A year and a half ago, The Oregonian in Portland published a massive project on meth addictions that have engulfed the Western two-thirds of the nation. It was called the Unnecessary Epidemic. Reporter Steve Suo, with help from Erin Hoover Barnett, delved into the causes and the cures. They documented how the use of the drug has spread from a small Northwest menace, to a scourge that is destroying families and communities. They teamed up with Frontline to produce a TV program.
Suo spent two years reporting the story. He traveled to India, Mexico and Canada, where factories make pseudoephedrine, an ingredient in Sudafed and other over-the-counter decongestants. Among the Oregonian’s findings:
- Certain countries import significantly more pseudoephedrine than is put into cold medicine and up until now there has been little effort by international law enforcement agencies to control that.
- Most meth is manufactured by crime syndicates, not the mom and pop labs operations that make the local news.
- There is a substitute for pseudoephedrine.
- The pharmaceutical lobby blocked efforts by public policy-makers to increase restrictions on pseudoephedrine and force drug companies to bring a substitute to market.
The story represented a monumental commitment of time and resources for The Oregonian and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize last year. Editor Sandy Rowe is teaching at Poynter this week. The Oregonian has again nominated the paper’s meth coverage in 2005 for an award.
On Friday, The Oregonian reported that Congress passed a landmark bill to curb the sale of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine. It will restrict the amount of cold tablets individuals can purchase, enable drug agents to track and monitor global shipments of the drugs and increase diplomatic pressure on countries that participate in the trade.
It’s a victory for good journalism. The O spent time and money on an important story. It was a high-interest topic, even if it lacked sensationalism and scandal. The journalists at The Oregonian did a thorough reporting job and approached the subject as watchdogs as well as story-tellers. They fulfilled their role as public servants and in doing so influenced public policy.
Too often, when we talk about ethics, we talk about failures. But solid ethical journalism is really about persistence, courage and skill. The O made a difference.
