South Jersey Climate News wins statewide award for regional coverage

South Jersey Climate News wins statewide award for regional coverage

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March 6, 2025

Since 2019, South Jersey Climate News has covered the widespread effects of ongoing climate change, from sea level rise along the Delaware Bay to drought across the region to forest fires in Gloucester County.

The publication, developed, edited and managed by journalism faculty Mark Berkey-Gerard and Dianne Garyantes but reported by students in the Department of Journalism, was honored Feb. 24 with a 2025 Excellence in N.J. Local News Award for environmental coverage.

The award, by the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University, honors local news outlets for journalistic excellence in contributions to keeping communities informed, holding those in power accountable, and helping to drive change. South Jersey Climate News was among 11 outlets honored for work throughout 2024.

“What’s nice about this award is it showcases our students’ work,” Garyantes said. “It’s the students who produce the content and the site is all student driven. Students come up with the ideas and report their stories.”

The site covers such issues as sustainability at Rowan University, the effects of expanding warehouse construction on neighboring communities, and how AI may be used to address climate change. Many of the stories are picked up by news partners like The Press of Atlantic City, NJ Spotlight News and Follow South Jersey.

Despite voluminous research about climate change, some Americans remain doubtful about whether it really exists or if extreme meteorological conditions are simply natural fluctuations in weather patterns.

Berkey-Gerard said a point of pride among the student journalists involved is to thoroughly report stories and issues that undeniably impact people.

“Our students cover stories that affect people in their communities,” Berkey-Gerard said. “Whether it’s a community garden in Camden that’s trying to figure out how to get enough water or a town down the shore where there’s increased flooding, they (often) take a big topic and localize it. Students go into communities, ask questions and talk about things that really matter.”

Among stories covered in the past year, he said, were a green burial cemetery in Woodbine, a photo feature showcasing a sustainable farm in Pennington, and the threat to air quality posed by a metal recycling fire (see photo above) in Camden.

“We’re covering things where there may not be a local newspaper,” Berkey-Gerard said. “If our students can help fill the gaps in news deserts, that’s what we’re trying to do, serving places that might not have traditional media.”

Senior journalism major Madison Miller, who not only writes for South Jersey Climate News but is editor in chief of The Whit, said she believes coverage of the ongoing climate crisis might change some minds and, possibly, save lives and livelihoods.

“The climate is something everyone is affected by, no matter where they live or their socioeconomic status,” Miller said.

Senior journalism major Paige Britt, who writes for South Jersey Climate News and is features editor for The Whit, described the statewide award as a “huge honor.”

“I feel I’ve played a small part but the fact that we’re getting recognized is really cool,” Britt said. “It fills my journalism heart with joy.”

Journalism Chair Kathryn Quigley said more than providing a great training opportunity for aspiring professional journalists, the publication fills a void left by a decades-long loss of local news outlets.

“South Jersey Climate News is part of the Journalism Department's effort to fill in the local news gap,” she said. “I am so proud that the work of our students is being recognized and appreciated.”

South Jersey Climate News receives grant funding from the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium.

Read some of the work from South Jersey Climate News that’s been picked up by other outlets: