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| Joshua Frank | |
|---|---|
| Name | Joshua Frank |
| Birth date | 1976 |
| Birth place | Spokane, Washington |
| Occupation | Investigative journalist, author, editor |
| Alma mater | Washington State University |
| Known for | Investigative reporting on environmental issues, corporate accountability, and energy policy |
Joshua Frank is an American investigative journalist, author, and editor known for in-depth reporting on environmentalism, corporate influence, and energy policy. He has written extensively on pollution, mining, fossil fuels, and the intersection of industry and regulatory agencies. Frank's work appears in print and online outlets and he co-founded and edits independent publications that focus on investigative reporting and documentary journalism.
Frank was born in Spokane, Washington, and raised in the Inland Northwest, a region shaped by the industries of the Columbia River basin and the Pacific Northwest resource economy. He attended Washington State University, where he studied journalism and became involved with student media and local reporting on land-use debates and resource extraction controversies. Early exposure to environmental disputes in the Cascade Range and the aftermath of industrial pollution sites influenced his focus on investigative coverage of corporate behavior and regulatory responses.
Frank began his journalism career covering local beats in Washington state before expanding to national topics of environmental policy and corporate accountability. He co-founded the independent investigative outlet Public Herald and later co-founded and serves as editor of the news website CounterPunch and the investigative magazine and documentary project aimed at exposing contamination from mining and fossil-fuel industries. Over his career Frank has reported on controversies involving corporations such as ExxonMobil, Chevron Corporation, and Peabody Energy, and on regulatory actors including the Environmental Protection Agency and state-level agencies.
Frank's reporting often intersects with labor disputes and indigenous rights issues, bringing attention to conflicts involving organizations such as the United Mine Workers of America and tribal governments along the Colville Reservation and other reservations across the United States. He has collaborated with investigative journalists and documentary filmmakers to produce long-form investigations and multimedia projects that examine contamination from sites like abandoned mines in the Rocky Mountains and coal ash disposal facilities in the Appalachian Mountains. His investigative approach emphasizes document-based reporting, data analysis, and whistleblower testimony, drawing on methods used by reporters associated with outlets like ProPublica, The Intercept, and The Guardian (U.K.).
Frank is the author and coauthor of books and long-form reports addressing environmental degradation, corporate misconduct, and energy politics. His notable books include investigative exposés that chronicle the operations of major fossil-fuel corporations and the political networks that support them, engaging with subjects tied to the histories of Standard Oil, contemporary litigation against Big Oil, and policy debates around climate change legislation. He has contributed to anthologies alongside writers from The Nation, Mother Jones, and Harper's Magazine.
Frank's articles appear in a range of outlets, from regional newspapers to national magazines and online investigative platforms. He has published investigations into coal-mining practices, mountaintop removal in Appalachia, and contamination from hardrock mining in the American West, and has written on the political influence of industry trade associations such as the American Petroleum Institute and lobbying efforts connected to landmark legislation like the Clean Air Act amendments. Frank's multimedia projects have been featured at film festivals focused on environmental documentary work and in academic forums analyzing media coverage of resource extraction.
Beyond reporting, Frank has been an active participant in networks that combine journalism with advocacy to pressure corporations and regulators. He has provided testimony and briefings for community organizations opposing new mine permits, participated in public forums alongside environmental groups such as Sierra Club, Earthjustice, and regional grassroots coalitions, and has worked with tribal leaders on sovereignty and contamination remediation campaigns. His advocacy activities have included organizing workshops on investigative techniques for community journalists and collaborating with campus groups at institutions like University of Washington and Reed College to support student-led reporting on local environmental hazards.
Frank's work also connects to litigation efforts by supporting public-interest lawyers from organizations like EarthRights International and state public-advocate offices with research and documentation used in lawsuits against polluters. He has campaigned publicly on policy reforms addressing corporate transparency, regulatory enforcement, and the cleanup of Superfund sites managed by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Frank's investigative reporting has earned recognition from regional journalism societies and environmental reporting organizations. He has been shortlisted for awards presented by groups such as the Society of Environmental Journalists and has received citations from human-rights and environmental advocacy coalitions for contributions to community-based investigations. His documentary collaborations have been screened at environmental film festivals and received festival juror commendations. Academic centers for journalism and environmental studies have invited him as a guest lecturer and visiting speaker.
Frank resides in the Pacific Northwest and remains active in networks of investigative journalists, environmental advocates, and documentary filmmakers. His influence is evident in the proliferation of community-oriented investigative projects that combine local testimony with national reporting standards, and in mentoring younger reporters who pursue accountability journalism about resource extraction and pollution. Colleagues and interlocutors in organizations such as Investigative Reporters and Editors and the Society of Environmental Journalists cite his combination of grassroots engagement and document-driven reporting as a model for contemporary environmental investigative work.
Category:American journalists Category:Environmental journalists