A Tale of Two Stories: Blogs and Mainstream Media Coverage of Swine Flu/H1N1 Virus Columbia Journalism Review
Here at BFIA, we're always interested in following what the media are up to. The Swine Flu/H1N1 Virus story is particularly compelling in its multiple layers of issues - where did it start, what do we do about it, how do you catch it, what do we call it, how do we spin (politicize) it, and what are the economic implications if there were to be a pandemic, and IF big ag is ultimately implicated?
As is frequently the case, the blogosphere and MSM are offering different perspectives on the topic. On blogs you can find more about the CAFO connection, MSM may give that a mention, but so far, no one has focused much on that aspect of the story (although the story evolves daily). CJR helpfully put together a representative sampling of stories by both MSM (NY Times, WAPO, WSJ, etc.) and blogs (Grist, Biosurveillance, Huffpo), excerpted below. There is a great deal more out there on the food blogs and environmental blogs, too numerous to include today. If you can read Spanish, the local reporting in the Mexican newspapers, two of which are cited below, is of interest. There is also a flu analysis at Scientific American.
And just for the record, BFIA would like to include the following statement made during a briefing on Tuesday by former Governor of Iowa, current US Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack:
"there are a lot
of hardworking families whose livelihood depends on us conveying this
message of safety...and we want to reinforce the fact that we're doing
everything we possibly can to make sure that our hog industry is sound
and safe and to make sure that consumers in this country and around the
world know that American products are safe."
The following is an excerpt from the Columbia Journalism Review (CJR) Observatory article, "Swine Flu and CAFOs."
Swine Flu and CAFOs: Blogs call for more coverage; MSM hesitant
By Curtis Brainard
In the search for the swine flu outbreak’s “ground zero,” blogs have called upon mainstream media to investigate the potential role of large factory farms in breeding and spreading the virus.
Major news outlets have tentatively begun to do just that over the last two days. Reports have focused on the town of La Gloria, Mexico, where the first known victim was identified. (He has since recovered.) La Gloria is located close to a million-pig farm, Granjas Carroll, which is partly owned by Smithfield Foods, an American company that is the world’s largest producer and processor of pork products.
So far, however, there is no evidence of a direct connection between the farm and the swine flu virus. But there are reasons to both suspect and doubt that such a connection exists, and this has led to sporadic arguments among reporters covering the outbreak about the line between asking tough questions and jumping to conclusions.
The first blogger to implicate industrial hog farms was Grist’s food editor, Tom Philpott, in a Saturday post headlined, “Swine-flu outbreak could be linked to Smithfield factory farms.” Philpott cited a swine-flu timeline posted by the blog Biosurveillance, as well as articles in the Mexican newspapers La Marcha and La Jornada, which had reported that residents of La Gloria suspected the Granjas Carroll farm of spreading sickness via “clouds of flies” that travelled between the two.
Tom Yulsman at the Center for Environmental Journalism on Tuesday, in a blog post headlined, “What mainstream media aren’t telling you about the swine flu outbreak,” pointed to a recent report from the Pew Charitable Trusts and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, which found that “Animals in such close confinement, along with some of the feed and animal management methods employed in the system, increase pathogen risks and magnify opportunities for transmission from animals to humans.”
Major outlets have been far more skeptical and restrained in their reporting about the CAFO hypothesis, however. The reason is that, so far, authorities have yet to find an infected pig in Mexico, let alone at the Granjas Carroll farm. None of the pig farm’s workers appears to be sick, either.
The result is that most mainstream news articles—such as those in The New York Times, The Washington Post,and The Wall Street Journal—have included only a paragraph or two about Granjas Carroll in larger stories about La Gloria being a prime candidate for the flu outbreak’s origin. The Associated Press and CNN’s Sanjay Gupta visited Granjas Carroll, but only the former got in. For now, the only people who are “convinced” that the CAFO is at fault are the residents of La Gloria.
Call to Action: Conservatives Spending Millions to Crush Obama's Health Care Plan Like our hero Howard Dean has said, without a public
option, there is no health care reform, only insurance reform.
Today, BFIA is happy to forward this call to action by MoveOn.Org.
Conservatives are running $1 million in ads, starting today [Tuesday], to crush the public health insurance option—the heart of Obama's health care plan. And they've promised to spend tens of millions more.
To win against the powerful insurance lobby, we'll need to be everywhere. Hundreds of thousands of MoveOn members have already made calls, signed petitions, faxed Congress, rallied at events—and we'll even run our own ads soon—all in support of the public health insurance option.
But with the insurance industry in all-out attack mode, we now need to go even further. Can you drop by your senator's local office today or tomorrow to tell him or her to stand up for a public health insurance option that would guarantee coverage and reduce costs by up to 30%?
Here's a list of all the local offices of Senators Grassley and Harkin
Grassley
CEDAR RAPIDS, 150 1st Avenue NE, Suite 325
COUNCIL BLUFFS, 307 Federal Building, 8 South 6th Street
DAVENPORT, 131 West 3rd Street, Suite 180
DES MOINES, 721 Federal Building, 210 Walnut Street
Just stopping by your senator's office for two minutes has more impact than a call, an email—even more than a handwritten letter. And if enough of us show up at the local office, a staffer will call Washington to explain how strongly voters back home are feeling.
Dropping off a flier is easy:
* Write a short, personal note on your flier. Your visit will be more effective if you tell your senator how saving 30% on health care will have a positive impact on your life.
* Bring a friend if you want, but you totally don't have to. Don't worry about coordinating with other volunteers—just get to an office! The more individuals who stop by the office, the more powerful the message will be to Congress.
* Tell the staffer that you're there to express support for the public health insurance option. Be polite and friendly, and don't feel like you need to stay more than a minute. Just stopping by is a huge statement.
In this economy, the public health insurance option is especially crucial. Saving up to 30% on high-quality coverage could help families struggling to pay for their insurance—and those with no coverage at all right now.
But with insurance companies using their vast resources to attack Obama's plan, we can't just sit back and hope Congress does the right thing. We all need to speak out for the public health insurance option to make it a reality.
“While
a government-run insurance plan was still on the table, Baucus said, 'it
might be a bit on the side of the table.' Instead, he said he would
focus on preserving the insurance system for self-insured companies
while expanding private insurance and public programs such as Medicaid,
the insurance program for the poor. 'We'll end up with more private
insurance and more public insurance,' he said."
In his original proposal (a.k.a. “white paper”) Senator Baucus supported the idea of a public plan:
“In
his white paper, Baucus included the idea of a government-run insurance
option that would compete, with some limits, with private insurers. He
also proposed temporarily opening up Medicare enrollment for people
between the ages of 55 and 65, and expanding Medicaid to cover 7.1
million more people.”
I
don’t know about you, but I love the idea of opening up Medicare to
those 55 and older, especially when so many are losing jobs and health
care coverage, and considering that workers in that age group have more
difficulty finding new jobs.
And
it really disturbs me that one of the lead Democrats on health care
reform in the Senate would be so quick to jettison the heart of any
reform plan serious about addressing the cost of health care. I don’t
see how the government and individuals can afford to support the
for-profit insurance industry in the style to which they have become
accustomed. Will it be like Medicare Part D, where drug companies get
to charge whatever they want and the taxpayers pay?
I am all for
letting people buy private insurance, but if we are going to mandate
that everyone (or their employer) buy insurance, I want the private
insurance companies to compete against a public plan similar to
Medicare.
If private insurance adds value, people will buy it. If not,
why should the taxpayers have to subsidize them? Insurance companies
should not be able to enrich themselves at the taxpayer’s expense.
I
am trying to do some investigative reporting on this topic, by
contacting Senators Harkin and Grassley and Representative Braley to
get their comments on the public plan option. I’ll let you know what I
hear back from them next week.
Alta
Price is a physician practicing Pathology in Davenport, Iowa. One of
the original Deaniacs, she stays involved with Democracy for America,
Iowa, and the Quad Cities. She advocates for quality, affordable health
care for all, primarily as a volunteer with Progressive Action for the
Common Good (Health Care Reform Issue Forum).Watch for Dr. Price's Health Care Reform Update every Tuesday here on Blog for Iowa. E-Mail Alta Price
Obama Wins Iowa! His First 100 Days guardian.co.uk/the observer
by Paul Harris
Paul Harris of The UK Guardian's Observer, was in Iowa last week covering President Obama's first 100 days as seen through the eyes of Iowans. His article ran in Sunday's Observer. Blog for Iowa got a mention! So it is definitely a must read...
Iowa, the State that made Obama, gives its verdict on him
It was in Iowa that Barack Obama won his first, stunning victory over Hillary Clinton to take a huge step towards the Democratic nomination and the White House. Last week, he returned to the rural, mainly white state to unveil his plan for a greener America - and found that many Iowans like what he has done, but fear for their future
Since then, Iowa has featured strongly in Obama's team - several key members of his government hail from the state - and Obama has held an equally special place in the state's political folklore. "Obama's political life as president was essentially born here. He really is a president from Iowa," said [Douglas] Burns [reporter for the Carroll Daily Times Herald].
Obama's popularity in Iowa - which he turned from red to blue by beating the Republican candidate, John McCain - grew during his campaign, when tens of thousands flocked to hear his soaring rhetoric of hope and change. Now Obama has been president for almost 100 days and the cold, hard realities of governing a deeply troubled superpower have set in. Iowa, like any other state in the United States, is hurting.
