The Michigan State University Knight Center for Environmental Journalism has been recognized by the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter with its 2025 Environmental Journalism Award, honoring the Center’s commitment to advancing environmental storytelling and public awareness across the Great Lakes region.
The Sierra Club’s Michigan Chapter annually honors news organizations that demonstrate excellence in environmental reporting or editorial writing. This year, the Knight Center’s Great Lakes Echo shared the print category award with Planet Detroit, while Interlochen Public Radio was recognized in the broadcast category.
“The unique environmental news service targets a news community defined by watershed rather than political borders,” said David Poulson, the Knight Center’s recently retired Senior Associate Director and founding editor of Great Lakes Echo, which launched in 2009.
Since its founding, Echo has served as both a professional news outlet and a hands-on learning lab for MSU students.
“Echo has trained hundreds of students in journalism and environmental issues and reported them in print, audio and video,” Poulson said. “It is a significant component of our environmental journalism classes and also has a paid staff to cover what the center views as the world’s most important beat.”
He added that the experience students gain at Echo often shapes their professional paths.
“Many of the journalism students who work at Echo go on to impactful careers as environmental reporters and communicators,” Poulson said. “Science students are also taught how to responsibly and engagingly report on environmental science.”
In addition to its educational mission, Echo has become a respected source of regional environmental news. Its stories have been republished by major news outlets across the Great Lakes basin, amplifying student voices and raising awareness of regional environmental issues.
“We especially appreciate this award as recognition that in addition to a creative educational platform, Echo is a respected source of high-quality environmental news,” Poulson said.
More about the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter’s 2025 awards can be found here.
For more information about the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism and its programs, visit knightcenter.jrn.msu.edu.
By Claire Dippel