The nonprofit news outlet The New Lede, launched as an EWG project in May 2022, is a recognized and trusted source for in-depth reporting on important environment and human health stories across the U.S. that other outlets are overlooking.
TNL’s team of seasoned reporters is committed to filling this information gap with rigorous investigative journalism, insightful analysis, commentary and clear explanations about a wide spectrum of environmental issues impacting communities across the country.
They strive every day to uphold the principles of objectivity and an unwavering commitment to the truth. TNL’s reporting is designed to give readers valuable insight into the pressing issues that shape public policy, impact our health, and will determine the future of our planet for generations to come.
“The New Lede grew out of our realization that critical environmental and public health issues weren’t getting the attention they deserve,” says EWG President Ken Cook. “Underfunded and overstretched newsrooms are cutting back on covering stories on these core quality of life issues.
“From its launch more than a year ago, The New Lede has pursued the highest standards of journalism, science and objectivity to explain how we got here – and where we go from here.”
TNL and its journalists function independently of EWG's operations, with complete editorial independence from the organization.
The many issues TNL covers include the damage of pesticides to people’s health, the ballooning crisis of the “forever chemicals” known as PFAS contaminating nation’s drinking water supply, the harmful effect of corporate agriculture on our air and water, climate change, and investigations uncovering corporate polluter coverups, among other topics.
TNL’s reporting is regularly featured on other prominent news sites, including The Guardian and Environmental Health News, and the Society of Environmental Journalists often cites TNL’s articles.
Get to know TNL better with examples of recent must-read stories:
Chemical giant Syngenta for decades plotted to hide its own scientific evidence and undermine independent research showing a link between exposure to the company’s weed killer paraquat and Parkinson’s disease, as revealed by The New Lede Managing Editor Carey Gillam.
The New Lede’s Grace Van Deelen reports on a recent study analyzing the increased risk of testicular cancer in Air Force servicemen after exposure to fire-fighting foam laced with toxic PFAS chemicals.
After years of U.S. debate over widely used food additives, California is poised to become the first state in the nation to ban five ingredients found in popular candy and other processed foods linked to a number of serious health problems, including cancer and hormone disruption, The New Lede’s Shannon Kelleher reports.
Corn farmers and industrial livestock and poultry operations are largely responsible for contaminating the drinking water for tens of millions of Americans, reports Keith Schneider, a regular New Lede contributor.
The New Lede contributing columnist and former longtime EWG editor-in-chief Bill Walker reports on how a local ban on gas stoves in Berkeley, Calif., ignited a national culture war across the country
