By Joe Arney

Like a river, a good story has a beginning, a middle and an end. So, when Luke Runyon was experimenting with a new format to tell the story of the 欧美口爆视频 River, he traced its geography to help move listeners along.

He鈥檚 not the first to tell the story of the 欧美口爆视频 River from its high-altitude headwaters to its Mexican mouth. But as he experimented with long-form narrative for a six-part podcast series, Runyon found bringing his listeners along on a journey down the river made for more compelling storytelling.

鈥淚 really wanted this series to focus on human stories鈥攖he people who are adapting to water scarcity and climate change in real time,鈥� said Runyon, co-director of at the University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder鈥檚 College of Media, Communication and Information. 鈥淲hen it comes to covering water, you can get bogged down in the day-to-day negotiations between states or policymakers, and for this series, I wanted to dispense with the bickering and share what was happening on the ground.鈥�

It鈥檚 among the most prestigious honors in journalism and is quite the honor for a reporter and editor who, when he first moved from covering agriculture to water issues, wasn鈥檛 sure he鈥檇 have enough news to cover.

鈥淚 was a little worried, at first,鈥� Runyon said of moving from the agriculture beat at Harvest Public Media and KUNC to covering water full-time for the NPR member station in 2017. 鈥淏ut now, I could name 10 other reporters throughout the West focused solely on water. There has been an explosion of interest in the river in the last four or five years, and a lot of pent-up demand for these stories.鈥�

鈥極ne of the best things I鈥檝e ever done鈥�

That demand is driven by a growing population that has strained the complex compact apportioning water in the Southwest鈥攁 troubling trend exacerbated by a changing climate. But Runyon鈥檚 work resonates with his audience because he is effective at finding the right voices and showing how, even amid partisan paralysis, concerns about water are making unlikely bedfellows鈥攍ike between ranchers and rafters.

  鈥淲hen it comes to covering water, you can get bogged down in the day-to-day negotiations between states or policymakers, and for this series, I wanted to dispense with the bickering and share what was happening on the ground.鈥�
Luke Runyon, co-director, The Water Desk

Runyon augmented his storytelling skills through a Ted Scripps Fellowship in Environmental Journalism, which he completed in 2022. He called the experience 鈥渙ne of the best things I鈥檝e ever done,鈥� whether it was auditing courses that gave him a broader perspective on the topics he tackled in 鈥淭hirst Gap鈥� or meeting like-minded colleagues who supported him as he broke ground on the project.

鈥淚t really was helpful for me to be thinking about these bigger, broader questions as I was getting into that series,鈥� said Runyon, who was quick to credit his editor and sound designer for helping each episode shine.

The Scripps fellowship is administered by CMCI鈥檚 Center for Environmental Journalism. Hillary Rosner, the center鈥檚 assistant director, recalled Runyon鈥檚 enthusiasm for the program as a fellow; he organized a field trip to Estes Park, Loveland and other locations to demonstrate how water is moved across 欧美口爆视频.

鈥淎s a fellow, he was a real asset鈥攑artly because of his enthusiasm and partly because he really understands how water in the West intersects with so many aspects of our lives,鈥� Rosner said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 able to share that knowledge in a way that I think can inspire new ideas, and you see that in the podcast, especially.鈥�

The Murrow award, she said, is incredibly validating for CEJ and the fellowship, which attracts journalists from National Geographic, The New Yorker, CNN, The Guardian, PBS, NPR and others eager to sit in on classes to broaden their perspectives and spend time digging deep into important environmental issues.

鈥淟uke鈥檚 podcast is exactly the kind of in-depth project that is really hard to do in the absence of something like this fellowship,鈥� Rosner said.   

Guiding other reporters on the path

鈥淚 was looking to flex some different journalistic muscles and learn some new skills in a news landscape that鈥檚 changing very rapidly,鈥� Runyon said. 鈥淛ournalism is a lot more collaborative now鈥攜ou get a lot more done via partnerships, due to limited resources that news organizations have鈥攁nd my goal is to be a resource for reporters and make sure the water journalism happening in the West is the best it can be.鈥�

The podcast format itself presented a new challenge for Runyon, who is more used to writing a few minutes鈥� worth of copy for a broadcast. But he relished the chance to try something new.

鈥淚t was refreshing to find a new way to tell a story that I think of from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been on this beat now for seven years or so, and I鈥檓 still learning and still finding things that are surprising. And that鈥檚 what keeps me so interested in my work.鈥�

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By Iris Serrano

The College of Media, Communication and Information at the University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder has named five exceptional journalists to its 2024-25 class of Ted Scripps Fellows in Environmental Journalism.  

