The Top 5: From anti-poverty paperwork to natural disaster social media
Welcome to the latest edition of the Top 5 articles we’ve read this week. Each week, we read dozens of articles in the hope we find essays and reporting that speak to big ideas, trends, future looks, and incredible human stories. We hope you enjoy these articles, and do always let us know if you have a suggestion or a recommendation!
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The Top 5 articles for your week:
“How paperwork keeps people in poverty” (Vox)
Because Abdallah Fayyad asks a question about America’s anti-poverty programs: “Could the US significantly reduce poverty even if lawmakers don’t create a single new program?”
“Stop Counting Votes Or We’re Going To Murder Your Children” (The Atlantic)
Because Matteo Wong chronicles the rapidly changing and increasingly hostile landscape facing election officials in the United States.
These workers, from secretaries of state to local officials to volunteers, are bearing the immediate, human toll of a campaign to discredit the integrity of American democracy.
“We live in imaginary worlds” (Substack)
Because Freya India points out yet another new dimension to the loneliness and technology paradigm.
Now we are raising children in imaginary worlds and at the same time killing their imagination. That’s the real cruelty about this. Kids today have their imaginary worlds generated for them. Instead of writing their own stories, they can put prompts into ChatGPT. Instead of creating their own fantasy worlds, they can generate them with a few clicks.
“Our Strange New Way of Witnessing Natural Disasters” (NYT Magazine)
Because Brooke Jarvis examines the forums through which many Americans are learning about recent natural disasters — social media videos vs. traditional news sources.
“14 Years of Writing About the October Moon” (Substack)
Because Jacqueline Dooley writes about the loss of her eldest child through the lens of a long-standing school project. Grab a tissue!