How the US helped create El Salvador’s bloody gang war
A piece tracing the roots of El Salvador’s notorious, brutal, MS-13 gang to 1980s Los Angeles.
How ICE Picks Its Targets in the Surveillance Age
A look at how the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is using increasingly invasive data surveillance techniques in its lurch away from the Obama administration’s “Felons, not families” approach.
Building a More Honest Internet
A piece that asks – “What would social media look like if it served the public interest?”
The Age of Instagram Face
A look at how at the strange phenomenon whereby “social media, FaceTune, and plastic surgery” has resulted in “a single, cyborgian look” becoming predominant in fashion, entertainment, and media. https://bit.ly/ny-cyborgian
Flight to the Forest
A story of a Swiss man who lived amongst the Penan in Sarawak, Malaysia – “one of the last populations of genuine nomads in the world”. Following run-ins with the Malaysian government and logging companies, and a brief repatriation to Switzerland, he returned to Sarawak undercover, only to go missing whilst trekking. Nearly 20 years later, he has never been found.
We spent 10 years talking to people. Here’s what it taught us about Britain
A review of a decade of vox pops across Britain, asking ordinary people what they think about politics and more.
On Being French and Chinese
The author writes about “being French and Chinese—about having multiple identities, and being misunderstood” in this personal essay.
The story of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder and how the world looked the other way
A chilling re-examination of the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, killed in Istanbul in 2018.
Snowden in the Labyrinth
This much-praised review of Edward Snowden’s book takes the opportunity to consider the benefits and drawbacks of anonymity.
The Rescue
The story of a commercial vessel that rescued migrants in the Mediterranean and started taking them back to Libya, where they had started their journey, against their will. What happened next is the source of much debate, and an upcoming trial.