iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

For DEPTH PERCEPTION, @thorbenson.bsky.social speaks to Giridharadas about independent journalism, how he ended up writing about Neely and Penny’s trial, and where his mind is at now about the state of journalism. Read now: depthperception.longlead.com/p/anand-giri...

“It just changed me.” How reporting his latest book prompted Anand Giridharadas to reflect on his career in journalism

From Ted Talks to news hits to newslettering, the journalist and author outlines what it really takes to publish a serious book in 2026.

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In the book, Giridharadas explores the death of Jordan Neely in NYC Neely was a homeless man who was killed on a subway car by a bystander named Daniel Penny, as the result of Penny putting Neely in a chokehold, drawing intense media attention and leading to a controversial criminal trial.

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Journalist Anand Giridharadas (@anandwrites.bsky.social) says his perspective of the world was altered while writing his new book ' Man in the Mirror: Hope, Struggle, and Belonging in an American City,' as the process returned him to his roots as a reporter and thinker.

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Despite the tumult within journalism, the industry's brightest seem to agree that while the stakes are high for the industry, the ceiling is even higher. Read DEPTH PERCEPTION's third-year edition now: depthperception.longlead.com/p/best-journ...

“People are still curious.” Top journalists on what keeps them hopeful

Depth Perception’s third year chronicled an industry fighting for its survival. Discover what’s driving journalism’s sharpest minds with our annual questionnaire roundup.

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For DEPTH PERCEPTION's third anniversary edition, some of the sharpest journalists shared their thoughts on the state of the industry. Media critic @sulliview.bsky.social feels hopeful for the future when she sees writers "who clearly care a lot, and when I see people doing important cultural work"

Graphic with DEPTH PERCEPTION branding and headshots of journalists Ryan Broderick, Eliot Williams, Margaret Sullivan, Nicholas Thompson, Laura Jedeed, Chuck Todd, Julia Angwin, Dave Jorgenson, Jelani Cobb, and Anthony Breznican with blue overlay, and text: "People are still curious." Top journalists on what keeps them hopeful

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John Patrick Pullen @jppullen.com · 29/09/2026

What is the legacy of 9/11? We're still living in it. The special episode of LONG SHADOW: 9/11'S LINGERING QUESTIONS "Never Again" has been named as a finalist for THREE @signalawards.bsky.social. Help us win by voting today: bit.ly/LongShadowBe... bit.ly/LongShadowBe... bit.ly/LongShadowBe...

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Reposted by Long Lead

Long Lead is going global! I'm so proud to see our feature on Russia's threats to its neighbors recognized by The Lovie Awards. Long Lead has won "Best Individual Editorial Feature" at The Webby Awards for the past four years, and with this nod, we are poised to win it in Europe too. PLEASE VOTE!

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Read BORDER LINE WAR to learn more about how countries from the Arctic, through the Baltics, and down into the heart of Asia have held the line with the menace next door — and what it’s like when the cold wind of war blows through this new Iron Curtain. border-line-war.longlead.com

A New Iron Curtain: Inside the Cold War to Curb Putin's Imperial Reach

From Norway to Kazakhstan, U.S. allies hold a tenuous line with Russia, the ghost of an empire that insists it has no boundaries.

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Long Lead and Magnum Photos's feature BORDER LINE WAR, about the reality of neighboring Russia during its increasing hostilities to the West, has been selected as a finalist for TWO Lovie Awards. Vote for it to win, today: bit.ly/BorderLineWa... bit.ly/BorderLineWa...

Graphic with text on the left: 2026 LOVIE AWARDS VOTE BORDER LINE WAR Best Use of Photography Best Individual Editorial Feature and gold Lovie Award Trophy on the right

LONG SHADOW's new 25th anniversary episode of 9/11'S LINGERING QUESTIONS illuminates how in the United States, we're still living in the legacy of 9/11. Listen now: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l...

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After 9/11, Congress and the White House considered a large-scale reorganization of the government bureaucracy. The Department of Homeland Security consolidated 22 federal agencies under one cabinet-level banner. The creation of DHS changed the face of immigration in America.

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The creation of Border Patrol and ICE are byproducts of the 9/11 terror attacks. Pre 2001, judges had erected firewalls between the government’s law enforcement efforts and intelligence gathering, repeatedly getting in the way of agents working to counter the rising threat of terrorist groups.

