GIST: "Boston’s NPR affiliate is digging deeper into a story that has upended Massachusetts’ criminal-justice system. In May, WBUR published “Bad Chemistry: Annie Dookhan and the Massachusetts Drug Lab Crisis,” an online report on a former state chemist charged with falsifying drug test results for at least 34,000 legal cases. Contributors to the standalone website include WBUR’s Deborah Becker and Joe Spurr. Chris Amico, a journalist and web developer for the Homicide Watch website network, also contributes. “Bad Chemistry” includes multimedia visualizations of government data and documents explaining Dookhan’s transgressions and their potential implications for law enforcement. WBUR reporters plan to update the page as they uncover new details in the case, said Tiffany Campbell, managing editor of WBUR’s digital operation. “That was the whole idea, that it could be iterative investigative reporting,” she said."
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.current.org/2013/06/wbur-microsite-explores-mass-drug-lab-crisis/
Here is the link to the WBUR site: "WBUR obtained records of 58,070 drug tests performed by Dookhan, and we plan to publish this data along with analysis as this story continues to develop. We’re also working with attorneys and investigators from around the state, all of whom are trying to understand the full story. This is the same data that the state is using to investigate court cases. Our goal here is to not just “dump” the data, but to use it to explain what was happening in the drug lab and the justice system as a whole. We also expect this data might raise as many questions as it answers, and the hope is that you can help us ask the right questions and follow the right threads. We’ll also provide tools so you can dig through the data yourself and answer questions we haven’t thought of. Our mission is to follow the trail from one chemist through the entire state criminal justice system. Through stories, documents, testimony, public records and data analysis, WBUR plans to be the comprehensive resource for all aspects of this story."
http://badchemistry.wbur.org/
Latest WBUR report: "Texas-Colorado crises:
http://badchemistry.wbur.org/2013/06/20/texas-colorado-testing-crises
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
Dear reader: Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following developments relating to the Annie Dookhan debacle;
I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses several thousand posts. The search box is located near the bottom of the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and myself get more out of the site.
The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:
http://www.thestar.com/topic/
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.
Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.
