2023 Media Fellows

 

Environmental Law Media Fellows:

Bridget Reed Morawski, Independent Journalist

Bridget Reed Morawski is a freelance energy and environment reporter. She writes a daily morning newsletter summarizing the highlights of energy and climate news in the Northeast U.S. Recently, she has written about sustainable design, light pollution, agrivoltaics, and building frog ponds as a backyard conservation measure. Originally from Philadelphia, she now lives in Washington, D.C.

Miranda Willson, E&E News

Miranda Willson is a reporter at E&E News, where she focuses on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, energy infrastructure, and the U.S. power grid. Her reporting has documented how the nation's top energy regulator is responding to climate change, environmental justice concerns, and the complex barriers to renewable energy deployment. She was previously a local reporter at the Las Vegas Sun and the Medford Transcript in Massachusetts. In 2017, she graduated from Tufts University with a bachelor's degree in environmental studies and urban planning.

 

Food and Agriculture Media Fellow:

Lela Nargi, Independent Journalist

Lela Nargi is a Brooklyn, NY-based veteran freelance journalist covering the food system, social justice issues, science & the environment, and the places where those topics intersect for The Guardian, the Food and Environment Reporting Network (FERN), Eater, Civil Eats, Mother Jones, Modern Farmer, and many other outlets.

Her work has been recognized by The Aspen Institute and the Society for Environmental Journalists and reprinted widely. She was a 2019 Fromson Fellow, in which she explored technological agricultural advances in Israel’s Negev; 2021 keynote speaker for the Northeastern Indiana Local Food Forum & Expo; presenter at the Solutions Journalism Network; and is a regular radio guest.

 

Animal Law Media Fellows:

Kenny Torrella, Vox

Kenny Torrella is a staff writer for Vox’s Future Perfect section, with a focus on animal welfare and the future of meat. He’s also the author of Meat/Less, a Vox newsletter designed to help readers incorporate more plant-based food into their diets. Prior to joining Vox, he worked in communications and public policy at animal welfare nonprofits, and his writing on animal welfare has appeared in Fortune, Conscious Company, GreenBiz, and The Independent.

Grace van Deelen, The New Lede

​Grace is a journalist who writes about climate, agriculture, and science. She is currently a reporter at The New Lede and a fellow at Sierra Magazine, and has also published work for Inside Climate News, Scientific American, Audubon, and Environmental Health News, among other publications. She is particularly interested in stories that illuminate the relationship between scientific research, human culture, food systems, and animal well-being and sentience. She is a graduate of MIT's Science Writing program and holds bachelor's degrees in biology and anthropology from Tufts University.

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Think like a lawyer. Report like a journalist.

Enhance your journalism skills and deepen your understanding of environmental, agriculture and farm systems, or animal law and policy with a Media Fellowship at one of the nation's top environmental law schools. Every summer, Vermont Law and Graduate School's Environmental Law Center brings together legal educators, policymakers, practicing lawyers and other leaders in their fields to share their expertise in our Summer Session.

Media fellows have access to our distinguished faculty and visiting policy leaders. They can meet for on- or off-the-record conversations with these experts, developing new insights, meeting new sources, and gaining renewed enthusiasm for covering the critical issues in climate change, animal law, energy, food and agriculture, and other areas. Each fellow will choose to audit one two-week, two-credit course from a selection of topics within their specific fellowship category during June or July. (View all course descriptions and schedules for more information.) In addition, fellows will receive a $1250 stipend, free housing, and a tuition waiver (travel not included).*

Media fellows also take part in the Summer Session's lunch series, "Hot Topics in Environmental Law," delivering a 45-minute, informal lecture on an environmental, food and agriculture, or animal law and policy topic of their choosing. Outside of classroom time, fellows can also enjoy the beauty of our campus, historic South Royalton and rural Vermont, or just relax on the front porch. Family members are welcome.

Fellowships are open to full-time journalists who cover environmental issues such as natural resources, energy, legal affairs, public health, food and agriculture, farmed animal law and policy, and other environment-related subjects.

Fellows are selected based on applicant's work history, samples, and commitment to covering environmental law and policy issues, animal protection issues, or agriculture and farm systems issues and their potential for increasing understanding of these issues nationwide.

