Here’s a sample of my writing…
‘Our Government Has Failed Us’
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
How Likes Hijacked the 2010s
In this Fast Company 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
Can Playbill survive the pandemic?
For more than 130 years, the storied theatrical magazine had access to the ultimate captive audience. Then came the shutdowns. I spoke with the owners of Playbill about what they’re doing to survive the pandemic. Full Story
Treated Like Addicts
For Vice News, I wrote about how the crackdown on opioid painkillers is affecting chronic pain patients. Many who had relied on the medication for decades now say they feel stigmatized by the media and abandoned by doctors who have stopped treating them out of fear of losing their licenses. Full Story
Stimulus Checks Ensnared By Glitches
In this scoop for Fast Company, 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
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
I went to Yangon, Myanmar, and spoke with free-speech activists fighting to change a regressive telecommunications law. The country is experiencing a wave of prosecutions for Facebook posts deemed to be defamatory or insulting to the military and government. Full Story
The Trophy Hunting Paradox
I went to Kenya to speak with wildlife conservationists about new efforts to save the country’s wild animals. Kenya banned trophy hunting in the 1970s, but many wildlife species continue to disappear at alarming rates. Full Article.
Invasion of the Seaweed
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. The problem in 2015 had hospitality workers on edge as everyone wondered when, or if, the onslaught would let up. Full Article.
A Bloodbath On Broadway
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.
The Problem With Tech’s Most Important Law
I wrote a long read for Backchannel about the evolution and future of Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act. The law established crucial legal protections for websites, but over time has grown to become a protector of privilege and power. I spoke with the two lawmakers who wrote the statute about whether it still works as intended. Full Story.
Christopher Zara 