Exposé: America’s Investigative Reports

Poverty, Inc.

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:45:39 -0500

Tuesday, October 7, 2008:
In the News: After months of investigation by federal immigration authorities, agents today raided a House of Raeford Farms chicken processing plant in Greenville, South Carolina, detaining more than 300 workers. Watch Exposé's "20,000 Cuts a Day" for the story of The Charlotte Observer's extraordinary investigation into working conditions at House of Raeford and throughout the industry, and read the paper's ongoing coverage.
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Wednesday, September 17, 2008:
In the News: The first large human study of Bisphenol A (BPA) exposures finds adults exposed to higher amounts of BPA were more likely to report having heart disease and diabetes. In a meeting of its science advisory board yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration maintained that BPA is safe. Read about the latest research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and updates on the controversy over BPA from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Plus, on the Moyers Blog: BusinessWeek reporters answer your questions about the maximum interest rate companies can charge, financial literacy tests for borrowers, and whether the working poor are being "exploited" by current business practices.

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Monday, August 18, 2008:
In the News: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration weighs in on the safety of Bisphenol A (BPA). Read the latest from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on the FDA's draft report. Watch Exposé's "Chemistry War Zone" to learn about the controversy surrounding this chemical, which is found not only in household plastics and the linings of metal cans, but also in 93% of the people tested by the Centers for Disease Control.

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Friday, August 8, 2008: This week on Exposé: a new episode online and on Bill Moyers Journal (check local listings). Is the cost of being poor on the rise? Lower-income families have long paid more for food, housing and other basic necessities. But corner bodegas, pawn shops, and rent-to-own furniture stores, often staples of poor neighborhoods, have been joined by some newer, bigger competition in recent years. The finance industry that brought the nation subprime mortgages has now come to town seeking riches in the form of high-interest, high-fee loans. Holding out the promise of credit for everything from cars to computers to medical bills, these new businesses - backed by some well-known financial industry players - have moved in, leading low-income consumers into a potentially unending cycle of debt.

Read all the original reporting and listen to a podcast with BusinessWeek's John Byrne, Brian Grow and Keith Epstein on the story behind "The Poverty Business." Crunch the numbers on the new economics of the poverty business. Ask the reporters about their investigation by submitting questions to the Blog on the Bill Moyers Journal site.

2008 Emmy Award Nominee: "In a Small Town"

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:00:00 -0500

Friday, July 18, 2008: A big story from a small town. Whispers in the courthouse about "missing cases" and a clandestine meeting at midnight started rookie reporter Peter Zuckerman of the Idaho Falls Post Register on an investigation that would lead him to expose the extraordinary story of a pedophile working within the local Boy Scouts, and a brave young scout who had the courage to speak up and stop him. What was hidden from the public -- concealed within those court records -- was the story of a Boy Scout leader named Brad Stowell, convicted in 1997 of molesting two children, who had admitted under oath in a court deposition in 1999 to molesting about two dozen children beginning as far back as 1988. Zuckerman, along with executive editor Dean Miller, fought successfully to unseal court records and then tracked down victims of abuse to reveal that Boy Scout leadership and at least one official in the Mormon Church -- which sponsors most of the Boy Scout Troops in eastern Idaho -- missed opportunities to stop Stowell from working in close proximity to children.

The Post Register published the "Scouts' Honor" series in early 2005, and the paper immediately came under fire from some in the community. The fallout of the stories ended up being far more dramatic than anyone had anticipated. A prominent local company took out full-page ads in the paper challenging the reporting and claiming, "the Post Register's real intent was to smear the Scout's good name and take away what the Scouts value most, their honor." Additional victims came forward to tell their stories of abuse. And one father, motivated by his sons' accounts of abuse, dedicated himself full-time to changing Idaho's statue of limitations in cases involving the sexual abuse of minors.

Read the original 6-part "Scouts' Honor" series published in late February/early March 2005 and subsequent reporting in the Idaho Falls Post Register.

