United States
Mackenzie Farkus is a journalism student at Simmons University in Boston, MA. She previously interned at MuckRock, a journalism nonprofit centered around FOIA requests. She is the editor in chief of the Simmons Voice and the former editor in chief of the Westwood Horizon.
Documents released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress and the first black major-party candidate for president, reveal that in 1973, the FBI investigated a smear campaign concerning Chisholm as a part of their Watergate investigation.
Twenty-seven or so boxes of paperwork. Minutes from meetings. Drag show posters. Personal letters. These are just a few of the items that made Stewart Butler, a New Orleans-based gay activist, realize the amount of historical queer objects he had amassed in his home. "'Look, I've got 27 boxes. Wh
Georgia's midterm elections, which are now under Congressional scrutiny, had voters balking at long lines, supply shortages, and malfunctioning voting machines Documents obtained by MuckRock enumerate the voting issues present in Georgia's 2018 midterm elections, which are now the subject of a Congressional investigation.
Boston's Great Molasses Flood happened 100 years ago this month. While the cause of the accident turned out to be a faulty tank and warmer than average temperatures, initially reports blamed sinister anarchists intent on violence. A recent Federal Bureau of Investigation report on "Anarchist Extremism" shows just how little things have changed.
Documents from the Federal Bureau Investigation reveal that as part of COINTELPRO, the Bureau once attempted to impersonate a redacted Black Panther Party official in forged letters to expel "fringe" members. That plan was ultimately never brought to fruition, but not due to any last-minute attack of conscience - the FBI had simply run out of the right stationery.
Simmons University postponed both the internal and external launch events of the Gwen Ifill College of Media, Arts, and Humanities after harsh criticism regarding the hiring process that led to a white male dean. Ifill, an alumna of Simmons, was an award-winning journalist with work featured in The Boston Herald, The Washington Post, The New...
When Facilities turned on the heating in residence halls for the winter, first-year student and Morse Hall resident Cara Stockman did not expect building temperatures to be so warm. Stockman noticed that the majority of Morse Hall residents that she spoke with kept their windows open and their fans on...
[Op-ed on nuclear power plants and the environment] Thirty years ago on April 26, the worst nuclear power accident in history occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Radioactive particles permeated the air, forcing approximately 116,000 people to evacuate the 30-kilometer radius surrounding Chernobyl. While 31 deaths are directly tied to Chernobyl, hundreds of thousands more have suffered or died from a laundry...
Annita Lucchesi, a doctoral student and freelance cartographer, has filed extensive FOIA requests to create the first centralized database on missing and murdered indigenous women. Lucchesi shared her experiences navigating a system that refuses to keep track of this data.
[Feature on Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month] The month of February is typically awash in hearts, chocolates, cards, and hues of vivid pinks and reds. For some people, the signs of Valentine's Day are welcome; they can expect a treasure trove of candies and affectionate notes from their partners. For the victims of dating violence, however, this holiday celebrating love and romance...