CNO’s Atlantic reporter receives prestigious Metcalf journalism fellowship

Atlantic Coast climate reporter Cloe Logan has been chosen for the coveted Metcalf Institute’s Annual Science Immersion Fellowship for Journalists. The fellowship is highly competitive, with Metcalf receiving applications from more than 200 prospective attendees representing 65 different countries this year.

Ten prolific journalists from across the United States and Canada have been selected to attend the two-week intensive program at the University of Rhode Island, which will take place from June 11-16 in Kingston, R.I., and continue virtually thereafter.

“So many of the things climate reporters write about are highly scientific and technical, and it can be hard to gain a deep understanding of how these systems actually work. That’s something I hope to work on during my fellowship, while building new connections and relationships with experts and journalists,” said Logan.

“I think it’s convenient to simplify the energy transition: ‘We need more renewables, so let’s do it.’ However, an equitable shift away from fossil fuels is complex and nuanced,” she said.

Logan has tackled this dynamic previously, including in her reporting on Black Tickle, an Inuit community taking control of its energy needs to transition off diesel, for example.

She is the sole fellow from Canada attending this year’s program. The other fellows are:

• Ana Bueno, environmental reporter, Univision 45
• Ambar Castillo, Sharon Begley Science reporting fellow, STAT
• Marie French, reporter, Politico
• Kavitha George, statewide affairs reporter, Alaska Public Media
• Phoebe Wall Howard, reporter, Detroit Free Press
• Terry Jones, reporter, Floodlight News
• Jennifer McDermott, reporter, Associated Press
• Jeniffer Solis, reporter, Nevada Current
• Monica Samayoa, climate reporter, Oregon Public Broadcasting

The Metcalf Institute 2023 workshop will converge around the topic of achieving an equitable transition to clean energy — exploring the natural, social and engineering research that will guide us. The fellowship is designed to offer reporters without science backgrounds a meaningful opportunity to learn about climate science and adaptation measures from top policy-makers and researchers to help them “produce accurate and contextualized reporting on globally relevant environmental issues,” according to the Metcalf Institute.

In addition, fellows receive the opportunity to expand their peer networks by learning from other journalists who come from a wide variety of backgrounds.

Logan writes about energy often and offers analysis on the transition in Atlantic Canada. Read more of Cloe’s stories here.