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PublicSource deputy editor Jamie Wiggan regards a jarrah tree in Western Australia. (Photo by Quinn Glabicki/PublicSource)

Dear Reader,

Is news from afar likely to rouse a local journalist? Not usually. My inbox, at least, is visited daily by misplaced pitches promoting New York restaurant openings and Beltway pundits peddling insipid op-eds. I’ve somehow even found myself on a mailing list promoting B-list French TV shows…

Against this noise, though, an email from an expat decrying a Pittsburgh company’s impact on his adopted Australian community cut through last summer. The message was straightforward: Alcoa has a special agreement ([link removed]) with the Western Australia government through which it has imperiled a unique forest habitat ([link removed]) and sent fumes and dust into communities ([link removed]) as it mines bauxite and refines it into alumina — the basic ingredient of aluminum.
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A little outreach to scientists, advocates and other voices down under confirmed the elements of a story touching on public health, environment and corporate accountability. Nine months later, PublicSource’s Quinn Glabicki and I found ourselves flying high above Alcoa’s mine sites on a rickety bush plane, then swerving through scrublands in a rented truck on an Aboriginal-led kangaroo hunt as part of a 16-day reporting trip to Western Australia. The sense that the Pittsburgh firms’ dealings threatened a precious natural inheritance came up again and again during our time there. “There’s only one place in the world where the jarrah trees grow — and that’s my country,” a local elder told us during the hunt.

We brought back a series of deeply reported stories and stunning photography that document a Pittsburgh company’s impact on a community far away. Pittsburghers mobilize swiftly when companies threaten their access to clean air and water — and by extension, we trust they’d want to know when a homegrown brand threatens those for a community far away. Thanks to the generous support of readers like you, we could chase this story to the other side of the world, keeping you informed as a reader and resident of a city whose impacts are felt globally.

Whether it’s in Western Australia, or more often, somewhere in the Pittsburgh region, our ability to follow the facts is a function of the support we receive from our community. Support from readers makes all of our investigative reporting possible. Right now is a powerful time to support our team — generous donors are matching every gift, dollar for dollar. This opportunity ends soon, so please don’t wait. Make your MATCHED gift of support now and help us bring more powerful stories to light. ([link removed])
Double your gift now. ([link removed])

Sincerely,

Jamie Wiggan
Deputy Editor
PublicSource

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