Investigative MEDIA

Award-winning journalist screening Hudbay exposé during Canadian tour

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Film highlights miner’s record of human rights and environmental abuses

(Phoenix, Ariz) Arizona investigative journalist John Dougherty will begin a 10-city Canadian tour on May 24 at the Royal Theatre in Toronto to screen his documentary “Flin Flon Flim Flam” on the worldwide operations of Hudbay Minerals, Inc.

The Canadian release of Mr. Dougherty’s exposé comes shortly after a New York Times April 2 front-page story reported on Hudbay’s dismal human rights record in Guatemala and pending civil litigation in Ontario that has national consequences for Canadian mining companies operating abroad.

Hudbay stands accused of murder, a shooting and gang rapes in connection with conflicts with indigenous communities in Guatemala. The film includes interviews conducted in September 2014 with many of the same Guatemalans featured in the Times story.

“Hudbay has a long history of tightly controlling information released to the media and the public,” Mr. Dougherty says. “This film produced in the United States provides a rare glimpse into the operations of one of Canada’s oldest mining companies without the threat of a defamation lawsuit that has been used by Canadian mining companies to stop publication of information in Canada. [Read more…]

Western Science vs. Native Science – Cultural Imperialism

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vernon-masayesva1Vernon Masayesva, Founder and Director Black Mesa Trust

Western science operates by taking things apart and analyzing the pieces.  This reductive process has produced enormously important technological and medical advances.  Because of the scientific method, Western science appears able to control the environment and provide greater human comfort, and its successes sometimes make it appear infallible.

Native science operates by observing the whole and the interaction of the parts.  This method, also an organized belief system, has sustained Native peoples and cultures for millennia against nearly overwhelming odds.  But, because of this world view, traditional peoples often find themselves ill-prepared to protect their own best interest. [Read more…]

InvestigativeMEDIA’s John Dougherty named Runner Up for State’s Top Journalism Honor

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InvestigativeMEDIA’s John Dougherty was awarded First Runner up in the Arizona Press Club’s Virg Hill Journalist of the Year contest Saturday night for his reporting on the Yarnell Hill Fire.

The Arizona Republic’s Bob Ortega received top honors for the state’s most prestigious journalism award. Evan Wyloge of the Arizona Capital Times was named second runner up.

“I’m delighted and honored for my one-person news operation to have been named a finalist for this award competing against major daily and weekly newspapers,” Mr. Dougherty said.

“Congratulations to Mr. Ortega for winning top honors for his excellent work on immigration issues and Mr. Wylodge for his important reporting on lobbying at the state Capitol,” he said.

The contest was judged by three out-of-state judges including Kathy Best, editor of the Seattle Times, Brad Schrade, a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Mark Katches, editorial director for the Center of Investigative Reporting in Berkeley, Calif.

Mr. Schrade described Mr. Dougherty’s work as “powerful, aggressive reporting. Dougherty’s determination to get at what went wrong raised accountability questions about the events that led to the Yarnell Hill fire tragedy. His immersion in the story produced significant information on a major state and national story.”

Mr. Dougherty, 57, has won the Virg Hill honors three times and has been named first runner up on three occasions.

InvestigativeMEDIA’s John Dougherty finalist for Virg Hill Journalist of the Year

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Today, the Arizona Press Club announced that John Dougherty of Investigative Media is one of three finalists for the 2014 Virg Hill Journalist of the year award. Dougherty was recognized for his reporting on the Yarnell Hill Fire tragedy which resulted in the deaths of 19 firefighters last June. His stories were published in the New Times and on the Investigative Media website.

Dougherty is a three time winner of this award and a runner up twice.  The winner will be announced on May 31 in Phoenix, Arizona.