JCCFNews Summary
August 29

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Series Spotlight: Drugging Our Kids

 Screenshot of San Jose Mercury News series,  photo by Dai Sugano

A five-part investigation by San Jose Mercury News reporter Karen de S� finds that California's foster children receive mind-altering medications at three-and-a-half times the rate of other teens in the U.S.

The series, "Drugging Our Kids," uses a clean and contemporary mix of photography, video and text to examine an alarming trend:  providers seeking a quick fix to control the behavior of troubled young people in the foster care system. In many cases, kids were given psychiatric meds and combinations of drugs never tested on or approved for children. One in four foster children received drugs.

"We're experimenting on our children," says Los Angeles County Judge Michael Nash.

Experience the investigative series here. Read about the impact the coverage is already having. 
On the Beat with "Prescription Kids"

 
                                          photo by Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

The Denver Post's Jennifer Brown and Christopher N. Osher are no strangers to Colorado's child welfare system. In 2012, the two teamed up for "Failed to Death," an investigative series on the preventable deaths of abused and neglected children. 

While working on that series, they were tipped off to another disturbing trend: children in Colorado's foster care system were 12 times more likely to receive psychotropic and antipsychotic drugs like Adderall, Risperdal and Zyprexa, than other children on Medicaid.

JCCF spoke with Brown and Osher about the challenges of investigating a story at the intersection of public funds, private lives and corporate greed. Read On The Beat.

News
News of Note  

Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, Gary Gately | August 28
A father imagines his own son, adopted from Guatemala as an infant, making the dangerous trek to the U.S., and wonders about the fate of his birth and foster families.

The Boston Globe, Patricia Wen | August 28
The number of families receiving federal benefits to support disabled children has nearly doubled in the last two decades, as state welfare payments have waned.

The New York Times, Kimberley McGee and Fernanda Santos | August 27
On a family outing to a firing range, a young girl loses control of a machine gun and kills the coach. Should parents be allowed to let children near lethal automatic weapons?

Los Angeles Times, Hailey Branson-Potts | August 27
Foster care can be a very lonely place for LGBT youth, who are more likely to live in group homes. Those placed with families are often afraid to come out.

New research shows that children whose parents are incarcerated have higher rates of ADHD, depression, obesity and learning disabilities. The study analyzed data from the National Survey of Children's Health.

The Nation, Karen Houppert | August 25
Dispatch from a courtroom where dozens of border-crossing minors get expedited hearings each day.

Colorado Needs 574 More Child-welfare Caseworkers, Study Finds
The Denver Post, Christopher N. Osher | August 25
Research commissioned by Colorado lawmakers concludes that the state should double the size of its child welfare staff to relieve overburdened caseworkers and better protect children from abuse and neglect.

The Washington Post, Keith Alexander | August 24
When juvenile defendants appear in court in Washington, D.C., they are shackled and escorted by U.S. marshals, unlike in other jurisdictions. Advocates say these restraints are rarely necessary and create the impression that a youth is violent. 

NPR, Kris and Erika Kalberer | August 22
A conversation between a homeless mother and daughter about the impact of homelessness on their lives, sense of self, faith in the future.

Chicago Reader, Steve Bogira | August 20
Losing siblings, cousins, parents and friends to gang-related gun violence takes a life-long toll on people who grow up in dangerous neighborhoods. Some survivors dedicate their lives to ensuring that children know their lives matter. 
Events

September 4, 2014, 6:30 p.m - 9 p.m.
Northwestern University
This symposium will include a discussion about how media can better tell the story of violence in Chicago in the age of the Internet and social media. It will include a mix of traditional and new media practitioners, community activists, students and teachers. Produced by PBS MediaShift and the Poynter Institute; sponsored by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, Gannett Foundation, Medill School of Journalism and PR Newswire.

The Opportunity Equation Book Event

September 8, 2014, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Washington, D.C.

Eric Schwarz, founding CEO of Citizen Schools, discusses his new book, "The Opportunity Equation," which examines how citizen teachers are combating the achievement gap in America's schools.

Opportunities
Opportunities 

Deadline: Sept. 8
The John Jay College Center on Media, Crime and Justice invites applicants for a fellowship program on covering troubled youth. Fellowship includes travel to New York City for a symposium on juvenile justice and a workshop on social media and data visualization.

Deadline: Sept. 8
FIJ awards grants averaging $5,000 three or four times each year for proposals that break new ground and expose wrongdoing relating to government accountability, local or regional investigations.

 

Reporting Fellowships on Health Care Performance

Association of Health Care Journalists

Deadline: October 1

The one-year fellowship provides U.S. journalists with the opportunity to pursue a significant reporting project related to the U.S. health care system.    

 

Data Journalism Course

European Journalism Centre 

Deadline: December 31

An online five-part course that seeks to provides journalists with concepts, skills and techniques for effectively incorporating data into stories. 

Journalism Center on Children & Families  |  1100 Knight Hall  |  University of Maryland  |  College Park, MD 20742
www.journalismcenter.org