Judges’ comments:
Amy Brittain and Mark Mueller’s series about a physician who seemingly injected steroids into every cop and firefighter in Newark with a Rambo wish is a great read, original and deeply researched. But it is also worrisome. How many of our cops and firefighters in other towns and cities similarly put themselves, and those they are sworn to protect, at risk so they can muscle up? How many other physicians and pharmacists are happy to cooperate?
An original angle, good shoe-leather reporting and crisp writing add up to an eye-popping series of stories that impressed the judges.
1. Provide the title of your story or series and the names of the journalists involved.
“Strong at Any Cost “
Amy Brittain and Mark Mueller (reporters); David Tucker (editor)
2. List date(s) this work was published or aired.
Sunday, December 12, 2010:
- Prescription for danger
- The drugstore and the trail of death
- Complaints brought against officers
- Ex-Jet says he could count on Colao’s help
Monday, December 13, 2010:
- Bulking up at the public’s expense
- ‘Disabled’ N.J. firefighter still on the job in N.C.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010:
- A risky road to the fountain of youth
- Legislators urge probe, vow to hold hearings
3. Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
“Strong at Any Cost” details the use of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone by hundreds of New Jersey law enforcement officers and firefighters, who in most cases used their taxpayer-funded health benefits to pay for the substances, running up a bill in the millions of dollars. The series shows how deeply the substances have infiltrated law enforcement agencies and fire departments, endangering the users and, potentially, the public. Separately, the stories show how easily the substances can be obtained when a doctor chooses to abandon medical protocol, illegally churning out prescriptions based on phony diagnoses. The series began with the story of a deceased Jersey City physician, Joseph Colao, who frequently broke the law and his own oath by prescribing the substances when they weren’t medically necessary. The report detailed how the practice didn’t start or end with one doctor. Colao’s patients flocked to other New Jersey anti-aging centers after the physician’s death and continued to seek out the drugs. Research has shown steroids affect people in unpredictable ways. Some users can tolerate high doses with few ill effects. Others on low doses can grow irritable, aggressive and prone to so-called “roid rage,” raising questions about judgment and fitness for duty. Several police chiefs and medical experts told The Star-Ledger armed officers and steroids make for a dangerous combination. In addition, some law enforcement officials said that if officers willingly take part in an illegal scheme of any kind, it could undermine the public trust in the officers involved.
4. Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
The Star-Ledger reviewed court cases, regulations governing the substances and Colao’s prescription records from Lowen’s Compounding Pharmacy, a Brooklyn shop through which he directed a
significant portion of his hormone business. The 248 officers and firefighters were identified through a comparison of the pharmacy’s records and public databases containing the names of every law enforcement officer and firefighter in the state. The reporters cross-checked birth dates from both sets of data. As a further safeguard, home addresses for the officers and firefighters were matched with addresses to which Lowen’s shipped the drugs. Several public records requests were made in the course of reporting. The newspaper attempted to obtain a list of public safety officers from various New Jersey colleges and universities, along with the Port Authority. In most cases, the lists were provided but the officers’ dates of birth were removed as a security precaution. The denials made it impossible to secure a unique identifier for these particular officers. The newspaper also filed requests for several police and investigative reports. The request for the report on Colao’s death was denied, along with requests for several other police reports connected to the investigation.
5. Explain types of human sources used.
The reporters interviewed more than 200 people, including those in Colao’s inner circle — his closest employees, relatives and friends — as well as patients, fellow doctors, police chiefs, local and state officials and nationally recognized experts on steroids and other hormones.
6. Results (if any).
Reaction to the series was swift and dramatic. Within a day of the story’s publication, lawmakers called for a criminal investigation, the state Senate scheduled hearings on the issue and police departments across the state opened internal probes. Lawmakers from both houses of the Legislature said they planned to introduce measures to guard against steroid abuse by public employees and to better safeguard taxpayer dollars. Under one proposed law, public money would not be used to pay for steroids or growth hormone unless the drugs were prescribed by an endocrinologist. Two days after the story ran, the state attorney general announced she was forming a task force to investigate steroid use in law enforcement, the possibility of adding anabolic steroids to the state’s random testing policy and the role of doctors who liberally prescribe the drugs. In the wake of the series, the presidents of New Jersey’s two largest police unions said they would support random testing for steroids if they had a role in shaping the policy. In addition, the state suspended disability payments to a former New Jersey firefighter who was profiled in a sidebar. The newspaper found him working as a firefighter, in an unrestricted capacity, in North Carolina. A fly-by-night steroid clinic that advertised in a law enforcement magazine also shut down voluntarily after the stories ran. Its owner cited “scrutiny.”
7. 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.
The newspaper has run several follow-up stories, including details on the Attorney General’s ad-hoc committee and the calls of action that came from lawmakers. The reporters also wrote a follow-up story
Has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
on anti-aging clinics advertising for anabolic steroids in a magazine for law enforcement. There have been no corrections or clarifications filed, and the reporters have not heard from anyone challenging the accuracy of the piece. The Star-Ledger continues to receive an abundance of tips and new information, which suggests the reporting will continue well into the new year.
8. Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
The reporters learned to keep a balance between sticking to a schedule and breaking from the plan to pursue new leads. Some of the best details of the story were discovered late in the reporting process, which required time for re-crafting the story. The reporters stayed organized by keeping notes on every interview in a shared Google document. The reporters also learned the importance of going back to key sources during the months of reporting, writing and editing.