Awards: PWAC Writing Prizes Call for Entries

Canadian writers and editors take note: Entries are now open for the third annual writing awards of the Professional Writers Association of Canada. You don't have to be a PWAC member to submit your masterpiece. See here for more details.

Investigative Journalism 2.0: IPaidABribe.com

Just discovered this great site about corruption stories in India: IPaidABribe.com. Created by the Bangalore-based Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, it harnesses citizen participation to collect stories of corruption and attempted corruption, including details to give a broader picture of the problem and to help the group press for change.

Investigative Journalism: Consumer Group Finds Arsenic in Juices

U.S. watchdog group Consumer Reports is advising parents to limit their kids' juice consumption after this investigation found 10 percent of fruit juice samples from five brands exceeded federal drinking-water standards for arsenic. Most of the arsenic found was inorganic arsenic, a carcinogen.

Also, one in four samples exceeded the Food and Drug Administration's lead limit for bottled water. (No arsenic or lead ceilings exist for juice, so the group used the water ceilings as a guideline.) Scientific evidence is mounting to show that exposure to arsenic or lead even below the federal limits is a health risk, the group says.

Arsenic has entered the ground water in many areas from agricultural insecticides, poultry-feed additives, coal-fired power plant emissions and wood preservatives. The report also says arsenic is present in many foods, including baby food. The group also recommends eating organic chicken.