UC Berkeley Journalism - Students

Stories by J-School Students and Alumni

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15-Minute Gene Machine
Mason Cohn, class of 2008, produced a piece for Fortune.com on Pacific Biosciences, a Silicon Valley company working on a fast DNA sequencer.
Posted October 2, 2008

Burma: The Resource Curse
Howard Hsu photographs and reports for PBS Frontline World on Burma's exotic wildlife trade and resource depletion fueled by China's surging economy.
Posted October 2, 2008

"A Day Late in Oakland"
"A Day Late in Oakland" the documentary thesis produced by Zachary Stauffer, class of 2008, will premiere at the Mill Valley Film Festival this week. The film about the murder of Oakland journalist Chauncey Bailey will screen with other short documentaries on October 3 and October 11. Tickets can be purchased at the festival website.
Posted September 30, 2008

Open Up the Airwaves
Steven Leckart, class of 2007, interviews venture capitalist Ram Shriram about wireless spectrum policy in Wired Magazine's Smart List issue, which features "15 People the Next President Should Listen To."
Posted September 29, 2008

This Old Recyclable House
Jon Mooallem, class of 2006, writes in The New York Times Magazine about the piece-by-piece deconstruction of foreclosed homes in Cleveland.
Posted September 28, 2008

Food Waste
What happens to our food waste? Beth Hoffman investigates for San Francisco public radio station KALW.
Posted September 20, 2008

A Turf Battle Over Safety
Two Florida companies are being sued for failing to disclose that their artificial grass contains lead chromate. David Gelles, class of 2008, writes about turf wars for the The Miami Herald.
Posted September 19, 2008

A Holiday in Iran
Omid Memarian, class of 2009, in an interview with blogger and globe-trotter Michelle May, goes through her 6 weeks experience inside Iran.
Posted September 18, 2008

Hezbollah's Triumph Is Blowback for Israeli Policy
Omid Memarian, class of 2009, in an interview with Deborah Campbell for IPS News Agency explains why since the Israel-Lebanon 34-day war two years ago,Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has been the most popular figure anywhere in the Arab world.
Posted September 17, 2008

The Transgender Child
Talia Kennedy, class of 2009, writes for the San Francisco Chronicle about a new book for parents of transgender children.
Posted September 17, 2008

Acting Tough: When Cameras Leave, OSHA Penalties Wither
Robert Lewis, class of 2008, writes for ProPublica about what happens to the big OSHA fines after the press conferences end and the cases move to the lawyers, bureaucrats and a politically-appointed adjudicative body.
Posted September 17, 2008

The Trash King of New Orleans
Rebecca Ruiz, class of 2006, recently covered Hurricane Gustav for Forbes.com. For The Trash King of New Orleans, she accompanied the owner of a local waste management company as he cleaned up the French Quarter.
Posted September 17, 2008

Pressure To Settle OSHA Cases Endangers Workers
Robert Lewis, class of 2008, writes in Salon about what happens to those big, newsworthy OSHA fines when the TV cameras leave and the cases move to the lawyers, bureaucrats and a politically-appointed adjudicative body.
Posted September 16, 2008

Scraper Bike Fever Spreads, Thanks To YouTube
Jacob Fenston, class of 2009, reports for NPR Weekend Edition on a group of Oakland teenagers who've garnered a cult following for their YouTube music video about tricked-out bicycles.
Posted September 16, 2008

A Cloud of Smoke
Jennifer Kahn's article about the forensic controversy over a politically-charged death -- the first "dust death" associated with the recovery effort at Ground Zero -- appears in the Sept 15 issue of The New Yorker.
Posted September 15, 2008

Carny Girl Heads to Coney Island
Carny Girl, a documentary produced and directed by Erin FitzGerald, class of 2008, has been accepted to the Coney Island Film Festival. The documentary short follows the lives of four generations of carnival women and will screen Saturday afternoon, September 27th. For more information about tickets and showtimes, contact the festival website.
Posted September 14, 2008

Golden Harvest
Mary Spicuzza, class of 2003, heads to Humboldt County and follows the tax dollars from California's budding medical marijuana industry for ABC News
Posted September 5, 2008

