Southern Exposure was an award-winning print journal published by the Institute for Southern Studies, publisher of Facing South, from 1973 until 2011. Southern Exposure earned a national reputation for its writing on a broad range of political and cultural issues in the South, with a special emphasis on investigative journalism and oral history.

On the 50th anniversary of Southern Exposure’s birth, Facing South and the Institute will be publishing a full digital archive of the journal over the course of the year. The initial installment of the archives available in March 2023 includes issues from the magazine’s launch in 1973 through 1981.

Vol. 17 No. 2 - Summer 1989
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Magazine cover with photo of Frank Perdue standing in a chicken house, text reads Ruling the Roost

Ruling the Roost

  • Dateline: The South

    Compiled by Margie Stude

    2

  • Southern News Roundup

    4

  • Dirty Developments

    The Atlanta business boom has brought industry and people to Georgia. It has also ruined the water and choked the air. By Julie B. Hairston

    8

  • Chicken Empires

    How poultry has gone from a backyard hobby to an engine of efficiency that cripples workers and poisons consumers. By Bob Hall

    12

  • From Egg to Table

    A step-by-step chart shows how chicken gets to your table. Illustration by Jacob Roquet

    18

  • Don't Count Your Chickens

    Poultry companies promise farmers good money—but some growers wind up with big debts and empty barns. By Barry Yeoman

    20

  • Inside the Slaughterhouse

    Working at breakneck speeds in one of the most dangerous of all industries leaves some poultry workers crippled for life. By Barbara Goldoftas

    27

  • "I Feel What Women Feel"

    Poultry organizer Donna Bazemore talks about life on the line—and overcoming the fear. Interview by Bob Hall

    31

  • All Pain, No Gain

    The systems designed to protect Virginia poultry workers are failing. Here's why. By Joe Fahy

    36

  • The Fox Guarding the Hen House

    Warning: USDA-approved chicken may be hazardous to your health. By Tom Devine

    41

  • Southern Voices: Moving Mountains

    By Denise Giardina

    43

  • Fiction: Clover

    By Dori Sanders

    46

  • Southern Refugees

    Millions of Southerners, black and white, made the long journey North. Now, some are coming home. By Eric Bates

    52

  • Destination: Detroit

    Southerners living in the Motor City helped organize the auto industry—and their values continue to guide the union. By Sam Stark

    57

  • The New Exiles

    Out of work and out of luck, thousands of West Virginians are moving farther South in search of work. By Norman Oder

    61

  • The Last Word

    64
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