Democracy & Government

The importance of democracy and politics in our daily lives is a driving force behind our journalism, whether it’s an ongoing examination of the political engineering of inequality or exposing the revolving door of power and influence that spins individuals in and out of jobs in the public and private sectors. Below are a variety of programs and interviews that illustrate democratic principles and the ways in which they’ve come under fire and been defended. Be inspired, encouraged, and alarmed… but mostly be aware.

EXPLORE Democracy & Government

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Preview: United States of ALEC, A Follow-Up
June 19, 2013 | Moyers & Company
This week, we revisit the hidden world of ALEC -- the scheme to remake America, one state house at a time. Watch a preview.
From left to right: Director of the National Security Agency (NSA), Gen. Keith B. Alexander, Rand Beers, Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, Patrick Gallagher, director of the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology, and Richard McFeely, Executive Assistant Director of Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Branch, Federal Bureau of Investigation, arrive to testify about NSA surveillance before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
How Cash Secretly Rules Surveillance Policy
June 19, 2013 | Perspectives
David Sirota explains how private contractors like Booz Allen bankroll Congress and control the debate about security, surveillance and privacy.
Linda Door of Laguna Beach, Ca., protests outside the United States Supreme Court in Washington, Monday, March 26, 2012, as the court begins hearing arguments on the constitutionality of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, derisively labeled "Obamacare" by its opponents. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Who Likes Obamacare?
June 18, 2013

Three years after the Affordable Care Act passed, a majority of Americans don’t support it. Get a breakdown of who, and some hints at why. Continue reading

FILE - This May 15, 2013 file photo shows stacks of paperwork awaiting members of the House Agriculture Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, as it met to consider proposals to the 2013 Farm Bill. The Senate has rejected an amendment By Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla. to turn the federal food stamp program over to the states. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
What Congress and the Media are Missing in the Food Stamp Debate
June 18, 2013 | The Poverty Line
When it comes to the farm bill, Congress and the media are talking about everything except how to respond to hunger in America.
In this April 19, 2011, file photo, a member of the National Guard checks on his colleague inside a Border Patrol Skybox near the Hidalgo International Bridge in Hidalgo, Texas. National Guard members along the Texas-Mexico border assist Border Patrol by surveying the terrain from the tower.
Where Immigration Policy Intersects with Government Surveillance
June 17, 2013 | News & Notes

The Senate immigration reform bill includes an increase of $5.5 billion over 10 years to expand surveillance on the U.S. border — including controversial 24/7 domestic drones. Continue reading

Glenn Greenwald, a reporter of The Guardian, speaks to reporters at his hotel in Hong Kong Monday, June 10, 2013. Greenwald reported a 29-year-old contractor who claims to have worked at the National Security Agency and the CIA allowed himself to be revealed Sunday as the source of disclosures about the U.S. government's secret surveillance programs, risking prosecution by the U.S. government. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)
Should Journalists Who Talk to Leakers Be Worried?
June 15, 2013 | News & Notes

After journalist James Rosen was called a “co-conspirator” by the government after reporting leaked information, could those who print Edward Snowden’s disclosures face prosecution? Continue reading

Electrical conduits are installed overhead in a server room at Intergate.Manhattan, in New York, Wednesday, March 20, 2013. The 32-story Intergate.Manhattan, once a Verizon facility, will house a one million square foot data center. The Seattle-based data storage company has renovated the building with electrical substations and backup generators above ground level to protect the facility from storm surge damage. The facility will greatly increase the city's computing infrastructure capacity. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Drinking the Big Data Kool-Aid
June 14, 2013 | News & Notes

This week’s revelations about the NSA surveillance program have begun a debate about personal data, privacy and digital policy that should have happened years ago. Continue reading

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Full Show: Big Brother’s Prying Eyes
June 14, 2013 | Moyers & Company

Lawrence Lessig and Bill explore how we can protect our privacy when Big Government and Big Business morph into Big Brother. Continue reading

Lawrence Lessig TED talk: We the People, and the Republic we must reclaim
Fight Corruption at Its Roots
June 14, 2013

Through Rootstrikers, Lawrence Lessig seeks to stem the influence of money on our political system, what he considers the underlying source of challenges to American democracy. Continue reading

Wisconsin State Capitol at night. (Darin ten Bruggencate/Wikimedia Commons)
ALEC’s (Non)Disclosure Policy
June 14, 2013 | The United States of ALEC

Despite its expressed commitment to transparency, the controversial organization appears to have undertaken efforts to stop its documents from falling into outside hands. Continue reading

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