Wanted: African-born Republicans
Edwin Okong'o, class of 2007, writes for Frontline/World about a Nigerian-born businessman who -- unlike most African immigrants in the U.S. -- refuses to be "a Democrat by default." Robert Ngwu will resist the Obama-mania that has swept through the African Diaspora to vote for Sen. John McCain in November.
Posted September 5, 2008

Georgia: Saakashvili Asked To Step Down
Omid Memarian, class of 2008, writes for IPS News Agency about Russia-Georgia conflict, after a security council meeting and the United Nations early this month.
Posted August 29, 2008

US/Iran: Nothing Behind U.S. Allegations?
Omid Memarian, class of 2008, writes in IPS News Agency at the United Nations about the failure of U.S. officials to provide solid evidences for accusing Iran of providing lethal weapons in Iraq...
Posted August 29, 2008

Clearing The Air
The Olympic Games had focused the world's attention on Beijing's air pollution. Now the question will be, will the blue skies stay or the city will return to smoggy skyline? Check out the "Room with a View" to see yourself whether today, or any day in the year, is a blue sky day or not.
Posted August 28, 2008

Looking Back On The Beijing Olympics
Josh Chin, class of 2007, has just finished producing a series of reports as part of the Wall Street Journal's video team in Beijing.
Posted August 26, 2008

Teaching Cars To Sing
Charlie Foster, class of 2008, writes for Forbes.com about a Silicon Valley start-up that is designing the urban soundscapes of the near future.
Posted August 21, 2008

Politics: U.N.'s Darfur Force Left Stranded, Critics Say
Omid Memarian, class of 2009, writes for IPS News Agency from the U.N. about a coalition of human rights groups and NGOs that criticized the world body and the international community for failing to back up the U.N. mission with basic equipment in Darfur...
Posted August 21, 2008

Black and African
Amy Jeffries, class of 2008, has produced a half-hour radio documentary exploring the tensions between African immigrants and black Americans through the eyes of a Nigerian teenager growing up in Oakland, Calif. The documentary airs this week on the national radio program Making Contact. Check your local listings. or listen online.
Posted August 20, 2008

Author Of "Rancho Costa Nada" On How To Not Spend Money
Novella Carpenter, class of 2007, relays money-saving tips from a "seasoned veteran of cheapness" for the San Francisco Chronicle.
Posted August 18, 2008

Beijing Beat
WashingtonPost.com published Beijing Beat, a Center for Digital TV and the World report by Marnette Federis, Julie Johnson, Alison Satake, Ian Sherr, Kerry Seed and April Dembosky. Web design by Lisa Pickoff-White. Field work by Adelaide Chen. Their stories explore the lives of Chinese in the Bay Area and in Beijing. Todd Carrel taught the class.
Posted August 14, 2008

Mideast: Poverty In Gaza Hits "Unprecedented" Level
Omid Memarian, class of 2009, writes from the United Nations for IPS News Agency, about how in both the West Bank and Gaza, young people aged 15 to 24 are the most likely of any group to be unemployed, while the number of households in Gaza below the poverty line has reached an historic high of nearly 52 percent.
Posted August 13, 2008

Rights: Iran Condemned For Ongoing Juvenile Executions
Omid Memarian, class of 2009, writes from the United Nations for IPS News Agency, about execution of two juvenile offenders in Iran, who were under 18 at the time of their crime...
Posted August 13, 2008

China: Greening Of The Games
Omid Memarian, class of 2009, writes from the United Nations for IPS News Agency, about the Games and how it will have a positive environmental legacy if the new environmental standards and measures taken for Beijing are adopted countrywide.
Posted August 13, 2008

J-schoolers Contribute To Greater Good
The latest issue of Greater Good magazine, edited by Jason Marsh, class of 2005, includes a piece by Emilie Raguso, class of 2006, on efforts to teach mindfulness meditation to expectant parents, and one by Talia Kennedy, class of 2009, on research suggesting that a strong social network might help prevent heart attacks.
Posted August 13, 2008

Future of Peten
In July 2008, Kara Andrade, class of 2007,and three Northern California journalists traveled to Petén, Guatemala with a travel grant from the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting to report on eco-tourism, conservation and to document the stories of residents caught up in a transnational conflict over the fate of Guatemala's disappearing northern wilderness.
Posted August 12, 2008

