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2008 Grand Prize Winner "How I Did the Story"

"The Smokestack Effect"


by Blake Morrison and Brad Heath, USA Today

 

When we started working on "The Smokestack Effect" in early March 2008, we were curious about the impact of  industrial pollution on our nation's children. Kids are as much as 10 times more susceptible than adults to the dangers of toxic chemicals, and we wondered: How dangerous is the air our children are breathing at school? And is the government doing enough to protect them from chemicals that could stunt learning and lead to cancer years or even decades later?

To answer these questions, we teamed with researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst who had spent several years getting raw data from the Environmental Protection Agency.  That data, part of a computer simulation developed by the EPA, would enable us to predict the concentrations of various types of toxic chemicals in the air at any square kilometer of the country.

We also began gathering data to map the locations of almost 128,000 public, private and parochial schools. We got the locations of most of the schools from the U.S. Education Department’s Common Core of Data and supplemented them with lists of schools we collected from more than two dozen state education agencies, and from information from newsletters we purchased from an organization that monitored school construction.  We would meld the data sets so we -- and parents, educators and students -- could see how industrial pollution affected the air at locations where children were required to gather.

But we weren't satisfied with simply modeling pollution, so we partnered with Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health and the University of Maryland. Scientists there trained reporters and editors on how to use pumps and other equipment to collect air samples. The scientists also developed the protocol we used and analyzed the samples.

We dispatched more than 30 reporters -- from USA TODAY and other Gannett properties -- to monitor outside 95 schools in 30 states. We suspected schools would be reluctant or unwilling to let us on their property, so we set up our equipment nearby, usually within about 100 yards. That meant persuading neighbors to let us use their yards or porches for a week. Because of our small sampling window, we conveyed the results with care. They were not meant to be definitive; they were meant to be illustrative. But in almost every case, our monitoring efforts still exceeded those of the government.

We found what our experts characterized as elevated levels of chemicals outside 64 schools, and our findings spurred quick action. The EPA subsequently launched a $2.25 million monitoring program designed to look specifically at the air outside schools.

We also published a database online that enables users to look up any school in the country. The database, http://www.smokestack.usatoday.com/, became the backbone of our reporting and empowers parents to learn about the types and sources of chemicals that might touch their child's school.

Reporter Tips

  • Begin the pitch with a clear question whose answer is newsworthy. It will keep you focused and help focus the stories -- and your bosses -- on what really matters.
  • Consider a Q-and-A as part of the pitch. It enables you to direct the discussion and address concerns before others raise them.
  • Look outside your newsroom for help. Researchers at top universities across the nation often have insights and skills that we lack. Look for ways they might be willing to help.
  • Be forthright. Explain to readers what you've found, what you know and what you don't. Be transparent. We published our methodology online but have still heard from regulators across the country looking for more information about our research.
  • Be available. After the first two days of the series were published, we did online chats, posted a Q-and-A and set up an email address to handle questions, comments and concerns. We were inundated with inquiries.
  • Talk through problems when you find them. Find potential critics before they find you, and let them weigh in on your methodology.
  • Admit your limitations, and be prepared to update and revise. There's simply no way to publish a database of 128,000 schools -- all based on reports the schools file with the government -- without a couple of locations being off. We updated the data accordingly.
  • Be creative. Your data might be limited, but don't let them be limiting. Think of ways to supplement what the government offers -- or ways to use it that the government hasn't considered.

Blake Morrison is an investigative reporter and the Deputy Enterprise Editor at USA TODAY. After Sept. 11, he began covering aviation security. Before joining USA TODAY, Morrison worked at the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press. 

Brad Heath is a national reporter at USA TODAY, where he specializes in data-driven enterprise. Before joining USA TODAY, he was an enterprise writer for The Detroit News.

Read more narratives of first prize winners here.