Stephanie Whiteside

Associate Producer, AJ+

USA

Digital production * Social Media * Community Management

Currently: AJ+. Previous: Current TV

[email protected]

Portfolio

Video

The Underreported Story

current.com
11/02/11
TSA taking security outside of airports

We've all come to expect a certain measure of indignity in airport travel in the past decade, but what about other means of travel? AOL Travel and The Atlantic reported on a local story that Tennessee was quietly working with the TSA on a program that screened drivers traveling on the highway.

current.com
11/14/12
Stalled farm bill could spell chaos for farmers

As Congress gathers for the lameduck session, one piece of legislation to keep an eye on is the farm bill. The Senate passed its version of the farm bill, but the House has yet to bring the legislation up for a vote, and it's a move that could create chaos for farmers.

current.com
10/25/11
The right to live in America up for sale?

This week's underreported story comes from frequent "Countdown" guest Robert Reich, who blogged about a bill that would offer residency visas to wealthy foreigners if they purchase real estate, in an attempt to prop up the stumbling housing market.

current.com
10/19/11
A demand to forgive student loans

Demands are beginning to surface in the Occupy Wall Street movement, and many protesters are calling for studentloan debt to be forgiven.

current.com
10/12/11
The 99 percent loses, Wall Street wins...again

This week, discount store 99 Cents Only sold for $1.6 billion dollars. Unless you're an avid fan of the business section, you probably missed this announcement. But as Salon writer Andrew Leonard points out, there's more to this than the sale of one chain, and it has a lot to say about who is benefitting in this economy.

current.com
10/05/11
Clean energy investment under attack

Republicans are using the collapse of solar energy company Solyndra to try to oust Energy Secretary Steven Chu and attack other alternative energy programs. This is coming at the same time as a global spike in fossil fuel subsidies, with record amounts of money being spent in an attempt to artificially lower fuel prices.

current.com
09/28/11
The high cost of discount goods

Workers forced to work in warehouses with temperatures over 100 degrees often suffering from dehydration or heat exhaustion. Demands that workers process items at increasingly high rates and facing discplinary action for not making rate. Sound like conditions in a third-world country? Try again. Think Pennsylvania.

current.com
09/20/11
Occupying Wall Street for democracy

Feeling fed up watching Washington fight over tax breaks for the wealthiest 1 percent of the population while unemployment continues to plague the rest of the country? Sick of watching Wall Street tank the economy and walk away? You're not alone and this weekend, protestors took to the streets of lower Manhattan with a demand for change.

current.com
09/14/11
An attack on Iranian Google users

SSL certificates are issued by CAs, which number in the hundreds and operate in many jurisdictions. Any one CA being compromised, as in the case of DigiNotar, could result in hundreds of fraudulent certificates. Since these companies operate in many locations, it's also conceivable that a government could compel a CA to create fraudulent certificates for the purposes of engaging in espionage or investigation of political dissidents.

current.com
09/07/11
The debt supercommittee's lobbying ties

Congress is set to return to Washington this week and the controversial, bipartistan supercommittee of 12 members tasked with paring down the deficit by $1.5 trillion will also start its work. The chosen dozen needs to find that amount in spending reductions over a decade or face $1.2 trillion in across the board cuts starting in 2013. But who's influencing the supercommittee?

current.com
08/31/11
Perry, Bachmann and spiritual warfare

Between Rick Perry's prayer rally and Michele Bachmann's religious background and beliefs, the Republican primary isn't short on faith. As the election heats up, both Bachmann and Perry have been connected to particular set of Christian beliefs that could influence their politics in a significant way.

current.com
08/26/11
The Department of Education vs. Matt Damon

You may have seen the video of Matt Damon's recent smackdown of a reporter at an education rally. But you may have missed the news coming out this week: that the Obama Administration had a sudden interest in meeting with Damon and the teachers involved in the "Save Our Schools" rally before the event.

current.com
08/19/11
A shift away from the death penalty?

