From Christopher Pala, reporting from Hawaii, on the controversy over whether crops that are genetically modified are the prescription for prosperity, or illness. Pala’s report appeared in The Guardian. [Reporting sponsored by The Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation.] Photo credit: Christopher Pala ...
From Roza Hovhannisyan for Iragir.am, the story of overcrowded prisons in Armenia, a country that is loath to allow prisoners out on parole. Inside, the conditions are breeding grounds for corruption, too, with prisoners paying staff to obtained banned items such as telephone cards and mobile phones. [Reporting sponsored by The Reva and David Logan Foundation.] Photo credit: Roza Hovhannisyan ...
Peter Byrne, writing for Point Reyes Light, has dug into the math and science that created the myth of a disturbing breast cancer cluster plaguing well-to-do women in Northern California. He reports on the myth, and the money that sustained it, in a continuing series. Part two: Demystifying the risk of breast cancer. Part three: The role of the media. ...
From Steven Fisher and Anabel Hernández for Mexico’s Spanish-language Proceso magazine, an investigation into the Mexican government’s role in the disappearance of 43 students after a clash on Sept. 26, 2014 in the streets of Iguala. According to the Huffington Post, the duo’s work for Proceso “contradicts claims by the administration of Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, which has repeatedly ...
Jeremy Chapman for the Montana Center for Investigative Reporting: Some healthcare facilities in Montana aren’t getting blood samples for newborns to the labs on time, putting children at risk because of delays in administering life-saving treatment. The center pushed reluctant officials at the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services to release newborn screening records. [Reporting sponsored by The ...
Halle Stockton for PublicSource: Pennsylvania’s state-run youth correctional facilities prescribe psychotropic drugs at an alarming rate to juvenile offenders, but with little medical oversight by the state’s Department of Human Services. The state tried to keep secret a list of doctors who handle youth cases. [Reporting sponsored by The Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation.] Illustration credit: Anita Dufalla for ...
Viji Sundaram for New America Media: The use of the pesticide endosulfan, dubbed “DDT’s cousin,” has diminished around the world. In 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began a six-year phase out of the chemical. But in the United States, it is still legal to use the chemical at farms growing strawberries, pineapples, broccoli and other crops. Meanwhile, some agricultural ...
Olga Ceaglei for Rise Moldova: Huge swaths of forestland are being leased to companies by the Moldsilva, the agency that manages Moldova’s forests. However, those leases are, in turn, being subleased for much more on the black market. [Reporting sponsored by The Reva and David Logan Foundation.] Photo Credit: Iurie Sanduta ...
Francesca Lyman for InvestigateWest: Savers, Inc., does more than $1.2 billion in business annually, turning it into the biggest player in the growing for-profit thrift store industry. But Savers’ claims about doing good for charities appear to be vastly overblown. Sometimes Savers’ charity partners have received less than 5 percent of sales revenue on goods donated on their behalf; overall, only ...
From Mark Olalde for The Star, a four-part series that introduce us to illegal miners, or zama zamas as they are called in South Africa, who live and work mostly in the shadows and outskirts of a lucrative industry. When one gold mine was abandoned, so were hundreds of miners and toxic dumps. Improperly closed mines pose problems. In his closing piece, Olalde answers key questions ...