Equitable Engagement in Environmental Journalism

Hira Ahmad (MS ’24), Francesca Levethan (MS ’24), and Kausthubh Sumanth (MS ’24)—three Rackham alumni with degrees from the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)—collaborated to bring the capstone project they worked on as students to the broader public with the help of a grant from the River Network, a nonprofit committed to strengthening a transformational national network of water, justice, and river advocates.

A key component to their master’s project, “Media with Impact: Building a Community-Driven Model for Environmental Justice Coverage in the Great Lakes Region,” developed recommendations for media organizations and philanthropic foundations to advance equitable and community-based environmental journalism in order to uplift the narratives of frontline environmental justice communities and invoke civic change.

The project included a comprehensive toolkit, a corresponding workbook, and a strategic implementation plan.

With funding from the River Network, secured by Ahmad, the group transformed their project into a webinar to extend the impact of their work.

“One of the key principles [of our project] was making sure that we were serving the needs of the folks who so generously gave us their time, their energy, their stories, and made sure our project had a lasting impact and was accessible beyond just our final report,” says Levethan.

Learn more about their work in this feature article from the University Record.