See the complete list of the News & Documentary Emmy nominees.

20,000 Cuts a Day

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:16:31 -0500

Tuesday, October 7, 2008:
In the News: After months of investigation by federal immigration authorities, agents today raided a House of Raeford Farms chicken processing plant in Greenville, South Carolina, detaining more than 300 workers. Watch Exposé's "20,000 Cuts a Day" for the story of The Charlotte Observer's extraordinary investigation into working conditions at House of Raeford and throughout the industry, and read the paper's ongoing coverage.
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Wednesday, July 16, 2008: On the Moyers Blog, Charlotte Observer reporters answer your questions about ergonomic standards, the role doctors and nurses play in reporting workplace injuries, and undocumented poultry workers.

Also, watch "In a Small Town," the Exposé episode that was recently nominated for a News & Documentary Emmy®.

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Thursday, July 10, 2008: The ethnic background of the workers from America's poultry plants has changed over the last twenty years. The reporters at The Charlotte Observer saw an example of this at House of Raeford, where they found a work force that went from largely African American in the early 1990s, to between 80 to 90 percent Latino at some plants today. This shift is reflected in other places across the country, including Mississippi, where filmmaker John Fiege brought his camera in 2004. Fiege's documentary, Mississippi Chicken, follows workers' rights advocate Anita Grabowski as she sets up a center for poultry workers to strengthen their ability to address problems at plants and in their communities. Watch an excerpt from Mississippi Chicken.

Today, Grabowski works for a national advocacy group, Center for Community Change, and supports poultry workers organizing throughout the South. She is currently involved in a North Carolina campaign with the Western North Carolina Workers' Center to combat workplace injuries.

Plus, more in the news: As part of the ongoing immigration probe, a federal grand jury indicts a top manager at House of Raeford Farms. Read the latest from The Charlotte Observer.

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Monday, July 7, 2008: In the news: Last week, 2 supervisors from an Iowa meatpacking plant were arrested on criminal immigration charges. The arrests followed a May raid at Agriprocessors, the nation's largest kosher meatpacker, where fraudulent documents were seized and hundreds of workers arrested. The raid is the latest in stepped up efforts at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), where worksite enforcement arrests have shown a tenfold increase in the past 5 years.

In February 2008, as part of its series on poultry workers, The Charlotte Observer revealed that 42 out of 52 House of Raeford workers who spoke to the paper about their legal status admitted to being in the country illegally. It also found supervisors who said that managers were aware that the company was hiring undocumented workers - and at least one plant preferred them in order to have a workforce less likely to complain about working conditions. In the wake of the Observer's investigative series, federal immigration agents questioned supervisors from House of Raeford Farms. Their inquiries led to the arrest of 5 supervisors from the company's Greenville plant in June.

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Wednesday, July 3, 2008: Charlotte Observer reporter Franco Ordoñez is in Mexico talking to people about why they come to the United States to work in poultry plants. Watch the web-exclusive video.

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Friday, June 27, 2008:

This week on Exposé: a new episode online and on Bill Moyers Journal (check local listings). The numbers coming out of the Bureau of Labor Statistics say the poultry industry's safety record has improved over the last decade. But are those numbers right? Reporters from The Charlotte Observer asked labor attorneys, experts in workplace safety, regulators, doctors, and over 200 poultry workers. They analyzed thousands of pages of documents, including Occupational Safety & Health Administration records, company injury logs, and academic studies. The result? Their investigative series, "The Cruelest Cuts," shows why the poultry industry is not as safe as it claims to be. Congress took note, with the Senate holding two hearings in April. And just last week, the House Committee on Education and Labor started asking some questions of its own.

Read The Observer's original 6-part series and follow the ongoing coverage. Watch last week's House hearing on the "hidden tragedy" of workplace injuries. . Ask the reporters about their investigation by submitting questions to the Blog on the Bill Moyers Journal site. And learn about musculoskeletal disorders -- the most common work-related injuries among poultry workers.