What is the legacy of 9/11? Reacting in the middle of one nightmare, the U.S. government created another — an apparatus that in the wrong hands, has become one of the most terrifying tools in the…

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Long Lead @longlead.com · 28/09/2026

In it, photographer Morgan Lieberman weaves together nine of the last survivors' narratives as they reflect on their experiences and how facing injustice at such a young age shaped their lives. Read it today: age-of-incarceration.longlead.com

age-of-incarceration.longlead.com

Japanese American Incarceration Survivors Remember What the US Forgot

During WWII, President Roosevelt invoked the Alien Enemies Act and incarcerated 125,000 Japanese Americans. Eighty years later, some of the camps’ last survivors reflect on lives scarred by injustice.

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Long Lead @longlead.com · 28/09/2026

Now, more than ever, it is necessary to understand the United States's past to learn how to create a better future for Americans of all backgrounds. Long Lead's feature, THE AGE OF INCARCERATION, is a powerful look at the survivors of World War II's Japanese American incarceration camps.

Quote graphic with archival photos from World War II Japanese American incarceration camps and cursive text in the middle The Age of Incarceration with quote underneath, "Now, more than ever, it’s vital to re-examine the past so we can better understand the darkness that’s gripping the present."

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Long Lead @longlead.com · 27/09/2026

For DEPTH PERCEPTION, @thorbenson.bsky.social talks to Brockell about her reporting process, how her background in aviation helped her, and how being collaborative with her expertise opened up new opportunities for her within journalism. Read now.

Gillian Brockell’s airline career changed course decades ago, but the experience landed her this year’s biggest scoop

How the former Washington Post reporter carved a beat out of tracking ICE deportation flights.

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Long Lead @longlead.com · 27/09/2026

When the first deportation flights took people out of the U.S. to countries they weren't even from, it wasn't @gillianbrockell.com's beat. She was just an interested journalist who once was a flight attendant — experience that came in handy to help cover ICE flights and third-country removals.

Graphic with DEPTH PERCEPTION branding and text: “I think a lot of journalists start pursuing journalism because they're really interested in people. I think the sort of objectivity thing kind of beats that out of people.” —Gillian Brockell, independent journalist covering deportation flights

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Long Lead @longlead.com · 26/09/2026

Looking for a read that will take your breath away? Experience THE DEPTHS SHE'LL REACH, Long Lead's feature about freediver Alenka Artnik who emerged from obscurity and mental health struggles to become one of the world’s most elite athletes. thedepths.longlead.com

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Long Lead @longlead.com · 25/09/2026

Long Lead's feature — winner of the National Press Foundations' Wounded Warrior Project Award for Excellence in Coverage of Veterans — HOME OF THE BRAVE tells the story of the decades-long fight for a place for homeless veterans to live. Explore the feature to learn more about their ongoing fight.

homeofthebrave.longlead.com

Home of the Brave: Enduring the VA’s Homeless Veteran Crisis

A centuries-spanning land war in LA between the U.S. government, local forces, and disabled veterans has left thousands of heroes without a place to call home.

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Long Lead @longlead.com · 25/09/2026

Meanwhile, LA has become the homeless veteran capital of America. Why isn't this land, which once housed thousands of disabled soldiers, home to more veterans? The answer is a scandal in plain sight, a story of government malfeasance, neglect, graft, and even death.

Map graphic of the West Los Angeles VA property with highlighted portions of the West LA VA land and surrounding neighborhoods Brentwood, Brentwood Heights, and University of California at Los Angeles

Long Lead @longlead.com · 25/09/2026

In 1888, wealthy landowners donated prime Los Angeles real estate to the U.S. government to house military veterans. Today the 388-acre property abuts the Brentwood neighborhood and the UCLA campus, is some of the country’s most valuable real estate, and houses very few vets — many in tiny shelters.

Long Lead @longlead.com · 24/09/2026

Long Lead creates world-class journalism, working with independent journalists to tell stories that are in-depth, immersive, impactful, and independent. longlead.com

longlead.com

Long Lead

An award-winning story studio focused on finding, financing, producing, and publishing original, in-depth journalism.

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In LONG SHADOW: 9/11'S LINGERING QUESTIONS, national security journalist and host Garrett Graff explains how this is a part of the 9/11 legacy we're living in... 25 years after the terror attacks. Listen now: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l...

