Medill National Security Reporting Project
Medill/GlobalPost investigation sheds new light on $3.2 billion U.S. mine clearance and victim assistance effort.
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Medill/USA TODAY investigation of U.S. international food aid programs finds significant, entrenched problems
Read about the project.R.I.P. James Wright Foley, 1973-2014
#MedillRemembers James Foley, One Year Later
Remembering James Foley's life and legacy one year after his death at the hands of the Islamic State.
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→ James Foley: A legacy that lives on (VIDEO)
Major TV networks sign onto freelancer safety compact
Read about the compact, which was signed by Medill NSJI Co-Director Ellen Shearer at Columbia University in September, here.McCormick Foundation renews grant for Medill National Security Journalism program
EVANSTON, Ill. — The Robert R. McCormick Foundation has renewed a $1 million grant to fund the Medill National Security Journalism Initiative at Northwestern University over the next two years.
The NSJ program provides journalists-in-training and working journalists with the knowledge and skills necessary to report accurately, completely and with context on events and issues related to defense, security and civil liberties. The initiative began in January, 2009 with an initial three-year, $1.3 million McCormick Foundation grant. The grant was also renewed for $1 million over two years in 2011.
Posts by Bob Spoerl
Biodefense Spending: How much is enough?
(Aug. 21, 2011)WASHINGTON—Since 9/11 the U.S. has spent some $50 billion on biodefense, and next year’s budget calls for $6.4 billion in more funding. But that’s not nearly enough to adequately protect the country from serious biosecurity threats, says Dr. Robert Kadlec, … Continue reading
Hezbollah as political, militant player in the Americas
(Jul. 22, 2011)WASHINGTON–A recent House Homeland Security subcommittee shed light on the fact that Hezbollah, a 30-year-old Islamic militant group with ties to Iran, is functioning in Latin America as a military trainer and criminal moneymaker. Roger Noriega, a fellow at the … Continue reading
Agroterrorism
(Jun. 08, 2011)European officials are taking a closer look at the safety of food supplies. Britain’s infrastructure safety agency released a warning about the growing threat of agroterrorism. A recent E. Coli outbreak in Germany has killed 25 people and sickened more … Continue reading
Smallpox to Stay Around
(Jun. 06, 2011)If you’re part of the generation that lived through the eradication of smallpox in 1980, you might have forgotten about the virus altogether. For the record: It was wiped out, and yet it’s still around. And it will linger for … Continue reading
Smallpox Eradicated, Almost
(Jun. 06, 2011)It’s been more than 30 years since the World Health Organization announced it had eradicated smallpox. The once fatal disease was the plague of post-Middle Ages Europe and a scourge for centuries, affecting literally hundreds of millions of people worldwide. … Continue reading
Brief History of Smallpox
(May. 31, 2011)The World Health Assembly decided May 24 to let the U.S. and Russia keep a stock of smallpox for research purposes. That means a virus that’s been around for thousands of years will stick around for at least three more. … Continue reading
Complicated Biodefense Research
(May. 26, 2011)Biodefense research in the United States – in terms of its funding and management – is a spider web of sorts, and it’s not easy for bidoefense drugs to get on the market. “It’s very complicated because multiple government agencies … Continue reading
Bioshield and Pandemic Preparedness
(May. 20, 2011)Project Bioshield sounds a bit like a term from an episode of Star Trek. And the acronym for the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) conjures up images of a friendly old man with a beard, a papa figure. But … Continue reading
Lobbying for Biodefense
(May. 15, 2011)What’s it like to serve as a director of the largest biotechnology firm in the world? Phyllis Arthur knows because it’s her job. Arthur’s official title is almost too long to blog (she jokes about how long it is). Essentially, … Continue reading
The Year a Parasite Crippled the Milwaukee area
(Apr. 26, 2011)If you lived in Milwaukee in the early 90s, it’s likely you knew someone who drank contaminated water, became sick. maybe even hospitalized, dehydrated and suffered bouts of diarrhea for days, maybe even weeks. Cryptosporidium is a nasty parasite, if … Continue reading