Limiting Your Exposure to BPA

Fri, 30 May 2008 13:25:17 -0500

Bisphenol A (BPA) is the chemical used to make polycarbonate plastic, the hard, clear plastic used in baby bottles and reusable water bottles. BPA is also in the epoxy resin lining of nearly all metal cans made in the United States - beer cans, soda cans, food cans. Other polycarbonate plastic items may be identified by the letters "PC" or the recycling label #7. (Not all #7 labeled products are polycarbonate, but consumers may want to use this as a guideline and avoid this category of plastics.) BPA may also be found in #3 PVC plastics. While it may not be possible to entirely eliminate BPA in daily life, steps can be taken to limit exposure, particularly by focusing on what you eat or put in your mouth.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences includes the following information on its "Since You Asked - Bisphenol A: Questions and Answers about the Draft National Toxicology Program Brief on Bisphenol A" web page:

What can I do to prevent exposure to bisphenol A?
If you are concerned, you can make personal choices to reduce exposure:

* Don't microwave polycarbonate plastic food containers. Polycarbonate is strong and durable, but over time it may break down from over use at high temperatures.

* Polycarbonate containers that contain BPA usually have a #7 on the bottom.

* Reduce your use of canned foods.

* When possible, opt for glass, porcelain or stainless steel containers, particularly for hot food or liquids.

* Use baby bottles that are BPA free.

Source: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - National Institutes of Health

For general guidelines on how to reduce your exposure to endocrine disruptors, see also the following article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's "Chemical Fallout" series:

"Minimize Your Chemical Exposure," Cary Spivak, 12/2/07

Video Extra: "Farm Subsidies: The Myth of the Small Farmer"

Thu, 01 May 2008 14:26:37 -0500

"The cornerstone of the multibillion-dollar system of federal farm subsidies is an iconic image of the struggling family farmer: small, powerless against Mother Nature, tied to the land by blood . . . This imagery secures billions annually in what one grower called 'empathy payments' for farmers. But it is misleading."

-- The Washington Post, "Federal Subsidies Turn Farms Into Big Business," 12/21/06

In this video, Congressman Ron Kind (D-WI), Texas farmer Ed Gangl, and the investigative team at The Washington Post discuss the image versus the reality. (7 minutes)

Photo credit: An idealized image of small family farming, used in a World War II-era poster. (Image no. ww0870-06, Northwestern University Library)

Cash Cows & Cowboy Starter Kits

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:17:50 -0500

Thursday, May 1, 2008: Who really benefits from the Farm Bill? Watch this web-exclusive video featuring Congressman Ron Kind (D-WI), Texas farmer Ed Gangl, and the investigative team at The Washington Post.

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Monday, April 21, 2008: Listen to the latest edition of The Exposé Sessions - Tom Casciato's streaming audio interviews with some of America's top journalists. In this session:

"Why should we destroy the infrastructure of the American newspaper industry to satisfy a bunch of greedy people on Wall Street?"
- James O'Shea, former editor, Los Angeles Times

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Thursday, April 10, 2008: This week on Exposé: a new episode online and on Bill Moyers Journal (check local listings). Washington Post reporters unravel the tangled system of farm subsidies. Read the paper's original reporting, a series of articles which identified more than $15 billion of wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars over a five-year period of the program. Meet the reporters who brought their extraordinary investigative and computer-assisted reporting skills to the project. And hear from the Exposé producer who traveled to Texas to meet a real farmer struggling to make it under the current system.

Next on The Exposé Sessions: James O'Shea, former editor, Los Angeles Times.

The Exposé Sessions

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:27:26 -0500

Exposé executive producer Tom Casciato's streaming audio interviews with some of America's top journalists.

Sorry, you need the latest version of the free flash player in order to watch the video clips.

In the premiere session, David Boardman, executive editor of The Seattle Times, talks about what makes an investigative reporter, taking on the sacred cows of the Pacific Northwest, and the future of the newspaper business. (20 minutes)

Click the arrow above to listen to this audio feature.

