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Newsrooms Rethink a Crime Reporting Staple: The Mugshot

Keri Blakinger

February 11, 2020 |

The Marshall Project |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Houston, Texas

Around the United States, news organizations are taking a new approach to the use of mugshots in their crime reporting. While still the norm in many places, newsrooms like the Houston Chronicle have stopped publishing the common “mugshot slideshow,” and some, including Connecticut’s New Haven Independent, have stopped publishing them altogether. The practice, often used to generate page views, depict people at their worst, doing more harm than anything else.

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White Extremism Faces a Subversive Foe Online: Google Ads

Neil MacFarquhar

December 30, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: England, London

London-based company, Moonshot CVE buys ads on Google to target radical, white extremist searches. The company’s ads are often funded by private companies, foundations, or governments and route people to anti-extremist and anti-radicalization videos and playlists. While an innovative idea, the company’s ability to raise funding has been hard because assessing its impact remains a challenge.

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'You Are Killing Us? We Will Make You a Joke.' Meet Ahmed Albasheer.

Tina Rosenberg

December 26, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New Haven, Connecticut

Ahmed Albasheer is an Iraqi journalist who uses a combination of humor and grassroots organizing to teach youth in Iraq and across the world about their government's corruption with his show, "The Albasheer Show.” He has been compared to Jon Stewart in how his weekly series airing on YouTube and satellite television engages young people through his comedic timing and straight-forward manner of speaking. As a result, protests have erupted, and the government has killed protesters in response, but Albasheer continues to boost morale and amplify their voices in solidarity.

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Investigative journalists combat Colombia's muzzled press with The League Against Silence

Megan Janetsky

November 06, 2019 |

Poynter |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Colombia

La Liga Contra El Silencio is an alliance of 16 news organizations and hundreds of journalists in Colombia. It protects journalists against threats, which have the effect of censoring reporting on certain topics. La Liga pools resources for in-depth investigative reporting on stories many journalists fear covering and publishes them using the organization’s name in the byline to protect journalists. About 70 stories that brought to light violence and corruption were published in 2018 and 2019, yet the group has not faced any major threats. It could offer a model for how to report under threat worldwide.

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Flock Safety Says Its License Plate Readers Reduce Crime. It's Not That Simple

Louise Matsakis

October 24, 2019 |

Wired |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Austell, Georgia

Cobb County, Georgia installed new license plate surveillance technology, loaned to them by the Atlanta-based company, Flock Safety. After installation, the test area saw a dramatic decrease in crime, to which Flock took credit for but experts say the connection could be due to a number of things. Furthermore, while surveillance technology has been correlated with decreased crime, communities have called into question issues of personal privacy versus public safety.

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Can monitoring social media help prevent violence at Montgomery schools?

Krista Johnson

August 09, 2019 |

The Montgomery Advertiser |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Alabama

A growing number of U.S. schools are partnering with technology companies and using software programs to monitor students' social media for violent posts. However, some are expressing concern about how this practice and its algorithms may violate student privacy and lead to further discrimination against students of color.

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When a Restraining Order Fails, a GPS Tracker Can Save Lives

Misha Valencia

July 30, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Using GPS tracking on repeat offenders of domestic violence has shown to decrease repeat instances of such abuse. Of the 23 states that use such devices, those that use them in ankle bracelet form have the ability to not only monitor locations, but alert officials and victims when the offender leaves the designated boundaries. While the system has shown demonstrative success, some people voice opposition to such technology, citing privacy concerns.

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In an Apparent First, Genetic Genealogy Aids a Wrongful Conviction Case

Mia Armstrong

July 16, 2019 |

The Marshall Project |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Idaho

The use of genetic genealogy technology has given law enforcement the opportunity to compare DNA that people have tested personally through companies like 23andMe to DNA collected at crime scenes. Recently being used to help free people from prison who have been wrongfully convicted, the technology gives law enforcement insight as to the family tree the DNA is connected to. While showing potential, it has also raised concerns around genetic data privacy, with many companies now requiring permission from users.

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Residents turn detective to fight crime

Tom Colls

July 02, 2019 |

BBC |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Atlanta, Georgia

A U.S. company, Flock Safety, has developed a security and surveillance system that allows residents to monitor the color, model, and license plate of every car entering their neighborhood. The system uses car license plate cameras that aren’t monitored by the local police or governments, rather, by residents themselves, to help deter crime. While the system has shown success to the tune of an average of two crimes solved every day, it also raises questions around the problematic nature of surveillance culture, privacy, and profiting off of safety and fear.

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The border guards you can't win over with a smile

Molly Kendrick

April 17, 2019 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Across the globe, governments are spending money on research that could allow artificial intelligence, or AI, to expedite and improve the screening and security processes at passport control. As international travel continues to increase, various companies are developing technology that will identify potentially dangerous passengers or those involved in criminal behavior through data collection and lie detection. The development of such technology has opponents voicing concerns over racial bias, human rights, and privacy.

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