The documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest (2017) explores a fascinating case of “Munchausen syndrome by proxy” (aka factitious disorder imposed on another), an abusive situation whereby a parent or guardian forces an imagined illness onto a vulnerable dependent. As a result, the once-healthy person often becomes sick from forced treatments and/or unnecessary medication.
Vox, 2020, 10:47… When it comes to who gets punished and removed from American classrooms, the US doesn’t treat all students equally. Black students get suspended and expelled far more frequently than their white classmates, and often for the same or similar offenses. And the weeks of school that Black kids miss each year can kick off a chain reaction that changes a child’s future.
Vox, 2021, 22:53… Many of us assume that tech is neutral, and we have turned to tech as a way to root out racism, sexism, or other “isms” plaguing human decision-making. But as data-driven systems become a bigger and bigger part of our lives, we also notice more and more when they fail, and, more importantly, that they don’t fail on everyone equally. Glad You Asked host Joss Fong wants to know: Why do we think tech is neutral? How do algorithms become biased? And how can we fix these algorithms before they cause harm?
The Thought Theater, 2020, 8:35… The character of Batman and the stories that revolve around him have always seemed to be substantiated on the symbiotic relationship between an individual, and the elements that encapsulate them. How do the ideas of society and the balance of good and evil mixed in with a little bit of chaos tell the story? Today we try to dissect and figure that out.
The New York Times, 2019, 4:28… Police databases now feature the faces of nearly half of Americans — most of whom have no idea their image is there. The invasive technology violates citizens’ constitutional rights and is subject to an alarming level of manipulation and bias. Our privacy, our right to anonymity in public and our right to free speech are in danger.
Adam Ruins Everything, 2019, 4:35… SWAT teams were invented in the 1960s to deal with hostage situations and prison escapes. Nowadays, these situations only make up 7% of SWAT deployments as most of their time is spent on non-violent drug searches. Two-thirds of SWAT raids do not even result in discovering a weapon and 40% do not find drugs. New York City also estimates that 10% of no-knock SWAT teams bust into the wrong address.
CNBC, 2019, 8:33… Increasingly, algorithms and machine learning are being implemented at various touch points throughout the criminal justice system, from deciding where to deploy police officers to aiding in bail and sentencing decisions. The question is, will this tech make the system more fair for minorities and low-income residents, or will it simply amplify our human biases?
Beme News, 2018, 10:16… Prisoners in Soledad, California are turning to an unlikely source — feminism — to understand the behaviors that may have landed them behind bars. Contessa visits with Richard Edmond Vargas who is working with his fellow inmates to challenge the idea of what it means to “be a man.”
Al Jazeera, 2018, 9:55… For the past few years, Border Security TV has become a regular fixture on airwaves around the globe. It's a subgenre of reality TV where camera crews follow border control officials as they search for illegal goods, interrogate suspicious newcomers, and deport those deemed unwanted. Its popularity, some say, is a clear sign of the times.
Inside Edition, 2017, 3:20… What is intended to be a gag gift has been used by some woman to convince their boyfriends they are having a child. The website FakeABaby.com has everything one needs to fool someone into thinking they are pregnant, but what has followed in some cases is no laughing matter.
Inside Edition, 2018, 1:41… Backlash over the electric scooter craze is growing. Social media videos show people so fed up with the modes of transportation that they are throwing scooters from rooftops. In another video posted to Instagram, one scooter was set on fire. Others are tossed into the trash or ocean. The backlash is happening across the country, but particularly in southern California, where Bird scooters are left on sidewalks for anyone to rent through a cell phone app.
Vice News, 6:10... Child marriages are associated with a variety of negative outcomes, but thus far no state in the US has banned the practice outright. Last year, an attempt was made to make California the first to do so, but ran into opposition from the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood.
Al Jazeera English, 24:35... In China, women are in short supply. It's predicted that one in five single men will never find a woman to marry. To avoid becoming a 'bare branch', many single men are resorting to extreme methods to find a bride - kidnapping or buying women from overseas. Anything to help them fulfil their responsibility to secure the future of their family.
