Meet Jenny Whidden, The Daily Herald's Climate Reporter

Interview by Connie Schmidt

Jennifer Whidden started her tenure as staff writer for the Daily Herald last summer, June 2022.  After some experience with the Chicago Tribune, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and the New Jersey State Ledger, she landed here in Northern IL reporting for the Daily Herald with a focus on local impacts of climate change. Hidden works in tandem with reporters across the country focusing on local issues through philanthropically supported “Report for America”. She has written on a plethora of issues including protecting Lake Michigan, electrifying our school buses, the dangers of gas stoves and utility rate increases. Meet Jenny!

What in your background brought you to reporting on environmental issues? And why here in Northern IL?

I was ushered into environmental reporting by Northern Illinois itself, a region I am grateful and proud to call my home. I grew up in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, and I left my previous position with the intention of moving back to the area to be with family and friends.

In searching for a new reporting job around this time last year, I stumbled across the Daily Herald’s open climate change position through Report for America. I felt the ask — to cover climate change issues with a local focus — was something important that I could do for my community.

Where do you get your inspiration for the topics you cover? Can you give us some examples of stories that gave you great satisfaction to highlight?

Many of my articles come from readers who reach out to me via email, such as my Jan. 10 article on how idling our cars contributes to global warming.

Other times, my inspiration comes from conversations in my everyday life, such as when my roommates asked me whether real or fake Christmas trees were better for the environment (the answer, in my Nov. 25 story, turned out to be real!).

Finally, I often attend meetings not with the intention of covering them but to gather story ideas and to meet new folks who are active in the local climate scene. For example, I recently sat in on a Go Green Illinois monthly meeting on a whim, and out of it came my Jan. 28 article on electric school buses.

The most satisfying stories for me are ones that look at a national problem through a local lens and provide solutions to it. I think it’s important to show readers how an issue as vast and global as climate change affects them and their local environment, how their community is stepping up in response, and how they also can respond.

For instance, I did a story on monarch butterflies in July that summarized why the insect was recently declared critically endangered, how local efforts like the DuPage Monarch Project are supporting the critters, and what individuals can do in their own backyards to help.

How do you collect your information for your articles: are you in the field, researching on the web? What seems to be most rewarding for you?

I start most articles with online research, which allows me to begin learning about whichever topic I’m covering. Once I’ve gained some context, I use my new knowledge to reach out to the right sources — scientists, politicians, business owners, community leaders — and conduct interviews.

I aim to have every piece of information in my stories come from a person. If it has to come from the internet, I try to link to as credible a source as possible, such as a scientific journal, a university, or a relevant government organization like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

One of the most rewarding parts of my job is putting down the phone and knowing that I’ve just had a really good interview, that I prepared well for it through my research, and that I’ll be able to share what I’ve just learned with our readers.

Do you get feedback from readers for your articles? Is it primarily positive, or evenly divided with doubters of climate change concerns? (Our readers are pretty much in sync with the idea that “climate change is real and a real concern for our planet.”)

I do get feedback, which is something I will never take for granted. Whatever sort of response I receive, I am always grateful that someone took the time to read what I’ve written and reach out to me with their thoughts.

The messages I get are pretty evenly split between “positive” and “negative,” though I will say the negative comments are more frequently by the same people who revisit my inbox every couple of months.

Some of my favorite types of feedback are when readers ask follow-up questions, send suggestions for further reporting, or share personal experiences with the topics I cover.

I read that you brought a cat (Princeton) with you to this assignment and that you would like to “go on a few hikes.” Have you been out to some local DuPage open spaces, and if so, where are some favorites? In addition, let me invite you to check out our events calendar that features hikes with experienced leaders across the region!

I love camping and backpacking, though I can’t say the same for Prince, who lives up to his name every day and enjoys the pampered indoor life.

However, I can’t say I’ve been hiking in DuPage! I’ll be glad to check out your calendar, and would also be glad to receive any suggestions for some nice hikes.

Thank you so very much for taking the time to chat with us in this way. We look forward to reading many more important articles in the Daily Herald with your byline.

Thank you for this opportunity and thank you, sincerely, for reading my work. I’ve had an incredible start in environmental reporting over the last nine months, and I hope to continue expanding my coverage of climate change in the Chicagoland region for several years to come.