October 2016 Archive
Reporting Recipe: Election Administration Data From Electionland
How to use a federal election administration data set to cover the U.S. elections.
Facebook Lets Advertisers Exclude Users by Race
Facebook’s system allows advertisers to exclude black, Hispanic, and other “ethnic affinities” from seeing ads.
Unreliable and Unchallenged
Years after the Las Vegas crime lab wanted to replace faulty police drug kits, they are still used in thousands of convictions.
Sustained Objections
For years, police and prosecutors have used special presentations to sell judges on the reliability of drug tests that help convict thousands.
SRSLY: Dr. Orange, I Presume
Your three-minute read on the best reporting you probably missed.
How a Tip About Habitat for Humanity Became a Story
As a ProPublica reporter looked into a source’s allegations about Habitat for Humanity’s New York City affiliate, he pieced together how a housing project ended up displacing poor people.
Dr. Orange: The Secret Nemesis of Sick Vets
For decades, the military and the VA have repeatedly turned to one man to guide decisions on whether Agent Orange harmed vets in Vietnam and elsewhere. His reliable answer: No.
After Cancer Diagnosis, Vet Refutes Government’s Agent Orange Expert — And Wins
After the VA rejects his claim for benefits, an Air Force veteran challenges the findings of the government’s go-to Agent Orange consultant. Six years later he emerges the rare victor.
Eight Times Agent Orange’s Biggest Defender Has Been Wrong or Misleading
For decades, the government has relied on Alvin Young to advise it on herbicides. Here are some of his statements, and what others have said about them.
The Democrats’ Bad Map
Hillary Clinton looks increasingly likely to win the White House, but her party faces a big obstacle to success in congressional races — Democrats are sorting themselves into geographic clusters where many of their votes have been rendered all but superfluous.
New Jersey Lawmakers Vote to Forgive Dead Students’ Loans
A bill ending the state loan agency’s practice of seeking repayment from the families of deceased students now heads to Gov. Chris Christie.
Google Has Quietly Dropped Ban on Personally Identifiable Web Tracking
Google is the latest tech company to drop the longstanding wall between anonymous online ad tracking and user’s names.
Thousands of NYC Landlords Who Ignored Rent Caps Got Tax Breaks They Didn’t Qualify For
A new ProPublica analysis shows that two-thirds of more than 6,000 rental properties receiving tax benefits from the city’s 421-a program don’t have approved applications on file and most haven’t registered apartments for rent stabilization as required by law. That allows owners to raise rents as much as they want.
If You Live In These Tax-Subsidized Buildings, You Are Entitled to a Rent Freeze
Search for your building to see if your landlord has been approved for the program and registered your building for rent stabilization, as required by law. If not, you may be paying more than you should.
Disenfranchised by Bad Design
There is in fact a widespread problem with ballots in the United States: they’re often horribly designed.
Electionland: Monitoring Access to the Vote in Real Time
Covering access to the ballot and problems that prevent people from exercising their right to vote during the 2016 election.
