Culled from CJR’s frequently updated “Must-reads from around the Web,” our staff recommendations for the best pieces of journalism (and other miscellany) on the Internet, here are your can’t-miss must-reads of the past week:
NSA collecting phone records of millions of Verizon customers daily — Top secret court order requiring Verizon to hand over all call data shows scale of domestic surveillance under Obama
What we don’t know about spying on citizens — The NSA’s surveillance of cell-phone calls show how badly we need to protect the whistle-blowers who provide transparency and accountability
On whistleblowers and government threats of investigation — No healthy democracy can endure when the most consequential acts of those in power remain secret and unaccountable
Discouragement for young writers — Because you don’t get what you want in life
Are coders worth it? — In today’s world, web developers have it all: money, perks, freedom, respect. But is there value in what we do?
Drowning doesn’t look like drowning — In 10 percent of drownings, adults are nearby but have no idea the victim is dying
Dear Leader dreams of sushi — An intimate look into the lives of the North Korean elite
Fox News’ sexual harassment class — Joe Muto worked for Bill O’Reilly during the “falafel” days. O’Reilly’s staff landed in the most awkward diversity training ever
Ben Bernanke to Princeton grads: You got lucky — The Fed chair gently explains why life (and our economy) isn’t really fair
The $2.7 trillion medical bill — Colonoscopies explain why US leads the world in health expenditures
The president and the press — The First Amendment is premised on the self-evident truth that secrecy and concentrated power are inherently corrupting
The unlikely evolution of the @ symbol — How did a bookkeepers’ shorthand become the fulcrum of our digital identities?
The Editors are the staffers of the Columbia Journalism Review.