Investigative

Sometimes the best tip comes out of the blue and you have to decide quickly whether the person whispering in your ear is a whacko or a whistleblower. I’ve been lucky, and the stories that have resulted are some I’m most proud of. In the process I’ve had the honor to meet truly heroic people, some of whom—like the priest in Honduras—are risking their lives to protect the planet or speak out against corrupt and illegal practices.

• "The Cost of Doing Business" - After publication in 2004, "World News Tonight with Peter Jennings" covered the story and I worked with ABC's investigative unit on a "Primetime Live" segment based on my story. The Primetime segment was a finalist for an Emmy Award that year. I was also interviewed by Keith Olbermann on Countdown (#2)
• "Going for Broke" - After publication in 2006, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) introduced legislation to close the bankruptcy loophole that allows corporate polluters to avoid paying for environmental clean up. Listen to an interview by Snell with NPR's Marketplace.
• "Bulldozers and Blasphemy" - In 2007, I traveled throughout Guatemala and Honduras to detail the resurgence of liberation ecology-clergy activism to protect the land and water and those who depend on it for life. Read the NPR interview about my story.