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Ten Tips for Covering Biofuels 

I think one of the major tips listed is to know the history of the beat you are covering. As a Communication major they like to hit us over the head a lot with knowing facts of the story and adding historical or past facts that are relevant to what we are covering. This would be hard to do if we did not do research to help us along. I am very new to the idea of enviromental and science writing so some of these other tips come in handy such as "Recognize the international scope of the story." It sounds like common sense, but a lot of times people tend to forget that stories, environmental ones especially, are something with international appeal. All of the tips are relevant for any reporting stories we do throughout our lives. Overall I just appreciated a refresher and what is new to some people in what we should keep in mind this semester whe writing our stories.

--Koryn Stevens

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That is so true about not letting objectivity get in the way of truth and of looking at the credibility of both sides’ arguments. I like the idea of journalists being the “watchdogs” not attack or lap dogs, especially when dealing with credibility. I definitely agree with Koryn that knowing the history of the issue is a major good tip – understanding what has already happened will most definitely affect what will happen in the future. I am really glad that you noted that “Superficial market costs do not reflect real costs of production, internal or external” because it is important to remember that biofuels are currently heavily subsidized by our government. I really like the emphasis on point number 7 as well – getting your superiors to understand that these issues are the issues of the century and need adequate coverage time. It also is incredibly important to recognize that this is not only an issue for America – but is one for the world. Biofuels deserve special coverage because of how much money and attention they are receiving, but are they really sustainable in the long run with our levels of consumption?

- Angie

I think it is also important when covering biofuels to make specific and direct the concept that biofuels are just one facet in sustainable energy as part of a portfolio. As with writing on any new environ.-friendly technologies/processes, it is an important and inarguable note that each tech is just a part of the portfolio. This is especially pertinent to biofuels as the topic sparks heated debate among the ag industries/environmentalists/politicians/farmers etc. Another note is to make solid the idea that politics has always played a role and influenced our energy-use decisions through regulation and subsidies (great job Angie). I think many people tend to give more credence to the idea that the free-market chooses the most efficient energy source, than the free-market deserves. Hopefully along with the outlined tips we can more accurately and effectively cover biofuels. Also, Koryn's comment/tip on the international scope of the biofuel argument is important because by changing the range of the argument you get a greater sense of the impacts of production (okay, we're using cellulosic ethanol...from used-to-be-rainforest- Brazil?). This provides more areas for questioning/research when covering the topic.

- Chris