Poisoned Water, TOXIC Politicians...

We just landed in West Virginia after waking up at 3:30 a.m. for a 6am flight—we're exhausted but the following story has to get out to the masses.

Hey folks, it’s Jordan.

We just landed in West Virginia where Jon and I will be for the next few days covering the poisoning of one of the poorest communities in America by the never-ending corporate villains who’ve hijacked our country. More on that in a minute…

Yesterday, I told you the honest truth: between our reporting trip to Flint to shoot a documentary for the 10-year-anniversary of the Flint water crisis (WATCH my heartbreaking & infuriating livestream from yesterday), the post-production costs of paying a documentary filmmaker to produce the Flint documentary, and now a several-day reporting trip to West Virginia, our travel and production bill was tipping over $6,000 (here’s that post with the itemized list of costs).

In response, MANY of you came through. We had 20 donations yesterday totaling 517 dollars. Thank you for helping offset the costs of this expensive—but critically important—reporting.  While other outlets send endless fundraising emails asking you to donate for them to cover the same shit everyone else is, I’m proud that our funding is going to putting a spotlight on the stories corporate media COVERS UP. I’d like to raise significantly more to offset the costs of this trip/producing this documentary.

If you can’t support us financially, no problem. Just keep sharing our content, tweets, and all that. IF YOU CAN support us, I’d greatly appreciate a donation; every dollar counts—big or small.

Over the next few days, we are going to be covering a story that, honestly, shocked me at first (and very little shocks me in this corrupt cesspool of a country). As I’m sure you know, West Virginia is one of the poorest states in America with rampant poverty, poor healthcare and education systems, and conservative leadership bought off by the state’s King and Queens….Coal Barons.

For years, I had heard about water contamination issues across the state, but, with everything else I was overing, I never had a chance to cover. But a few weeks ago, a video was sent to me featuring some of the grossest looking water I’ve seen (and I’ve seen very gross water in many places). In coal country Southern West Virginia, in Wyoming County, residents’ drinking wells have been poisoned FOR OVER A YEAR. They have been receiving discolored water that ranges from orange, brown, and occasionally Black. In some areas, the water has also had white foam mixed into it.

The reason?

One of the local coal mines—potentially owned by billionaire West Virginia Governor Jim Justice—contaminated the water aquifer. What came next is downright criminal…

The state department of environmental “protection” thought it would be a good idea to dump that coal-contaminated water into local creeks that run parallel to hundreds of residents’ drinking water. Those residents’ wells are right next to the creek—in some cases 100 to 200 feet.

The reckless decision has led to the poisoning of poor West Virginians’ drinking water. It has also led to residents getting sick; nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and headaches are just some of the symptoms residents have fallen ill with. Residents tell me some of their previously-healthy neighbors have suddenly died—with mystery illnesses. See our recent video on this outrageous story:

And what is Governor Justice, Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito doing for the people?

Say it with me…ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

We created Status Coup to cover and investigate stories like this. In the wealthiest country on earth, it is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE for poor people—or anyone—to be sacrificed by the very government that is supposed to serve and protect them.

I don’t know the whole story yet and that’s why I’m going there. I’m excited to start speaking with residents. I’m hoping—if the local wilderness & mountain cell phone/recreption signal agrees with us, we’ll be able to go LIVE several times over the next few days. If not, we’ll record and get videos out as soon as possible.

As always, thank you for your support.

Jordan