Corn, extreme heat and the military, and skiing are all subjects featured on Floodlight, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom that investigates the corporations and political interests stalling climate action. On today’s show, host Douglas Haynes speaks with Dee J. Hall, an award-winning Wisconsin journalist and Editor in Chief of Floodlight. Hall says that her work at Floodlight strives to be “locally relevant and nationally resonant.”

They talk about Floodlight’s mission, impact, and recent notable stories, including the essay, “Corn’s clean-energy promise is clashing with its climate footprint.” Currently 40% of corn grown in the US goes to producing ethanol for fuel. But researchers are finding that the continuous growth of corn for fuel has caused an explosion of nitrous oxide emissions in the upper Midwest that comes from the continuous application of nitrogen fertilizer. Hall says “we’ve traded one issue (carbon) for another (nitrogen).” 

Another Floodlight story on climate change’s impact on winter activities. 2025 was the third hottest year on record and the effect is being felt in people’s daily lives, including during ski season. In the next 25 years, projections suggest that ski seasons could shrink by another 3 months. 

Hall also speaks to the state of climate journalism today and the challenges of doing climate journalism during the second Trump administration. She says the administration often doesn’t respond to requests for comment, or when they do, their responses are disrespectful. They also discuss the importance of “official” perspectives, the distinction between “objectivity” and “fairness,” and how the rise of non-profit newsrooms is changing the face of journalism. 

Dee J. Hall is the Editor-in-Chief of Floodlight. Before joining Floodlight, Dee was the managing editor of Wisconsin Watch, a nonprofit investigative news outlet based in Madison and Milwaukee that she co-founded with her husband, Andy. In her more than 40 years in journalism, Dee has won more than three dozen state, regional and national awards for her reporting. During her eight years as Wisconsin Watch’s managing editor, Dee edited and reported more than 70 award-winning projects. Dee previously reported for the Wisconsin State Journal and the Arizona Republic.

Featured image of the Granite Peak Ski area in Wisconsin via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).

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