Welcome to SPJ Blogs Sign in | Join | Help

November 2008 - Posts

Friday, November 28, 2008 5:29 AM

Feeding Frenzy

In “Lobbyists Swarm the Treasury for Piece of Bailout Pie,” Mark Landler and David D. Kirkpatrick of The New York Times describe the free-for-all for bailout funds. Many new supplicants are lining up for an infusion of capital as billions of dollars
posted by BrianSummers | 0 Comments
Filed Under: , ,
Wednesday, November 26, 2008 5:13 AM

Earthquake Rumbles

Erik Vance's "Do You Want a 20-Second Warning" in San Francisco magazine is an intriguing story about Richard Allen, a British scientist who has found a way to alert us when an earthquake is on its way. Vance does a nice job of clearly explaining
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Filed Under: ,
Tuesday, November 25, 2008 5:24 AM

Exposing the MRSA Epidemic

"Culture of Resistance," by Seattle Times staff reporters Michael J. Berens and Ken Armstrong, is a stunning series that will save lives. Over the past decade, the number of Washington hospital patients infected with a frightening, antibiotic-resistant
posted by BrianSummers | 0 Comments
Filed Under: , ,
Monday, November 24, 2008 5:34 AM

Wall Street Bull Catcher

Michael Lewis became one of the must successful chroniclers of Wall Street with the publication of his book Liar's Poker two decades ago. Since then Lewis gained additional fame as a perceptive writer about sports, but now he's back to the risky
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Filed Under: , , ,
Thursday, November 20, 2008 12:49 PM

A Mother's Burden

I was looking for photographs of the fires in Southern California when I came across a photo by Jerome Daley of the Associated Press that completely stunned me. His picture of a Congolese woman named Furah carrying a massive load
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Filed Under: , ,
Thursday, November 20, 2008 4:16 AM

The New Military Campaign

Longtime readers of News Gems know that I'm a huge fan of two-time Pulitzer winner Paul Salopek of the Chicago Tribune. In 2006 I named his "Tank of Gas, World of Trouble," the #1 News Gem of the year. This week Salopek is back with another masterpiece.
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Filed Under: , , , ,
Wednesday, November 19, 2008 5:32 AM

How the System Failed Jamie

Ruth Teichroeb of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer tells a troubling story of sexual assault and official neglect in "Voiceless and Abused." To her attacker, Jamie must have seemed like the perfect victim: blind, nonverbal, infantlike in her mental ability
posted by BrianSummers | 0 Comments
Filed Under: , ,
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 5:24 AM

Drug Wars Hit Home

"Mexico Drug Wars Spill Across the Border," by Richard A. Serrano and Sam Quinones of the Los Angeles Times, describes an alarming development in the international drug trade. The drug violence that has left about 4,000 people dead this year in Mexico
posted by BrianSummers | 0 Comments
Filed Under: , ,
Monday, November 17, 2008 5:12 AM

Life and Death of a GOP Genius

Before there was Karl Rove, his mentor Lee Atwater was the top Republican strategist in the land. In "Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story," producer Stefan Forbes documents Atwater's rise as a brilliant, charming and sometimes vicious strategist
posted by jonmarshall | 1 Comments
Filed Under: , , ,
Friday, November 14, 2008 6:31 AM

Casting a Wide Net

"Strategies for Rebuilding Cleveland: What Can Be Learned From Other Cities" by Robert L. Smith of The Plain Dealer is a fine example of how to find solutions where readers might least expect them. Here's what Smith found in Schenectady: Like a flower
posted by BrianSummers | 0 Comments
Filed Under: , ,
Thursday, November 13, 2008 5:01 AM

Dying to Play

In May we highlighted "Former High School Pitcher Hopes Rules Are Changed to Protect Young Arms" by Tom Wyrwich of the Seattle Times. Now Wyrwich has written another outstanding story about young athletes playing when hurt, "The Dangers of Adolescents
posted by BrianSummers | 0 Comments
Filed Under: , ,
Wednesday, November 12, 2008 5:44 AM

Barack's Hometown

In "Uncommon Ground," Peter Slevin of The Washington Post does a terrific job of describing Barack Obama's neighborhood of Hyde Park. Slevin mixes observation with quotations and descriptions to give us a tour of this unusual Chicago neighborhood:
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Filed Under: , , ,
Tuesday, November 11, 2008 4:46 AM

Illicit Trade

The magnificent "Tobacco Underground" by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists proves that great things can happen when reporters cooperate across borders. The consortium, which is affiliated with the Center for Public Integrity,
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Filed Under: , , , , ,
Monday, November 10, 2008 5:28 AM

What the F.D.A. Never Sees

In a disturbing article, “The Safety Gap,” Gardiner Harris of The New York Times explains why the F.D.A. is overwhelmed by the flood of imported drugs. The record is particularly bad in China. Over the past six years, the F.D.A. has managed to inspect
posted by BrianSummers | 0 Comments
Filed Under: , , ,
Friday, November 07, 2008 5:04 AM

Behind the Scenes with Barack

Less than six hours after Barack Obama's victory speech Tuesday night, Newsweek published its epic "How He Did It," written by Evan Thomas and reported by Daren Briscoe, Eleanor Clift, Katie Connolly, Peter Goldman, Daniel Stone and Nick Summers.
posted by jonmarshall | 1 Comments
Filed Under: , ,
Thursday, November 06, 2008 5:53 AM

Getting Away With Murder

“Deadly Silence” by Maureen Boyle of The Enterprise in Brockton, Mass., is a finely crafted report on the “no snitching” code of silence that protects violent street criminals. For more than a year, The Enterprise has been taking a close look at the
posted by BrianSummers | 0 Comments
Filed Under: , ,
Wednesday, November 05, 2008 5:47 AM

A Local Look at Federal Spending

In a thought-provoking series, "Follow the Money," Dan Stockman of The Journal Gazette in Fort Wayne, Indiana, helps local readers grasp the scope of federal spending. Here's an excerpt from part 1. Over the next two weeks, The Journal Gazette will follow
posted by BrianSummers | 0 Comments
Filed Under: , , ,
Tuesday, November 04, 2008 5:27 AM

The Rape of Rwanda

Photographer Jonathan Torgovnik's "Intended Consequences" on Media Storm provides a powerful look at the aftermath of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Torgovnik movingly shows the lives of women who were raped during the genocide, often leaving them
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Filed Under: , , ,
Monday, November 03, 2008 5:52 AM

Medevac Crashes

"Unnecessary Flight Risks?" by Robert Little of The Baltimore Sun reveals a troubling aspect of medevac flights. The flights can save lives, and sometimes involve extraordinary heroism. But after The Sun reviewed the data on 26 fatal medevac crashes,
posted by BrianSummers | 0 Comments
Filed Under: ,