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Blair Hickman

Community Editor

Blair Hickman was ProPublica's community editor. Previously, she led online editorial and outreach strategy for Dowser Media. Prior to that, she was a multimedia assistant for the PBS series "Women, War & Peace" and a writer for Mediaite, focusing on news and emerging media. She's contributed content to a range of publications, including Jezebel, the New York Daily News and Patch. Hickman is a graduate of NYU's Journalism's Studio 20 and Brown University's Nonfiction Writing program.

What We Learned Investigating Unpaid Internships

July 23, 2014, 9 a.m. EDT

Though the intern economy remains opaque, dialogue about the role of interns in the labor force – and protections they deserve – is beginning to take shape.

Pop Quiz: Can You Name That NSA Program?

June 30, 2014, 11 a.m. EDT

The Best Reporting on Guns in America

May 28, 2014, 4:17 p.m. EDT

In the wake of last week’s shooting, we’ve laid out the most revealing reporting about guns.

Discussion: How To Protect Your Privacy Online

May 19, 2014, 11:27 a.m. EDT

Big Banks, Business and Butter: Highlights From Our Q&A on Corporate Impunity

May 2, 2014, 10:50 a.m. EDT

Reporter Jesse Eisinger offers his thoughts on the lack of white-collar prosecutions, journalism and the Green Bay Packers.

Discussion: Why Are Big Companies Rarely Ever Punished?

April 30, 2014, 5 a.m. EDT

Have You Interned in Arts or Entertainment? Rate Your Internship

April 14, 2014, 1:53 p.m. EDT

What's It Like to Work in a World of Wage Discrimination?

April 8, 2014, 12:31 p.m. EDT

Interns Are Now Protected Against Sexual Harassment in NYC

March 28, 2014, 9 a.m. EDT

Does this latest development to protect unpaid interns in New York point to a greater trend?

The Price of an Internship

March 14, 2014, 12:01 p.m. EDT

Unpaid internships can help young workers advance their career goals. But they can also vary significantly in cost and quality. Explore college internship programs at different schools across the United States — or tell us about your experience interning for academic credit.

Are You an Internship Coordinator?

March 13, 2014, 3:25 p.m. EDT

One J-School Internship Coordinator Says Paid Positions Have Dropped by Nearly Half

Feb. 18, 2014, 1:32 p.m. EST

As part of our ongoing investigation into the role colleges and universities play in the intern economy, we spoke with an internship coordinator to learn more about the process of developing an internship program.

Brandeis, Marquette, Western Washington and Northwestern Students Team Up With Project Intern

Feb. 18, 2014, 11:23 a.m. EST

Roe V. Wade and Some of the Best Reporting on Abortion

Jan. 22, 2014, 3:25 p.m. EST

Four decades after Roe v. Wade, a range of #MuckReads, #Longreads and explainers on abortion.

Reporting Recipe: How to Add Information About Internships for Academic Credit At Your School

Jan. 21, 2014, 5:37 p.m. EST

Support Journalism in the Public Interest

Jan. 6, 2014, 2 p.m. EST

2013: The Year of the Intern?

Jan. 3, 2014, 10 a.m. EST

Despite key court ruling and an upswing in legal challenges, many internship issues remain unresolved

Meet Our New Comments System – Where You Can Share Your Stories, Too

Dec. 20, 2013, 4:48 p.m. EST

How Expensive Is Your College Internship? We Built an App for That

Dec. 20, 2013, 4:46 p.m. EST

Calculating ‘The Price of an Internship’

Dec. 20, 2013, 11:45 a.m. EST

How much do you pay in tuition to take an internship? Here's how we calculate tuition share in "The Price of an Internship."

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The Breakthrough: A Reporter Finds a Man Proven Innocent, But Still Guilty in Eyes of the Law

Why Do Border Deaths Persist When the Number of Border Crossings Is Falling?

California Regulators Require Auto Insurers to Adjust Rates

Failing Charter Schools Have a Reincarnation Plan

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Florida Lawmakers to Review Law Targeting Injured Undocumented Workers

By Howard Berkes, NPR, and Michael Grabell, ProPublica, Aug. 24, 2017, 8 a.m.

