May 2012 Archive
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Drones
Our reading guide to the development and potential dangers of drones.
Help Us Track How Politicians Target You
Political campaigns are using increasingly sophisticated methods to target messages to voters, methods that are not at all transparent. We need your help to uncover and understand them.
Chatting With the Reporters Behind Dollars for Docs
Charlie Ornstein and Tracy Weber talk about the money docs get from drug companies, and why it matters.
Separated By Massacre, a Father And Son Reunite Three Decades Later
Tranquilino Castañeda believed his son Oscar was dead, killed by Guatemalan Army commandos at Dos Erres. Oscar believed the lieutenant who abducted him was real father.
After Taiwan Trip, NY Congressman Orders Ethics Training for Staff
Announcement comes following ProPublica story on lobbyist role in Bill Owens' trip to Taiwan.
New Disclosure Rules for Political Ads Could Take Months
Under a new Federal Communications Commission rule, political ad data showing election spending could be posted online as early as July — or much later.
After a Tower Climber Falls, Stand Down Called for on AT&T Projects
Following a worker’s non-fatal 100-foot fall from a Texas cell tower last week, one of AT&T’s construction management firms has instituted a stand down across several states, requiring that its subcontractors review safety practices.
This Memorial Day, the Best Stories on How We Treat Our Troops
The best watchdog journalism on U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan – with a few classics thrown in.
Finding Oscar: Massacre, Memory and Justice in Guatemala
In 1982 amid Guatemala’s brutal civil war, 20 army commandos invaded the jungle hamlet of Dos Erres disguised as rebels. The squad members, called Kaibiles, cut their way through the town, killing more than 250 people. Only a handful survived. One, a 3-year-old boy, was abducted by a Kaibil officer and raised by his family. It took 30 years for Oscar Alfredo Ramírez Castañeda to learn the truth.
Built for a Simpler Era, OSHA Struggles When Tower Climbers Die
Fifty men have died in accidents on cell sites since 2003, but federal workplace safety regulators have few tools and little will to impose consequences on the companies that count on their labor.
Congressional Leader Calls for Investigation of the Pardon Office
ProPublica’s story about federal prison inmate Clarence Aaron prompts Rep. John Conyers to press President Obama to open a Justice Department probe. Civil rights groups ask for Congressional hearings on the Pardon Office
Watchdog Group Calls for Probe of Lobbyists Behind Congressional Trip to Taiwan
Public Citizen calls for investigation into whether Al D’Amato’s lobbying firm violated House travel rules by organizing a trip for Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY) and his wife.
