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Francesca Lyman on Muck Rack

Francesca Lyman

Verified
(She/Her)
  • Investigative Journalist and Author, Freelance
Seattle
Covers:  Consumer protection, environmental protection, nature and wildlife, health, the arts,music, theater, parks and urban issues, politics, business and industry
Doesn't Cover: Sports, except those touching on parks and the outdoors

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Francesca Lyman’s Biography

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Contributing author to Crosscut, InvestigateWest, Sound Publishing, The Sacramento Bee, and other publications.

Author of one of the first books on global warming, THE GREENHOUSE TRAP: WHAT WE'RE DOING TO THE ATMOSPHERE AND HOW WE CAN SLOW GLOBAL WARMING, with World Resources Institute, (Beacon Press, 1990) and still in print; a children's book, INSIDE THE DZANGA SANGHA RAIN FOREST, with the American Museum of Natural History (Workman Publishing, 1998).

Columnist for MSNBC, 1998-2004. Managin…

What was your first job as a journalist?

After high school and college, writing columns for a weekly newspaper and then beat reporting for a big regional daily, The Record, of N.J.

Have you ever used a typewriter?

Of course! Now I have famous artist paintings of old typewriters and used one as a graphic.

Who's your favorite fictional journalist?

Brenda Starr, of Chicago's Flash; Tintin of Herge's comic strip; Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell).

American Society of Journalists and Authors, Arlene Award

2016 - http://asja.org/For-Writers/ASJAs-Annual-Writing-Awards/Awards-Recipients/Arlene

Arlene Award, one given annually, is for books and articles that "make a difference." "The Arlenes are made possible by the Arlene Eisenberg Memorial Fund, which was established by ASJA member Howard Eisenberg, Arlene's husband. Ms. Eisenberg wrote What to Expect When You're Expecting, as well as other books affecting (and improving) the lives of parents worldwide. The awards are for freelance articles and/or trade books making a documented difference in society by inspiring readers to take action to make a positive change in the world around them. " https://www.expertclick.com/NewsRelease/New-Journalism-Awards-from-ASJA,201834357.aspx

Society of Professional Journalists Award

2016 - First Prize, Investigative Reporting

Northwest Excellence in Journalism, for the past year, 2015, for a 10 part series of articles, "Profiting from Thrift," published by InvestigateWest. First place, "Investigative reporting" category.

Society of Professional Journalists Award

2016 - Business reporting

Third Prize, "Business Reporting" category for a 1-part series of exposes on a thrift store chain.

Best of the West

2015 - Business and financial reporting

Best of the West—Business and Financial Reporting Francesca Lyman won third place in the business and financial reporting category for her 10-part series “Profiting from Thrift.”

Fund for Investigative Journalism

2014 - Funding for investigative journalism

Grant for research

Fund for Environmental Journalism

2011 - Environmental Journalism

Funding for research and travel to write stories about urban planning in the wake of the great recession

Society of Environmental Journalists Award

2002 - Excellence in environmental journalism, online

Francesca Lyman, MSNBC environmental health columnist awarded best online environmental journalism for Health section 'Your Environment' column http://www.sej.org//

Society of Professional Journalists Award

2021 - WRITING: TECHNOLOGY, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS REPORTING

Excellence in Journalism, in writing, technology, business and economics. Issued by SPJ, Region 10, Small Newsroom Division. "Profiting from Thrift: Who’s Getting Rich Off Your Secondhand Stuff?" [published by InvestigateWest and co-published in Salon Magazine] is another installment of a series sleuthing for InvestigateWest. This piece reveals the lack of transparency for consumers at “copycat” retail store chains replicating a for-profit business model for selling used goods donated to charities and a pattern of many stores affiliating with poorly-rated charities. A charity-fundraising telemarketer turned whistleblower gave an inside scoop on what she considered deceptive marketing to ordinary consumers.