This week, we’re sharing stories from Paul Kiel & Justin Elliot, Andy Greenberg, Mary Heglar, Katherine Miller, and Kyle Chayka.
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1. Inside TurboTax’s 20-Year Fight to Stop Americans From Filing Their Taxes for Free
Paul Kiel, Justin Elliott | ProPublica | October 17, 2019 | 27 minutes (6,848 words)
“Under the terms of an agreement with the federal government, Intuit and other commercial tax prep companies promised to provide free online filing to tens of millions of lower-income taxpayers. In exchange, the IRS pledged not to create a government-run system. Since Free File’s launch, Intuit has done everything it could to limit the program’s reach while making sure the government stuck to its end of the deal.”
2. The Untold Story of the 2018 Olympics Cyberattack, the Most Deceptive Hack in History
Andy Greenberg | Wired | October 17, 2019 | 32 minutes (8,126 words)
As the opening ceremonies of the 2018 winter olympics began in Pyeongchang, a cyberattack targeted the games’ digital infrastructure, jeopardizing WIFI connections, event tickets, and even the official Olympics app, packed full of information on event schedules, maps, and hotel reservations. Andy Greenberg examines who was behind the attack and why they wanted to publicly embarrass South Korea.
3. After the Storm
Mary Heglar | Guernica Magazine | October 22, 2019 | 9 minutes (2,400 words)
As Mary Heglar remembers Hurricane Katrina — which hit the day after the 50th anniversary of the murder of Emmett Till — she considers how racism and climate change are inextricably linked.
4. The 2010s Have Broken Our Sense of Time
Katherine Miller | BuzzFeed | October 24, 2019 | 15 minutes (3,875 words)
A watch that tells time? How quaint! We don’t need watches any more; we have algorithms now.
5. My Own Private Iceland
Kyle Chayka | Vox | October 21, 2019 | 26 minutes (6,733 words)
When an island nation of 300,000 residents receives more than two million tourists a year, radical change is inevitable — but is it all negative?
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