The Martin family has lived in Maywood – an industrial city southeast of Los Angeles – for 15 years. After a series of illnesses in the family, they agreed to have tests done to find out what toxics and heavy metals they carry inside.

I edited this multimedia profile of the Martin family, part of a series I produced for the Center for Investigative Reporting called California Lost. The video was shot by Josiah Hooper and photographs were shot by Daniel Anderson. This feature appeared on The Huffington Post.

After 9/11, the government began encouraging local police, private security and everyday Americans to report so-called “suspicious activity” that may indicate a security threat. Taking photos of landmarks, walking “nervously” and writing in a notebook are all activities that have led to people being stopped and questioned. Could you be next?

This animated feature was published online with an investigative reporting package by the Center for Investigative Reporting and NPR called Under Suspicion. This is the second animated feature I’ve produced for CIR, working closely with the very talented illustrator/animator Arthur Jones.

“Suspect America” won an award for Explanatory Journalism from the Society of Professional Journalists (Northern California) in 2012.

Directed and produced by Carrie Ching
Reporting and research by G.W. Schulz, Andrew Becker, Tia Ghose, Daniel Zwerdling, Margot Williams
Illustration and animation by Arthur Jones
Music by Lukasz Stasinski and Erik Haddad