Link of the Week: Sept 30 - Oct 6
Society of Environmental Journalists
I can’t think of a more fitting link of the week than the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ). The Appalachian Voice, a popular environmental publication serving the region (see right sidebar) is starting to archive their articles with FIRE. Also, when you discuss the environment, health issues often quickly enter the picture, and health is in the headlines now in Western North Carolina. Buncombe County vaccinating thousands this week, after two popular local restaurants announced that staff had contracted the contagious viral illness hepatitis A. For this story, or any other issue with a link to the environment, the SEJ has a great site you can refer to. Their resource page has over 1,500 links to entries “from Acid Rain to Zoos” (they even rate each site). I used it to find information about hepatitis, for all of my ailing colleagues out there. There are also many other helpful resources, including a Freedom of Information Act page geared toward people interested in environmental issues.

Soros Justice Media Fellows Awards:
Seeking funds for an in-depth journalism project dealing with criminal justice? The Soros Justice Media Fellowship seeks dynamic journalists working in print, photography, radio, and documentary film and video to improve the quality and depth of media coverage of incarceration and criminal justice issues. Fellows devote up to one year to research, write, produce, and widely disseminate stories. Awards are up to $45,000. Click here to go to the Soros page and view more info about the awards.

Media Forum Follow-Up
We have now posted the handouts that were distributed by journalists at our recent media forum. Journalist contact information is now posted also, if you want to follow up with any of the people you met at the forum (or if you live in the Asheville area and want to see what you missed!).

Link/Article of the Week Archives
For your convenience, we've begun archiving past weeks' featured links and articles.

The Missing Link
Have any suggestions for us regarding next week’s link? Or is there information you seek, but you can’t find a helpful link? Let us know! If others would benefit from the information, we just may track down a link for you, or use your suggestion as Link of the Week.

Contribute Online!
It is now possible to contribute to FIRE online using your credit card. Please help us out, we can't be effective without your financial support! In the future, we will also be using similar technology, provided by PayPal, to enable you to pay for our upcoming events from our website with ease.

<<<<<<Hey, What's That?
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Welcome to FIRE, a non-profit organization which provides community media resources to the Appalachian region. You can use the search box on this page to search our online archive of media outlets throughout the area. If you are a local journalist (or want to be), visit the "Resources for Journalists" section. You'll find resources that will improve your community reporting skills and will enable area residents to easily locate your published articles online.

FIRE's purpose is to promote citizen participation and community-based media. Please contact us if you would like to participate in our programs or if you have any feedback that will improve this Web site.