Flipping For Domains
Charlie Foster, class of 2008, writes for Forbes.com about the thriving aftermarket for Internet domains.
Posted August 11, 2008

Group Is There When Youths Go Homeless
Robin Urevich, class of 2009, writes in the Las Vegas Sun about how teenagers fall through the cracks of the Clark County child welfare system.
Posted August 10, 2008

Development: Progress On Water, Less On Sanitation
Omid Memarian, class of 2009, writes for IPS News Agency about the UNICEF's latest report on situation of water and sanitation in the world that says the number of people globally who lack access to an improved drinking water source has fallen below one billion for the first time since data was compiled in 1990.
Posted August 7, 2008

Can A Friend A Day Keep The Doctor Away?
Talia Kennedy, class of 2009, writes for Greater Good magazine about a study that suggests that a person's health is dependent on where he or she lives.
Posted August 4, 2008

Tehran Open To U.S. Interests
Omid Memarian, class of 2009, interviews a Rutgers University Professor for Asia Times who is in Tehran and is perceived as the symbol of this relationship, talking to Iranian officials about the US-Iran relations.
Posted July 31, 2008

Zimbabwe: Fears Grow that Sanctions Could Derail Mediation
Omid Memarian, class od 2009, writes for IPS News Agency about U.S. and European efforts to achieve unanimity among the 15-member U.N. Security Council to adopt a sanctions resolution against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe...
Posted July 31, 2008

Plug-In Cars Zoom Forward
Sarah Terry-Cobo, class of 2008, writes for Forbes.com about California activist Felix Kramer, who is leading the charge for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
Posted July 31, 2008

Blogging Behind Bars
An immigrant drug lord lands in America's worst jail, and lives to blog about it. David Gelles, class of 2008, writes for Mother Jones about the case of Shaun Attwood.
Posted July 30, 2008

'Permanent Passenger' Recalls Year On A Ship
Talia Kennedy, class of 2009, writes about author Micha Berman's new book, "Permanent Passenger: My Life On A Cruise Ship," for the San Francisco Chronicle.
Posted July 30, 2008

Hit The Road
Talia Kennedy, class of 2009, writes about the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz, Calif. for the San Francisco Chronicle.
Posted July 30, 2008

RIGHTS: Israeli Magnate Draws Activists' Ire
Omid Memarian, class of 2009, writes for IPS News Agency about UNICEF that recently stopped accepting donations from Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev, and how activists are urging celebrities, like Susan Sarandon, who have made public appearances with Leviev to cut all ties with him.
Posted July 28, 2008

Down The Mountain On A Wheel And A Prayer
Mountain unicyclists put an extreme twist on the most whimsical of devices. David Gelles, class of 2008, reports on muni riders for The New York Times.
Posted July 27, 2008

Termite Bellies and Biofuels
Julia Olmstead, class of 2009, writes for Smithsonian.com about a Berkeley scientist's quirky quest to turn termite guts into biofuel gold.
Posted July 24, 2008

Power In The Air
Sarah Terry-Cobo, class of 2008, writes for Forbes.com about the possibility of the U.S. generating 20% wind power for electricity--while it is technologically feasible, it is politically tricky.
Posted July 23, 2008

Green In Greentech For Pickens
Sarah Terry-Cobo, class of 2008, writes in Forbes.com about legendary oilman T. Boone Pickens and his plan for renewable energy, which also happen to overlap in his business ventures in wind and natural gas.
Posted July 16, 2008

Q&A: Will Olympics Break China's Human Rights Paralysis?
In an interview with IPS News Agency correspondent Omid Memarian, class of 2009, Minky Worden, the editor of "China's Great Leap: The Beijing Games and Olympian Human Rights Challenges", pointed out that although most of the world thinks of the Olympics in the context of athletics, inside China, the Games serve a principally political role for the government
Posted July 14, 2008

Politics: Iranian Envoy Calls New Offer "Constructive"
Omid Memarian, class of 2009,writes in IPS News Agency, the U.N. headquarter in New York about the EU-Iran negotiations. In a press conference, Omid has asked questions from Iran's foreign minister and also the French Ambassador to the United Nations about the latest news....
Posted July 14, 2008

