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Underreported

A Weekly Feature on The Leonard Lopate Show

Airs every Thursday at noon

Major news events throughout the world continue to be largely ignored until they reach tragic proportions. Underreported, a weekly feature on The Leonard Lopate Show, tackles these issues and gives an in-depth look into stories that are often relegated to the back pages.

Underreported: India's Maoist Insurgency

The Leonard Lopate Show

November 12, 2009

A group of Maoist rebels—also known as the Naxalite insurgency—has taken a violent foothold in 20 of India’s provinces. The group has burned schools, killed more than 900 security officers, and, in at least one province, detonated more than 1,000 improvised explosive devices over the past five years. The Indian government is preparing to send thousands of soldiers into the Maoists strongholds, which also happen to be some of the most impoverished and economically underdeveloped parts of India. We’ll speak with Brad Adams, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia Division, in India.

You can read a report a report HRW wrote on the Naxalites here.

Underreported: Foreign Countries and Lobbying

The Leonard Lopate Show

November 05, 2009

Countries such as Honduras and Sudan have come under fire recently for hiring PR and lobbying firms to make the case for them to American lawmakers. We’ll speak with Ken Silverstein, Washington Editor for Harper’s magazine about how foreign governments use lobbying firms in Washington D.C. to advance their agenda.

You can read Ken's article "Their Men in Washington" from 2007 here.

Underreported: Algae as a Weapon of Mass Extinction

The Leonard Lopate Show

October 29, 2009

Over the past decade many species of algae have expanded their range toward the poles and into areas where they previously have not been found and many speculate that global warming is to blame. New research into the fossil record is linking the toxins produced by algal blooms to numerous mass extinctions in our planet’s history. On today’s first Underreported we’ll speak to Professor Jim Castle and Professor John Rodgers, both of Clemson University, authors of a paper on mass extinctions and algae.

Underreported: Algae's Biofuel Potential

The Leonard Lopate Show

October 29, 2009

Many scientists are hoping that algae could provide the basis of a biofuel. On today’s second Underreported, Dr. Anastasios Melis, Professor of Biology at University of California, Berkeley, explains why algae have so much potential for becoming a source of biofuel and the hurdles that remain for making it a viable alternative.

Underreported: Gene Patenting

The Leonard Lopate Show

October 22, 2009

Twenty percent of the human genome has been patented by biotechnology companies, universities, and research institutions. The patenting of two genes associated with breast and ovarian cancer is also the subject of a lawsuit filed by the ACLU and the Public Patent Foundation against Myriad Genetics, a company that offers diagnostic tests for the genes. On today’s Underreported segment we’ll look at the controversial practice of gene patenting and the serious ethical, medical, and public policy questions it raises. We’ll be joined by Dr. David Koepsell, a philosopher, attorney, and Assistant Professor at the Technology University of Delft in the Netherlands. His book is called Who Owns You? The Corporate Gold Rush to Patent Your Genes.

Underreported: Censored 2010

The Leonard Lopate Show

October 15, 2009

On this week’s Underreported, we look at 25 important stories you’ve never heard of – including articles about nuclear waste pools in North Carolina and Ecuador becoming the first country to grant human rights to nature. Mickey Huff, the co-editor of Censored 2010, tells us about this year’s best underreported stories. Find out more about Project Censored here.

Underreported: Politicians and their PAC Money

The Leonard Lopate Show

October 08, 2009

Political Action Committees were established to enable politicians to raise money for their colleagues and support their campaigns. On this week’s Underreported, ProPublica reporter Marcus Stern explains how several law makers are now using their PAC money – from golf outings to casinos to commissioning portraits – and why the rules for PAC money aren’t tighter.

You can read his article that appeared in the Washington Post here.
Read the ProPublica article here.
You can look up information about your congressmember's leadership PAC here.

Underreported: The Golden Bubble?

The Leonard Lopate Show

October 08, 2009

The price of gold has been reaching record highs this week. On today’s second Underreported, Fortune’s Scott Cendrowski explains why investors are turning to gold and what that says about the global financial markets.

You can read his article on gold here.

Underreported: The Placebo Effect

The Leonard Lopate Show

October 01, 2009

"The placebo effect" has been known to scientists for a very long time. But for some reason, the placebo effect is getting stronger and researchers don’t know why. In fact, an increasing number of medications are unable to beat sugar pills in clinical trials. Steve Silberman, is a senior writer for Wired magazine and wrote about this subject in the August issue.

You can read his article here.

Underreported: Coal Ash Sites

The Leonard Lopate Show

October 01, 2009

There are almost 600 coal ash sites throughout the United States. On today’s first Underreported, Lisa Evans, Senior Administrative Counsel for Earthjustice, explains why these toxic leftovers are so dangerous, how they’re disposed of, and what the Environmental Protection Agency proposes to do about coal ash sites.

You can read Earthjustice's report on Coal Ash sites here.

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