What got me interested in San Lucas was contaminated drinking water there, but my reporting revealed deeper issues like the ability of local government to function, how to do business in a town without water, and tense dynamics between government and the private sector.
This was a story that began a year and a half before I ever wrote the first word. It was first brought to my attention in July 2011 that Michigan had a toxic history. Nearly 40 years ago, due to human error, cattle feed had been mixed with a flame retardant chemical called PBB.
When it comes to health issues, the southeastern corner of Virginia usually is pretty average. That’s why I was surprised to discover a report that showed a city in my readership area has the highest cancer mortality rate in the state.
When it comes to health issues, the southeastern corner of Virginia usually is pretty average. That’s why I was surprised to discover a report that showed a city in my readership area has the highest cancer mortality rate in the state.
How toxic air pollution threatens some of the poorest residents of Seattle… and maybe your town, too
Seattle’s only river is – officially – a toxic waste dump. The Duwamish River is one of the few Superfund sites anywhere in the country extending for miles through the heart of a city. Facing off across the Duwamish are the neighborhoods of South Park and Georgetown – some of Seattle’s poorest and most diverse communities.
Between March and May, I had several moments of panic about whether I was going to be able to complete the last two of the three stories I promised for the fellowship.There's a sense of relief when the editing is done and the designers are putting it on the page and I go home to try and take my mind off the story. That usually doesn't work and I ended up laying in bed worrying about typos, whether names are spelled correctly or huge inaccuracies because I've completely misunderstood the story (that has never happened, but I still worry nonetheless) and that I'm a fraud of a journalist. The real sigh of relief comes the next day when I'm thinking about the next story.
Tragically, the murder of a 17-year-old student became a reason to run a fellowship project on inner-city teens and stress. But I wish this time hook had never happened.
In today's hyper-evolving social media world, it might seem quaint, if not downright foolish, to believe that old school journalism's low-tech and low-cost approaches — a pen, a pad, and shoe-leather investigation — could result in an article that ignites a global furor.
It takes a certain kind of stubbornness and stick-to-it-ness to develop a successful online news site or a popular blog, especially if you are writing about the civic life of your community — not fashion tidbits or celebrity gossip. We are working with these news innovators to expand their health reporting.
The most powerful moment for me while reporting on a recent project on prescription drug abuse deaths was seeing the Rev. Donnie Coots standing among the ruins of his once thriving drug rehabilitation center.