鈥淭his year鈥檚 terrific incoming class of Ted Scripps Fellows hails from around the country and works across multiple platforms, including photography, podcasts, documentary, long-form narrative and daily news,鈥� said Hillary Rosner, assistant director of the Center for Environmental Journalism鈥攚hich oversees the Scripps Fellows program鈥攁nd a teaching assistant professor at CMCI. 鈥淭ogether, they bring decades of experience and expertise to 欧美口爆视频 Boulder, where they will learn from university researchers and share their knowledge with the community.鈥�

Established in 1993, the Ted Scripps Fellowship has been based at the University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder since 1997. The program, which is supported by a grant from the Scripps Howard Fund, aims to give full-time journalists working in any medium the knowledge and tools to report on today鈥檚 pressing environmental issues in ways that resonate with diverse audiences. Over a nine-month period, fellows attend classes at the University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder, participate in weekly seminars and field trips, and pursue their own journalistic projects on a wide range of environmental topics.

The incoming class includes:

Steven Bedard, co-founder and editor, BioGraphic. Bedard has spent the last 25 years writing and producing science stories on everything from archaeology to evolution. During the fellowship, he will explore how species are responding to global change, looking at the intersection between systems-scale events and the individual organisms鈥� biology.

Taylor Dolven, reporter, The Boston Globe. Dolven focuses on how transportation intersects with climate change and economic inequality. Previously, as a reporter at the Miami Herald, she exposed how cruise companies kept workers at sea without pay during the pandemic. As a fellow, Dolven will research how Americans鈥� reliance on cars and the transition to electric vehicles impacts lithium-rich communities in South America.

Catherine (Cat) Jaffee, founder and audio producer, House of Pod. Jaffee will spend her fellowship developing an audio series that explores how both ecosystems and human bodies repair themselves, and how overlapping biomedical and bioengineered solutions apply to both. Jaffee has produced more than 1,000 podcast episodes for outlets such as PBS and National Geographic.

Neeta Satam, independent photojournalist. Satam is an Indian photojournalist and National Geographic explorer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post and elsewhere. As a fellow, she will expand a long-term project that documents the impact of climate change on a community in the Himalayas, with an emphasis on gender inequity.

Leah Varjacques, visual journalist and documentary producer. Varjacques has produced and edited digital and television documentaries for The New York Times, The Atlantic and Vice News, where she won an Emmy in 2021. She plans to study climate adaptation and human geography to produce a short documentary about the impacts of Indonesia's future capital city on East Borneo's Indigenous people.

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By Joe Arney

The New York Times. The BBC. National Geographic. CNN. 

The 2023-24 class of Ted Scripps Fellows in Environmental Journalism at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder brings experience from the world鈥檚 most prestigious media outlets to the Center for Environmental Journalism. 

鈥淲e are always impressed by the quality of journalists who apply to this fellowship, but this year鈥檚 pool was truly distinguished,鈥� said Hillary Rosner, assistant director of the Center for Environmental Journalism and a teaching assistant professor at the College of Media, Communication and Information. 鈥淭he incoming fellows bring a variety of interests and perspectives to topics around climate change鈥攊ncluding environmental justice and gender issues鈥攁nd are comfortable using multiple platforms to tell stories and connect with people.鈥� 

Established in 1993, the Scripps fellowship has been based at the University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder since 1997. The program aims to give full-time journalists working in any medium the knowledge and tools to report on today鈥檚 pressing environmental issues in ways that resonate with diverse audiences. Over a nine-month period, fellows attend classes at the University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder, participate in weekly seminars and field trips, and pursue their own journalistic projects on a wide range of environmental topics.

This year鈥檚 class consists of:

• Kara Fox, digital producer, CNN International. Fox鈥檚 work unpacks the why and how behind breaking news, with a reporting focus on women鈥檚 issues, geopolitics, culture and corruption. She also has worked at National Geographic Adventure Magazine and the World Picture Network. During her fellowship, she plans to develop a project about climate change鈥檚 unique threats to women. 
• Rebecca Halleck, senior editor, The New York Times. Halleck will spend her fellowship examining the legal and policy frameworks surrounding climate change and climate action. She was part of the Times鈥� live coverage of the coronavirus, which won a Pulitzer Prize, and has also served as a digital editor at the Chicago Tribune.
• Elliot Ross, photographer. Ross鈥� work documenting the American West鈥攊n particular, the water crisis and its impact on indigenous communities and geopolitics鈥攈as offered him opportunities to collaborate with National Geographic Magazine, TIME, The New York Times and The New Yorker. As a fellow, he aims to build out a long-term project, Geography of Hope, exploring environmental and social issues in the Glen Canyon ecosystem. 
• Ishan Thakore, multimedia producer and journalist. As a fellow, Thakore plans to study and report the federal government鈥檚 approach to coastal resiliency, with a close look at a plan to protect New York from storm surges. His work has appeared in 鈥淔ull Frontal with Samantha Bee,鈥� Al Jazeera, the BBC and National Geographic, among other outlets.
• Clifton Wiens, writer and filmmaker. Wiens previously worked at National Geographic in various capacities, including as a senior script researcher and a development producer on documentaries and series on a wide range of topics. He plans to develop a documentary film during his fellowship that will explore apocalyptic beliefs and their impact on attitudes and policy related to climate change and other environmental issues. 

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Former fellows have gone on to collect Pulitzer Prizes for their work, authored best-selling books, and headed up some of the nation's most respected news organizations. 

  Learn more

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