When I first started reading and writing zines in the 90s, there was a running joke that every issue would start with an apology for it taking so long to get the next issue out. Though I’ve diligently posted my published work each month for years, freelancing while finishing my Masters degree left me with little time to do much else. My output was also much lower than usual–I mean to combine months, and just never got around to it. The good news is that these posts haven’t gone anywhere, and I’ve conveniently organized them by theme and you can skim 16 posts all at once.
One of these posts is from August (sorry!) but I’ll definitely have another post in September, which will include two pieces I’ve been working on for months.
Top Posts
What Really Happened With West Virginia’s Voting Experiment? (Slate/Future Tense) We don’t really know—and that’s worrisome.
How Do Automated License Plate Readers Work? (AZ Mirror), and Arizona Police Agencies Gather & Share License Plate Data, But Few Ensure Rules Are Being Followed (AZ Mirror) Two parts of a multi-month assessment based on public records.
Facebook Insists No Security ‘Backdoor’ Is Planned for WhatsApp. (Medium/OneZero) The company is fighting back against rumors that it would scan messages on users’ phones prior to encryption
Electronic Monitoring (EFF’s Street-Level Surveillance project)
For Freelancers
The Freelancer’s Guide to Financial Planning and Tax Strategy (Contently) A 20-page e-book that was posted just before taxes were due.
The Business of Freelancing (Reynold’s Center) To be successful in freelancing, it’s important to treat it like a business.
A Freelancer’s Guide to Collecting Payments (Reynold’s Center) Collecting payment as a freelancer sometimes requires going to small claims court and even using a collections agency
BreakerMag (Blockchain)
The IRS, Crypto and You: Cryptocurrency is often seen as a straightforward way to keep lucre to yourself without ceding a huge cut to the government. But in reality, it’s not so simple. An interview with Mario Costanz, CEO of CryptoTaxPrep.com.
Nonprofits Make Big Claims For Themselves. IXO Can Tell You If They Deliver. When people give money to nonprofit groups, the impact of their donations isn’t easy to track. This is a problem that the blockchain-based platform Ixo is working to solve.
Dice Insights (Tech Jobs)
R Programming Language: Guides, Tutorials, Downloads and More
Python Programming Language: Guides, Tutorials and Downloads
Reynolds Center for Business Journalism
Reporter’s Brief: Covering Medical Residencies. There is limited transparency and accountability in medical residency programs. Local reporting can shine a light on it.
Covering Government Shutdowns These temporary funding gaps can have a major impact on the economy. Here are some areas to research.
I also wrote reports on news stories to localize every other week, which can be found on the website, titled “Reynolds Weekly.”
Group Project
Arizona charges less than almost anyone else to graze cattle. Public schools miss out on the money. (Arizona Republic) Cowritten with Mackenzie Shuman, Harrison Mantas, Molly Duerig and Grayson Schmidt as part of an investigative reporting class at ASU.
Media & Interviews
Why Aren’t More Journalism Schools Teaching Digital Security? I was quoted in this great piece by Martin Shelton
WV Voting Experiment Criticized I was quoted here in the aftermath of my Slate piece.
*placeholder for an interview I did locally about automated license plate readers, which should be up sometime soon-ish
Can you believe it’s April already? March is my favorite month because of the signaling of spring, and it’s my birthday month. After a few months of visiting places, I just started training at 
Can you believe it’s already December? It’s hoodie weather in Phoenix, and has been a long time coming!