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<h1>Florida Lawmakers to Review Law Targeting Injured Undocumented Workers</h1>By Howard Berkes, NPR, and Michael Grabell, ProPublica, Aug. 24, 2017, 8 a.m.The second-highest ranking member of the Florida Senate pledged a legislative review of a state law that has allowed injured undocumented workers to be arrested and potentially deported rather than paid workers' compensation benefits."Legitimate injuries shouldn't be denied just because the person was an undocumented immigrant," said Republican Sen. Anitere Flores, the president pro tempore of the state Senate and chair of the Banking and Insurance Committee."One needs to balance the going after fraudulent claims," she said, "with not overcompensating and then denying claims to those individuals who have actually been injured."Flores spoke in response to a recent <a href="http://www.npr.org/2017/08/16/543650270/they-got-hurt-at-work-then-they-got-deported">NPR</a> and <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/they-got-hurt-at-work-then-they-got-deported">ProPublica</a> investigation and a subsequent statement by the nation's largest insurance fraud group, which called on Florida lawmakers to change the law. The <a href="https://www.insurancefraud.org/blog/aug-2017/florida-loophole-lets-insurers-deny">Coalition Against Insurance Fraud</a> said employers and insurance companies are applying the law in ways that place "the credibility of combating real fraud at risk.""Legislators in the Sunshine State need to correct this loophole so workers hurt on the job get the care they need," said Dennis Jay, executive director of the coalition, which is made up of insurance companies, government agencies, consumer organizations and insurance fraud investigators."I just see the credibility of the anti-fraud effort being hurt by such practices," Jay said in an interview.NPR and ProPublica found that nearly 800 undocumented workers in Florida have been charged with workers' comp fraud for using illicit Social Security numbers to either get their jobs, file for workers' compensation benefits or both. More than 560 didn't actually file workers' comp claims but still were charged with fraud. Another 130 suffered legitimate workplace injuries but were denied benefits and prosecuted. Some were detained by federal immigration authorities and deported.Like most states, Florida provides workers' comp benefits to undocumented workers despite their legal status. The state's workers' comp law was <a href="http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&amp;URL=0400-0499/0440/Sections/0440.105.html">amended in 2003</a> to make the use of false identification in obtaining jobs and workers' comp benefits a felony."I don't see how they can legally justify that," Jay said. "It also paints insurers as uncaring, greedy corporations that allow human suffering to make a buck."Some of the insurance companies who have used the Florida law to deny claims are members of Jay's coalition, as is the state agency that administers the law.Jon Moore, spokesman for the <a href="http://www.myfloridacfo.com/Division/DIFS/">Florida Division of Investigative and Forensic Services</a>, said his agency is "obligated to enforce the law as it relates to the workers' compensation system in Florida." But he said, "another look into the questions that are being posed may be warranted. What is the balance between the harm and the benefits that are being produced?"Flores said she is especially concerned about companies who may hire undocumented workers knowing that the threat of prosecution and deportation may keep them from pursuing workers' comp claims if they are injured at work.‘That's borderline unconscionable," Flores said, adding that she'll seek the legislature's review of this use of Florida law as part of a planned broader look at the state's workers' compensation law.John Porreca, the owner of SouthEast Personnel Leasing and subsidiaries Lion Insurance and Packard Claims, did not respond to a request for comment. Porreca's companies were featured in NPR and ProPublica's story and turned in far more injured workers than any others.Steve Cassell, the president of Command Investigations, which investigates the backgrounds of undocumented workers for insurers and features a gallery of injured workers on its website, also did not respond.Brian Carter, a Florida workers' comp attorney, welcomed the call for changes to the Florida law. He says undocumented workers use illicit Social Security numbers because they can't get jobs without them and employers in Florida need those workers."It is illogical to legislatively provide workers' compensation benefits to undocumented workers," Carter said, "and then legislatively make it criminal to use a false Social Security number for identification."&nbsp;Jay added that his group is already engaging Florida lawmakers and will offer assistance in drafting alternative legislation.ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for their <a href="http://www.propublica.org/forms/newsletter_daily_email">newsletter</a>.<link rel="canonical" href="http://www.propublica.org/article/florida-lawmakers-to-review-law-targeting-injured-undocumented-workers"><meta name="syndication-source" content="http://www.propublica.org/article/florida-lawmakers-to-review-law-targeting-injured-undocumented-workers"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://pixel.propublica.org/pixel.js" async></script>

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Though the intern economy remains opaque, dialogue about the role of interns in the labor force – and protections they deserve – is beginning to take shape.

In the wake of last week’s shooting, we’ve laid out the most revealing reporting about guns.

Reporter Jesse Eisinger offers his thoughts on the lack of white-collar prosecutions, journalism and the Green Bay Packers.

Does this latest development to protect unpaid interns in New York point to a greater trend?

Unpaid internships can help young workers advance their career goals. But they can also vary significantly in cost and quality. Explore college internship programs at different schools across the United States — or tell us about your experience interning for academic credit.

As part of our ongoing investigation into the role colleges and universities play in the intern economy, we spoke with an internship coordinator to learn more about the process of developing an internship program.

Four decades after Roe v. Wade, a range of #MuckReads, #Longreads and explainers on abortion.

Despite key court ruling and an upswing in legal challenges, many internship issues remain unresolved

How much do you pay in tuition to take an internship? Here's how we calculate tuition share in "The Price of an Internship."

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Florida Lawmakers to Review Law Targeting Injured Undocumented Workers

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