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Stories on Preparedness Are 'Ripe for the Picking,' Reporters Told              

There are great stories in almost every community in the nation for reporters investigating preparedness for chemical, biological and nuclear attacks, a panel of investigative reporters said Saturday.

Such investigations have been increasingly needed since 9/11, said the panelists, who urged reporters to explore availability of weapons, allocated resources for security and plans for dealing with an attack.

“The stories are out there, they’re ripe for the picking,” said Peter Eisler, an investigative reporter at USA Today.

The panelists said journalists must hold government agencies accountable for adequate security at local nuclear and chemical sites.

In a story published on Sept. 17, 2001, Douglas S. Pasternack of U.S. News examined security at nuclear sites. His story, researched before the attacks, found that most sites nationally were unprepared for attacks not involving one of a handful of scenarios.

Pasternack advised reporters to check on Web sites for agencies such as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and to pay close attention to event notification reports and the quarterly assessments each plant is required to post.

“There is a huge amount of data on the Web site. It takes a lot of looking into, but it’s very worthwhile,” said Pasternack.

Eisler said he had been looking checking chemical plants since 9/11. A chemical attack at such a facility could cause damage and be carried out without a lot of resources.

“Do you have one of these plants in your circulation area?” Eisler asked participants. “There’s a good chance that you do.”

Eisler suggested journalists check with police and fire departments and hospitals that are supposed to be aware of local chemical plants’ plan of action in case of an attack.

“Ask them if they have seen the plan, if they have an opinion about the plan, if you can see the plan. If the answer to any of these questions is no, then there’s your story,” Eisler said.

Joby Warrick of The Washington Post covers the availability of nuclear weapons internationally. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, she said, an abundance of dangerous nuclear material is unaccounted for.

Warrick said that although the federal government has allocated a billion dollars during the last 10 years to locate and secure these weapons, relatively little have been accomplished.

This demonstrates why reporters must scrutinize how programs on nuclear weapons security are administered, he said.

Kathryn Hanrahan of the L’Observator in South Louisiana said the workshop was one of the most inspiring she had attended at the conference.

“When I go back to my paper, I’m going to investigate what’s going on with the police department, the fire department. …We are surrounded by chemical plants in my area and I don’t know if readers are aware how dangerous it is. No one’s asked about this yet.”