Bringing Bicycles to Africa
Talia Kennedy, class of 2009, writes for The Montclarion and The Piedmonter about an Oakland school's efforts to bring bicycles to Botswana, Africa.
Posted July 13, 2008

An Open Book
Talia Kennedy, class of 2009, writes for the San Francisco Chronicle about author Jenny Block's new memoir, "Open: Love, Sex, and Life in an Open Marriage."
Posted July 9, 2008

OIL: Prices Won't Be Falling Anytime Soon
Omid Memarian, class of 2009, IPS News Agency UN correspondent, writes about the rising price of oil. He has asked Jeffery Suchs, UN General Secretary's special adviser, and the other energy experts about the coming future and the reasons behind the energy crisis.
Posted July 5, 2008

Chicken Run
Julia Olmstead, class of 2009, writes in a Los Angeles Times op-ed why a Humane Society proposal to ban battery cages on egg farms isn't as simple as it seems.
Posted July 5, 2008

Trickle Down Effect Turns Upside Down
Robin Urevich, class of 2009, writes in the Las Vegas Sun about how people are coping in a down economy
Posted July 3, 2008

Peruvians Protest Water Shortage
Sarah Hughes, class of 1999, reports on a water shortage crisis in a poor community on the outskirts of Arequipa, Peru's second largest city for PRI's "The World"
Posted July 1, 2008

An Inteview With The 2003 Noble Peace Prize Laureate
Omid Memarian, class of 2009, interviews Shirin Ebadi, the 2003 Noble Peace Prize laureate and international human rights defender, for IPS News Agency. She argues that the UN sanctions has not weakened the Iranian government, but the people...
Posted June 28, 2008

Home, But For How Long?
Robin Urevich, class of 2009, writes in the Las Vegas Sun about a 79 year old woman caught up in a mortgage fraud scam who faces eviction from her own home.
Posted June 27, 2008

India: Design Like You Give a Damn
Singeli Agnew & Charlotte Buchen produce a broadcast story for FRONTLINE/World about idealistic architects.
Posted June 25, 2008

'More Than It Hurts You,' by Darin Strauss
Talia Kennedy, class of 2009, writes for the San Francisco Chronicle about author Darin Strauss' newest novel, "More Than It Hurts You," which follows a mother who is allegedly afflicted with a rare medical disease that causes her to hurt her child so she can get attention.
Posted June 25, 2008

Makes Scents/Vive la Fête!
Talia Kennedy, class of 2009, writes about an El Cerrito, Calif. perfumery and about Bastille Day celebrations at East Bay restaurants in the July 2008 issue of Diablo magazine.
Posted June 25, 2008

How Authentic Is Your Travel?
Rebecca Ruiz, class of 2006, writes for Forbes.com about paying top dollar for "authentic" travel experiences like touring the Sistine Chapel before it opens to the public or hiking Mexico's Copper Canyon and meeting Tarahumara Indians, who still live traditionally.
Posted June 22, 2008

Q&A: "Grand Bargain With Iran Was a Missed Opportunity"
Omid Memarian, class of 2009, interviews congressman Henry Waxman for the IPS News Agency.
Posted June 19, 2008

Picking A Renewable Energy Path
Sarah Terry-Cobo, class of 2008, writes in Forbes.com about a new clean technology developed by Honeywell International that is designed to help its customers choose the right renewable energy source for a particular geographic region.
Posted June 19, 2008

Journey's Filipino Frontman Welcomed with Open Arms
Ling Woo Liu, class of 2006, writes for TIME.com about how '80s rock band Journey is launching a comeback after finding its new lead singer on YouTube.
Posted June 18, 2008

Brazilians See Themselves In Mixed-Race Obama
Stephanie Beasley, class of 2007, writes about the prospect of Obama being the United States' first "mulatto" president for Reuters.
Posted June 18, 2008

TechShop: Where Do-It-Yourself Inventors Do R&D
TechShop is a fully equipped community workshop in Menlo Park, Ca. David Gelles, class of 2008, writes for the Los Angeles Times about how TechShop is changing the way inventors work.
Posted June 18, 2008

And Now Whose Foreign Ppolicy Is Naive?
Omid Memarian, class of 2009, writes in the San Francisco Chronicle about Obama's idea to talk to US adversaries. Omid discusses the idea of being naive when it comes to the US foreign policy...
Posted June 17, 2008

