Daniel Rothberg
Aug. 11, 2022
As an environment reporter for The Nevada Independent, I focus on covering water, energy, mining and public land across the Great Basin and the Mojave Desert. My reporting has taken me throughout Nevada and the West, from surveying sage grouse breeding grounds to visiting an underground cavern near Lake Mead, 500 feet beneath the Earth. I believe everyone should have access to information about the forces and systems that shape our lives, often in invisible ways. With my journalism, I aim to provide transparency, accountability and clarity about how governments and private interests use (or misuse) natural resources — water, energy and land.
Nevada is, in many ways, a microcosm of the American West. It is full of rich characters and overlooked stories, as well as glaring inequality. Through reporting in the field, I have worked to make environmental issues more accessible, elevate voices that we do not often hear from and explain to readers that environmental problems are rarely abstract. They are deeply personal.
I'm running for the Society of Environmental Journalists board because I want to play a role in developing new programming and opportunities focused on increasing environmental reporting in newsrooms, particularly in local communities on the frontlines of so many complex issues.
I am passionate about expanding local and statewide environmental coverage. Simply put, there are more stories than there are reporters to cover them. In the seven years I've spent reporting on Nevada, I have seen a large gap in coverage of environmental issues, even pressing issues like water. While many local outlets are starting to close this gap, there is much more progress that can be made. As a board member, I would focus on emphasizing programming, outreach and membership campaigns to support and expand environmental journalism in "news deserts," especially in communities that have historically been overlooked by traditional media outlets.
In addition, I am running to be an advocate for our profession. For the past year, I have served as a board member of the Nevada Press Association, and I would continue advocating for our industry on the SEJ board. It is important to educate the public and even other journalists on the value environmental reporting brings to communities. Despite the importance of environmental issues in everyday life, newsrooms too often overlook environmental news in their coverage.
In addition to writing for The Nevada Independent, my reporting has been published in The New York Times, Bloomberg, Sierra Magazine, Ensia, Utility Dive and High Country News. My work has also been recognized by SEJ, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Nevada Press Association. I am based in Reno, and I am currently working on a book about water scarcity.
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