In the midst of a swirl of coverage of the Republican primary and the economy, NPR reported on changes that are quietly affecting the death penalty and the 58 prisoners on federal death row who are increasingly unlikely to be executed during President Obama's watch.

current.com
08/12/11
Iceland's quiet revolution

If the first thing that springs to mind when you think of Iceland is Bjork, you may have missed the underreported news of Iceland's surprising approach to economic recovery. Although it's been developing for some time, the story of how Iceland has put the wishes of the Icelandic population ahead of the financial industry and turned the conventional approach to recovery on its head has started people talking.

current.com
08/05/11
Could the government require ISPs to track your activity online?

While everyone was staring up at the debt ceiling, a story trickled out about bill in the House that would require Internet service providers to retain records of your online activity, raising questions about online privacy and putting them up against the desire to combat child pornography on the Internet.

current.com
07/28/11
Time for a corporate tax holiday?

In the midst of endless coverage over competing debt ceiling deals, you might have missed the quiet rumblings over a move to include a second "one-time" tax holiday for corporations.

News and Politics

current.com
11/21/12
The top 12 political turkeys of 2012

An election year can bring out some of the more interesting political moments. And by interesting, we mean completely ridiculous.

current.com
11/15/12
Beyond the $31.50

The average food stamp recipient receives $31.50 in credit for groceries each week. That's a pretty tight budget to begin with, but when it comes to cooking healthy meals there can be hidden costs for low-income families.

current.com
09/24/12
Mitt adds fuel to the fire

Speaking at a fundraiser in Los Angeles, Mitt Romney once again stumbled, this time revealing a lack of understanding about science. And specifically, about why those airplane windows don't open.

Pop culture and Humor

current.com
06/22/12
To Boldly Go: 11 hot topics sci-fi isn't afraid to engage

Science fiction has been willing to push boundaries, taking on topics that other genres shy away from. Set in the future or fantastical universes, sci-fi is able to sneak past preconceived notions and paint complex, heated issues in a new light.

current.com
04/20/2011
Recycled crafts for Earth Day

Most of us learned "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" in elementary school. The first and last are pretty easy (at least in theory). But reusing things takes a little more creativity. It's easy to give into the temptation to go out and buy new eco-friendly products to embark on a green lifestyle, especially with so much greenwashing happening in advertising.

current.com
05/24/12
The 13 best fake politicians on Twitter

Everyone's on Twitter these days, including politicians. But the official Twitter accounts of politicians aren't nearly as entertaining as the imposters taking to the Internet with fake Twitter IDs.

current.com
04/08/2011
Top Five Kick-Ass Teen Heroines

Hanna, which opened on Friday, stars Saoirse Ronan as a deadly assassin raised in the woods and trained by her father. Since most action heroes are more likely to resemble James Bond, we got to thinking about some other teen heroines of film and television who are surprisingly deadly.

current.com
03/28/2011
Whedon's World of Sex

Pop Matters recently suggested Joss Whedon's television series (which include Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse) represent a conservative view of sexuality.

current.com
03/02/2011
John Turturro on "Passione" and Italy

John Turturro might feel the Passione as a director, but not always as a dancer -- at the opening night of the San Jose film festival Cinequest on Tuesday, the actor/director teased the audience at a screening of his latest film despite the old-fashioned organ player in the theater, he wasn't going to show off any fancy footwork.

current.com
02/11/2011
"The Singularity is Near" on Defining Humanity

Imagine a world where artificial intelligence is so advanced that an AI is virtually indistinguishable from a biological human. One where the line between robotics and biology blurs as people rely on technology to fight disease, enhance their bodies, and reverse aging. In such a world, how do you define what constitutes a person?

Environmental Issues

current.com
04/19/2011
Deepwater Horizon: One Year Later

Tuesday, one day before the one-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the last of the waters closed to fishing were reopened.

current.com
04/17/2011
EPA's Clean Air Act in a chokehold?

Bloomberg reports that the EPA could face a new obstacle in its efforts to enforce clean air and water rules, as it stands to lose $1.6 billion in funding as part of a deal between President Obama and congressional leaders to cut the federal budget by $38 billion.