Japanese Yodeler Spreads The Country Gospel
Julie Caine, class of 2007, profiled Japanese country singer, Toshio Hirano, and produced an audio slideshow for PRI's The World.
Posted June 16, 2008

Talking Is Still On The Table
Omid Memarian, class of 2009, writes in Asia Times about the US-Iran relations and says that talking to adversaries is not unprecedented in US foreign policy. The US has successfully resolved tough situations before through this tactic, most notably during the Cold War, and Obama seems to believe it can work again.
Posted June 10, 2008

The Brian Eno Evolution
Steven Leckart, class of 2007, interviewed artist/musician/producer Brian Eno for the June issue of Wired Magazine. Discussed: recording with David Byrne via email, participatory culture, and why Americans aren't quite ready for a Democrat in the White House. The full transcript of the interview is available on Wired.com.
Posted June 10, 2008

Student Wins Sacramento Press Club Award
The Sacramento Press Club named Talia Kennedy, class of 2009, the recipient of its 2008 Jean Stephens Award. The award, for outstanding journalistic and academic achievement and career promise, includes a $3,000 scholarship.
Posted June 8, 2008

The Heart-Breaking Earthquake Video
Michael Zhao, class of 2007, produced a video of the big China earthquake that rocked the whole nation. This is "China's natural version of 9/11," a monster earthquake that was followed by thousands of aftershocks and literally shook much of the nation.
Posted June 6, 2008

Großer Schwindel mit Bio-Kraftstoffen
2007-2008 Investigative Reporting Program Fellow Siri Schubert writes about the waning enthusiasm over ethanol in the U.S as part of a cover story on green energy in the April 14, 2008 Wirtschaftswoche—the German Business Week
Posted June 6, 2008

FRONTLINE/World video wins SAJA Award
Sachi Cunningham, class of 2005 and Singeli Agnew, class of 2007 have received a 1st place award for "Outstanding story on any subject: New Media" from the South Asian Journalists Association for the FRONTLINE/World story, "Nepal: A Girl's Life."
Posted June 5, 2008

No Room For Mermaids
April Dembosky, class of 2008, profiles the U.S. Olympic Synchronized Swimming team for NPR.
Posted May 29, 2008

Border Agents, Lured by the Other Side
2007-2008 Investigative Reporting Fellow Andrew Becker examines the increasingly lucrative business of human smuggling at the U.S.-Mexico border, and the American border officials corrupted by the trade.
Posted May 29, 2008

Etsy Lets Art Sales Take Wing
Kate Macmillan, class of 2008, writes in the San Francisco Chronicle's Technology section about "the anti-ebay," Etsy.com, which is allowing artists and craftspeople to make a serious living peddling their handmade goods on the Internet.
Posted May 28, 2008

Brazil's Auto Industry Cruises As Economy Booms
Stephanie Beasley, class of 2007, writes about the growth of the Brazilian auto industry and the powerful middle-class that has emerged from the country's healthy economy for Reuters.
Posted May 23, 2008

Piedmont Choirs In Search Of New Office Space
Talia Kennedy, class of 2009, writes for The Piedmonter about a growing children's music organization and its need for a bigger office.
Posted May 16, 2008

American Indian Boarding Schools - 2-Part Series
Charla Bear, class of 2007, reported a 2-part series (part I and part II) for NPR's Morning Edition on boarding schools for American Indians. She found that although the schools were designed to strip Native people of their culture, they've become a refuge for young Indians with problems at home. The pieces are a condensed version of her masters project.
Posted May 16, 2008

Iran-US Talks Await New Leadership Era
Omid Memarian, class of 2009, writes for the Asia Times, about the Next Administration's policies toward Iran regarding a variety of interviews he has conducted in DC...
Posted May 15, 2008

U.S.-Mexican Trucking Experiment in Slow Lane
Jessica Meyers, class of 2008, writes in The Dallas Morning News about a controversial experiment that has Mexican and American truckers driving deep into each other's countries for the first time.
Posted May 14, 2008