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The ICE shooting of a DoorDash driver in Austin on Sunday is yet another abuse suffered by an ordinary American at the hands of federal agents of the DHS — a department created to help protect Americans but during Trump's second term is instead misusing its power.

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@thorbenson.bsky.social spoke to Brockell for DEPTH PERCEPTION about her reporting process, how her background in aviation helped her, and how being collaborative with her expertise opened up new opportunities for her within journalism. Read more: depthperception.longlead.com/p/tracking-i...

Gillian Brockell’s airline career changed course decades ago, but the experience landed her this year’s biggest scoop

How the former Washington Post reporter carved a beat out of tracking ICE deportation flights.

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Tracking All of Trump’s Known Third-Country Removals

Despite owning the ICE flights beat, Brockell was struggling to make ends meet freelancing on the subject. Her newsletter and a recent grant with The American Prospect (@prospect.org) have helped her so she can continue to do the important work of writing about ICE flights and third-country removals

gillianbrockell.com

Trump's ICE has expelled an estimated 23,000 people to countries where they have no ties. Find out where they are going, what happens to them, and who profits.

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Long Lead @longlead.com · 22/09/2026

Journalist @gillianbrockell.com is a self professed "aviation geek" — and her role as a former flight attendant helped her with the connections to cover one of the biggest stories of the year: ICE deportation flights.

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And listen to the new episode of LONG SHADOW: 9/11'S LINGERING QUESTIONS "Never Forget" wherever you get your podcasts: -Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l... -Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/6TLc... -YouTube: youtu.be/n8dt4bYTpak

Long Lead @longlead.com · 22/09/2026

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For DEPTH PERCEPTION, @ParkerMolloy.com and Graff discuss the new, special episode of LONG SHADOW: 9/11'S LINGERING QUESTIONS which takes a look at the legacy of 9/11 25 years after the deadly attacks. Read it today: depthperception.longlead.com/p/9-11-best-...

“We got almost everything wrong.” Garrett Graff on 9/11's shocking legacy

At the 25th anniversary of September 11, the history podcast “Long Shadow” explores how the government's response led to the rise of authoritarianism in the U.S.

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Long Lead @longlead.com · 22/09/2026

When you start looking at why America is so polarized, there are actually very explainable reasons about how our politics ended up as broken as they are right now, shares LONG SHADOW host @vermontgmg.bsky.social in his DEPTH PERCEPTION discussion about the history-chart topping podcast.

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"It is all the result of an order, a mantra, and a promise made while the fires of the Twin Towers and the Pentagon still burned: Never again," says @vermontgmg.bsky.social in the latest episode of LONG SHADOW. "Reacting in the middle of one nightmare, we created another." Listen now to learn more

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An ICE agent shot a DoorDash driver on Sunday in Austin, TX. It's the latest misuse of power by federal agents in Trump's second term which @vermontgmg.bsky.social says has marked "the arrival of a dystopian America, one that would have been unrecognizable to the Americans in the summer of 2001"

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Listen to the new, special episode of LONG SHADOW: 9/11'S LINGERING QUESTIONS to learn how we're still living in the legacy born from the United States' response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l...

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For DEPTH PERCEPTION, Graff speaks with Parker Molloy about the U.S. security apparatus, why neither former Presidents Obama nor Biden did anything to reel it in, and what the history book version of September 11 misses. Read now. depthperception.longlead.com/p/9-11-best-...

“We got almost everything wrong.” Garrett Graff on 9/11's shocking legacy

At the 25th anniversary of September 11, the history podcast “Long Shadow” explores how the government's response led to the rise of authoritarianism in the U.S.

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Journalist and host of LONG SHADOW: 9/11'S LINGERING QUESTIONS Garrett Graff shares that understanding the fear and trauma the United States felt after 9/11 is the key to understanding the government's response afterward — namely, the Iraq War and the overhaul of national security.

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Listen to the new episode "Never Again" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l... Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/6TLc... YouTube: youtu.be/n8dt4bYTpak

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Graff shares, "What we are seeing today is the legacy of that fear Americans experienced in the wake of 9/11. An all-consuming fear that corrupted the country and led to a massive federal apparatus and national secret police force stronger and larger than our country could have imagined in... 2001."

