With the announcement of the Pulitzer recipients not far away (April 14th)-it occurred to me that when the winners and finalists are announced-a great many readers might not have been aware, let alone have read, many of these prize-winning works of journalism.
So, as a run-up to the official announcement, DailyNewsGems.com, will be highlighting some outstanding works of journalism, worthy of Pulitzer consideration.
-Bill Lucey
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In December 2013, The Wall Street Journal published `` The Lobotomy Files: Forgotten Soldiers .''
Michael Phillips, a staff reporter in the Washington, D.C., bureau of The Wall Street Journal, reported-through a multimedia online presentation-how the U.S. government lobotomized roughly 2,000 mentally ill veterans—possibly hundreds more—during and after World War II, according to a collection of forgotten memos, letters and government reports brought to light, for the first time, by the Journal.
A lobotomy is a neurosurgical operation that involves severing connections in the brain's prefrontal lobe (once thought to control emotions), a highly controversial procedure widely performed for more than two decades as treatment for schizophrenia, manic depression and bipolar disorder, among other mental illnesses.
The VA's practice reveals how the surgery left many veterans in a childlike state, unable to care for themselves; while many others suffered seizures, amnesia and loss of motor skills. Some died from the operation itself.
“Between April 1, 1947, and Sept. 30, 1950, VA doctors lobotomized 1,464 veterans at 50 hospitals authorized to perform the surgery, according to agency documents rediscovered by the Journal. Scores of records from 22 of those hospitals list another 466 lobotomies performed outside that time period, bringing the total documented operations to 1,930. Gaps in the records suggest that hundreds of additional operations likely took place at other VA facilities. The vast majority of the patients were men, although some female veterans underwent VA lobotomies, as well. '' http://goo.gl/80X5OQ
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If you’re aware of any outstanding works of journalism that you would like to see included at DailyNewsGems, send links to Bill Lucey at wplucey@gmail.com
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