The Weekend Off – News You Missed
Alaska ADN – Journalist who broke Fairbanks Four case unsatisfied after their release The letters seemed outlandish. But Brian O’Donoghue went to the courthouse to check them out, part of his job in 2000 as the opinion page editor at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. What he found wouldn’t let him go: the story of four young men convicted of murder on flimsy evidence. On Thursday, their convictions were vacated and the Fairbanks Four were finally released after 18 years in prison. O’Donoghue joined the celebration but said the job’s not done. Juneau Empire – This is what it takes to get into…
News Junkie: An Excerpt
The epic tale of addiction, News Junkie, by friend and occasional contributor to The Mudflats, Jason Leopold, has been reissued. The book looks behind the scenes into the life of one of the best living investigative journalist on the trail, and his double addiction to cocaine, and journalism. News Junkie brings you along for investigations of Enron, Karl Rove and many more. It’s one of my favorite books on journalism, and should be mandatory reading for anyone going into the field. Leopold, who now writes for Vice Magazine, and Al Jazeera on the NSA, Guantanamo, and other issues, has been called a ‘FOIA (Freedom of…
Here’s the Face of the Immigration ‘Problem’
[Editors note: We sent Zach to the border to cover the story of the children immigrants, or as we call them refugees.] I met Umberto in McAllen, Texas. He’s one of the immigrants that Fox News and the right have been claiming are bringing everything from pot to the plague across the southern border. Truthfully, Umberto is one of the coolest kids I’ve ever met – and I didn’t understand a word he said to me. I’m currently working on getting everything translated. From the moment I met him, he was hamming it up for the camera, grabbing my mic…
Breaking Bad Alaska – Meth Lab Accidents Down
Well done Alaska! We finally did it! Meth lab accidents are down in the state from a whopping 121 in 2004 to a single incident in 2012. We’re not sure if it was something the state and feds did, or just your friendly neighborhood meth dealers being influenced by the safety concerns of Walter White from Breaking Bad… but either way WELL DONE! You all deserve a yellow safety-gloved pat on the back. Let’s keep it up. hat tip to Buzzfeed source: DEA