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 zinc mines throughout southeast Kansas still affect people. In "Mining's Legacy: a Scar on Kansas," they show how sinkholes threaten entire communities, children suffer lead poisoning from polluted soil and mining wastes continue to contaminate groundwater. In addition to strong stories, their multimedia package includes videos by Allender, Brian Powell and Greg Hurd, interesting charts and beautiful panoramic photos of the abandoned mines. The design of the package is terrific. Thank you Phil Kaplan for this recommendation. www2.ljworld.com/news/mining/