Altavoz Lab in partnership with Environmental Health Sciences is launching the 2023 Environmental Fellowship with the mission of supporting early-career bilingual journalists reporting in/from the Texas Gulf Coast and focusing on environmental health, environmental justice and the impacts of the petrochemical industry on communities. (Petrochemicals are toxic chemicals made from oil and gas used to make plastics, industrial chemicals, etc.

The goal of this fellowship is to bolster community networks and bring information about the health and environmental consequences of the expansion of  petrochemical projects in Texas to audiences who normally do not have access to such information.

EHS is committed to providing an avenue for environmental health journalists and emerging environmental justice leaders to engage in socially impactful research, inject new innovative ideas into the public sphere, increase environmental health and justice literacy, and make scientific information more accessible to communities that have been historically excluded from decision-making. EHS’ goal in Texas is to drive good science and important news into public discussion about our health and environment, particularly around the buildout of the region’s petrochemical facilities.

What are we looking for?

Bilingual journalists (in English and Spanish) eager to report for immigrants, Black, indigenous and other communities of color in the U.S. and who may already work for community-based publications serving them in Texas, specifically near the Gulf Coast. We’ll prioritize supporting applicants who work for or contribute to small publications or publications that are developing. This call is also open to independent journalists with close ties to their communities. 

We want journalists who believe in mentorship from peers and seek lasting, collaborative relationships. 

How does the 2023 Environmental Fellowship work?

This fellowship will be a collaborative experience.  You will send us a story idea tied to environmental justice and the petrochemical buildout. Please include a description, clearly lay out what you think the angle is, how you will approach the reporting and who you will interview in order to be inclusive of impacted communities. It’s ok if you don’t know every detail of the story you want to pitch. If you don’t have a story, please tell us what you’d like to cover and as much as you can about your proposed story idea. If you are chosen for the fellowship, we will work with you as a team, including your publication’s editor, an Altavoz mentor and an editorial team from EHS. The 2023 Altavoz Lab Environmental Fellowship will start at the beginning of May.

Before you apply you can set up a time to speak with us and work through your pitch. We also recommend that you look at recent EHS coverage of petrochemicals as a frame of reference. Send an email to us here. We want you to succeed, and we know that sometimes we all need to bounce ideas off each other.

If you are accepted, you will be paired with a veteran journalist who will serve as your Altavoz mentor. We will also offer a stipend of $3,000. Half paid upfront, and the rest delivered upon completion of the project -which must be published no later than Nov. 30, 2023.

We also need your publication (either where you work, or if you freelance, where you intend to publish) to grant permission to co-publish and collaborate editorially with EHS. If you don’t have an editor assigned to your project the 2023 Altavoz Lab Environmental Fellowship will provide the editorial support. 

What are the requirements?

It’s not mandatory to have a background specifically in covering the petrochemical industry or environmental health. Our team and your mentor will provide support with that. At the start of the fellowship we will host a workshop on Environmental news coverage 101.

Whether you are a freelancer or staff reporter we need an editor to sign a form (template included in the application) or write a letter confirming a commitment to copublish the story with EHS by Nov. 30, 2023.

We’re here to help you.