Jo Erickson

Jo Erickson is a Mint Press investigative journalist and producer specializing in criminal and social justice as well as politics. She worked as the BBC’s News and Current Affairs Producer, breaking the news of the 2011 London riots while also covering African affairs and human rights. She has been published in The Guardian, The Daily Mirror and various U.K. publications. She has worked as an undercover journalist and filmed documentaries for the BBC exposing crime and terrorism. Contact Jo at [email protected] .

Cornered But Not Cowering, Assange Rails Against Government Surveillance

“I’m not saying don’t join the CIA. No, go and join the CIA. Go in there. Go into the ballpark and get the ball and bring it out.”

Jo Erickson
بواسطة Jo Erickson

Enforced exile hasn’t slowed Julian Assange’s efforts stop international government surveillance. This week the WikiLeaks founder slammed government spying while appearing on BBC Radio 4’s flagship current affairs program and at a computer convention, where he encouraged resistance to government intrusion to protect freedom. Assange’s public

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Fundraising Companies Pocket Fortunes, Little Left For Veterans

Charities for veterans pay professional fundraisers to run call centers that generate funds, then allow them to keep up to 90 percent of donations.

Jo Erickson
بواسطة Jo Erickson

Six charities purportedly devoted to American veterans ranked among the 50 worst charities in the nation, which means most money donated to them never reaches the intended beneficiaries. America’s Worst Charities, a collaboration by the Tampa Bay Times and the Center for Investigative Reporting, listed the National Veterans Service Fund (8),

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Winter Olympics Construction Destroys Village Water Supply

So far, Russia’s $50 billion Winter Olympic development has failed to deliver any help to rural areas.

Jo Erickson
بواسطة Jo Erickson

With only six weeks until the opening ceremony of the most expensive Winter Olympics in history, the International Olympic Committee has been severely criticized by Human Rights Watch for leaving villages without water for five years. The Russian Olympic bid was intended to bring prosperity to the region, but the $50 billion construction of the

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Syria’s Aleppo: Civil War Has Destroyed What Was Once The Cultural Jewel Of The Middle East

As all sides continue to kill civilians and ravage cities, the future of Aleppo’s ancient civilization has become a glaring question.

Jo Erickson
بواسطة Jo Erickson

The city of Aleppo, Syria, was once the cultural jewel of the Ottoman Empire and the last outpost of Silk Road trade route to the west. Today, however, the historic city is at the heart of the Syrian civil war -- bombarded with missiles and bombs, and suffering the loss of its historic treasures, such as the home of the ancient 700 Dead Cities,

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Private Prisons Pushing To Increase Profits

The privatized prison industry has allowed the Corrections Corporation of America to increase its profits by more than 500 percent in the last 20 years.

Jo Erickson
بواسطة Jo Erickson

The private prison industry has become an increasingly lucrative business, as the companies running them seek to increase profits by cutting inmates’ food provisions while pressuring state governors to guarantee prisons remain 90 percent full at all times. In recent years, for-profit prisons have grown in popularity. The number of private prisons

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Could Gitmo’s Closure Be On The Horizon?

The new policy will allow 160 detainees to be released in various repatriation processes in some countries but not all.

Jo Erickson
بواسطة Jo Erickson

Will 2014 be the year President Barack Obama finally fulfills his 2008 campaign pledge to close Guantanamo Bay prison? It appears, at least, that the notorious detention facility’s closure is something he continues to work toward. On Thursday, Obama signed into law the 2014 defense spending budget, which changes how the military handles sexual

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Poverty — Not Peace Or Prosperity — Remains Constant For Palestinians In New Year

The Israeli blockade of Gaza has caused extreme poverty — making daily life a struggle for survival.

Jo Erickson
بواسطة Jo Erickson

On the day that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called Jesus a role model for the Palestinians in a Christmas message, Israeli military open fired on a Palestinian home killing a 3-year-old and injuring several other residents. Israel was seeking revenge after an Israeli civilian was killed by a Palestinian sniper and responded with an air,

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