Mastodawn

Ken Armstrong Feb 1, 2023

A 2016 law says military court records must be transparent.

But new Pentagon rules grant access only *after* a trial. Plus they exclude:
▪️ transcripts/recordings
▪️ exhibits
▪️ preliminary hearing documents

So much for open records.
(Worth noting: @propublica is suing the Navy over its withholding of documents.)
https://www.propublica.org/article/navy-records-defense-department-bonhomme

New Pentagon Rules Keep Many Military Court Records Secret

Despite a 2016 law requiring transparency, the Defense Department is limiting public access to court records in the military justice system. A recent ProPublica lawsuit appears to have spurred the new Pentagon guidance.

ProPublica

Ken Armstrong Jan 7, 2023

Incredible photo by the AP's Andrew Harnik

Ken Armstrong Jan 5, 2023

Chris Morran Jan 5, 2023

What We Know About U.S.-Backed Zero Units in Afghanistan
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Just a few items, via @ProPublica --

•At least 452 civilians were killed in 107 raids

•A troubling number of raids appear to have relied on faulty CIA intelligence

•Former Afghan intel agency head acknowledged units were getting it wrong at times and killing civilians

•Afghan soldiers were often joined on raids by US special operations soldiers working with CIA

https://www.propublica.org/article/afghanistan-night-raids-zero-units-investigation-takeaways?utm_medium=social&utm_source=mastodon&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

What We Know About U.S.-Backed Zero Units in Afghanistan

Deadly night raids. Faulty U.S. intelligence. A “classified” war loophole. Reporter Lynzy Billing’s investigation offers an unprecedented insight into the civilian casualties of Afghanistan’s Zero Units.

ProPublica

Ken Armstrong Dec 30, 2022

If you're tired of reading about a certain CEO of a certain social-media website, here's a terrific look at another CEO—who has turned around, of all things, Barnes & Noble. His super power? "He loves books," writes Ted Gioia.
https://tedgioia.substack.com/p/what-can-we-learn-from-barnes-and

What Can We Learn from Barnes & Noble's Surprising Turnaround?

Digital platforms are struggling, meanwhile a 136-year-old book retailer is growing again. But why?

The Honest Broker

Ken Armstrong Dec 30, 2022

For those who question the validity of online reviews, this lawsuit is for you. Washington state's AG has accused a plastic-surgery provider of threatening and bribing patients who posted negative reviews while having employees post fake positive reviews (see examples, below). The provider also edited before-and-after pictures to make the results look better than they were, according to the lawsuit.
https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/ag-ferguson-files-lawsuit-against-seattle-based-plastic-surgery-clinic-bribing

AG Ferguson files lawsuit against Seattle-based plastic surgery clinic for bribing, threatening patients to falsely inflate its online ratings | Washington State

The company intimidated consumers into removing negative reviews, ordered employees to post fake 5-star reviews OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson today filed a federal lawsuit against Allure Esthetic, a major plastic surgery provider in Seattle, and its owner, Dr. Javad Sajan, for falsely and illegally inflating its ratings on online rating platforms such as Yelp and

Ken Armstrong Dec 28, 2022

Incredible. On Facebook, a former cop espouses “misogynistic, transphobic, Islamophobic and anti-immigrant” views. He’s had posts flagged as false; at least twice he’s been banned from posting. But police agencies across the country can’t get enough of him and his absurd training, building criminal cases on the junk science he relentlessly touts.
by Brett Murphy for @ProPublica
https://www.propublica.org/article/911-call-analysis-fbi-police-courts

They Called 911 for Help. Police and Prosecutors Used a New Junk Science to Decide They Were Liars.

Tracing the fallacy of 911 call analysis through the justice system, from Quantico to the courtroom.

ProPublica

Ken Armstrong Dec 27, 2022

Black women are more than 2X as likely as white women to have a stillbirth. In South Carolina, Kansas and Tennessee, they are around 3X as likely. "If you’re a Black woman, you get dismissed because it’s like, ‘What are you complaining about now?’”
by Duaa Eldeib, for @ProPublica
https://www.propublica.org/article/stillbirths-pregnancy-mothers-parents-racial-disparities

She Says Doctors Ignored Her Concerns About Her Pregnancy. For Many Black Women, It’s a Familiar Story.

Black women in America are more than twice as likely as white women to have a stillbirth. Getting physicians to take their concerns seriously is one reason for this disparity, they say: “If you’re a Black woman, you get dismissed.”

ProPublica

Ken Armstrong Dec 23, 2022

Please forgive me for this (one!) copy/paste job from Twitter. But I cannot help it. This is gold.
#journalism #pet #dogs

Ken Armstrong Dec 23, 2022

OK, by now you've maybe had your fill of ice/snow photos. But this one by the Seattle Times' Ellen Banner is pretty darn cool.
#photography #photo 📷 ❄️
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/weather/seattle-weather-updates-ice-freezing-rain-and-sea-tac-airport-transit-impacts/

Live: Seattle-area weather updates: Ice, freezing rain and Sea-Tac Airport, transit impacts

We’re updating this page with the latest news about the weather and its effects on the Seattle area.

The Seattle Times

Ken Armstrong Dec 23, 2022

The @ProPublica account making righteous use of alt text

WORK	https://www.propublica.org/people/ken-armstrong
TWITTER	https://twitter.com/bykenarmstrong