Al Shaw
Al Shaw is a Senior News Application Developer at ProPublica.
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Al Shaw is a Senior News Application Developer at ProPublica. He uses data and interactive graphics to cover environmental issues, natural disasters and politics.
A year before Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston, Shaw was part of a team that produced “Hell and High Water,” which warned of the region's vulnerability to coastal storms. The project won a Peabody Award in 2017. Shaw's project, “Losing Ground,” about the century-long erosion of Louisiana's coast won a Gold Medal from the Society for News Design. His interactive maps surrounding FEMA's response to Hurricane Sandy were honored with the Society of Professional Journalists’ Sigma Delta Chi award. Before joining ProPublica, Shaw was a designer/developer at the political news website Talking Points Memo.
The Most Detailed Map of Cancer-Causing Industrial Air Pollution in the U.S.
Using the EPA’s data, we mapped the spread of cancer-causing industrial air emissions down to the neighborhood level. Look up your home to see if you and your loved ones are living in a hot spot.
Poison in the Air
The EPA allows polluters to turn neighborhoods into “sacrifice zones” where residents breathe carcinogens. ProPublica reveals where these places are in a first-of-its-kind map and data analysis.
Can Air Pollution Cause Cancer? What You Need to Know About the Risks.
If you live close to certain industrial facilities, you may have a higher estimated cancer risk. This may sound alarming. Here are answers to common questions, some crowdsourced tips and how to share your experience to help our investigation.
How We Created the Most Detailed Map Ever of Cancer-Causing Industrial Air Pollution
We analyzed billions of rows of EPA data to do something the agency had never done before: map the spread of cancer-causing industrial air emissions down to the neighborhood level.
What Parler Saw During the Attack on the Capitol
ProPublica sifted through thousands of videos taken by Parler users to create an immersive, first-person view of the Capitol riot.
New Maps Show How Climate Change is Making California’s “Fire Weather” Worse
On California’s fall fire days — days with high temperatures and wind speeds, as well as low humidity — all it takes is a spark from a downed power line to start an inferno. New research indicates that they’re about to become a lot more common.
New Climate Maps Show a Transformed United States
According to new data analyzed by ProPublica and The New York Times Magazine, warming temperatures, rising seas and changing rainfall will profoundly reshape the way people have lived in North America for centuries.
We Reviewed Police Tactics Seen in Nearly 400 Protest Videos. Here’s What We Found.
We asked experts to watch videos showing officers using tear gas, pepper balls and explosives on protesters. Police actions often escalated confrontations.
Can I Be Evicted During Coronavirus?
Even if you live in a state that has not banned evictions, federal rules may still protect you. Look up your address to learn more.
Can You Be Evicted During Coronavirus? Here’s How to Find Out.
The CARES Act temporarily protects millions of renters from being evicted, and many states and cities passed their own rules to help those struggling to pay rent. Use our new database to find out if eviction bans might apply to you.