Sarah Aida Gonzalez was the youth and families reporter at WNYC. She dug deep into data and documents to reveal systemic inequalities in New Jersey’s foster care system, and into how the state prosecutes minors and disciplines federal immigration detainees.
Sarah received the 2017 Daniel Schorr Prize, awarded to a public radio reporter under age 35, and was named a finalist for the 2017 Livingston Awards for young journalists. Her investigative and feature reporting has received a national Edward R. Murrow award, and national awards from PRNDI, The Society of Professional Journalists and the Education Writer’s Association. Her investigation into Florida charter schools turning away students with severe disabilities received an Online News Association award for Innovative Investigative Journalism.
Sarah graduated from Mills College in Oakland, CA in 2009. She grew up on the San Diego/Tijuana, Mexico border.
Shows:
Sarah Gonzalez appears in the following:
Planet Money: Fine And Punishment
Friday, February 12, 2021
After someone serves their prison time, pays their debt to society, they often face another round of actual debt. Fees can pile up, and often, the fees have nothing to do with the crime.
Does U.S. Have Enough Dry Ice For COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution?
Thursday, December 24, 2020
COVID-19 vaccines must be kept at low temperatures. And to move ampuls between freezers, specialists use dry ice. NPR explores whether the U.S. has enough of it to ensure smooth vaccine distribution.
History Of How The Tax Code Allowed Businesses To Carry Their Losses Forward
Friday, October 02, 2020
Losing a lot of money is one way to avoid paying taxes. The tax code rewards losses, which become gifts that keep on giving for years. NPR explores the history of this practice and how it evolved.
Does Alcohol To Go Have A Chance To Survive The Pandemic?
Friday, September 18, 2020
Alcohol to go used to be sold at restaurants in party spots such as New Orleans and Las Vegas. But during the pandemic, restaurants all over the country have started offering takeout cocktails.
Coronavirus Pandemic Sparks Movement To Rethink Incarceration
Friday, July 24, 2020
For decades, Democrats and Republicans competed to be toughest on crime. But that's changing. NPR's Planet Money podcast explores the changing views on prisons in Oklahoma.
Nose Pipe, Milkmaids And Death Row Inmates: A Look At The History Of The 1st Vaccine
Friday, June 19, 2020
The idea of vaccination is almost 2,000 years old. The story of the very first vaccine involves a nose pipe, milkmaids, death row inmates, and a beautiful woman out for revenge.
People Can't See It, But This Grocery Worker Still Wears Lipstick Under Her Mask
Friday, May 29, 2020
As a low-wage worker, Yesenia Ortiz wishes she would get paid more during the pandemic because of the extra level of risk to which she is exposed.
Why Essential Workers Are Not Paid More After Their Jobs Got Risky
Friday, May 22, 2020
In a competitive labor market, employers would need to pay workers more money for riskier jobs. But now, essential workers are making as much money as they were before the pandemic.
How Government Agencies Determine The Dollar Value Of Human Life
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Reopening the economy requires contemplating the trade-off between lives and money. Government agencies are already used to putting dollar values on human life when considering safety regulations.
Farm Workers Can't Keep Their Distance, And Can't Get Into The U.S. To Work
Friday, March 27, 2020
The people who harvest food face two challenges right now: tighter border controls keeping many away from the fields, and cramped living quarters that make social distancing almost impossible.
Hurricane Irma May Have Destroyed Barbuda's Generations-Old Land System
Friday, February 07, 2020
In the Caribbean island of Barbuda, land is not bought or sold. Put up a fence and the land is yours forever, for free — if you're Barbudan. But now there is a plan to start selling it.
Some Of The Biggest Companies Are Reinventing How We Get Paid And How Often
Thursday, December 19, 2019
For years, low wage workers have had to wait two weeks between paychecks, a long time. But technology and a tight labor market could be changing that.
Decades Ago, British Economist Created The Framework For A Carbon Tax
Thursday, November 07, 2019
More than 100 hundred years ago, British economist Arthur Cecil Pigou explained how to tax things like pollution. His insight is being used to fight climate change.
The Future Of French Fries
Friday, October 25, 2019
French fries are facing an existential crisis. As consumers opt for food delivery services, the shelf life of fries isn't good enough. But some are trying to engineer the fry of the future.
Helium Shortage Forces A Search For New Sources
Friday, August 23, 2019
The U.S. government may have helped create the current helium shortage, and now people are looking for new sources of the gas.
China's New Recycling Policy Could Give U.S. An Opportunity To Rethink Its Process
Thursday, August 01, 2019
More recycling isn't always good for the environment. Now that China is buying less recyclables, cities are shoving their water bottles and cardboard boxes into the trash pile. And it might be OK.
Recycling And The Mob
Thursday, August 01, 2019
We kind of owe recycling to the Mafia and a 1987 garbage barge that couldn't dock anywhere. That's when cities started sending trucks to everyone's homes to pick up glass bottles and cardboard boxes.
NYC Invests In Permanent Housing For Homeless. Will Phase Out Hotel Use
Thursday, June 06, 2019
New York City has a law that guarantees everyone a right to shelter, but there aren't enough homeless shelters. The city has turned to renting out hotel rooms.
Planet Money: Dollar Stores' Effects On Communities
Thursday, May 09, 2019
Every day, four new dollar stores will open in the U.S. Dollar stores open in places where few other businesses will go: rural and urban areas. They're threatening businesses that survived Walmart.
Episode 909: Dollar Stores Vs Lettuce
Friday, April 26, 2019
Dollar General, Dollar Tree and Family Dollars are opening up stores every six hours around the country. Some towns are fighting them.
