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May 2007 - Posts

Thursday, May 31, 2007 8:15 AM

Deadly Secrets

Carol Ann Campbell of The Star-Ledger in Newark has written a great story investigating how New Jersey hospitals are able to keep secret the locations of deadly outbreaks of infectious diseases. Campbell's "The Hidden Danger at Hospitals" reveals
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 8:10 PM

A Nation's Loss

Yesterday I featured John Romano's moving "A Story for Jake" about the toll of war on one family. Today I'm lauding "New Graves, Fresh Grief" by Darragh Johnson of The Washington Post. Through her portrait of Section 60 of the Arlington National
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 8:00 AM

Memorial Day

No article this weekend brought home the meaning of Memorial Day to me as well as John Romano's "A Story for Jake" in this Sunday's St. Petersburg Times. Romano shows us the sacrifices made by military families by sharing the tale of Maj.
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Friday, May 25, 2007 8:00 AM

Iraq's Darkest Hour

Photojournalist Peter van Agtmael shows the fear, anger and violence of Iraq through some of the starkest images I've seen. His "Night Raids" slideshow, part of a photo gallery featured on the Web site of the Institute for War
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Thursday, May 24, 2007 9:00 AM

Drip, Drip, Drip

"Pouring Money Down the Drain" by Shaun McKinnon of The Arizona Republic is a story that should interest any homeowner or anyone who cares about saving water. McKinnon does a terrific job describing how leaks waste about 13 percent of the water in
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Wednesday, May 23, 2007 8:50 AM

A Mighty Mid-Sized Paper

On Monday I wrote about why I think The New York Times does the best reporting job of any newspaper in the country. But what about small and mid-sized newspapers that don't have the massive resources of the Times, Washington Post and other huge
posted by jonmarshall | 2 Comments
Tuesday, May 22, 2007 8:30 AM

Made in China

Yesterday I nominated the New York Times as the best-reported newspaper in the country. A close second is The Washington Post. The Post, of course, is best known for its political reporting, but lately it has offered compelling stories on economic
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Monday, May 21, 2007 8:30 AM

Who's Best at Reporting?

Earlier this month, I stirred a tempest by nominating the Los Angeles Times as the best-written newspaper in America. Today, I expect I'll provoke a little less controversy with my candidate for the best-reported newspaper in the country: The New York
posted by jonmarshall | 5 Comments
Friday, May 18, 2007 8:30 AM

Baby Love

Lee Hill Kavanaugh of the The Kansas City Star has written a beautiful two-part series about a couple who decide to continue their pregnancy despite knowing that their baby will die within a matter of minutes after being born. To report "Zeke's Gift," Kavanaugh
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Thursday, May 17, 2007 9:00 AM

Digging Deep

The Lawrence Journal-World continues to do some of the best multimedia journalism of any newspaper, big or small, in the country. For example, this spring, reporter Mike Belt and photographer Thad Allender delved into how abandoned coal, lead and
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Wednesday, May 16, 2007 8:30 AM

Recruiting the Mentally Ill

Phil Williams, who has been on News Gems before and won a 2003 SDX award for his revelations of corruption by University of Tennessee President John Shumakerís, is again proving he's one of the best investigative reporters in local broadcast. Last
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Tuesday, May 15, 2007 11:50 AM

Getting Rich off the Poor

Brian Grow and Keith Epstein of Business Week have delivered a terrific special report about how more firms are making high-interest loans to the people least able to pay them back, leaving them in "a thicket of debt from which many never emerge."  Grow
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Monday, May 14, 2007 8:30 AM

Car Troubles

While former Hollinger International owner Conrad Black stands trial on charges he looted his newspaper companies, his former employees at the Chicago Sun-Times are enjoying their freedom by breaking some great investigative stories.
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Thursday, May 10, 2007 1:35 PM

L.A. Stories

Longtime News Gems readers know that I was a big fan of the enterprising reporting and writing in the Los Angeles Times under former editor Dean Baquet. When Baquet was pushed out the door last November, I doubted that new editor James O'Shea could maintain
posted by jonmarshall | 10 Comments
Thursday, May 10, 2007 1:32 AM

Food Processors

I'm a big fan of those pre-chopped fruits and veggies that you can buy in a plastic bag in supermarkets. They let me feel like I'm eating something close to healthy without the hassle of actually preparing it. In this week's Willamette Week, Beth Slovic
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Tuesday, May 08, 2007 9:47 PM

Electric Deals

Why do people in the Niagara Falls region pay through the nose for electricity when they live near one of the most abundant power supplies in the country? James Heaney of The Buffalo News answers this question with "Power Failure," a tremendous investigation
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Tuesday, May 08, 2007 7:30 AM

The Price of War

As President Bush and Congress tussle over deadlines for our troops in Iraq, Ana Rivas of The Boston Globe's boston.com Web site offers a fresh and interesting look at the war's costs. "What Does $456 billion Buy?" uses photos and snippets of text
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Monday, May 07, 2007 8:30 AM

Dangerous Toys

When children are in danger, the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission isn't doing enough to protect them, Patricia Callahan reports in an impressive investigation running in Monday's and Sunday's Chicago Tribune. Her "Kids at Risk" is full
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Friday, May 04, 2007 8:30 AM

Local Buzz on Global Warming

The Boston Globe has been running the terrific "45th Parallel: Warming Where We Live" series, which localizes the global warming story by looking at its impact around New England. For example, Beth Daley explores "In Mosquito,
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Thursday, May 03, 2007 8:30 AM

What the Janitor Saw

Out of all the coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings, one story has stood out for me. In "A Cold and Blustery Morning," Donna Alvis-Banks and Anna Mallory of the Roanoke Times use a narrative structure to show what the horrible day was
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Wednesday, May 02, 2007 8:30 AM

Pictures of North Korea

Photographer Yannis Kontos shows us life in a totalitarian country with his brilliant gallery of photos from North Korea in the April edition of The Digital Journalist. For three years, the North Korean government rejected Kontos' visa applications
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Tuesday, May 01, 2007 8:30 AM

Money down the Storm Drain

Twenty months after Hurricane Katrina's devastation, only $40 million out of the $854 million in cash and oil offered by our allies has been used for the storm's victims and reconstruction, John Solomon and Spencer S. Hsu of The Washington Post
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments