Enviro Media
- Bring Montana’s universities together on one eco-journalism project.
- Work on a critical state-wide project with national repercussions.
- Deploy a massive array of immersive storytelling techniques.
Montana universities preside over an empire of separate environmental efforts. With the right project, the Media Lab could bring them together
University of Montana
- UM-J houses the Environmental Science and Natural Resource Journalism.
- The Law School has a Natural Resources and Environmental Law program.
- Environmental Studies, within UM Humanities, hosts an Environmental Writing Institute and publishes Camas Magazine.
- A UM flagship is its Creative Writing program.
Montana State University
- MSU Biological Sciences has a Department of Ecology.
- The Ag School offers Land Resources and Environmental Sciences.
- Engineering has a Masters in Environmental Engineering.
- The Film School’s Science and Natural History Filmmaking program puts on the Prismatic Film Festival and produces the LifeOnTERRA video podÂcast.
From “richest hill” to largest superfund site
Berkeley Pit and tailings pond (NASA)
For instance, we could harness cross-campus scientific, legal, filmmaking, and reporting talent for an immersive history of the Berkeley Pit, as it approaches “critical level.” In 2023, if unchecked, the toxic waters start spilling out into Silver Bow Creek and the city’s groundwater. (UM Graduate Journalism Studies starts each year with a “Super Fun Superfund Tour.”)
Another Media Lab opportunity would be workshops on Outdoor Writing (sponsored by Outside magazine?). Though a source of groundbreaking journalism, from “Snow Fall” to Cheryl Strayed, the genre of Outdoor Writing is mostly academically ignored.
Copper Chorus
Don Anderson broke the “copper collar” of Anaconda control of Montana newspapers.
From: Copper Chorus: Mining, Politics, and the Montana Press, 1889-1959