The application deadline for all fellowships is TBD in March, 2024 at 5:00 ET.

*Animal Law Media Fellowships have been generously funded by the ASPCA. They are open for Animal Welfare Law, the Farm Bill, and for the weekend intensive Undercover Investigations of Animal Operations ($500 stipend). Travel funds available.

How to Apply 

Fellowships are competitive and open to staff, freelance, and independent reporters, writers, editors, and producers who are working full time as journalists. Journalism students and teachers, public relations practitioners and contributors to newsletters, magazines and other media controlled by industry, government or advocacy groups are not eligible. Fellows are selected based on the quality of their work and their ability to reach a broad audience. VLGS looks for journalists who are from different geographic areas, at different career stages, in different types of media and who work for a variety of news organizations. Journalists from BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and other underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Questions or inquiries, please contact ELC@vermontlaw.edu.

The application deadline for all fellowships is Monday, March 20, 2023.

 

Testimonials

"Attending Vermont Law School this summer was immensely educational. It's so rare to have the opportunity to spend two weeks burrowing into a single topic, and it was a huge privilege to do so in the idyllic surroundings of South Royalton. In addition to attending class, I had the chance to connect face-to-face and on Zoom with law school faculty, all of whom are doing exciting research relevant to my beat. I would recommend this fellowship for anyone reporting on animals and agriculture."
–Claire Brown, The Counter 

“I recommend this fellowship to any reporter covering the environment. Not only do you have to know the science, but VLS helps you to know the law. In fact, I still keep my textbooks from that summer as reference materials.”
–Seth Borenstein, AP

"Vermont Law School has always been a place to turn for well informed, helpful legal sources on environmental issues. Spending two weeks there as a media fellow lets you strengthen the relationship in important ways: schmoozing with the faculty in relaxed settings, engaging in group conversations around the big picture, presenting your own work in a noon lecture, sounding out an expert on a narrow aspect of the law that lies at the heart of a big investigative project. Other students were friendly and engaged as well. I took an intensive class taught by a VLS graduate who is the leading expert in her specialty, found it challenging and learned an enormous amount in eight packed mornings. But I also had time to bike in the hills, dine with locals, and paddle a kayak within a few feet of a family of loons. Five stars."
–Jack Cushman, InsideClimate News

"It was a great relief—and a pleasure—to spend two entire weeks simply digging into one subject. I was able to build considerable depth in a topic that is likely to gain prominence on the public agenda. I feel much better prepared to report knowledgeably on the topic (Arctic oil exploration). And I also seized the chance to wander into offices and engage people throughout the law school. A first-rate experience."
–Richard Harris, NPR

"The two weeks at VLS were refreshing and invigorating, a chance to step back from the hurly-burly of news deadlines and explore new directions. From full-time faculty like Pat Parenteau, Laurie Ristino, and Craig Pease I gained a fuller appreciation of the bright and committed scholars you have on your faculty. I've added a few new names to my Rolodex, to be sure."
–Timothy Wheeler, Baltimore Sun

“Vermont Law School gave me the rare chance to spend two focused weeks studying the law and policy behind the environmental issues I write about. My course, Earth Law, was engaging and thought-provoking. The faculty shared its expertise through lectures on timely topics and opened their doors to me for one-on-one discussions. I'd recommend the fellowship to any journalist seeking a broader understanding of environmental law.”
–Tony Barboza, Los Angeles Times

 

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2022 Media Fellows

Environmental Law Media Fellows:

Lesley Clark, Climate Law Reporter, E&E News

Lesley Clark covers climate change litigation for Climatewire, a publication of Politico's E&E (Energy & Environment) News. She previously covered the energy transition, politics and the White House for E&E's Energywire. She also covered domestic and international politics, the White House, Congress and campaigns for McClatchy's Washington DC bureau and before that worked at the Miami Herald, covering Congress, state government and politics from Tallahassee, Miami and Washington.

Leah Douglas, Agriculture and Energy Policy Reporter, Reuters

Leah Douglas covers U.S. agriculture and energy policy for Reuters, where they specialize in data and investigative reporting into the business and politics of the food system. Leah was previously a reporter and associate editor at the Food and Environment Reporting Network, where they won multiple awards for in-depth reporting of big issues in U.S. agriculture, including COVID’s outsized impact on U.S. food workers. Leah has been cited and interviewed in dozens of outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Al Jazeera, and John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight.

