting Fellow Delger Erdenesanaa for The New York Times, and an investigation on the European Union’s claims of sustainable fishing in the Indian Ocean by ORN Fellow Regin Winther Poulsen for Follow the Money.
To greater storytelling, above water or below,
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Impact
For Capital B Gary, Pulitzer Center StoryReach U.S. Fellow Jenae Barnes has spent her Fellowship covering how generations of Black women in Gary, Indiana, have faced one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country. To engage audiences, she invited Black mothers and local experts to discuss the issue together. At the event “Black Moms and Mimosas: A Community Dialogue,” 18 Black mothers shared personal struggles and urgent questions about their care and available resources.
Now, Capital B Gary is collaborating with experts, medical professionals, and advocates to answer these concerns. Residents were invited to join Capital B's next event in the initiative, “Black Mamas Matter: A Panel Discussion.”
Read about the ongoing Pulitzer Center-supported project here.
Photo of the Week
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Children from the Mukucham family in Wichimi in the Ecuadorian Amazon ride a solar-powered boat. From the story “In the Amazon, a New Way To Live off Nature.” Image by Misha Vallejo Prut. Ecuador, 2023.
“Watching the constant bad news about climate change fills me with despair and a sense of doom. This anxiety often leads me to lose hope and stop even small efforts, like recycling at home. That’s why I believe we need hope now more than ever—stories that remind us of a better future are still possible, like this one.”
— Misha Vallejo Prut
This message first appeared in the March 14, 2025, edition of the Pulitzer Center's weekly newsletter.Subscribe today.
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