THE WEEKLY REVEAL
Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023
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Hello! In this issue:
- How companies across the South built their profits using convict leasing.
- Where you can watch our new documentary films, “The Grab” and “Victim/Suspect.”
- In D.C.? The After Ayotzinapa podcast team is coming your way.
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THIS WEEK’S PODCAST
Locked Up: The Prison Labor That Built Business Empires
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After the Civil War, companies across the South built their profits using forced labor from people in prison. The racist practice that targeted mostly Black men was known as convict leasing.
In Tennessee, prisoners were put to work in coal mines owned by some of America’s largest corporations. This week on Reveal, reporters search for the descendants of prisoners and examine what, if any, corporate accountability is still possible.
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🎧 Other places to listen: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts.
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New York Passes Law to Protect Amazon Warehouse Workers
The new law is the latest example of government officials taking action after years of mounting injuries from Amazon’s relentless drive for speed. Read the full story.
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Texas Republicans Look to Usurp Power of Local Prosecutors Who Don’t Pursue Their Voter Fraud Agenda
The Texas Legislature is considering at least nine bills that would increase criminal penalties for voting-related infractions or extend law enforcement’s ability to investigate voters. Read the full story.
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INSIDE THE NEWSROOM
Where You Can Connect With Our Reporters and Their Projects
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Investigative journalists Nathan Halverson, Emma Schwartz and Mallory Newman in a still from “The Grab” documentary. Credit: Jonathan Ingalls
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🔹 Watch “The Grab” at festivals in California and Montana or online. Our new independent documentary “The Grab” reveals how governments and corporations around the world are taking drastic measures to control access to food and water.
The film stems from nearly seven years of investigations on five continents. When Reveal reporter Nathan Halverson started investigating China’s purchase of U.S. food giant Smithfield Foods, which controls 1 in 4 American pigs, he didn't intend to produce a feature film. But the more he researched, the more a hidden pattern emerged: Such purchases weren't isolated events, but rather strategic, systemic maneuvering by corporations and governments that has kicked off a global scramble for food and water in the 21st century.
Here are two opportunities to catch the film, in person or online, at festivals:
🔹 “Victim/Suspect” on Netflix’s 2023 movie roster. This week, Netflix officially announced that our documentary “Victim/Suspect” is on its list of 2023 releases. While there is no official date yet, it is slated to roll out later this year.
If you can’t wait, the film is making its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, and online screening tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. You can stream the film online Jan. 24-29.
“Victim/Suspect” follows The Center for Investigative Reporting reporter Rachel de Leon as she uncovers a shocking nationwide pattern: Young women tell police they’ve been sexually assaulted, but instead of finding justice, they’re charged with making a false report, arrested and even imprisoned by the system they believed would protect them.
🔹 After Ayotzinapa series comes to D.C. Reveal’s Anayansi Diaz-Cortes and the National Security Archive’s Kate Doyle, the lead reporters on our After Ayotzinapa podcast series, will be in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 26 to talk about the Ayotzinapa case, the government cover-up that followed and the new investigation that unraveled.
They’ll be joined by Omar Gómez Trejo, lead prosecutor in the case from 2019 to 2022, and other experts who will speak about the ongoing crises of forced disappearance and impunity in Mexico.
The event will take place at Busboys and Poets’ 14th St. location, 6-8 p.m. Space is limited. Register to secure a free ticket.
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Listen: Reporter Elizabeth Shogren on Texas Standard
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Errol Summerlin, co-founder of the Coastal Alliance to Protect Our Environment, stands in front of a ship docked at Cheniere Energy’s liquefied natural gas export terminal in Corpus Christi, Texas. Credit: Elizabeth Shogren for Reveal
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The United States has pledged to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, but Russia’s war in Ukraine set off a bonanza for liquefied natural gas. In response to Europe’s need for natural gas as it lost access to Russian supplies, America’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, Cheniere Energy, is expanding its facilities in Corpus Christi, Texas.
This week, reporter Elizabeth Shogren spoke to the Texas Standard about local residents who are pushing back against what they see as Cheniere’s encroachment on their homes and environment. Listen to the conversation here. If you missed this reporting on Reveal, you can listen to the episode, Drilling Down on Fossil Fuels and Climate Change, online or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Andrew Young, an early leader of the civil rights movement, once said: “If you want to know what the fight for civil rights felt like, if you want to know what it looked like, just look at Ernest Withers’ photographs.”
But Withers’ photos also served another purpose – one he kept secret to his death. We brought you that story last week on Reveal. If you missed it, you can tune in here or wherever you get your podcasts.
📱 To see more of Withers’ photos, check out our Instagram.
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This issue of The Weekly Reveal was written by Kassie Navarro, edited by Kate Howard and copy edited by Nikki Frick. If you enjoyed this issue, forward it to a friend. Have some thoughts? Drop us a line with feedback or ideas!
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