There is a series of articles on US Nuclear weapon programs and workers being irradiated. It is authored by the McClatchy newspapers. Here is today's article from
The Idaho Statesman on INEL.
And just to make sure one gets alarmed enough, here is the headline:
"Feds acknowledge radiation, chemicals likely killed 396 in Idaho"
http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/environment/article49532385.html
This series is apparently a drumbeat against nuclear weapons. I say that because the article a day or two ago mentioned Pantex and how they were rebuilding the B61 bombs into more modern nuclear weapons and it was expensive an dangerous!!
I did some research (actually it is listed at the bottom of the article) and surprise surprise,..the investigation is funded by:
THE NATION INSTITUTE: A nonprofit media center, The Nation Institute is dedicated to strengthening the independent press and advancing social justice and civil rights. Our dynamic range of programs includes a bestselling book publishing imprint, Nation Books; our award-winning Investigative Fund, which supports groundbreaking investigative journalism; the widely read and syndicated website TomDispatch; the Victor S. Navasky Internship Program at The Nation magazine; and Journalism Fellowships that fund over 20 high-profile reporters every year.
If you are familiar with "The Nation" magazine" you will realize it is on the opposite end of the political spectrum of "National Review' Of course they don't explain what the Nation Institute is they just list it as a non profit organization. You have to use the Googlies to find out their statement of purpose listed above.
Here is the lead off article from December 11th from McClatchy that sets the stage for the series.
http://media.mcclatchydc.com/static/features/irradiated/
And here is the series laid out. It looks like they used reporters from newspapers near each site (Pantex, INEL, Hanford and Oak Ridge) so the series in your paper will probably focus on Pantex:
READ "IRRADIATED"
Link to the database and see the full multimedia report at
IdahoStatesman.com.
TODAY Winning the Cold War and developing nuclear power likely caused or contributed to the deaths of at least 396 former INL workers, the government says, and more than 15,000 nuclear workers nationwide.
MONDAY Lack of records makes it hard to prove nuclear workers' illnesses are caused by their job.
TUESDAY Federal government pares health care benefits and retirement for workers as it seeks to build a new generation of nuclear weapons.
WEDNESDAY Nuclear work is safer than in the Cold War era, but workers like Idahoan Ralph Stanton still face threat of illness.
RELATED CONTENT
IRRADIATED: The secret, tragic legacy of America's nuclear weapons program
