Monday, Howard Berkes joins us to talk about his reporting of an epidemic of black lung disease that is suffocating and killing the country's coal miners. Federal regulators and the mining industry have done little to help.
NPR’s Howard Berkes has reported on mine safety and regulation for almost a decade. Lately, he has teamed up with reporters at PBS’s Frontline to document an epidemic of black lung disease that is suffocating and killing the country’s coal miners. They've shown how federal regulators and the industry have consistently failed to protect vulnerable mine workers, who are often forced to choose between their livelihoods and their lives. Berkes joins us to talk about his reporting and its impact.
On Tuesday, January 22, Frontline is airing the documentary “Coal’s Deadly Dust.” In Utah, that’s at 9 p.m. on KUED Channel 7. Check your local listing for show times in your area.
You can also join KUER and KUED for a special screening of the documentary on Monday, February 11, at the Main Salt Lake City Library. Howard Berkes will join KUER News Director Andrew Becker for a post-film Q&A. DETAILS
Howard Berkes is a correspondent for the NPR Investigations Unit based in Salt Lake City.