Four-part series on the economic & political context of Green New Deal policies
With local details and global significance, we examine the people and places around Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s district most affected by climate proposals.
Politicians, Funders, and Campaign Finance
In advance of the 2016 elections, I wrote for Al Jazeera America about a clever ballot initiative in California that sought to force state legislators to walk into their chamber in Sacramento donning the logos of their top 10 donors.
Gun companies lock up billions in sales
With more than 300 million firearms owned by U.S. civilians and at least 100 million guns produced by U.S. manufacturers in the last 25 years, the U.S. has the highest rate of gun ownership in the world. I explained the link between revenues, stock prices, lobbying, and gun laws.
‘Creating a new image of Tunisia’
With reporting by Yasmine Ryan, photography by Tara Todras-Whitehill, and production by Joanna Kao, Vaughn Wallace and I edited this multimedia exploration of the cultural festival that took place despite geopolitical uncertainties in the North African country.
Red State Road Trip
I covered key U.S. political issues of the 2012 presidential election from middle America, beyond the campaign trail’s battlegrounds, reporting on voters in four states so Republican-leaning that neither Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney invested much electoral capital (archival Al Jazeera English link).
Inside the Hermit Kingdom
Six-part Worldfocus multimedia series on the people and culture of North Korea. Watch original footage from August 2009 of the Pyongyang Metro, rural countryside, Demilitarized Zone, and everyday North Korean civilians. Read an interview with a North Korean army major who explains why the stalemate remains.
Hoardhouse
2009 multimedia masters project by Ben Piven, Jackie Kasuya, and Karn Dhingra at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. We explore the lives of hoarders, clean-up professionals, psychologists, and social workers. Visit Hoardhouse.com to learn more about compulsive clutter in NYC.
Publications
These are among the online and print publications that ran my work prior to joining Al Jazeera. I have reported local news stories for the NY Daily News, Philadelphia Weekly, Baltimore Sun, and AFP. My international news stories have appeared on Worldfocus, HuffingtonPost, Haaretz, and Chosun.
2007-2008 Fulbright Report: Caste in the City
Two years ago, I conducted research on the dynamics of caste mobility in Mumbai, India. I found that in contemporary Mumbai, caste is less important than ever in determining occupation, residential arrangements, and even marriage. Yet the reservation system and caste-based politics are powerful factors. Read more in my report.