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Giving Police Departments Money to Buy Body Cameras Will Never End Brutality

Tyler Hicks

July 26, 2020 |

Truthout |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Milford, Delaware

Body-worn cameras gained popularity as a potential check on police brutality, but for them to fulfill that purpose, numerous changes in typical public policies are needed, starting with public access to videos and independent oversight of camera policies. Research is inconclusive about whether cameras have changed police conduct, but they have discouraged citizen complaints about police. Other changes that could improve the use of cameras as a police-reform tool include constraining officers' discretion to record and better automated review of reams of stored data.

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These Elite Contact Tracers Show the World How to Beat Covid-19

Heesu Lee

July 25, 2020 |

Bloomberg |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: South Korea

After a coronavirus flareup that killed nearly 300, South Korean public health authorities used rigorous contact tracing investigations to prevent a second wave of illnesses. As of July 2020, the country’s new cases had plateaued for two months at less than 10% of their February levels, and only 8% of new cases came from unknown origins, a much lower rate than most other countries. The country’s Immediate Response Team’s work has allowed the nation to avoid disruptive shutdowns by aggressively targeting dangerous hot spots before they spread.

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Is underground farming the future of food?

Kwon Moon

July 24, 2020 |

BBC |

Multi-Media |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: South Korea, Seoul

There’s a subterranean, organic farm in one of Seoul’s subway stations that could be another way to approach sustainable urban farming. The “vertical” farm, known as Metro Farm, uses a mineral nutrient solution instead of regular soil, and has an automated tech network to control the underground ecosystem’s temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide levels. While Farm8, the tech startup in charge of the venture, hasn’t made much of a profit yet, the farm produces about 30 kilograms of vegetables per day at a rate that is 40 times more efficient than traditional farming.

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Can simple text messages for parents boost reading scores for kids?

Jackie Mader

July 23, 2020 |

The Hechinger Report |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

Ready4K has turned into a successful combination of technology and education for the San Francisco Unified School District, and for many more schools and districts, after educators saw the effectiveness and accessibility of texting families instead of holding information-heavy workshops. Three times a week, families receive digestible information, tips, and activities to incorporate reading, math, and other topics into daily life. "The program is now used by nearly 130 organizations, including school districts, Head Start agencies, and national organizations."

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This tech is bringing water to Navajo Nation by pulling it out of the air

Kristin Toussaint

July 22, 2020 |

FastCompany |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Navajo Nation, Arizona

Zero Mass Water partnered with the Navajo Nation to bring water into the homes of rural residents who may not have easy access to a water source. Hydropanels that connect to a tap inside the home use sunlight to absorb enough water vapor to make at least 10 liters of water per day. While people at first were skeptical about the idea during a pilot test, the company and Navajo officials are hoping to scale the solution.

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Your Zoom Interrogation Is About To Start

Eli Hager

July 20, 2020 |

The Marshall Project |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Traditional police interrogation tactics that emphasize invading someone’s personal space to increase anxiety, read body language, and prompt confessions have had to undergo changes during the pandemic, some of which offer new advantages. While police say they lose some needed leverage to do their jobs when interviews are conducted through masks, outdoors in public, or via teleconferencing screens, the workarounds encourage taping of all interviews and more transparency when the public can observe how police work.

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How Your Local Election Clerk Is Fighting Global Disinformation

Matt Vasilogambros

July 20, 2020 |

Stateline |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Many entities are working with social media companies to flag election-related disinformation. The California Secretary of State emails voters about how to report false information so the state can flag it and the Arizona Secretary of State verifies official accounts with social media companies. In the private sector, the startup VineSite uses artificial intelligence to identify and flag false information and the nonprofit Mitre has an app used by 160 election officials to report social media disinformation. Officials have a good relationship with social media companies, but there is room for improvement.

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Could a Detroit Experiment Unleash the Power of Urban Soil?

Brian Allnutt

July 16, 2020 |

Civil Eats |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

A multi-year experiment in Detroit is looking at environmentally sustainable ways to build urban soil. Some urban farmers are concerned about the high alkalinity levels in their soils, which can lead to potentially contaminated produce. The project is studying how cover crops, compost, and tillage can improve a piece of land. Early results suggest that these techniques can improve soils for agriculture but also improve the soil’s capacity to absorb carbon to mitigate climate change in major cities.

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South Korea's Key Weapon to Stop the Pandemic? Smartphones

Dasl Yoon

July 16, 2020 |

Wall Street Journal |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: South Korea

In South Korea, the government is using smartphone technology, including various independent apps and text messaging, to implement contact tracing. This has enabled the country's economy to avoid a full shutdown. Early results comparing South Korea to other countries shows that this digital strategy is just as successful as implementing complete lockdowns.

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The revolutionary boat powered by the ocean

Rina Diane Caballar

July 15, 2020 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Philippines

Since the Philippines relies on boats to transport people and goods across the island nation, a shipbuilding company is designing a new low-carbon alternative of the bangka — a traditional Filipino boat — that uses the waves of the ocean to power it instead of fossil fuels. The ship, known as the trimaran, uses wave energy that converts into electricity for the ship. However, a typhoon and the COVID-19 pandemic have delayed the project, and there are also cost and design challenges. But the trimaran’s use of wave energy could be a step toward reducing the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.

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