My regular beats include business, technology, media, culture, theater, and sometimes a combination of all five. I’ve been in the New York City media business since 2006 with a career as a reporter, editor, and team leader that spans print, online, breaking news, longform, investigative news, criticism, and live events. Here is a sample of some of my favorite writing over the years:
The College Trap
New York Times: A guest essay on the education divide and how the business community could improve pathways for workers without college-level education. Full Story
‘Our Government Has Failed Us’
Fast Company: In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic shutdowns, I spoke with small-business owners frustrated by the lack of government support and the chaotic rollout of the loan programs. Full Story
The Problem With Tech’s Most Important Law
Wired: I wrote a long read for Backchannel about the evolution and future of Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act. Full Story.
Treated Like Addicts
Vice News: I wrote about how the crackdown on opioid painkillers is affecting chronic pain patients. Full Story
Can Playbill survive the pandemic?
Fast Company: I spoke with the owners of Playbill about what they’re doing to survive the pandemic. Full Story
Stimulus Checks Ensnared By Glitches
Fast Company: In this scoop, I wrote about taxpayers who were not receiving their stimulus checks due to a technical glitch that the IRS refused to acknowledge. In a follow-up story, we revealed that the glitch was the result of taxpayers being misidentified as residents of U.S. territories. Full Story and Follow-Up.
Way Down Under The Ground
Co.Design: I spoke with director Rachel Chavkin and scenic designer Rachel Hauck about how they created the look for the Tony-winning musical Hadestown. Full Story
Jailed For Facebook In Myanmar
Fast Company: I went to Yangon, Myanmar, and spoke with free-speech activists fighting to change a regressive telecommunications law. Full Story
The Trophy Hunting Paradox
International Business Times: I went to Kenya to speak with wildlife conservationists about new efforts to save the country’s wild animals. Full Article.
How Likes Hijacked the 2010s
Fast Company: In this long read, part of our end-of-the-decade series, I explored the history of Facebook’s like button and its enduring influence on advertising, culture, and commerce. Full Story
Invasion of the Seaweed
International Business Times: I reported from Tulum, Mexico, on the puzzling increase of sargassum seaweed washing ashore in coastal towns and threatening Mexico’s $154 million tourism industry. Full Article
A Bloodbath On Broadway
Newsweek: I reviewed American Psycho, a musical adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s novel, which dripped with great 1980s camp but struggled to realize a greater purpose. Full Article
Christopher Zara 