Real Estate Group Guts Neighborhoods
Chris Bagley was honored for the "best business story" of 2007 by the Inland Empire chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. His article examined a group of houses that went into foreclosure several months after being purchased through the same real estate agent. The investigation eventually turned up about $40 million in questionable real estate deals.
Posted May 14, 2008

Maker Faire 2008: Meet the Makers
Rhyen Coombs and Lisa Pickoff-White covered the third annual Maker Faire in San Mateo with a video for the San Francisco Bay Guardian, which featured it as the first "SFBG video pick" on its redesigned home page.
Posted May 9, 2008

India: The Cost of Yellowcake
India plans to ramp up uranium mining to meet the country's rising energy needs. Sonia Narang, class of 2008, reports for FRONTLINE/World on how the mines have affected the indigenous people of a rural village in eastern India.
Posted May 9, 2008

The Yellow House
Sarah M. Broom, class of 2004, writes in the Oxford American about the Yellow House she grew up "in, into, and then out of," which was eventually demolished after being destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. It is a story about shame and the ways that we hide from ourselves.
Posted May 3, 2008

Kenya: The Online Tribal Wars
Edwin Okong'o, class of 2007, writes for Frontline/World Dispatches about the online tribal wars that went unnoticed during the post-election violence in Kenya.
Posted May 2, 2008

Playing for Peace/States of Sadness
Talia Kennedy, class of 2009, writes for Greater Good magazine about a program that promotes world peace through children's play in "Playing for Peace" and about the relationship between depression rates and public policy in "States of Sadness."
Posted May 2, 2008

Host Families Needed for Spanish Exchange Students
Talia Kennedy, class of 2009, writes for The Piedmonter about an East Bay, Calif. program's need for more local families to volunteer to host Spanish exchange students this summer.
Posted May 1, 2008

America, América
Angélica Marín and Abigail Curtis co-produced a half-hour radio documentary for American Radio Project. This program brings the listener into the world of a 17-year-old Mexican immigrant who dreams of making it to the professional soccer leagues. But real life gets in the way when ICE comes to call.
Posted April 30, 2008

Clean Air At The Port Could Cost Small Truckers
Emma Brown, class of 2009, writes in the East Bay Express about the push for cleaner air at Oakland's port.
Posted April 30, 2008

Not Exactly Students, Not Exactly Employees
Anrica Deb, class of 2009, writes about the changing world of academic life sciences and its effect on the postdoctoral researcher in the East Bay Express.
Posted April 30, 2008

A, B, C + 1, 2, 3 = Less Depression for African Women
Edwin Okong'o, class of 2007, writes for Mshale about an adult literacy program in Brooklyn Center, Minn., that is helping reduce depression among elderly Liberian women.
Posted April 27, 2008

TIME Magazine's Reporter Interview With Omid Memarian
Scott MacLeod, TIME Magazine's Cairo Bureau Chief, has interviewed Omid Memarian, class of 2009, about the U.S.Iran relations after the Bush administration and the way Iranians look at this elections.
Posted April 25, 2008

Museum Breathes Life Into Portuguese
For all the Portuguese lovers (and she knows that you're out there), Stephanie Beasley, class of 2007, writes about the Portuguese Language Museum for Reuters.
Posted April 25, 2008

Egypt: Eyewitness to an Uprising
James Buck, class of 2008, writes a dispatch with photo slideshow for FRONTLINE/World on Egypt's recent riots.
Posted April 24, 2008

East Meets West - Coast That Is
April Dembosky, class of 2008, reviews Lafayette seafood restaurant Yankee Pier for the May issue of Diablo magazine.
Posted April 24, 2008

Most Sinful Cities
Forbes.com reporter Rebecca Ruiz, class of 2006, appeared on the Today Show to discuss a roundup of stories on the most "sinful" cities.
Posted April 23, 2008

Guatemala, U.S.A.
April Dembosky, class of 2008, writes for the San Francisco Chronicle about a husband and father of seven who left his family in Guatemala to find work in California.
Posted April 23, 2008

The Frenchman Who Funded US Start-Ups
On April 17, The Financial Times reviewed Spencer Ante's new book, Creative Capital: Georges Doriot and the Birth of Venture Capital. Reviewer Martin Arnold says Creative Capital "a timely testament to the courage and determination of an investment pioneer."
Posted April 22, 2008

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