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By Johanna Somers
In "Problems plague cleanup at Hanford nuclear waste site," USA Today’s Peter Eisler takes on 56 million gallons of radioactive waste and finds he isn’t the only one who has a few things to learn. After 10 years of developing the “first-of-its-kind” nuclear waste treatment plant, the Department of Energy and its contractors still don’t know how to build it.
Project costs tripled to $12.3 billion and the start-up date was moved to 2019 from 2011, Eisler reported.
By using in-depth interviews and federal employees' documented concerns over "technical problems," Eisler was able to relay to the public the dangers that lay behind major cost and schedule adjustments:
"We're continuing with a failed design," said Donald Alexander, a senior U.S. government scientist on the project.
"There's a lot of pressure … from Congress, from the state, from the community to make progress," he added. As a result, "the design processes are cut short, the safety analyses are cut short, and the oversight is cut short. … We have to stop now and figure out how to do this right, before we move any further."
Three federal investigations were already in progress when this article was published, but the article has brought more awareness.
"I think we created a greater sense of urgency," Eisler said.
Read the whole post on the On the Road blog.
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NICAR Conference registration deadline Monday
Have you registered for the 2012 Computer-Assisted Reporting Conference in St. Louis? Pre-registration ends on Monday, February 13th.
Don't miss out on the annual conference devoted to data journalism, Feb. 23-26, 2012, at the St. Louis Union Station Marriott. Come and learn about tools you need to dig deeper into stories and give readers, viewers and your online audience the information they're demanding.
Click here to register for the 2012 NICAR Conference.
On-site registration will be available after the February 13 deadline, but fees will increase.
Find out more about the conference:
And don't forget to pick up your NICAR T-shirts at the conference.
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Upcoming IRE Training
Election Watchdog Workshop
Feb. 10, 2012 — Washington, D.C.
Register on site for this special Better Watchdog Workshop in Washington D.C. with an election theme.
We’ll offer several of our core sessions that will improve your ability to find information on the Web quickly, point you to key documents that will help you produce quick-hit enterprise stories. In addition, we'll prepare you for the upcoming elections with tips on the best approaches for backgrounding candidates, dealing with campaign finance data and more.
These sessions are designed for reporters, editors and producers from small, midsize and large publications and TV stations and Web-only news sites and news blogs. Join IRE’s experienced trainers and a group of veteran reporters for our Better Watchdog Workshop February 10.
Expected speakers include journalists from NPR, The Washington Post, The New York Times, the Sunlight Foundation and more. Get the tools and the tricks of the trade that you need to be a better, faster, watchdog journalist.
Computer-Assisted Reporting Conference
Feb. 23-26, 2012 — St. Louis
Better Watchdog Workshop
March 3-4, 2012 — Spokane, Wash.
Better Watchdog Workshop
March 3-4, 2012 — Stillwater, Okla.
Better Watchdog Workshop
March 10 — New Britain, Conn.
Better Business Watchdog (CAR for Business Journalists)
March 15, 2012 — Indianapolis
Better Watchdog Workshop
April 13 — Chattanooga, Tenn.
Better Watchdog Workshop
April 13-14 — Los Angeles
CAR Boot Camp
March 25, 2012 - March 30, 2012 — Columbia, Mo.
Continue to check online for more training events.
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This is a selection of the jobs available in the IRE Job Center.
- Investigative Producer, KIRO-TV, Seattle
- Investigative Producer, KSTP-TV, St. Paul, Minn.
- Database Editor, San Antonio Express-News, San Antonio, Texas.
- Investigative Reporter, WAVY-TV 10 / WVBT FOX 43, Portsmouth, Va.
- Director Database Library, Investigative Reporters and Editors, Columbia, Mo.
- Senior Officer, Research and Writing, The Pew Health Group, Washington, D.C.
- Managing Editor, Newspaper Tree, El Paso, Texas
- Investigative Reporter, Newspaper Tree, El Paso, Texas
- Special Projects Producer, KXAN-TV, Austin, Texas
- Investigative Reporter, The Oklahoman and NewsOK.com, Oklahoma City
- Senior News Editor, Salon.com, New York or Washington, D.C.
And this is a selection of the recently-posted fellowships:
Keep up-to-date on the latest job and fellowship opportunities in the IRE Jobs Center. |
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By Johanna Somers
Memorizing test questions and passing them on to future test takers is considered cheating by most people. However, for many radiologists, attempting to become board certified, it is simply a technique used to study. CNN's "Exclusive: Doctors cheated on exams" takes a close look:
"From my understanding, I would say nationwide from my friends across the country who are all in the same stages of training throughout the years, everyone gets a group. People decided beforehand what sections I will focus on, in terms of trying to recall those questions and answers," said Dr. John Yoo, a practicing radiologist. "And then immediately after the examination, the residents get together and try to put these down onto paper or word processor to be able to share it with the classes coming behind you."
While Yoo and many others see “recalls” as study guides, Dr. Matthew Webb, the doctor who tipped off CNN, and Dr. Gary Becker, executive director of the American Board of Radiology, do not.
"We would call it cheating, and our exam security policy would call it cheating," Becker told CNN,
Scott Zamost, senior investigative producer for CNN, discusses how one whistleblower led to CNN's report, a nationwide call for the practice to stop and a follow-up story on cheating dermatologists.
Read the full Q&A with Scott Zamost on the On the Road Blog.
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