“4 Times Journalists Held Captive in Libya” Anthony Shadid, Lynsey Addario, Stephen Farrell and Tyler Hicks, The New York Times
The band of Times reporters and photographers had been through scrapes and kidnappings all over the Middle East. But when they were grabbed from their vehicle at a Gaddafi checkpoint in Libya, they didn’t believe they would live. The four were repeatedly beaten, blindfolded, and driven around the country, unsure each day whether they would see the next.
“The Lost Boys” Skip Hollandsworth, Texas Monthly
In December 1970, two teenagers disappeared from the Heights neighborhood of Houston. Then another and another and another. As the number of missing kids grew, no one realized that the most prolific serial killer the country had ever seen—along with his teenage accomplices—was living comfortably among them. Or that the mystery of what happened to so many of his victims would haunt the city to this day.
“Huffington’s Cultural Revolution” Tom McGeveran, Capital New York
After its merger with AOL, The Huffington Post is bringing in journalists from places like The New York Times to bolster its reputation as a “serious” publication. But we’ve seen this before, and institutional attempts to “import” quality are rarely successful. Serious journalism is at significant odds with the HuffPo/AOL culture, meaning it’s likely that the top talent will probably earn the company short-term praise before they eventually realize they are wasting their time.
“The Prospect for Safe Nuclear Power” Peter Coy, Bloomberg BusinessWeek
The basic design of nuclear power plants hasn’t changed since the 1950s. Models on the drawing boards would be far safer. The irony? Accidents in the old plants could kill support for new ones.
“Secret Fears of the Super-Rich” Graeme Wood, The Atlantic
Does great wealth bring fulfillment? An ambitious study by Boston College suggests it does not. For the first time, researchers prompted the very rich—people with fortunes in excess of $25 million—to speak candidly about their lives. The result is a surprising litany of anxieties: their sense of isolation, their worries about work and love, and most of all, their fears for their children.
“How a Blogger Blocked Sex Slavery” Abigail Pesta, The Daily Beast
Last spring, the Internet lit up with rumors of a Manhattan blogger who saved two Russian college students from possible human trafficking. In an exclusive interview with the targeted women, Abigail Pesta reveals their terrifying ordeal.
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