I’ll publicize briefly the sort of thing I usually jot down in a moleskine or on Evernote, particularly in times of looking ahead. Like the new year.
There are a handful of storylines I plan on following and reporting on – whether on the blog here or for various publications. Most immediately, I cover these sorts of issues through commentary and aggregation on Twitter.
The legalization of marijuana, medicinal or otherwise
This issue is rearing its medicinal head in Ohio, where my reporting will be based. There are plans to get a measure on the November ballot, which will prove to be a heavy-handed one (governor’s race and the possibility of a gay marriage initiative). Nationwide and statewide, the support seems to be there. And the Ohio Rights Group has posed an interesting hybrid of several other states’ medicinal models.
Income inequality in the US
Pundits are terming this one the “hot-button issue” to kick off the new year. That in itself makes me want to watch how the national press handles coverage in particular. Ohio lamely increased the minimum wage by $.10 (!), which means I’ll be looking to more significant bellwethers across the country.
The national climate change discussion
Whoo-ee, I can’t count the number of times I’ve gnashed my teeth as some anono-troll points to this week’s Polar Vortex horseshit as proof that “global warming don’t exist.” It’ll be interesting to see how the national discussion evolves this year, if at all.
I’ve been wanting to dive deeper on my environmental reporting, and this may be one (really broad) entry point for that. There are plenty of local attempts at solutions, etc., under way, but how local can an effectively solution really be? I feel like there needs to be some sort of concerted global effort. That dichotomy will be especially interesting in writing about all of this.
Sandy 