Winter Waters honors journalists

Rich Landers	Julie Titone	Karen Dorn Steele

Winter Waters 2018 is “Honoring Watershed Hero Journalists” Rich Landers, Julie Titone and Karen Dorn Steele and “fact-based journalism” from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Friday, March 2, at the Patsy Clark Mansion, 2208 W. 2nd Ave. Organizers believe fact-based journalism is essential for protecting waters, forests and wildlife habitats, and cleaning up pollution in the Columbia River Basin.

Winter Waters is co-hosted by Sierra Club’s Upper Columbia River Group and the Center for Environmental Law and Policy to recognize individuals, tribes, and organizations who have contributed to protecting and restoring the Upper Columbia River.

Tom Soeldner of Sierra Club said Winter Waters 2018 is honoring journalists because of the rise of “fake news” from people with “narrow political and social agendas.”

“It is vital that honorable journalists dedicated to truth and the common good be recognized,” he said. “In the context of business and political interests concerned only about bottom lines, and commodifying nature, it is essential that environmental journalists have rigorous ethical standards.

“Today, with the speed and quantity of news, we need reporters who not only can write a winsome phrase and paint a convincing verbal picture of wildlife and landscapes, but also love the earth and seek to support and honor its intricate web of life,” Tom added.

Rich, Julie and Karen have covered stories about asbestos contamination in Libby, lead contamination in the Silver Valley, toxins in the depths of Lake Coeur d’Alene, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) in the Spokane River, over-pumping of aquifers for golf courses, waste at Hanford, the Waste-to-Energy Plant and management by the U.S. Forest Service. They have exposed dangerous environmental practices and advocated for a just and sustainable future, Tom said. 

Copyright © February 2018 - The Fig Tree