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Tip Sheet: What We No Longer Know — Reporting on Extreme Weather With Unreliable Federal Data

Climate change is creating conditions for extreme weather as well as disasters like fires and floods. At the same time, the federal databases – and even data archives – that inform understanding and predictions about such events are disappearing. On July 16, 2026, CASW Connector hosted a Chat with:

Christopher K. Wikle, the Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Statistics at the University of Missouri. He specializes in spatio-temporal statistics, with primary applications to geophysical processes, weather, climate, complex biological processes and the environment.
Jason Samenow, the founder and chief meteorologist for Capital Weather, a company dedicated to providing trustworthy D.C. area weather coverage. He was previously The Washington Post‘s weather editor and also worked as a climate change analyst at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Sarah Kaplan, a climate reporter at The Washington Post covering humanity’s response to a warming world.

The Chat was moderated by Regina Nuzzo, a professor of mathematics and data science at Gallaudet University, co-host of the Normal Curves podcast, and a science journalist specializing in statistics and the scientific process.

Check out the tip sheet for advice and resources, as well as a recording of the Chat.

Tip Sheet: What We No Longer Know — Reporting on Extreme Weather With Unreliable Federal Data

Summary:

Christopher K. Wikle, the Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Statistics at the University of Missouri. He specializes in spatio-temporal statistics, with primary applications to geophysical processes, weather, climate, complex biological processes and the environment.
Jason Samenow, the founder and chief meteorologist for Capital Weather, a company dedicated to providing trustworthy D.C. area weather coverage. He was previously The Washington Post‘s weather editor and also worked as a climate change analyst at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Sarah Kaplan, a climate reporter at The Washington Post covering humanity’s response to a warming world.

Check out the tip sheet for advice and resources, as well as a recording of the Chat.

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Reporting on federal changes to science

The Cost of Cutting American Science

"Every great solutions story starts with a problem, and a major problem in the U.S. right now is massive, abrupt funding cuts to established programs. The Partnership for Public Service has created a new tool to help uncover and understand those cuts, which could be of special interest to journalists. The Partnership for Public Service doesn’t just spotlight problems — it often celebrates the best of civic impact. In that spirit, this interactive database isn’t just useful for finding what’s wrong; it can also be a starting point for stories about how the affected communities are responding."

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What Journalists Need To Know About a Proposal To Overhaul Federal Science Funding

SciLine offers a "look at how federal scientific research funding has worked for decades, how a proposed rule would increase political control over grantmaking, and how journalists can cover the potential impact on their own communities." Also includes a FAQ section for journalists.

Reporting on federal changes to science

The Good Science Project

This Substack provides ongoing commentary and analysis on federal science agency funding.

Reporting on federal changes to science

OECD Data Explorer

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has a huge library of data — the most useful might be their Main Science and Technology Indicators but there are tons of other science-relevant datasets, including but not limited to:

Ag and fisheries
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Reporting on federal changes to science

AAAS R&D Budget Reports and Publications

The American Association for the Advancement of Science provides comprehensive, big-picture analyses of final R&D funding across the entire federal government.

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Tip Sheet: What We No Longer Know — Reporting on Extreme Weather With Unreliable Federal Data

The Cost of Cutting American Science

What Journalists Need To Know About a Proposal To Overhaul Federal Science Funding

The Good Science Project

OECD Data Explorer

AAAS R&D Budget Reports and Publications

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