Document-driven story idea: Chemical neighbors of death
Here's a great document-driven series published this month by the Dallas Morning News: Dozens of sites with deadly chemicals placed close to residential neighborhoods without residents even knowing. The online stories include a map for people to see if they unknowingly live near some of the 900 sites in the metropolitan area. Reporter Michael Grabell, aided by a data and mapping team led by Jennifer LaFleur, analyzed records that they got from the Environmental Protection Agency, state Department of Health Services and Dallas Fire-Rescue. According to an editor's note and methodology box, key documents included the companies' risk-management plans available at the EPA, Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspections and Dallas zoning cases and studies dating back to 1944. In addition to the documents, the newspaper interviewed residents, facility managers, planning experts, emergency responders, environmental advocates and city officials. Great job!
For more tips and resources in gathering these types of records for your community, check out the Society of Environmental Journalists' "Useful Links" (look under "chemicals"). To get a quick glimpse of some of the toxic chemicals released in your town, check out the Right to Know Network's EPA Toxic Release Inventory online, which allows you to search by zip code, city or other specifications. Also, for more ideas on this topic, check out the SEJ award winning stories and the Investigative Reporters and Editors "Extra! Extra!" keyword searchable summaries of great reporting.