Citations Needed - Newsletter 6.22.21

Hi all, here's this fortnight's newsletter. Thanks again for all your support! Hope you are having a good summer thus far. 

-- Marco, Adam, Florence, Nima, and Julianne. 

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How Not to Do Unemployment Journalism 101 Paul Blest, Discourse Blog (June 17, 2021)

An Axios article warning of a “pandemic” of unemployment fraud was built on shoddy sourcing from a security company with a conflict of interest. The article also lazily conflates common errors in unemployment payment with fraud.

How Cuts to Unemployment Benefits Will Hurt Rural People Aallyah Wright, In These Times (June 8, 2021)

Over 20 states have cut unemployment benefits claiming that the cuts will encourage the unemployed to find jobs. Cuts to unemployment have been proven to harm the livelihoods of those receiving benefits with evidence that unemployment benefits lead to labor shortages being shaky at best.

The Sleazy Story of How Biogen’s New Alzheimer’s Snake Oil Got Approved Natalie Shure, The New Republic (June 14, 2021)

Biogen’s new Alzheimer’s medicine received FDA approval, but there is no evidence that the drug actually works against Alheimer’s. Biogen has not completed a full trial of the drug, but received an accelerated approval that it will surely profit from, indicating the increasing influence of for-profit manufacturers on the FDA.

TV News Coverage of Southern Border Lacks Refugee Sources, Historical Context Ada Rajkovic, FAIR (June 19, 2021)

TV coverage of the U.S. southern border has overwhelmingly relied on foreign government officials while refugees and immigrant’s rights activists were largely sidelined. The Tv segments largely lacked historical context and fit more into a frame of judging whether Biden’s approach is more humane than Trump’s.

Outrage at ProPublica Tax Leaks Underscores Their Importance Ari Paul, FAIR (June 17, 2021)

ProPublica’s publishing of tax leaks showing that the richest Americans are able to get out of paying their taxes through legal means has been met with misdirected outrage. Instead of fuming at the billionaires, editorial boards and government officials have attacked the leak and the publishing of the leak.

Alabama’s Coal Miners Are Striking for Their Lives Kim Kelly, The Nation (June 11, 2021)

Alabama coal miners are on strike for the first time in 40 years claiming that the company that owns the mines have not fairly distributed the profits. On the picket line, miners have encountered violence from company employees and limited financial support from their union.

It Took a Police Crackdown to Get Israeli-Operated Cargo Unloaded in Seattle Alex N. Press, Jacobin (June 20, 2021)

A picketing of an Isareli-operated cargo ship in Seattle required a police crackdown and arrests to break. Organizers allege Israel put pressure on Seattle’s mayor and the shipping company to crack down on the picketing.

School Privatization Lobby Places Fake News on Local Stations Rachel M. Cohen The Intercept (June 16, 2021)

A Besty Devos-funded lobby group has been placing news segments on local TV stations to promote school privatization. Strapped for cash, these stations will take whatever segment helps to fill up programming and the lobby group’s television arm mixes feel-good stories with direct advocacy for charter schools.

The Growing Movement to End U.S. Complicity in Colombia's Human Rights Abuses Cruz Bonlarron Martínez, In These Times (June 17, 2021)

Following the height of Colombia's protest movement against the country’s inequalities and police repression, a growing movement in the U.S. Colombian diaspora is pressuring The Biden Administration to end support for Colombia’s police forces. Several members of Congress have raised concerns about U.S. support for the Colombian activists organizing demonstrations.