PETER DOWN'S THREE PART SERIES
SAINT LOUIS JOURNALISM REVIEW

Peter Downs three part series for the St. Louis Review is a comprehensive analysis of how various interests including some major media outlets attempted to whitewash the toxicity of dioxin and the Times Beach Cleanup..

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The St. Louis Journalism Review is now defunct and these stories are archived at the St. Louis Public Library, but they are also available at The Free Library by Farlax. 

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Although the original St. Louis Journalism Review , it has continued its founder's mission as the Gateway Journalism Review.

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The first installment of the three part series: Rep James Talent Says: News Media Ignored Dangers of Dioxin was published as the Cover Story of the paper's April 1998 issue.  As well as the multifaceted reporting on the dangers of dioxin and incineration, the story also reports how an FBI investigation into the cleanup was initiated after a presentation by then US Representative James Talent and Times Beach Action Group's Steve Taylor to the then US Attorney. 

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The second installment of the three part series: Post-Dispatch Misled Readers During Dioxin Litigation was the cover story of the paper's May 1998 issue. Peter Downs makes an extensive case that the Post-Dispatch underplayed the dangers of dioxin during an important trial. The story interviews attorneys representing Times Beach residents and various reporters and editors from the Post-Dispatch at the time.

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The third and final installment of the series: Cover up: Story of Dioxin Seems Intentionally Murky, is a comprehensive story on the long history of attempts of corporations, sometimes aided by media allies to whitewash the dangers of dioxin as well as the extent of contamination in Missouri as well as its source. The story also includes the related article, Is the Pentagon Involved, which details surprising revelations resulting from the SJR attempting to authenticate a memo written 1952.

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Read Talent Says Media Ignored Dioxin Danger Here

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Read Post-Dispatch Misled Reader's About Dioxin Danger Here

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Read Cover Up: Story of Dioxin Seems Intentionally Murky

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