List date(s) this work was published or aired.
9-Jan-12
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
Despite funders’ requirements to share mouse models after publication, many researchers hoard the animals for the good of their labs — and that could have an adverse effect on the autism field as a whole.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
This piece didn’t originate from any particular study or document, but rather from information that sources had been mentioning to me, off the cuff, for months. In the course of my reporting, I dug up the sharing policies of various scientific journals and funding agencies, which are provided in a table at the end of the piece.
Explain types of human sources used.
My sources were: scientists who make transgenic mouse models and share them, scientists who make models and don’t share them, representatives from the NIH to discuss their sharing policy, and representatives from Jackson Labs, which provides a repository for sharing mice.
Results:
N/A
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
N/A
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
Always be reporting. I first heard about the story when chatting with one of the frustrated scientists, Larry Reiter, at a cocktail party during a scientific conference. We were talking about something somewhat related, and he started opening up about how difficult it’s been to get access to some mouse models. Then I gradually started asking other researchers about it, often at the end of a phone interview about something totally different. The reporting developed over many months, before I knew it was a real story.