Maya Earls, Legal Reporter, Bloomberg Law

Maya Earls is a reporter on the Legal Intelligence team at Bloomberg Industry Group. She primarily focuses on environmental cases at the federal level, covering disputes over oil and gas leasing, water pollution, and species protection. When she's not at work, she spends her time watching and playing soccer, enjoying the outdoors, and exploring local eateries. 

Animal Law Media Fellows:

Marina Bolotnikova, Independent Journalist

Marina Bolotnikova is an independent journalist in Madison, Wisconsin, focusing on factory farming and the criminalization of animal rights activism. She's written for Vox, The Guardian, The Intercept, The New York Times, and many other publications. She loves to do ideas-driven reporting that draws on intellectual history, law, history of science, and critical animal studies. Her work has been cited in dozens of outlets and taught in university classes. Before going freelance, she worked for five years as an editor for Harvard Magazine, where she wrote and edited stories on everything from graduate student unionization to affirmative action to economics and history research. Before that, she was an editorial writer for the Toledo Blade. 

Melanie D.G. Kaplan, Independent Journalist

Melanie Kaplan is a freelance journalist based in Washington, D.C. She writes about science, travel, and animals and is a regular contributor to The Washington Post and National Parks Magazine. Melanie, a 2021 Knight Science Journalism Project Fellow, is working on a book that will explore the use of animals in research, testing and education, and will tell the story of her beagle Hammy, who spent four years in a lab.

Other Previous Media Fellows Include:

• Pamela King, E&E News
• Lisa Held, Civil Eats
• Claire Brown, The Counter
• Jessica Scott-Reid, freelance journalist
• Annie Snider, Politico
• Ellen Gilmer, E&E News
• David Abel, The Boston Globe
• Yvette Cabrera, Grist
• Ashley Ahearn, PRI's Living on Earth
• Natalie Allen, CNN
• Anthony Barboza, Los Angeles Times
• Kevin Begos, The Associated Press
• Winifred Bird, freelancer in Japan
• Seth Borenstein, The Associated Press
• Dina Cappiello, Houston Chronicle
• Jon Christensen, freelancer for The New York Times
• Warren Cornwall, Seattle Times
• Jack Cushman, InsideClimate News
• Beth Daley, The Boston Globe
• Osha Gray Davidson, freelance writer
• Rob Davis, Voice of San Diego
• Kate Galbraith, Texas Tribune
• Zoe Schlanker, Newsweek 
• Renee Schoof, Bloomberg BNA
• Peter Schwartzstein, freelance journalist
• Florah Seboni, Wena Industry and Environment Magazine (Botswana)
• Mitch Tobin, Arizona Daily Star 
• Miao Xiaojuan, Xinhua News Agency

• Roseanne Gerin, Radio Free Asia
• Erica Gies, freelancer for The New York Times
• Adam Glenn, independent online producer (formerly ABCNews, Greenwire)
• Richard Harris, NPR
• Fiona Harvey, The Guardian
• Cynthia Henry, Philadelphia Inquirer
• Tom Henry, The Blade (Toledo)
• Cheryl Hogue, Chemical & Engineering News
• Lawrence Hurley, Greenwire
• Lisa Hymas, Media Matters for America
• Jeremy Jacobs, Greenwire
• Maya Kapoor, High Country News 
• Brent Kendall, The Wall Street Journal
• Rebecca Leber, Mother Jones
• Mike Lee, San Diego Union-Tribune
• Randy Lee Loftis, Dallas Morning News
• Tim McDonnell, Mother Jones, Climate Desk
• John McQuaid, New Orleans Times-Picayune
• Lisa Palmer, freelance writer
• Jodi Peterson, High Country News
• Asher Price, Austin American-Statesman
• Amy Quinton, New Hampshire Public Radio
• Mark Schapiro, Center for Investigative Reporting
• Priyanka Bora, Hindustan Times
• Timothy Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun
• Jason Dearen, The Associated Press
• Misty Edgecomb, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle
• Melanie Kaplan, freelance journalist
• Marina Bolotnikova, freelance journalist