In January 2019, reporting on a study by the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health and published in the Elsevier journal "Science of the Total Environment," Terry Collins wrote and distributed a news release entitled: “UN warns of rising levels of toxic brine as desalination plants meet growing water needs.”
Sent to an extensive media contact database, the release was seen by more than 1,500 recipients.
On the Washington DC-based EurekAlert news release platform, it received another 170 page views during the embargo period.
Over seven days, co-authors Edward Jones, Manzoor Qadir, and Vladimir Smakhtin conducted interviews with ~20 reporters at key news organizations worldwide (in photo: Alister Doyle, Reuters Environment Reporter, Oslo, with Vladimir and Manzoor)
When the embargo lifted on January 14, a flood of media coverage was released worldwide -- online, in print, and on radio
As of March, 2019, the story had been captured in 21 languages, with almost 1,000 different online news outlets publishing 1,068 articles.
In October 2019, the NY Times published a major feature by staff writer Henry Fountain
The online coverage alone produced over 1 billion potential media impressions
Coverage was largely accurate and conveyed the key messages: 1) that desalination plants on average produce 50% more brine than previously believed, 2) that much of the concern centres on a few countries, 3) that brine represents an untapped resource, and 4) that better management of brine is required for a sustainable future
International newswires
... and others
Newspapers / Magazines
Highlights
...and many others worldwide
Radio
... and many others