> Read more about David Boardman.

> Next on The Exposé Sessions: James O'Shea, former editor, Los Angeles Times.

Mr. Heath Goes to Washington

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:54:52 -0500

Friday, April 4, 2008: The Peabody Award committee has come out with its selections, proclaiming 2007 "a strong year for local television news." Among the programs recognized, "Security Risks at Sky Harbor," from KNXV-TV in Phoenix. Using inside sources and undercover stakeouts, the investigation revealed lax overnight security at the city's main airport. In October 2007, the KNXV-TV investigation was featured in the Exposé episode, "Security Theater" - a program devoted to local television news reporting that revealed shocking security lapses at airports across the country. Watch the original episode of Exposé to follow the investigative teams at KNXV in Phoenix, KUSA in Denver, and KHOU in Houston as they reveal different aspects of a troubling airport security story. You can also watch the original Peabody Award-winning coverage from KNXV on our site.

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Tuesday, March 25, 2008: In mid-March, as both houses of Congress discussed budget proposals, tough talk on earmarks ruled. Both parties, President Bush and the major presidential candidates vied for bragging rights in the fight against earmarks. Many supported a one-year moratorium on lawmakers steering money to pet projects. But when the dust cleared, there were no provisions against earmarks in the budget resolutions. Some in Congress still defend earmarks as a legitimate and even necessary exercise of Congressional oversight of government spending. Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) is not one of them. Watch this exclusive interview with Senator Coburn. Then join the discussion to make your case.

Coming Soon: A new episode of Exposé
After interviewing hundreds of sources, poring over thousands of documents and a database of 217 million payment records, The Washington Post proves that the multibillion-dollar system of federal agricultural subsidies is riddled with waste and abuse.

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Friday, March 7, 2008: Introducing The Exposé Sessions: Streaming audio interviews with some of America's top journalists. In the premiere session, Exposé executive producer Tom Casciato interviews Seattle Times executive editor David Boardman about what makes an investigative reporter, taking on the sacred cows of the Pacific Northwest, and the future of the newspaper business.

And just added on the Moyers Blog: Responses to "Ask the Reporter and Producer." Seattle Times reporter David Heath answers your questions about earmarks. And Exposé producer Marc Shaffer talks about filming "Mr. Heath Goes to Washington."

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Thursday, February 21, 2008: Welcome to a new season of Exposé: America's Investigative Reports, the documentary series that spotlights some of the most important investigative journalism in America. Each month a new show will premiere on this site and air on PBS's Bill Moyers Journal.

In our season premiere, Seattle Times reporters take a close look at pork barrel politics. On our new site, you can watch the program. Or read the paper's original reporting and find out about the $4.65 million, 85-foot boat Congress ordered the Coast Guard to buy - but which the Coast Guard said it couldn't use. Or maybe you want to look up the defense bill earmarks your own representative has sponsored, or browse earmark recipients - the individuals, companies, and institutions who get the federal dollars. They're searchable by state and name in The Seattle Times' database. You can also get the story behind the story from investigative reporter David Heath. And if you're new to the earmarking concept, let Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists give you the 411 on this "insiders'game." And if you've got a question or a comment for our producer or the Seattle Times reporter, click over to the Blog on the Bill Moyers Journal website and fire away. Then there's our resources page where you can check out what others are saying around the internet about earmarks, campaign finance, defense spending, and ethics in Congress. Last but not least, if you want to see some compelling stories of investigative journalists and their work, chose from the menu of Exposé episodes in our Video Library. May we suggest our Emmy® Award-winning episode "Blame Somebody Else"? Want more? Check back here each week between documentary premieres for additional features. In the works: a web-exclusive video interview with Senator Tom Coburn, who calls earmarks "the gateway drug for overspending," and executive producer Tom Casciato's audio interview with Seattle Times executive editor David Boardman.