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In a special episode of LONG SHADOW: 9/11'S LINGERING QUESTIONS commemorating the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that changed the world, host Garrett Graff reflects on the legacy of the response to that day and the creation of government departments like the DHS, Border Patrol, and ICE.

Graphic with text at the top "Reacting in the middle of one nightmare, we created another — an apparatus that in the wrong hands, has become one of the most authoritarian tools in the history of our country." -Garrett Graff, host of LONG SHADOW: 9/11's LINGERING QUESTIONS and photo of ERO/ICE officers making an arrest during a Targeted Enforcement Operations in and around Minneapolis, Minnesota during the week of January 14, 2026.

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For DEPTH PERCEPTION, Brin-Jonathan Butler speaks with Jones about his process for writing a memoir through the worst struggle of his life, how he elevated the story to one of comfort and inspiration, and how, a decade later, he’s happier than he’s ever been. Read now.

Writing from rock bottom: How Chris Jones used his reporting chops to navigate the devastation detailed in his new memoir

In “Legs Hearts Minds: Loss and Its Remedies," the magazine journalist chronicles the journey of putting the pieces of his life back together.

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Following finding the texts that would end his marriage and beginning to report on his experience that would become his memoir, Jones shares, “I just began documenting things. It wasn’t out of a journalistic thing. But as I think about traumatic events in my life, I do tend to go outside myself.”

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homeofthebrave.longlead.com

Veterans have fought the VA for decades over its misuse of the land at the West LA VA, which was originally donated in the 1800s to house disabled vets. Learn more about their fight at HOME OF THE BRAVE, a Webby Award winner for Best Individual Feature: homeofthebrave.longlead.com

Home of the Brave: Enduring the VA’s Homeless Veteran Crisis

A centuries-spanning land war in LA between the U.S. government, local forces, and disabled veterans has left thousands of heroes without a place to call home.

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homeofthebrave.substack.com

It now appears that district court orders requiring the VA to build more than 2,500 housing units at a cost estimated to be more than $100 million will proceed, barring an appeal to the Supreme Court by the government. homeofthebrave.substack.com/p/homeless-v...

Carter's opinion: "It is time for the disabled veterans of Los Angeles to come home."

“The VA must remediate its mishandling of this resource so that the land may once again be available for its intended purpose: the housing of veterans,” the judge writes.

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homeofthebrave.substack.com

On Friday, September 11, the Ninth Circuit rejected the VA's request to reconsider its case again homeless vets fighting for housing at the West LA VA. The fight has been decades in the making as the land at the West LA VA has been chipped away by surrounding businesses.

Homeless veteran lawsuit prevails again, as Ninth Circuit rejects VA’s rehearing request

Veterans Affairs has lost every ruling in this landmark housing and disability case. Will it appeal to the Supreme Court next?

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Long Lead @longlead.com · 19/09/2026

The buildup of the massive federal police force following 9/11 — which consists of the Border Patrol, ICE, and more — amounts to one of the most destructive scandals U.S. law enforcement has ever faced. Learn more by listening to LONG SHADOW: 9/11'S LINGERING QUESTIONS's new episode.

Long Lead @longlead.com · 19/09/2026

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Crime has run rampant in federal agencies like Border Patrol and ICE since their founding — issues that the Bush, Obama, and Biden administrations all contributed to, leading us to where we're at now with the Trump administration, with ICE's nationwide raids, mass deportations, and more.

How Do We Move on from 9/11? A firefighter and police officer were in the World Trade Center when it collapsed on them. The experience keeps them fighting.

Long Lead @longlead.com · 18/09/2026

A new special episode of LONG SHADOW: 9/11'S LINGERING QUESTIONS unpacks how the U.S. government's response to the terror attacks of September 11 manifested in a police force that is now carrying out campaigns of intimidation and violence in the U.S. Listen to learn more.

Long Lead @longlead.com · 18/09/2026

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Immigration had been a hot-button issue for years, but after the 9/11 terror attacks, policymakers turned to reorganize "homeland security," focusing on reforming how the U.S. government handled immigration and border security. 📷: U.S. Department of Homeland Security

WASHINGTON (October 12, 2021) Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas participates in wreath laying ceremony at the National Law Enforcement Memorial. (DHS Photo by Zachary Hupp/Released)