Nothing is more important to today’s Texas consumers — and therefore to journalists — than being able to access energy at reasonable costs. The energy issues faced by the state today are huge, and the dollar amounts involved are staggering. And to make it all worse, navigating the sometimes-arcane world of energy policy can make your head spin. Education reporters and cop reporters at least understand the basic terminology – energy reporting deals with a host of terms from the world of science and regulation, and it can be a confusing maze of jargon for reporters.
California energy reporter Elizabeth McCarthy put it this way in a Nieman Reports article: “My first weeks on the [energy] beat were painful. I was overwhelmed by the words I was hearing—megawatts, BTU’s, capacity charges, and dedicated rate component. I didn’t have a clue what these words meant. But when I began to get a grip on the beat’s terminology and its culture, I entered another world.”
The Center will host a workshop on Thursday, Feb. 17, in Austin to help Texas journalists make sense of the energy beat. Give us about six hours and you’ll come away understanding much more about energy sources and energy regulation, plus you’ll have ideas and resources for lots of energy-related stories. We’re doing this with the generous support of Oncor, who is partnering with the Center to sponsor the workshop.
Because of Oncor’s support, we are making the workshop available free to Texas reporters. Tuition is free, parking is free, and even your lunch is free. This workshop will be held in Austin at the headquarters of the Independent Bankers Association of Texas, which is located at 1700 Rio Grande St., Suite 100. Check-in begins at 10 a.m. on Feb. 17 and the workshop will be over by 3:30 p.m.
The one-day workshop, “Reporting on Electrical Energy Issues: Energy Trends, Energy Science, and Energy Regulation for Today’s Texas Readers,” will look at how reporters can find and pursue ideas for energy-related stories about the issues most important to readers.
And additional benefit will be that you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions of some of the state’s top energy experts.
We want reporters to go back to their papers and Internet news sites with an increased understanding of the complex choices Texas is now facing. Stories about energy regulation, sources of green energy, and the trends we’re seeing in energy exploration and delivery are really important to all Texans, and we want to help reporters get a handle on how they can make these issues come alive for their readers.
Oncor funded the workshop but left the selection of speakers and the agenda up to the Center.
Speakers for the workshop include BruceHight, former energy reporter for the Austin American-Statesman and now senior advisor at Public Strategies, Inc.; Terry Hadley, former TV reporter, now director of communications for the Texas Public Utilities Commission; Kate Galbraith, former energy reporter for The New York Times, now with the Texas Tribune; Catherine Cuellar, senior communications specialist at Oncor; and Andrew Chavez and me from the Center.
To register or to get more information on the workshop, go to the application page at /forms/workshop-application