ProPublica journalists Al Shaw and Lisa Song sifted through tons of data to deliver “Poison in the Air,” an award-winning reporting series in which they — alongside fellow reporters Lylla Younes, Ava Kofman, Maya Miller and photographer Kathleen Flynn — identify hundreds of industrial air pollution cancer-risk hot spots across the U.S. using publicly available EPA data. They even corrected reporting errors by the agency.
In a herculean effort to organize the data they gathered from their reporting and make it more accessible, the team created “The Most Detailed Map of Cancer-Causing Industrial Air Pollution in the U.S.”
This map allows readers to plug in an address to see what kind of industrial cancer risk is near it. Shaw and Song also used this tool to write numerous stories that highlighted the cancer risk data from various different angles. Their reporting spurred EPA reevaluations of regulations, increased local air testing and community engagement and activism.
In this “How I Did It,” Shaw and Song discuss their reporting approach for this series and offer tips to fellow journalists interested in covering industrial cancer risk.
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