Welcome to SPJ Blogs Sign in | Join | Help

August 2006 - Posts

Wednesday, August 30, 2006 6:28 PM

Storm Wrecked

I thought I was done writing about Katrina anniversary coverage until I finally picked up Sunday's New York Times Magazine and saw Brenda Ann Kenneally's photo essay, "Children of the Storm." Packaged with "Orphaned," a moving story by Jason DeParle,
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Wednesday, August 30, 2006 2:09 PM

Behind the Classroom Door

Talk about a timely series. After walking my kids to their first day of classes yesterday, I had the pleasure of reading the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's "Back to School" project, which is running through this week. So far reporters Eleanor Chute, Joe
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Tuesday, August 29, 2006 3:54 PM

Sea Rescue

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has just finished running a thrilling narrative by reporter Carol Smith. "A Life in the Balance" shares the life-or-death adventure of Rose Bard, a 28-year-old mom pregnant with her second child, whose legs get
posted by jonmarshall | 1 Comments
Monday, August 28, 2006 7:35 PM

Back to Biloxi

Almost every newspaper and broadcast outlet I've seen is doing some sort of Hurricane Katrina retrospective this week for obvious reasons. But I find myself turning to local Gulf Coast journalists for the best insights. Last week I featured the reporting
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Sunday, August 27, 2006 6:55 PM

Pray for Paul

Today's been a bittersweet day for journalism. First came the fantastic news that kidnappers in the Gaza Strip have released Fox News correspondent Steve Centanni and cameraman Olaf Wiig. But then I read the horrifying headline that Chicago Tribune reporter
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Friday, August 25, 2006 12:50 AM

BioWillie

What happens when you mix truck drivers, farmers, Willie Nelson and a lot of grease? You get "Deep-Fried Fuel: A Biodiesel Kitchen Vision," which played Thursday on NPR's "Morning Edition." In this interesting and wacky story, Davia Nelson & Nikki
posted by jonmarshall | 1 Comments
Wednesday, August 23, 2006 7:32 PM

3 Cheers for the Home Teams

As SPJ members roll into Chicago for our convention this week, I want to highlight some great reporting work that's been accomplished in our beautiful host city. Earlier this month Carolyn Starks and John Keilman of the Chicago Tribune wrote a powerful
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Tuesday, August 22, 2006 6:52 PM

Life or Death

The staff of The New Orleans Times-Picayune continues to produce impressive coverage of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath as the first anniversary of the terrible storm approaches. This week it's running "For Dear Life" by Jeffrey Meitrodt,
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Monday, August 21, 2006 7:35 PM

The Ghosts of Vietnam

Deborah Nelson and Nick Turse have tenaciously dug through Army documents to uncover previously hidden atrocities committed during the Vietnam War. "A Tortured Past" in Sunday's Los Angeles Times concludes that U.S. military officials worked to discredit
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Sunday, August 20, 2006 11:52 PM

The Mansion

Lee Hancock of The Dallas Morning News has been telling the stunning saga of 88-year-old Mary Ellen Bendtsen's decaying mansion, which resembles a set out of "Sunset Boulevard," and the two men who were determined to get it from her. "Mary
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Thursday, August 17, 2006 11:47 PM

Doing the Whipple

Julie Bell of The Baltimore Sun gives us an intriguing glimpse this week into the work of a high-powered surgeon. Her two-part "A Surgeon's Legacy" shares a day in the life of Dr. John Cameron, the chief of surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital who is known
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Wednesday, August 16, 2006 8:15 AM

Adoption Tug-of-War

Kendra and Hung Wasson loved little Matthew. So did Cao and Thanh-Hoa Nguyen. Both couples wanted Matthew to be part of their families and fought a long legal battle to keep him. In "Mending Broken Bones -- And Two Families," appearing in Sunday's Portland
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Wednesday, August 16, 2006 12:24 AM

Grandfather Was a Hero

By asking one of her sources a simple "what's new?" Stephanie Heinatz of the Hampton Roads, Virginia, Daily Press was able to unearth the amazing story of Edward Ratcliff, who escaped slavery in 1864 to join the Union Army and become one of only 16 black
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Tuesday, August 15, 2006 9:00 AM

When Janey Comes Marching Home

Raquel Rutledge of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had an interesting trend story Sunday about the growing number of female veterans and the struggles they face. "A Woman's Fight" details the special difficulties women veterans face such as the increased
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Monday, August 14, 2006 11:39 AM

Kidnapped

For more than two months, Christian Science Monitor correspondent Jill Carroll was held hostage in Iraq. This week she begins sharing her frightening and heroic ordeal with us in "The Jill Carroll Story." With assistance from staff writer Peter Grier,
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Friday, August 11, 2006 12:28 AM

How Dry We Are

This week The Arizona Republic has been running a terrific environmental series by Shaun McKinnon. "Rivers Pushed to the Brink" boasts well-researched, authoritatively written stories that show how Arizona risks losing its most precious natural resource:
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Thursday, August 10, 2006 1:02 AM

Snatchbacks

"A Mother's Quest" by Todd Lewan of the Associated Press is an exciting story about the shadowy world of the "snatchback industry," which specializes in recovering children who have been abducted to foreign, hostile countries. Lewan's four-part series
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Tuesday, August 08, 2006 4:27 PM

Friends and Lovers

As too many bombs fall around the world, it's a relief to read a couple of well-written stories about people who know how to love. Dimon Kendrick-Holmes and Mark Rice of the Columbus, Ga., Ledger-Enquirer write in "Brother Love & Gator Dave" about white
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Monday, August 07, 2006 5:52 PM

Leap of Faith

David Moore, 43, wants to fly. Not in an airplane or helicopter, but like a bird with his own home-made wings. In the "Birdman of Durham," Carolyn Moreau of the Hartford Courant describes Moore's improbable quest with simple, clear prose that conveys
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Monday, August 07, 2006 9:27 AM

Housing Hell

Debbie Cenziper of the Miami Herald has done some impressive digging to reveal that the Miami-Dade Housing Agency gave millions of dollars to developers who in return built nothing. Her "House of Lies" series gives example after sad example
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Thursday, August 03, 2006 11:59 PM

Tale of the Pump

Paul Salopek of the Chicago Tribune has already won two Pulitzers and may be heading for his third with the monumental "A Tank of Gas, a World of Trouble." Along with photographer Kuni Takahashi and researcher Brenda Kilianski, he retraced the journey
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Wednesday, August 02, 2006 10:15 PM

An Unfriendly Truth

I confess that I've never turned to ESPN before for high-powered investigative reporting, but "An Un-American Tragedy" by Mike Fish has converted me. Fish raises troubling questions about the friendly fire death of Army ranger and former NFL safety
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Tuesday, August 01, 2006 5:44 PM

Red Ink

The Boston Globe is concluding its terrific and terrifying "Debtor's Hell" series today. Reporters Michael Rezendes, Beth Healy, Francie Latour and Heather Allen along with photographer Michele McDonald show how millions of Americans are suffering at
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments