In a family photo, Hannah Kothari, 7, kisses her 2-year-old brother, Harry. Their parents allege that Harry’s untimely death was the result of exposure to a contaminated wipe.
Getting parents to talk about the untimely death of their child is one of the more heart-breaking assignments in journalism.
Rick Barrett and Raquel Rutledge of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel faced that interview in reporting their story that won the 2011 silver Barlett & Steele Award in Investigative Business Journalism. The Reynolds Center?s awards, named for the investigative team of Don Barlett and Jim Steele, recognize the best in investigative business journalism.
In their story, they looked into how the Triad Group, a local pharmaceutical company, continued to operate despite an ongoing investigation by the Food and Drug Administration.
Their article cross-cut between the story of a 2-year-old boy who died from a bacterial infection ? which his parents allege was caused by a contaminated wipe from Triad ? with actions at the company and by the FDA.
Raquel offered advice in yesterday?s post; today, it?s Rick?s turn.
Tip One: Don?t do the emotional interviews alone.
?The family story was toughest part emotionally for us,? he says.
Rick and Raquel found the bereaved parents, Sandy and Shanoop Kothari, through a lawsuit they filed against Triad. The reporters and photographer Mike De Sisti traveled to Houston to interview them about the loss of their son, Harry.
Rick Barrett
?We didn?t have to prod them much,? he says. ?They were incredible at telling the story and creating a scene.? Rick says he and Raquel alternated asking questions, giving each other a moment to recover from the devastating details. The reporters retell Harry?s final moments through his 7-year-old sister, Hannah:
??Why can?t we just keep him on the machine?? she asks.
??Just don?t take him off the machine,? she pleads.
?Sandy and Shanoop try to explain that Harry is broken, and they can?t fix him.
?The next day, Hannah lays her head on Harry?s chest as all life support is turned off.
??His heart stopped,? she whispers.?
Tip Two: Working with freedom of information requests requires dogged persistence.
?It was a matter of just going back over and over and saying we need more explanation,? Rick says. ?So much of it was a matter of not taking no for an answer.?
As Raquel noted yesterday, much of the information they got from the FDA was redacted so the newspaper?s lawyer had to push for the information.
definition chichen itza dts madden 12 andrea bocelli fidel castro paradise lost
