{"id":2045,"date":"2020-09-22T12:00:31","date_gmt":"2020-09-22T12:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2020\/09\/22\/how-reveal-investigated-the-systemic-abuse-of-americas-caregivers\/"},"modified":"2025-03-18T16:30:51","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T16:30:51","slug":"how-reveal-investigated-the-systemic-abuse-of-americas-caregivers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2020\/09\/22\/how-reveal-investigated-the-systemic-abuse-of-americas-caregivers\/","title":{"rendered":"How Reveal investigated the systemic abuse of America\u2019s caregivers"},"content":{"rendered":" \n
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Reporters are always hunting for timely news pegs to resurface evergreen stories. More than a year after Jennifer Gollan’s arresting investigation into labor abuses against caregivers, coronavirus has offered a sobering hook: the pandemic that has wreaked havoc on Americans living and working in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Already, more than 40 percent of U.S. coronavirus deaths have been connected to nursing and long-term care homes. \u201cThere\u2019s no better time than now to understand the systemic problems in this industry: the neglect, exploitation and basically the blind eye that some regulators have taken to assisted living workers,\u201d says Gollan, an Emmy Award-winning reporter for Reveal from the Center of Investigative Reporting who covers labor and corporate accountability.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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\"Jennifer
Jennifer Gollan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div> \n
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The resulting four-part series for Reveal<\/a>  is both immersive and infuriating. It\u2019s also painstakingly reported, and strikes a delicate balance between data, reconstruction from public records and narrative momentum with compelling characters who tug on your heartstrings. When I first read this story, I was struck by how deftly Gollan contrasts operators who profit from greed and care workers who pay the human price of it.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Reveal also co-produced a radio<\/a> show with PRX and a special television report for PBS NewsHour<\/a> exploring these findings, and Gollan wrote two follow-up pieces about impact<\/a> of the investigation. Her stories prompted a congressional hearing, pledges of prosecution and calls for legislative remedies. The series earned a slew of awards \u2014 including from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Alliance for Women in Media  Gracie Award and the prestigious Hillman Prize<\/a> for Web Journalism, which honors investigative and in-depth reporting “in service of the common good.” The project was distributed through the Associated Press in more than 200 outlets.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Telling this story clearly was an exercise in empathy and tenacity. I spoke with Gollan about her smell test for investigations, obstacles she encountered and how she builds trust with reluctant or recalcitrant subjects. An annotation of the first of the four stories in the series follows our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Talk to me about how this caretaking investigation came about.
<\/strong>Initially, I started to think about how our aging population was experiencing unprecedented growth. Because I cover labor, I started thinking about the people who were caring for these seniors, especially in assisted facilities, which aren\u2019t well-regulated. I began learning that rules and regulations had been relaxed, allowing them to take on more serious patients. As I looked into the demographics of these caregivers, it turned out that the majority of them were women. I was shocked to find that they were paid, in so many cases, just $2 an hour to look after seniors around the clock, for years on end. Some of them could not leave, and they were not allowed to take holidays \u2014 or if they did, they had to find a replacement.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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I just knew this was a story we had to do. It was a problem that was so obvious and hiding in plain sight.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Given that there is so much abuse and inequity out there to cover, what\u2019s your process to parse out whether and when an ambitious project is worth pursuing?
<\/strong>There are a few criteria.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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