This story covered two different ballot initiatives to increase the cigarette tax. We investigated these ballot initiatives to inform Missourians what they would have the option to vote for.
I worked with a small team of people to create this story for KBIA, an NPR affiliated radio station. The team and I discussed the vision for the project and how each element of the story would tell a story to the viewers. I reported, edited and voiced the audio piece as well as helped create both information graphics.
Missouri tobacco tax increase fails to decrease smoking rates
By: Hannah Sandfeld, Lydia Nusbaum, Yutao Chen, Trevor Hook
Jordan Hester is a sales associate at We B Smokin & Drinkin in Jefferson City, Missouri and has been a smoker for 12 years. He spends his days selling the one thing that he is
trying to quit: cigarettes.
Hester has worked there for two years, and is on a first-name basis with his customers.
When there is an increase on the price of cigarettes, Hester is the first person to hear their
complaints.
“They would notice a tax increase real quick,” Hester said. “They notice if ya ring up a lighter too many.”
Despite cigarette tax increases, some of his customers admit the price wouldn’t make a difference. Studies show that it doesn’t matter how much of an increase there is in tobacco taxes because smokers are going to continue to pay a high price to fuel their addiction, regardless of the health effects.
Almost 10,000 people in Missouri die every year from tobacco-related diseases. Secondhand smoke causes about 1,150 deaths in Missouri every year. As of 2013, the smoking rate for adults in Missouri was 22.1 percent, which is the ninth highest in the United States, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
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Click here to see the complete published version.
The audio piece aired on KBIA.
Photo Credit: Yutao Chen
Missouri tobacco tax increase fails to decrease smoking rates
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This is not your normal audio piece on how a ballot initiative would affect people. However, the audio piece looked deep into the real reasons why this proposition is even on the ballot. This is a great example of how the team and I followed what the real story was, and didn't just stick with what we thought was the story.
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