I had the pleasure of working with our SF-based environmental reporter Ellen Knickmeyer on this investigation of dumping into protected aquifers in the Central Valley.
Packaging such a technical, document-based investigative piece for video was a challenge. But it’s not the first time I’ve made a farmer cry on tape (scroll to 7:40).
The package got great play. My old friend Rudabeh Shahbazi re-tracked it for KABC, and it led their 6pm newscast.
It played in Fresno, San Diego and on The Weather Channel. But the real victory was seeing it on KTVU-Ch. 2 in Oakland, because way back when, I was an intern there. Can’t find the video yet, still trying to track down a link…
Also, this was one of those enterprise packages that had to get done while I also covered Suge Knight’s arraignment, the measles outbreak and the usual glut of breaking news. Because around here, the grind doesn’t stop just because you’re working on a big investigation.