After almost 100 days of Obama, America seems more open to a period of progressive politics - and, perhaps, Democratic domination - than any time in a generation. That can be seen in Iowa, too. The state recently legalised gay marriage, suddenly putting this slice of middle America far ahead of more traditionally liberal states such as California or New York.
That leads some Democrats in the state to say that Iowa's famous bellwether status is now firmly blue and likely to stay that way. "In my mind, we are a blue state," said Trish Nelson, a psychotherapist in Iowa City, who helps run the progressive website Blog for Iowa. Certainly for Nelson, Obama's first 100 days have lived up to her dreams. "He is the president that we thought he was going to be," she said.
Others are a little more sanguine, reflecting a national mood of fear about the future. As an icy wind blasted down Walnut Street last week, groups of workers gathered outside, smoking cigarettes. Vicky Adams was one, huddled in a doorway, trying to keep warm. "It's so far, so good," she said of Obama's start. In times of almost unimaginable economic crisis, such a verdict is probably the best that many could have hoped for.
Another Reason to Not Like CAFOs - Swine Flu Huffingtonpost.com
Industry calls these massive compounds "confined animal feeding
operations," or CAFOs (KAY-fohs), though most people know them simply
as "factory farms." by David Kirby
Officials from the CDC and USDA will likely arrive in Mexico soon to help investigate the deadly new influenza virus that managed to jump from pigs to people in a previously unseen mutated form that can readily spread among humans.
One of the first things they will want to look at are the hundreds of industrial-scale hog facilities that have sprung up around Mexico in recent years, and the thousands of people employed inside the crowded, pathogen-filled confinement buildings and processing plants.
In the last several years, U.S. hog conglomerates have opened giant swine CAFOs south of the border, including dozens around Mexico City in the neighboring states of Mexico and Puebla. Smithfield Foods also reportedly operates a huge swine facility in the State of Veracruz, where the current outbreak may have originated. Many of these CAFOs raise tens of thousands of pigs at a time. Cheaper labor costs and a desire to enter the Latin American market are drawing more industrialized agriculture to Mexico all the time, wiping out smaller, traditional farms, which now account for only a small portion of swine production in Mexico.
For years, leading scientists around the world have worried that large-scale, indoor swine "factories" would become breeding grounds for new pathogens that could more easily infect humans and then spread out rapidly in the general population - threatening to become a global pandemic.
We know that hog workers in Europe and North America are far more likely than others to be infected with potentially lethal pathogens such as MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), drug-resistant E. coli and Salmonella, and of course, swine influenza. Many scientists also believe that people who work inside CAFOs are more at risk of contracting and spreading these and other "zoonotic" diseases than those working in smaller-scale operations, with outdoor pens or pasture and far lower animal density. (click here to read the entire article)
Help Dogs in Factory Farms - Puppy Mill Bill Being Debated in Iowa Legislature TODAY - Contact Your Senators and Reps Update: 4/25/09 10 pm. It looks like the dogs are going to have to wait until next year on this bill. Thanks, everyone. S.F. 265/H.F. 486 is in the standings bill that will be debated in the
senate and house on TODAY (Saturday). Now is the perfect time to call
or email your Representative or Senator in Des Moines and ask them to
support this bill. 86% of Iowans support better regulation of these
factory farms for dogs.
Here's background info. about the bill. It would NOT affect
responsible breeders - the bill would allow inspectors into licensed
facilities because there are currently not enough federal inspectors
available. Please call or e-mail your legislator. Today is probably the last day of the session.
A recent statewide survey by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc.
reveals that 86 percent of
Iowa voters
support legislation that would strengthen protections for dogs in
large-scale breeding facilities known as puppy mills, while only 9 percent
oppose tougher regulations. Overwhelming
margins in every demographic group — men, women, Democrats, Republicans and
Independents — support legislation to crack down on puppy mills.Iowa is the third-largest puppy mill
state in the country.
Bills to strengthen Iowa's oversight of puppy mills — H.F. 486[click here for text] by Rep. Jim Lykam, D-85, and S.F. 265[click here for text] by veterinarian Sen. Joe Seng,
D-43 — have been introduced and are awaiting committee action. Puppy mills
are mass dog breeding facilities that keep animals in factory farm confinement, often in
filthy wire cages stacked on top of each other, with no exercise,
socialization, or human interaction. Dogs from puppy mills are sold in pet
stores, over the Internet, and directly to consumers with little or no
regard for the dog's health or genetic history.
