Archive for October 2009
Woman’s plight shines light on problems with beef inspection
A story by The New York Times shows the risks involved with consuming ground beef. In 2007, a hamburger eaten by Stephanie Smith was tainted with E. coli and ravaged her nervous system leaving her paralyzed. “Ms. Smith’s reaction to the virulent strain of E. coli was extreme, but tracing the story of her burger,…
Read MoreConvenience store owners targeted by U.S. attorney’s office
Jerry Mitchell of The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, Miss.) reports that documents obtained by the paper show “the U.S. attorney’s office in Oxford targeted convenience store operators in north Mississippi, many of Middle Eastern descent, despite a lack of any connection to terrorism.” While no links to terrorism were found, the “Convenience Store Initiative” netted other criminal…
Read MorePhilip Meyer Award – Call for Entries
It’s once again time to apply for the Philip Meyer Award. Established in 2005, the award was created to honor Philip Meyer’s pioneering efforts to utilize social science research methods to foster better journalism. The contest recognizes stories that incorporate survey research, probabilities and other social science tools in creative ways that lead to journalism…
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