The Scoop on Poop
I don't usually laugh when I hear about environmental degradation, but John Ryan's "As the Sound Churns" series on KUOW "Puget Sound Public Radio" in Seattle left me giggling. Ryan manages the trick of combining great descriptive and explanatory journalism with wry humor (as well as some goofy potty jokes worthy of a fourth-grade carpool). For example "Victoria Secrets" traces how the city of Victoria pipes its untreated sewage into the sea. Along the way we meet Mr. Floatie, the mascot of an activist group called People Opposed to Outfall Pollution, or POOP. You can guess what Mr. Floatie's costume looks like. In "Bridges Over Troubled Waters," Ryan tells us what it's like to work 165 feet under the sea. And for more fun, Ryan's "Swirls of Deception" takes us on an aural journey aboard a kayak through the Sound's treacherous waters. We even get to hear what it sounds like when he capsizes.
For more great environmental stories, take a look at these winners from the Society of Environmental Journalists annual contest.
I'm looking for more excellent examples of environmental journalism and also more radio stories. Please leave me a comment if you know of any.