The Horrors of Factory Farms

When Upton Sinclair published The Jungle in 1906 he blew the cover off of the hidden bad practices and corruption of the American meatpacking industry during the early 20th century. Now the book is  often interpreted as an account of the poor working conditions in the industry. Yet Sinclair would be tossing and turning in his grave if he could see the state of the factory farming business today-- specifically the meat industry.

The News 21 food and health reporting project by UC Berkeley School of Journalism recently released a video called Farms, Lies and Videotapes. The video investigates Iowa livestock facilities. According to News 21, "One former investigator goes public for the first time to offer a rare glimpse at how these videos are made, and what’s at stake for farmers, animals and consumers."

So why is the food industry so secretive? So why is the mainstream media not reporting on this animal cruelty. When an individual is cruel to animals they are condemned legally and socially. When a corporation does it we call it business.

For my Plants, People and Food Production class we did a 48 hour food journal. We then called all of the corporations to try to figure out where the food we ate is coming from. The thing is, it is a mystery. For proprietary reasons we are not allowed to even know the state our food is coming from, let alone the farm itself.

And why did News 21 need to sneak a video camera into some of these factory farms? Because the farm has changed from the picturesque family business we all grew up singing about to an unethical business needed to stay behind closed doors. The animals are seen as livestock (live- property, not living being with feelings and pain). What is even more unfortunate is that many of these farmers disagree with the way these animals are being treated, but are stuck under the thumb of big industry in order to make a living.

But if these moral reasons are not enough to stir the consciousness of media to report on this issue, then maybe the health reasons are. The conditions of these animals lead to disease and bacteria in the food we eat.

Then my question is, with so many reasons for these controversial factories to be reported on, why is this story still unheard?

Society of Professional Journalists and Indy Media: My Time in the Sunshine State

Here in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the Society of Professional Journalists is having their annual national conference. Here, journalists of popular and independent media alike have come together to discuss the field of journalism and the ethics behind it. 

In preparation for the conference, I was so preoccupied with my campaign for student representative on the national board that I had not really given much thought to the type of media that would be represented through these programs. I am shocked at how well independent media is being represented here. 

The first program I went to, Crisis U, was about covering breaking news on a college campus. The editor for Penn State’s newspaper The Daily Collegian, Lexie Belulfine, spoke of the coverage of the Sandusky/Paterno controversy. One thing that really struck me was how she stressed being an independent paper from the university was extremely important to the coverage of this case. They had no restrictions or ties, enabling them to phenomenally cover the scandal. 

At my second program about following the money in political campaigns, we learned 5 tools and websites all reporters should know. Most of these tools were independent organizations, such as Propublica, who do in depth reporting. The question “where is your funding coming from?” is very familiar, and an important one to ask when covering politics or even when questioning media. 

The highlight of this conference for me, however, was meeting News 21 Media Editor Brandon Quester. The cantaloupe story in Guatemala? All him. It was fascinating discussing the ins and outs surrounding the interactive and in depth reporting that News 21, student reporters, produce.

Even the Society of Professional Journalists realizes the importance of independent media and its growing presence. It has been out of this world to meet and discuss these organizations with the top people in their field. Now I am off to enjoy the beach for the rest of my stay in the sunshine state!