Going with the flow: How scrapping our itinerary helped us land the story - ICIJ

ICIJ reporter traveled to Kazakhstan to investigate role of Western oil companies in environmental devastation and alleged financial corruption.

Nearly a decade ago , the village, called Berezovka , had ceased to exist after a mysterious health crisis in the local school.

Villagers blamed toxic emissions from Karachaganak , a nearby oil and gas field operated by Shell , Eni , Chevron , Lukoil and Kazakhstan ’s state oil company.

An oil consortium employee stopped journalists in Berezovka to see abandoned village.

The worker tailed them in a white sedan and refused to explain why he had followed them.

An elderly couple was eager to explain how emissions from Karachaganak had affected them.

At times, they said, their water is oily and their air is unbreathable.