Neon Tommy, the student-run online news source based at USC Annenberg, released a Nov. 5 investigative article about swine flu deaths in Los Angeles County that unearthed a host of information about the illness and its victims.

Neon Tommy, which launched in February and already has a staff of about 50 reporters and 25 editors, obtained 44 local death records that listed swine flu as the cause of death.

"Neon Tommy analyzed the death records and interviewed family members, public health officials and doctors to see what the dozens of deaths suggest about the patterns of the illness and who remains most at risk," the article stated. "In several cases, the families we spoke with said they did not know their relatives had died of swine flu until we told them. In these cases, county officials said the diagnoses had been made after doctors filled out the death certificates, and that it is not the county's responsibility to notify family members. Nearly half of the death records do not list swine flu as a cause of death."

A map of Los Angeles County swine flu fatalities and profiles pieces written by student journalists on swine flu victims accompany the article. Print Journalism undergraduate and main article author Callie Schweitzer said the project put a face on the virus.

"Instead of looking at these people as numbers as much of the media have, we looked at them for who they were as people," Schweitzer said. "Everyone has a story, and we were lucky to tell these ones. There's something about all of these people that you can relate to — be it their age, interests, profession, family life, the list goes on. If that doesn't make you think about protecting yourself or your loved ones from the virus, I don't know what will."

Neon Tommy focuses on covering untold stories and areas around Los Angeles. All USC Annenberg students are welcome to contribute.

"I am excited to see so much discussion about the article in the comment section and on other websites and blogs," Schweitzer said. "Although we used L.A. County as our case study, these messages ring true everywhere, and I hope people will read the story and send it on to friends and relatives. This story is an example of the future of journalism. When people say this profession is a dying breed, I hope we can point them to this story and show them how we held public officials accountable, put a human face on a global issue and embraced multimedia — all while holding true to journalistic standards. This experience has shown me that anything is possible."

Investigative article 
Map of Los Angeles County swine flu fatalities
Schweitzer on KCRW (29:19 mark)
LA Weekly article featuring Neon Tommy's coverage