Lakisha Stinson holds her daughter, Rashyia, in their Milwaukee home. Stinson’s first daughter, Kelviana, died of sudden infant death syndrome in 2004. Photo: Rick Wood/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Sometimes the most obvious – and important – problems are hidden in plain sight.
So it has been for years, decades really, in Milwaukee, which has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the nation and a persistent, troubling gap in birth outcomes for African Americans when compared to whites.
Just about every reporter who has covered health, social service agencies or local government at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has written this fact at least once.
In late 2010, we decided to do something about it by launching "Empty Cradles," a yearlong effort by a team of journalists. The reporting effort, which began with a package of stories in January, asks two simple questions.
- Why?
- Must it be this way?
As you might expect, the answers are not as simple as the questions. But in pursuing those questions this year, we hope to create a deeper understanding among readers – and policy makers – of the issue and, with it, point the community toward solutions.
After all, other communities have made significant improvements in birth outcomes, while Milwaukee has not.
From 1979 to 1981, Wisconsin's black infant mortality rate – driven largely by outcomes in Milwaukee – averaged third best in the nation. For the period 2003 to 2005, it dropped to second worst.
Some thoughts on our reporting and approach:
Finding data
There is no shortage of data on the issue. The challenge is much of it lags what is currently happening. For instance, in December, the Milwaukee Health Department released its most recent report on infant deaths in the city – all those within one year of birth. It covered 2005 to 2008.
What's more, that report "mapped" where the deaths occurred. But citing privacy concerns, the report simply put the appropriate number of dots in the various ZIP codes, so even that did not provide a true picture.
To get more recent data, we requested and analyzed county medical examiner reports for 2009 and 2010 infant deaths in the city. These became the basis for a map in print and an interactive one online. That map will grow as we add 2011 deaths.
Additionally, the interactive map will grow with our series, getting additional layers that explore other factors and trends.
One important note: The medical examiner data is more limited than the city health department's data, because not all hospitals report infant deaths that occur at their facilities. However, the data involved are more recent and gives a picture of the problem as it exists today.
The series
Rather than roll out the project on consecutive days, or even consecutive Sundays – something that could quickly feel overwhelming to readers – we decided to do it over the course of the year.
Aside from practical and logistical benefits, there is a thematic benefit to this approach: A year is the measuring point for infant mortality.
In addition to the first piece, which ran in January, we have major pieces planned to explore what science and research tell us about the problem; what has been tried here and what has worked elsewhere; the costs to the health care system; and socio-economic issues that choke many city neighborhoods.
The team
Our team includes reporters who cover all of those areas – children's issues, health, economics – and more. Our database reporter, part of our investigative team, is working on this project. A photographer is assigned to the effort, as well as a graphic artist and multimedia producer.
As the newspaper's projects editor, I'll be coordinating the many moving parts. Individual stories may be handled by editors with their own specialties (ie. health and science, business, etc.)
Importantly, editorial columnist James Causey is reporting along with us. His work will inform the newspaper's editorials on the issue and his columns will provide a much-needed personal perspective. For our first installment, he wrote about his daughter, TaylorMarie, who was born at 27 weeks – 1 pound, 12 ounces – one of the smallest ever at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.
The approach
In addition to writing the major stories, we have a blog tied to the project. We envision the blog not as us talking to the public, but ultimately becoming the town square for the issue, where people can ask questions of experts, trade information and get the latest developments and information.
Additionally, our team is holding regular discussions with experts in the field. They are visiting the newsroom for brown bag lunches to help us understand key facets of the issue. While everyone, of course, is doing their own research for stories, we feel it's important that the team has a common understanding of the major issues.
These informal discussions allow reporters to test theories and to have their own thinking challenged by the experts and others on our team.
While all of our work will stand up to journalistic scrutiny, the goal of the reporting – much like the newspaper's "Wasted in Wisconsin" series in 2008, which explored alcohol abuse and the state's drinking culture – is to raise awareness and prompt action.
Thus, the second part of our series title: "Empty Cradles: Confronting Milwaukee's infant mortality crisis."
Greg Borowski is senior editor – projects and investigations for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
