news | Activists rally for nuclear-free statewide clean energy plan

A rally held after a public hearing of the renewable energy proposal in lower Manhattan. Credit: Author

Some want nuclear power gone with the wind.

NEW YORK – Local environmental groups met at the corner of Church and Vesey streets on Tuesday to call for a clearer vision of New York State’s renewable energy proposal. The rally, held shortly after a public hearing, attracted about fifty people including citizen activists and members of environmental groups.

analysis | What Facebook's news suppression reveals about our relationship with machines

Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

On Monday, technology news site Gizmodo published an article alleging the routine suppression of conservative news from its “Trending” news aggregator by a group of curators instructed to manipulate the list from behind the scenes. Setting aside many of the partisan issues surrounding the controversy, what the “man behind the curtain” really reveals is our intricate relationship with—and misguided perception of—computers and machines.

news | Journalists publish a searchable database with information from Panama Papers

A screenshot of the ICIJ database, Tuesday, May 10, 2016. (Author) 

On Monday, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists announced a searchable database with information compiled from the massive Panama Papers leak last month. While the database doesn’t contain copies of the original, leaked documents and information, it uses an interactive graphic to show the connections between shell companies, corporate structures, and their owners.

news | Panama Papers source calls for whistleblower protection, criticizes groups in statement

The anonymous source of a large cache of documents collectively known as the "Panama Papers" issued a wide-ranging statement on Thursday criticizing several groups and calling for the protection of whistleblowers from prosecution. The statement was confirmed by the Süddeutsche Zeitung, a German newspaper that first broke the story in conjunction with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

analysis | Not all data journalism is created equal--here's why.

The surge of big data, on the backs of the Facebook, Gmail, and Instagram generations, has led to an explosion of information available from every corner of your life. It’s here, it’s most certainly going to stay, and it’s something journalists have been quick to catch on to. Learn it. Use it. Love it.

But not all data journalism is created equal.

meta | The Tenet and The Future

Know more. Fear less.

The tenet that Six Past Twelve was built upon, the very essence of its journalistic credentials, distilled into four simple words.

It was a phrase I had hastily scribbled down on a hot pink Post-it one morning amidst the swirl of cases, a note pinned to my wall for so long the blue-tack holding it left a dark grease spot against the paint. It was a promise to myself, to be bold in seeking the truth. It was a promise to my readers that business news didn’t have to be inscrutable, and an allusion to the core economic principle my writing was founded on: the most rational actor was the most informed actor. It became the spirit that defined my writing and my purpose. A motto proudly posted on the top of my blog.

Six Past Twelve in the evening. The perfect time to write.

news | Apple store rallies reveal wider rights issue

A reporter interviews an activist outside the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue. Credit: Author

NEW YORK—A small knot of about 20 people stood outside the flagship Apple Store on Fifth Avenue early Tuesday evening to show solidarity with Apple as it continues to fight a government request to unlock an iPhone used by Syed Rizwan Farook, the shooter in the San Bernardino attacks. Although the debate centers around Apple’s refusal to bypass or disable security features in the shooter’s smartphone, activists at the rally revealed a deeper, ideological debate about privacy, security, and government overreach in the digital age.