Mark Obbie's Blog, page 16
October 2, 2014
On the nightstand: Thursday, 10/2/14
Today’s good reads in criminal-justice journalism, with an emphasis on longform narrative stories on crime and original reporting on crime victims and reforms in sentencing and prisons: Eric Bosco and Kayla Marchetti use text messages and other sources to piece together the tragic story of a UMass undergrad who needed detox, but instead was turned […]
Questions about the Dunn verdict
It’s inevitable that Michael Dunn’s first-degree murder conviction in Florida will be seen as an answer to George Zimmerman’s acquittal in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. Calling Dunn’s conviction in the shooting death of Jordan Davis “justice for Trayvon and justice for all the nameless faces and children and people who will never have […]
October 1, 2014
On the nightstand: Wednesday, 10/1/14
Today’s good reads in criminal-justice journalism, with an emphasis on longform narrative stories on crime and original reporting on crime victims and reforms in sentencing and prisons: Poynter’s Benjamin Mullin tells the story of how the Los Angeles Times’ Joe Mozingo spent two years turning a pile of computer disks into a compelling, multimedia story […]
Drug-war horror story
A new Atavist single, Evan Hughes’ “The Trials of White Boy Rick,” tells an engaging crime story that poses a provocative question: Is a juvenile-lifer caught up in the 1980s crack-cocaine craze still stuck in prison after 26 years because he pissed off Detroit cops? Like any good narrative, this one builds momentum slowly. We follow […]
September 30, 2014
On the nightstand: Tuesday, 9/30/14
Today’s good reads in criminal-justice journalism, with an emphasis on longform narrative stories on crime and original reporting on crime victims and reforms in sentencing and prisons: In part one of a two-parter, Daniel Wagner investigates JPay, an aggressive player in the smarmy business of taking huge cuts off the top for processing families’ deposits […]
September 29, 2014
On the nightstand: Monday, 9/29/14
Today’s good reads in criminal-justice journalism, with an emphasis on longform narrative stories on crime and original reporting on crime victims and reforms in sentencing and prisons: Jennifer Gonnerman tells the devastating story of Kalief Browder, who went to Rikers Island a high-school teen, pending trial on a remarkably shaky robbery case, and came out three […]
Crime-story winners at Online Journalism Awards
One of the values of journalism contests is that they curate good stuff, a kind of “in-case-you-missed-it” aid in the never-ending search for quality. The Online News Association’s Online Journalism Awards have made themselves an important player in the contest world. But the page announcing the winners, revealed over the weekend, is not particularly helpful […]
September 26, 2014
Music for the downtrodden
I have never written before about how my passion for certain kinds of music ties in with my work as a journalist, and the journalism that I admire most. But a story, and a film, gave me a reason to now. I’m a fan of Americana, otherwise known as roots music, or alternative-country. It’s a broad, […]
On the nightstand: Friday, 9/26/14
Today’s good reads in criminal-justice journalism, with an emphasis on longform narrative stories on crime and original reporting on crime victims and reforms in sentencing and prisons: Rebecca Catalanello digs up explanations for why rape victims in Louisiana get hit with high hospital bills despite safeguards meant to cover the costs of their forensic exams and medical […]
September 25, 2014
On the nightstand: Thursday, 9/25/14
Today’s good reads in criminal-justice journalism, with an emphasis on longform narrative stories on crime and original reporting on crime victims and reforms in sentencing and prisons: Andrew Burt tells a fascinating tale of the longest-held American prisoner of war, CIA agent John T. Downey, who for the first time describes his more than 20 […]
