N.C. Supreme Court sets up tight timeline to implement voter ID

In a rare procedural move, North Carolina's Republican-controlled high court reversed a ruling blocking voter identification requirements made just five months earlier by the previous Democratic-controlled court. The law requiring voters to show certain kinds of photo ID at the polls will be implemented as soon as this September's municipal elections, and elections officials and voting rights advocates are getting ready. (5/12/2023)

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Tyson workers protest 'poor' treatment at closing Van Buren plant

A version of the story that Rachell Sanchez-Smith and Olivia Paschal recently reported for Facing South about a strike by Tyson Foods poultry processing workers in Arkansas aired at KUAF, where Sanchez-Smith serves as an associate producer for "Ozarks at Large." KUAF is the public radio station and NPR affiliate for Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas River Valley, Eastern Oklahoma, and Southeastern Missouri. (5/4/2023)

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From the Archives: The Texas Observer: 'A Journal of Free Voices'

Earlier this year, just days after voting to cease publication and lay off its journalists, the nonprofit publisher of the Texas Observer said it would keep the 68-year-old muckraking magazine alive following an emergency appeal that raised more than $300,000. To celebrate the good news, we're sharing a 1974 story by Larry Goodwyn from the Southern Exposure archives about the legendary publication's history and mission. (12/1/1974)

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Gene Nichol on North Carolina's lessons for America's democracy struggle

Ben Barber interviewed UNC law professor and anti-poverty scholar Gene Nichol about his new book, “Lessons from North Carolina: Race, Religion, Tribe, and the Future of America,” which offers insights from North Carolina politics aimed at countering the nationwide assault on democratic norms and values.

Facing South freelancer wins award for PFAS investigation

Please join Facing South and the Institute for Southern Studies in congratulating Alasdair McNinch on taking second place in the investigative reporting competition of the 2022-23 Hearst Journalism Awards Program. McNinch, a journalism student at UNC-Chapel Hill, won for his investigative package published by Facing South in March titled, "Taking on the 'forever chemical' threat in North Carolina school water supplies."

There were a total of 82 entries submitted from 53 schools. Alasdair scored high enough to compete alongside first-place winners from the other categories at a national competition that will take place next month in San Francisco. He plans to continue focusing his work on environmental and social issues.

The Hearst Journalism Awards Program was founded in 1960 to support journalism education at the college and university level. The program awards scholarships to students for outstanding performance in college-level journalism, with matching grants to the students' schools.

It is because of support from readers like you that we can support up-and-coming journalists like Alasdair. Please consider contributing to the cause here. Thank you!

Why felony disenfranchisement is a public safety problem

Some states have taken steps to restore voting rights for people with felony convictions, but Republican officials in places including Florida and North Carolina later reversed the reforms. Proponents of permanent disenfranchisement say it promotes respect for the law, but a growing body of evidence suggests that such policies make their targets more likely to break it again.