Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Susanne Rust and Meg Kissinger, as part of their ongoing series Chemical Fallout, found that products labeled as “microwave safe” release toxic doses of the chemical bisphenol A when heated. The newspaper had a University of Missouri laboratory test 10 products to see if the chemical bisphenol A leached out of containers when…
Read MoreThe Seattle Times published the first part of a series revealing failures by Washington hospitals to control the spread of drug-resistant staph infections known as MRSA. Washington state hospitals are not obligated to track infection rates, but The Times analysis of millions of documents “revealed 672 previously undisclosed deaths attributable to the infection.” State and…
Read MoreWatchdog journalism and investigative reporting are finding an outlet on the Internet, according to a report by Richard Pérez-Peña of The New York Times. “As America’s newspapers shrink and shed staff, and broadcast news outlets sink in the ratings, a new kind of Web-based news operation has arisen in several cities, forcing the papers to…
Read MoreThe members of the Board of Directors of Investigative Reporters and Editors would like to express our regret and indignation over the murder of veteran crime reporter Armando Rodriguez. His complete coverage of more than 1,300 murders in Ciudad Juarez this year provided key information to all of us about the changing nature of the…
Read MoreAn investigation by ProPublica has found that over a dozen air marshals have been charged with crimes since 9/11, and hundreds more have been cited for misconduct. The scope of the charges range from drunken driving to participating in a human trafficking ring. “The Federal Air Marshal Service presents the image of an elite undercover…
Read More“Though they worked behind the scenes in Barack Obama’s campaign for president, bundlers who raised millions of dollars for his White House bid are starting to land significant posts on his transition team,” according to a report by Washington Post reporter Matthew Mosk. While critics claim fundraising skills have trumped qualifications for top advisory positions,…
Read MoreAbrahm Lustgarten of ProPublica reports that natural gas drilling in the United States may be endangering water supplies. A sample of water from a well in Sublette County, Wyo. found benzene — a chemical linked to aplastic anemia and leukemia — at a level 1,500 times higher than what is safe for human consumption. “Sublette…
Read MoreAn analysis of data from the Army Combat Readiness/Safety Center revealed that aviation accidents and incidents have cost the U.S. Army approximately $16.2 billion over the past 12 years, according to Michael Fabey of Aviation Week. The most expensive single-event accident cost the Army about $62.4 million, but the average cost per accident or incident…
Read MoreWhile banning lobbyists from a role in the transition, President-Elect Barack Obama is keeping many of his large fundraisers on his advisory board, according to a report by Bloomberg‘s Jonathan Salant. Five of the 12 members of the transition advisory board raised over $50,000 for Obama in his presidential campaign. “Transition co-Chairman John Podesta yesterday…
Read MoreToday in Ciudad Juarez, Armando Rodriguez, the crime reporter at the Diario de Juarez, was murdered in front of his own home this morning as he got in his car to drive his daughter to school. Rodriguez has covered nearly every murder in the unprecedented wave of violence in Ciudad Juarez — which is right…
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