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Story Archives of 'Crime'
Perilous Reporting Amidst Mexico's Drug War
By Virginia Prescott on Wednesday, March 17, 2010.
We begin today with an all too present day problem: escalating violence in Mexico. President Felipe Calderón flew to Ciudad Juárez yesterday, where three people connected to the US consulate there were gunned down this past weekend. The incident brings the death toll in Juárez to almost 500 since the start of this year. Mr. Calderón declared a war on drugs in Mexico in 2007.
American sources estimate that more than 18,000 people have since been killed in drug-related crimes. Reporting on the violence in Mexico is risky for journalists, who are often targets of the cartels. Some Mexican newspapers no longer cover drug crimes. In many cities, reporters have left their posts in order to save their lives and their families. We invited Amy Isackson, the border reporter for member station KPBS in San Diego to tell us how she does her work.
Reports filed by Amy Isackson at KPBS
NY Times: In Mexico, Promises Do Little to Ease a City’s Pain
New America Media: Journalism in Mexico Is a Dangerous Business
(Photo by Philip Wartena Photography via Flickr/CreativeCommons)
Training Cyber Police
By Laura Sheeter on Monday, March 15, 2010.
We heard about federal efforts to bring broadband internet access to everyone in America. With that access comes increased need for cyber security. Throughout the country, a number of degree programs are emerging to fight internet hackers. BBC’s Digital Planet asks if our internet defense is already too far behind? Reporter Laura Sheeter brings us this story.
Listen to this piece at BBC's Digital Planet.
Google Maps, Now for Bike Trails
By Katrina Ingraham on Thursday, March 11, 2010.
No more mapping guesswork for cyclists. Google has now added bicycle directions, lanes, and routes to Google Maps.
House Passes Bill Decriminalizing Marijuana
By Amy Quinton on Wednesday, March 10, 2010.New Hampshire's House voted Wednesday to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana.
New Hampshire Public Radio’s Amy Quinton reports.
Animals, Call Your Lawyer
By Katrina Ingraham on Wednesday, March 10, 2010.
On Sunday, voters in Switzerland went to the polls to decide whether to appoint lawyers to represent abused animals in court in every region of the country. The proposal was overwhelmingly rejected. Zurich allows animal defense lawyers – but right now, there is one lawyer there who does.
The Challenges Facing Iraqi Journalists
By Abdulla Mizea on Wednesday, March 10, 2010.
Since the U.S. invasion in 2003, Iraq has been a dangerous country for journalists. More than 200 reporters and media workers have been killed. Others face a new kind of threat.
For War News Radio, Abdulla Mizead spoke with Iraqi journalists about the new challenges and restrictions on freedom of the press, and how authorities are becoming more intimidating.
Weaponizing the Music of Mozart
By Abby Goldstein on Tuesday, March 9, 2010.
Listen to the soothing sounds of the third movement of Mozart’s symphony no. 3. While pleasing to many of us, British school kids may be more likely to associate Mozart with punishment. That’s because education officials have begun using classical music as a form of social control.
It’s just one example that Brendan O’Neill says the British officials are deploying to deter bad behavior. He’s editor of Spiked in London, and wrote about this trend in Reason Magazine.
(Photo by Carlos Lorenzo via Flickr/CreativeCommons)
Is Internet Access a Fundamental Right?
By Katrina Ingraham on Monday, March 8, 2010.
There’s the right to free speech, the right to party, but what about the right to surf the web? A survey conducted for the BBC World Service has found that 87 percent of internet users, and 70 percent of non-internet users, feel that internet access should be considered a fundamental human right. 27,000 adults across 26 countries took part in the poll.
Prisons as Investment Opportunities
By Virginia Prescott on Thursday, March 4, 2010.
Here's an investment opportunity in a big growth industry: the prison business. Yes, there are rape scandals, murders, and riots, but many investors know a “buy” when they see it. Bryant Urstadt is a contributor to Harper's Magazine. He took a close look at a very positive securities analyst's report for Geo Group, one of the two largest private prison companies in the US. Urstadt analyzed the document for the magazine's December issue, and joined us back in November with his read of what's hidden between the lines of the report's optimistic investment advice.
Austin Chronicle: The Privatized Government
(Photo courtesy Still Burning via Flickr/CreativeCommons)
Handguns Now Legal in National Parks
By Grace Hood on Tuesday, February 23, 2010.
Guns are a contentious issue in New Hampshire’s State House. Lawmakers continue to debate whether to allow guns in public buildings. At Colorado State University, administrators recently came under fire for banning guns from that school's campus.
