April 17th, 2002

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Alabama alum makes difference with reporting


Alabama alumnus Glynn Wilson has combined his love for both journalism and the environment to make an impact along the Alabama gulf coast.

-- Adam Crow, staff reporter


Glynn Wilson began his journalism career after graduating from the University of Alabama in 1986. Wilson is now a professor at Loyola University in New Orleans and an environmental reporter for the Dallas News.
The journalism profession may seem as simple as getting paid to gather a few facts and put them in print or on air. For Glynn Wilson, though, his passion for journalism, as well as preserving the environment, gives readers a voice in an unpopular cause.

Wilson, now a professor at Loyola University in New Orleans and a New Orleans correspondent for the Dallas Morning News, began his journalism career with the Baldwin Times in Bay Minette where he covered the courthouse in 1984. He finished the last nine hours of his degree at the University of Alabama in 1986. Later, he returned to get a masterís degree and has completed his requirements, except a dissertation, for a Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee.

While covering a debate over whether Gulf Shores should develop businesses, hotels and attractions along the naturally existing sand-dune line, Wilson says he became interested in the science behind such environmental issues.

"At the time, I didn't even know there was such a thing as environmental reporting," Wilson said. "It turns out there were actually a few people who started to specialize in it in the '70s."

Wilson then began work for several environmental magazines, including Sierra. Soon, as an at-large reporter for Gulf Coast Newspapers, the parent company of the Baldwin Times, he spent 70 to 80 percent of his time reporting on the environment.

Wilson says he believes an environmental journalist has a responsibility to play "watchdog" for the public, recalling a time in the late 1980s when this was especially true for him.

While working in Baldwin County, Wilson heard that Shell Oil Company had plans to drill along the coast and deposit toxic drilling waste into coastal waters.

However, before Shell's public relations officials had an opportunity to present their candy-coated proposal to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management for approval, Wilson, with the help of an inside source, broke the story to the public.

He got a tip that the permit application was coming up and before Shell could get its act together, Wilson broke the story. His story ignited the public and Shell ended up with a permanent injunction against drilling near coastal waters.

Without the media, many communities would not have a vehicle to represent them against governmental actions that might harm the environment, Wilson said. However, Wilson says that the media is not always as effective as they should be, and they sometimes cop out on crucial stories.

The incinerator built to destroy stockpiles of chemical weapons at the Anniston Army Depot in Anniston, Ala. has been in the planning and construction stages for several years, and will soon be put to use.

In its beginning, rumors circulated throughout the community concerning the possible dangers that the incinerator would pose if there was an accident or a leak, but no serious action was taken by any group to prevent its construction. Wilson blames the local media for not providing the public with necessary information concerning the risks.

"I think that's a case where if the newspaper had just been more aggressive in finding out the facts, they may have been able to have an impact," Wilson said.

Instead, according to Wilson, Anniston got the bad end of the deal. He believes, consequently, there is a real possibility of a disaster in Anniston after the incineration begins.

Another more global issue that seriously concerns Wilson is the low regulation standard of power plants and automobiles in large cites.

He recently wrote about a study that proved prolonged exposure to air tainted with tiny particles of soot significantly raises the risk of dying of lung or heart disease. Therefore, Wilsonís article gave those in metro areas, who are usually uninterested in pollution control because they are simply used to the smog, a reason to care and to want to make changes.

Getting such information out to the public is what Wilson says makes his job so important. After trying his hand in other areas of reporting such as sports and business, he settled with the environment because what he writes directly affects peopleís lives.

Angie Lamoli, Associated Press Technology Services coordinator for the southern region and friend of Wilsonís says his devotion to what he does is second to none.

"When you speak to Glynn, you immediately realize that he ëlivesí his work," Lamoli said. "Journalism is definitely his passion and he is constantly searching and coming up with new ideas for stories and investigative pieces."

Ed Mullins, who was Wilsonís adviser as an undergraduate and graduate student at UA, says Wilson has always had the heart of a reformer and in some ways is a throwback to reporters of the 1960s. "As a Crimson White reporter, as a professional journalist and as an educator, Wilson always wanted things to improve. His passion for the environment is an example. He has written some important stories that have been given good play in newspapers around the region."

Such investigative reporting has made Wilson what he is today, one of the most reliable and effective reporters in the business. And as long as there are serious environmental concerns, which seems inevitable for generations to come, it seems he can be counted on to be right in the middle of the action, getting the public the information it both needs and deserves.
_____

This story was written by Adam Crow, audua78@hotmail.com, and edited by Jeff Dunnavant, jefd12@aol.com.


 
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