Digital, Journalist, Multi-media, Online, Reporting, Uncategorized, Writing

In China, suspected school food poisoning case swept under the rug

A version of this story was published by Journalists for Transparency for a special series titled ‘SPOILED: Corruption from Farm to Table’.

LANZHOU, China—There were so many students in the hospital that morning that Li had trouble finding her own daughter.

“They put four to five children to a single bed. They just didn’t have enough beds to fit all of them,” says Li, who requested only her surname be used.

Her second-grade daughter was one of 244 primary school students in the central Chinese province of Gansu that fell ill in April 2013 after eating a government-subsidized school breakfast. The students, from five different schools in Gansu’s poor, remote Anding District, were stricken with severe diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pains.

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Digital, Journalist, Multi-media, Online, Reporting, Social, Video

Hong Kong Holds Candlelight Vigil on Tiananmen Square Anniversary

Shot, written, edited and produced by Stephanie Burnett.

Digital, Journalist, Multi-media, Online, Reporting, Social, Video

The Coming Out of Domestic Helpers

Domestic helpers in Hong Kong are known for the challenges they face – like having low wages and only one day off a week. But ironically, many Filipina helpers are also feeling liberated. That’s because they feel they can be more open about their lesbian partnerships, with some inspired to come out to their families back home.

Uncategorized

The 9 things to know before dating German men

What’s it like dating German men?

Having lived half a decade in Deutschland I’ve had my fair share of experiences — some grand, others regrettable — and can offer, cautiously, a Yankee perspective on the general question that will have generalized answers*. So please forgive (and indulge) me.

9 things to know before dating German men

1. Equality above chivalry
If you want an equal partnership — make Germany your first port of call. Here, all’s fair in love and equality. Rent and restaurant bills are split down the middle. You’ll seldom find doors held open for women. And it is extremely rare that a man will offer you the last seat on public transport. (You’d be amazed at how many times I’ve seen pregnant women left standing).

2. Personalities: East vs. West vs. Bavaria
Just as American Northerners scoff at Southerners, Germany has its own regional rivalries and personalities. Here it is in three very broad brush strokes: Continue reading →

Digital, Journalist, Multi-media, Video

Hong Kong’s Happy Valley horse racing fans

Produced and written by: Stephanie Burnett and Georgia McCafferty
Voiceover: Stephanie Burnett

Journalist

Meet Honey Grace.

Honey Grace Minaves follows a herd of hundreds of Filipina women, all navigating their way through a maze of back alleyways in Hong Kong’s Central district. Eventually they turn into the narrow lobby of an unmarked building, where Honey Grace patiently waits her turn to squeeze into one of the small elevators.

A dozen pint-sized Filipinas cram into the lift that would be a tight fit for five grown men. The elevator ascends past floor after floor, each with a distinct theme: shoe warehouses, consignment shops, beauty pageant rehearsals, and – for Honey Grace – a hair salon.

“I don’t have a boyfriend, that’s why I cut my hair,” says the raven-haired woman as her hair is styled. “I cut my hair so that I can find someone.”

Honey Grace is one of tens of thousands of Filipina domestic helpers in Hong Kong who pamper themselves in hopes of finding love on Sundays – the one day of the week when they are usually off.

But one day a week is not enough time for romance, and the women are resorting to online dating sites to be courted.

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Photos ©Stephanie Burnett

Online, Photos

Paris in a day.

Communications consultant, Multi-media

Young journalists against corruption

Meet a few of us, and see what we’re reporting on.

(Produced by Jimmy Chalk and Ryan Patch)

Communications consultant, Multi-media

Communicating a complicated issue

Communicating an abstract issue like corruption is a challenge in itself.

Throw in a research methodology, like Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, and it can become even more complicated when communicating a social issue to the public.

The goal of this animation was to have the general public understand – broadly – what corruption is and how it can be measured.

The animation was even a surprise award-winner. With a modest budget of USD$10,000, this animation won Creativity International Awards’ top prize in 2012 and was a shortlisted finalist for the Digital Communications Awards 2012.