California Watch

Which investigative stories blew you away in 2009? I asked that question several weeks ago to some of the top investigative journalists in the country and got back lists and links from 11 outstanding journalists.

As the comments flowed in, it was heartening to see that, despite our industry woes, strong watchdog reporting is thriving at news organizations large and small – including nonprofit newsrooms. Even though newsrooms have lost some outstanding investigative reporters to layoffs and buyouts, amazing work is still getting done.

Rather than rank the stories, I’m providing links to noteworthy reporting, organized into two categories – the stories that kept popping up on lists over and over (at least three thumbs up). And ones that were mentioned at least twice.

The Los Angeles Times was the only news organization based in California to be recognized – and they did so in a couple of places. Just to be clear, this is by no means a comprehensive list. It represents only a small, informal survey about stories that some highly respected investigative journalists are buzzing about.

I'll bet there are many fabulous stories that we've missed. So please post those stories and links in the comments section below.

Stories that got multiple mentions

• The Washington Post’s “Wasting Away” series on AIDS funding abuses and lack of oversight. Reporter: Debbie Cenziper.
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s “Cashing in on Kids” series on rampant fraud and other abuses within Wisconsin’s taxpayer subsidized child-care system. Reporter: Raquel Rutledge. (Full disclosure: I edited most of this ongoing series before I left the Journal Sentinel and have remained involved since.)
• USA Today’s series on school lunch safety that found lower standards for food served in school cafeteries. Reporters: Blake Morrison, Peter Eisler and Anthony DeBarros.
• ProPublica and the Los Angeles Times “When Caregivers Harm” found a slow system of oversight when disciplining nurses in California and got some immediate results. Reporters: Tracy Weber and Charles Ornstein.
• Chicago Tribune’s “Clout Goes to College” exposed how hundreds of students with subpar academic performance were getting accepted into the University of Illinois because they were well connected. Reporters: Tara Malone, Stacy St. Clair and Jodi S. Cohen.
• The Washington Post’s ongoing coverage of the fatal Metro crash found that what had initially been described as a freak accident, in fact, had precursors that safety officials had ignored. Reporters Joe Stephens and Lena H. Sun.

Stories that received nods of approval:

• Chicago Tribune series on Agent Orange. Reporters: Jason Grotto and Tim Jones.
• New York Times series on Toxic Water. Reporter: Charles Duhigg.
• St. Petersburg Times series on the Church of Scientology. Reporters: Joe Childs and Thomas C. Tobin.
• ProPublica’s coverage on New Orleans. Reporters: Sheri Fink and A.C. Thompson along with Brendan McCarthy, Laura Maggi and Gordon Russell of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
• Kansas City Star series on human trafficking. Reporters: Laura Bauer, Mike McGraw and Mark Morris.
• Raleigh News & Observer series about former Gov. Mike Easley’s abuse of power. Reporter: J. Andrew Curliss.
• Los Angeles Times coverage of Toyota response to mechanical problems. Reporters: Ken Bensinger and Ralph Vartabedian.
• Bristol Herald Courier on gas rights in Virginia. Reporter: Daniel Gilbert.
• New York Times “Tainted Meat” on how lax measures allow E. coli bacteria to contaminate the supply of beef. Reporter: Michael Moss.
• Seattle Times two-part series on the collapse of Washington Mutual. Reporter: Drew DeSilver and David Heath.
• Chicago Tribune and ProPublica “Compromised Care” series about dangerous nursing homes. Reporters: Sam Roe, David Jackson, Gary Marx and Christina Jewett, who we're happy to say now works for California Watch.

Among those who weighed in were Jim Neff, investigative editor at the Seattle Times; Andrew Donohue, editor of Voice of San Diego (a member of the California Watch advisory board); George Papajohn, an associate managing editor who oversees investigations at the Chicago Tribune; Eric Eyre, an award winning investigative reporter at the Charleston W. Va. Gazette; James Grimaldi, a Pulitzer-winning investigative reporter at the Washington Post; and Sarah Cohen, a Pulitzer winning reporter and Duke University professor who serves on the advisory board of the Center for Investigative Reporting.

Which story was your favorite?