From the battlefields to the strawberry fields

Strawberries used to be a delicacy. The fruit is fragile, prone to disease, and requires a very particular climate to grow.

But these days, you can buy strawberries almost anywhere at any time – including in Barrow, Alaska, a polar community where temperatures regularly drop below zero.

So how did strawberries become so ubiquitous, and what are the consequences for farmworkers? The answer takes us on a meandering tour back to World War I, the Hawaiian pineapple fields of the 1930s and a savvy marketing campaign in the 1970s and ’80s.

Lost in the Brush

Out of the thousands of unidentified bodies scattered across the country, many are found in South Texas, where migrants are crossing into the U.S. from Mexico.

Crossing the border is treacherous – it’s hot and there’s a lot of ground to cover. Dehydration and heatstroke claim many who try to make the trek. And dying in Brooks County means that sometimes, their bodies aren’t found, let alone identified.

The religious freedom loophole

In Alabama, there are virtually no rules for religious day cares. The state doesn’t even have the authority to investigate problems, let alone stop them.

Alabama kids have been beaten, locked in closets, and wandered off alone because they were poorly supervised – and the day cares have stayed open.

Secrecy and abuse in the Witness community

If you’ve answered a knock at your front door, you’ve probably had an interaction with a Jehovah’s Witness or two. This kind of face-to-face ministry is central to the religion.

But while this public outreach seems to convey an openness to sharing its message, Reveal reporter Trey Bundy discovered that the organization keeps a lot of secrets.

We unravel the web of policy and silence used to hide child sex abuse from law enforcement. And we look at how the organization is using the First Amendment to shield its abuse policies from criticism.

Hear the whole episode, and find documents and more here.

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