A conversation with investigative journalists Carey Gillam and Bethany McLean on Gillam's new book, Whitewash: The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer, and the Corruption of Science.
Event Details
Join the Stigler Center for a conversation with award-winning investigative journalists Carey Gillam and Bethany McLean on Gillam's new book, Whitewash: The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer, and the Corruption of Science.
Whitewash uncovers one of the most controversial stories in the history of food and agriculture. Monsanto's Roundup (glyphosate) is the world's most popular weed killer. For decades it has been deemed safe, but a growing body of evidence indicates otherwise. Gillam writes about farm families devastated by cancer, scientists whose reputations have been smeared, the arm twisting of regulators, and corporate efforts to manipulate public perception. The book is more than an exposé about the hazards of one chemical or even the influence of one company. It is a story of power, politics, and the consequences of putting corporate interests ahead of public safety.
Carey Gillam is a veteran journalist, researcher and writer with more than 25 years experience covering corporate news, including 17 years as a senior correspondent for Reuters international news service. She has specialty knowledge in the rise of biotech crop technology and associated pesticide product development along with the regulatory issues surrounding both. Gillam now works as a freelance writer and researcher on food and chemical policy issues and directs research for the nonprofit consumer group U.S. Right to Know. Gillam has won several industry awards for her work and has been recognized as one of the top journalists in the country covering food and agriculture. She is a frequent commentator on issues involving food and agriculture. @careygillam
Bethany McLean (moderator) is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and a contributor at CNBC. She was previously an editor-at-large at Fortune. Prior to joining Fortune, she was an investment analyst at Goldman Sachs. She is an investigative journalist known for her work on the Enron scandal and the 2008 financial crisis, and coauthored the bestseller, The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron. A documentary based on the book was nominated for an Academy Award in 2006. McLean also coauthored All the Devils Are Here: The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis, and wrote Shaky Ground: The Strange Saga of the US Mortgage Giants. Her latest book is Saudi America: The Truth About Fracking and How It's Changing the World. @bethanymac12
Copies of Carey Gillam's book, Whitewash: The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer, and the Corruption of Science, will be available for sale and signing.
5:30 p.m. Registration and reception
6:00 p.m. Discussion and Q&A
7:15 p.m. Adjournment and book signing
Gleacher Center, Room 621 - 450 N. Cityfront Drive, Chicago 60611
FREE ADMISSION
Disclaimer: Students should never miss class to attend optional programming. The Deans' Office will not support requests for absences due to participation on a trek, event, conference, or trip as excused.