Jessica Chapman
Interview with a Flak Catcher
Sheldon Rampton speaks about the “dark side” of the public relations industry in a voice that never strays from soft-spoken and even-tempered. “We’ve become ideologically isolated from the rest of the world and I think that the propaganda that led … Read More
Something Smells
What happens when you refuse to use your nose to test for toxics?
In October 1997 William Hawthorne was making $72,000 a year working for a giant Port Arthur refinery called Star Enterprise when he received what he considered to be an unusual order from his boss: smell a water sample to test … Read More
War, Peace, and Texas
Photographer Caroling Lee and Observer intern Jessica Chapman have spent much of the past few months talking to people around the state about the war in Iraq. The photographs and interviews that appear in this photo essay are part of … Read More
Up Against the Lap Dogs
“It is possible to fool all the people all the time–when government and press cooperate.” –investigative reporter George Seldes in The Lords of the Press, as cited by Gary Webb Shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, the Pentagon quietly opened … Read More