Currently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture licenses and inspects some
puppy mills, but only those that sell wholesale to pet stores — not those
that sell over the Internet or directly to the public. Iowa
is one of only two states (along with
Kansas ) where state officials are not able to inspect these puppy mills, even if
complaints have been reported. The new legislation would give
the Iowa Department of Agriculture the authority to inspect these
facilities if they receive complaints.
The bill would not affect responsible breeders, who already keep their dogs
in humane conditions, or the livestock community. It also will not require
the Iowa Department of Agriculture to spend any additional resources, but
simply will give the agency additional tools for pursuing investigations
and enforcement if they choose to do so.
Thanks also to John Carlson, The Des
Moines Register, for
calling attention to the issue and laying out the situation as it exists in
Iowa . You
can thank him via e-mail at: jcarlson@dmreg.com right after you contact your legislators.
The Des Moines Register
by JOHN CARLSON
There are 486 dog-breeding facilities in
Iowa licensed by the USDA, all acting as
wholesalers, selling dogs to pet stores and brokers. They house tens of
thousands of dogs.
Three USDA employees are assigned to inspect them. That's about 160 facilities
per inspector. Robert Gibbens, regional director of the USDA animal
inspection division, said it is a nearly impossible job.
A bill in the Iowa Legislature would allow state inspectors into these
places for the first time.
"The new law would allow state inspectors to take a look at federally
licensed facilities if a complaint is filed," said Rep. Jim Lykam,
D-Davenport, a sponsor of the bill.
"If they find a problem, they could call the USDA. If they see
violations of the law, they could call the sheriff and ask that criminal
charges be filed.
"Responsible breeders have nothing to worry about," Lykam said.
This is especially important now because we are just a few days before this
session of the Iowa Legislature adjourns for the year. Word is, the
bill is going nowhere. It has not met deadlines to advance beyond the
committee level. But Lykam was optimistic, and there are plenty of ways to
revive bills, so anything could happen.
A "no" vote would be hard for a legislator to explain.
Our legislators can
take a tiny step to do something about it this week. They can pass a
bill that allows state inspections of these hideous places we have chosen
to ignore.
**BFIA ACTION ALERT**
Copy/paste this action alert into an
e-mail and pass on, then please
Victory for Clean Water! Iowa House Passes Bill Extending Ban on Manure Application iowacci.org
Due to widespread pressure from members of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI) and other environmental groups from all across the state, the Iowa House passed SF 432 with strong amendments today. This bill will ban the application of factory farm liquid manure on snow-covered ground during the winter months [extending the ban to start December 21, vs. February 1 in the original version] and bans application on frozen ground between Feb. 1 and April 1.
After receiving thousands of messages from Iowans concerned about water quality, and input from the federal Environmental Protection Agency, House members were forced to review the original proposed bill to expand the scope of regulation and close major loopholes.
Lori Nelson, a member of Iowa CCI from Bayard, stated, "We have been calling for tough regulation of manure application on frozen and snow-covered ground for a long time now. The legislature picked up this issue because of our original pressure on the Environmental Protection Commission and Department of Natural Resources to construct a strong rule, and we weren't about to let a bill to pass that would continue to allow factory farms to pollute our waterways with this practice."
While amendments to SF 432 made the bill significantly stronger, Iowa CCI Executive Director Hugh Espey said, "We still have a long way to go. This regulation of factory farm manure application is a step in right direction to protect our water quality, but Iowa must continue to stand up against corporate pressure and put people's health and our environment before polluters."
In the past few years, Iowa has nearly doubled the number of waterways on the impaired waterways list and a recent report from the United States Geological Survey pointed to Iowa as one of the leading contributors to the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico. In these urgent times, Iowans continue to call on decision makers to put people first.
[The bill also requires the DNR to give progress reports to the appropriate legislative committees on the impact on Iowa's water quality. The bill now goes to the Senate where it is expected to pass as is. ]
Call to Action: Help One Iowa Protect Marriage in the Heartland! One Iowa launched this ad to start a conversation with Iowans about the Supreme Court decision that brought marriage equality to the heartland. We can't take this victory for granted. Right now our opponents are working hard to reverse the decision. They are well-funded and well-organized. We need your help NOW to keep this positive ad on the air and protect marriage in the heartland. DONATE HERE
*IBLTV is a group of citizens from the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area who are concerned about the decline in the quality of local television. Fight local media consolidation, as it leads to an unaccountable medium that enriches itself while disregarding the need to serve the public good.
*The rational counter to 'The Point,' 'The Counterpoint' critiques and corrects the daily editorial by Sinclair Broadcasting's corporate vice president, Mark Hyman, that is broadcast on all Sinclair-owned television stations across the country
Columbia Journalism Review
Like our hero Howard Dean has said, without a public
option, there is no health care reform, only insurance reform. 
Huffingtonpost.com
