Sometimes it takes a nation to cover what’s happening in a single backyard.
The town of Dalton in northwest Georgia has long been home to many of the country’s carpet factories. What is less widely known is that so-called synthetic “permanent chemicals” used to make carpets stain-resistant are spreading into local waters and rivers downstream, contaminating drinking water throughout the region. Investigative reporters at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution were eager to tell readers how the spreading chemicals were affecting people’s lives, but they soon realized that many other areas were being affected, and the editors thought an unlikely team of journalists from a variety of news organizations might be needed.
“Alabama has confirmed drinking water contamination that can be traced back more than 100 miles upstream to Dalton,” says Atlanta Media investigative reporter Dylan Jackson. “And for them, it’s a different story. In Georgia, we have this kind of industrial and corporate town lens that we’re looking for, but in downstream Alabama, no one has a big connection to carpet.”
Several media outlets attempted to compile articles. AJC journalists reached out to The Associated Press, which is working to foster collaboration with local partners. Ultimately, the parties joined forces with South Carolina’s Post and Courier, Alabama’s AL.com, PBS’s “Frontline” and the Associated Press in a broader effort to examine the issue not only in terms of its impact on the local community but also on the nation.
“It’s important at a time when the industry is drastically cutting back on investigative recordings,” said Associated Press investigative reporter Jason Dearen. “That’s what I love so much about this whole thing. I think unless we all come together, this story won’t necessarily be told in the same way.”
In addition to articles published in various local publications, FRONTLINE, on Tuesday we will screen the documentary “Pollution: The Harmful Legacy of the Carpet Industry,” which is based in part on findings from local journalistic outlets. The show debuts Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. on pbs.org/frontline, the PBS app or on PBS stations and on the “Frontline” YouTube channel. It will also be available to watch on the PBS documentary Prime Video channel.
Journalists have built extensive databases where they can consult other people’s reporting as well as information about lawsuits and other records and findings. “We’re sharing information and documents. We’ve created a large, huge database so that everyone has access to these documents, so they can read them and footnote the story. ‘Frontline’ used this too,” Dearen says. “You get a lot of different stories, but they all come together as one whole. You know, one whole story being told. It’s like a book. It’s like different chapters in a book.”
The challenge for “Frontline” was to turn local research into a story that would appeal to viewers no matter where they lived, said Jonatha Schenberg, the documentary’s director and producer. Since this is a very widely used chemical, other situations will probably arise as well. It is used in countless consumer products and in many industries, including microwave popcorn and cosmetics. There are many. I think we’re in some early stages of this in terms of story. ”
What all the reporters wanted was more involvement from carpet companies. None of the company’s executives were on camera in the “Frontline” documentary, and most reporting had to rely on prepared statements. But there was more hope. After all, as the companies explained, they initially thought the chemicals they used were safe. But what that response omits is an explanation of what they have been doing to alleviate the problem since the dangers of “forever chemicals” became more widely known.
All journalists involved believe that their findings will be sufficiently persuasive to audiences that are not immediately accessible. “What’s happening in northwest Georgia is really a front line of what’s happening across the country. These chemicals are not only ubiquitous, they’re persistent,” Jackson said. “What we are addressing in Georgia is an issue that communities across the country must address for my generation and future generations.”
