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Exposure to lead – even a little – in tap water can cause serious health problems in both children and adults. In this report by Ellen Gabler of the Chicago Tribune, she reveals that a recent federal testing of Chicago’s tap water showed that “nearly 45 percent” of homes “had lead levels spike when more water samples…
Read MoreAt a time when most college sports corruption cases are about athletes, Taylor Branch reveals that the big money is being harvested by the universities. “In 2010, despite the faltering economy, a single college athletic league, the football-crazed Southeastern Conference (SEC), became the first to crack the billion-dollar barrier in athletic receipts. The Big Ten pursued…
Read MoreTeachers not making the grade. Under reported cases of sexual assault and other crimes on college campuses nationwide. Immigrant’s impact on the economy. Journalists from all over the country dug deep to uncover these stories last year with work that won the Philip Meyer Journalism Award. The award recognizes stories that incorporate survey research, probabilities…
Read MoreAfter the attacks on September 11, 2001 President George Bush told the nation that he would make certain that the food we eat would be safe from chemical terrorist threats from the ‘farm to the fork’. However, with no single agency in charge of policing our farms, factories, warehouses, or grocery stores, this multi-headed bureaucracy…
Read MoreMark your calendars: Charles Lewis, executive editor of the Investigative Reporting Workshop at the American University School of Communication, will chat live at the Reynolds Center’s BusinessJournalism.org at 9:30 a.m. (PDT) on Sept. 27. This hour-long conversation will cover investigative journalism and how to turn reporting into a book project. Lewis was the founder of the Center for Public…
Read MoreTwo decades ago, if a doctor ran into malpractice trouble in one state, all he or she had to do was move to another state and their slate was wiped clean. This posed problems for hospitals so, in 1986, Congress “established the National Practitioner Data Bank: a clearinghouse for hospitals, professional societies and state regulators…
Read MoreIn the series, “A Lethal Dose,” the Star Tribune addresses alarming facts about synthetic drugs. In part II, the Star Tribune reveals how simply it is to obtain these highly dangerous chemicals. All it takes is a credit card and the Internet. The substances are often marketed as harmless bath salts, herbal incense or research chemicals. To find out just…
Read MoreThis investigative report by A.J. Lagoe of WRIC TV-8 in Richmond, Va., calls into question the ability of some Petersburg police officers to accurately run radar. Digging deeper, Lagoe reveals that officers who were not certified to run radar were passing out speeding tickets. One specific instance involves an officer who openly admitted having no…
Read MoreIn this 3-part series titled “Twisted Truth,” The News & Observer reporter J. Andrew Curliss investigates the questionable practices of Durham District Attorney Tracey Cline. This report reveals that Cline has purposefully withheld important information and evidence from the court. “Cline’s conduct is under scrutiny for similar behavior in at least five cases …” “In her quest to…
Read MoreIn a one-hour comprehensive special, KHOU-TV revealed how Texas and U.S. authorities often allow the public to drink water with more radioactive contamination than is allowed by federal law. “A Matter of Risk” also uncovered a report by state-scientists that nearly a quarter of a million Texans drink water that give them a 1 in…
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