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Mike LaBonte

Founding Member (since April 2006)
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Lack of political will prevents us from solving some major problems like unsustainable use of resources and expanding human inequality. We need fair elections and news we can trust to find our political will. When I'm not busy making a living I try to work on that.

About Mike Help
Location: Haverhill, Massachusetts, United States
Occupation: Electronic Signal Integrity Engineer, Cisco Systems
Interests: energy, elections
Expertise: software development
Host  (Mike hosts these topics) Help
Background Help
Journalism: None
Education: College graduate
News: 60-90 minutes a day
Internet: 90 minutes a day or more
Languages: English-only
Politics: Center
Age: 50-64
Gender: Male
Contact Info Help
Email:
Facebook: Facebook Profile
Address: Haverhill, MA, US
Last Visit: Nov 4, 2009 - 6:38 AM PST
Last Edit: Nov 21, 2008 - 3:45 PM PST
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Activity

Show all | Reviews | Posts | Likes
Mike reviewed this story - Oct 26, 2009
Mike's Rating
4.3

A little more nuanced than most FactCheck articles, but with the usual source links and neutrality.

See Full Review » (11 answers)
See All NT Reviews » NT Rating: 3.8
Mike posted and reviewed this story - Oct 23, 2009
Mike's Rating
3.3

I don't see how a story about the relative quantities of two competing factors can be told with almost no numbers. This is an important story, and it really needs more depth.

See Full Review » (11 answers)
See All NT Reviews » NT Rating: 3.3
Mike posted and reviewed this story - Oct 23, 2009
Mike reviewed this story - Oct 19, 2009
Mike's Rating
5.0

Fairly well researched investigations into corners of healthcare that need to be discussed today, but mostly aren't.

See Full Review » (3 answers)
See All NT Reviews » NT Rating: 4.6
Mike reviewed this story - Sep 27, 2009
Mike's Rating
3.5

Although informative, this has a few areas of poor evidence, sourcing, and explanation. Other parts are quite good, and it tells a good story overall.

See Full Review » (11 answers)
See All NT Reviews » NT Rating: 3.8
Mike reviewed this story - Sep 27, 2009
Mike's Rating
4.0

Plenty of viewpoints here, nice job on that. The graphic is good, but it does not precisely identify which BLS data it is using.

Hmmm ... Cisco mentioned "slow hiring" but not having 3 layoffs in one year.

See Full Review » (12 answers)
See All NT Reviews » NT Rating: 4.0
Mike reviewed this story - Sep 21, 2009
Mike's Rating
4.0

This lays out the story fairly and accessibly, seeming to have no agenda.

See Full Review » (11 answers)
See All NT Reviews » NT Rating: 3.7
Mike posted and reviewed this story - Aug 12, 2009
Mike's Rating
3.9

A followup to some great investigative journalism. This story surprisingly falls a little short on context, failing to explain some things that many people will not know about GEMS. The suggestion to read the report seems odd in a news article, but it may be hinting at future stories.

GEMS can be used with both DREs and with optical scanners, but is entirely optional. Before election day it programs the machines. After the ... More »

See Full Review » (12 answers)
See All NT Reviews » NT Rating: 4.0
Mike posted and reviewed this story - Aug 12, 2009
Mike reviewed this story - Aug 7, 2009
Mike's Rating
3.6

Not bad, this has links to sources to back up most claims, except for the "swing vote" status of the named senators.

See Full Review » (11 answers)
See All NT Reviews » NT Rating: 3.5
Mike reviewed this story - Jul 29, 2009
Mike's Rating
3.5

This story is loaded with evidence and sources, and provides links to tons of information. Unfortunately the opposing view is represented with only one short sentence and a link; quite unfair.

See Full Review » (10 answers)
See All NT Reviews » NT Rating: 3.8
Mike reviewed this story - Jul 29, 2009
Mike's Rating
3.1

This seems to come 90% from a press release or press event. The additional viewpoints are slim, although they have links. It does a good job, however, of explaining the important economy of scale issues related to this field.

See Full Review » (11 answers)
See All NT Reviews » NT Rating: 3.1
Mike posted and reviewed this story - Jul 21, 2009
Mike's Rating
3.8

Plenty of info, and it touches on some key issues. But it barely addresses how the other countries address those issues. Well linked to sources.

See Full Review » (11 answers)
See All NT Reviews » NT Rating: 3.8
Mike posted and reviewed this story - Jul 21, 2009
Mike reviewed this story - Jul 16, 2009
Mike's Rating
3.2

Not enough sources. The Greenpeace viewpoint is a bit weak, leaving only the two partner companies. The author does fill in with a little bit of a critical view. There is enough information, although I always wonder why biofuel stories never say what the produced fuel actually is.

See Full Review » (11 answers)
See All NT Reviews » NT Rating: 3.2
Mike posted and reviewed this story - Jun 23, 2009
Mike's Rating
3.1

Not the exhaustive treatment we usually see from Zetter. This story has more questions than facts, and some of the facts are not well backed up. The questions are good ones, and I hope some answers will be forthcoming.

See Full Review » (11 answers)
See All NT Reviews » NT Rating: 3.3
Mike posted and reviewed this story - Jun 23, 2009
Mike posted and reviewed this story - Jun 23, 2009
Mike's Rating
3.7

On one hand this seems to take the Palestinian side. But it asks reasonable questions that the Israelis should consider, and is ultimately more practical than biased.

See Full Review » (11 answers)
See All NT Reviews » NT Rating: 4.1
Mike posted and reviewed this story - Jun 23, 2009
Mike posted and reviewed this story - Jun 19, 2009
Mike's Rating
2.9

Commentary on a video expose revealing the deceptive practices of strictly pro-life pregnancy counseling centers. The first person stories and pro-choice expert opinions are good, but there is no opposing viewpoint at all. Also it would have been good to have more evidence, at least a photo of one of these places.

Such a bold tactic: draw in college students who may be pregnant, then temporarily lie to them about test results to create enough delay to take ... More »

See Full Review » (12 answers)
See All NT Reviews » NT Rating: 2.9
Mike posted and reviewed this story - Jun 19, 2009
Mike posted and reviewed this story - Jun 18, 2009
Mike's Rating
3.1

A reasonable roundup of facts from other reports, but short on source identification.

See Full Review » (6 answers)
See All NT Reviews » NT Rating: 3.1
Mike posted and reviewed this story - Jun 18, 2009
Mike posted and reviewed this story - Jun 9, 2009
Mike's Rating
3.9

All factual and accurate, backed up with 9 source links. Apart from the links, however, Andrew Appel is the only source named. The story is well explained.

See Full Review » (11 answers)
See All NT Reviews » NT Rating: 3.8
Mike posted and reviewed this story - Jun 9, 2009
Mike posted and reviewed this story - Jun 4, 2009
Mike's Rating
3.8

Plenty of facts from good sources, although the source study is not linked or even identified. Woolhandler's background as an advocate of universal healthcare is revealed, and a balancing viewpoint is given some, but maybe not enough space.

See Full Review » (11 answers)
See All NT Reviews » NT Rating: 3.7
Mike posted this story - Jun 4, 2009
Mike posted and reviewed this story - Jun 4, 2009
Mike reviewed this story - Jun 4, 2009
Mike's Rating
3.8

The approach of using factual sources instead of opinions is quite good for this story. While it uses direct quotes liberally, I think a few representations should also have been direct quotes, since exact words make a difference here.

See Full Review » (11 answers)
See All NT Reviews » NT Rating: 3.6
Mike reviewed this story - Jun 4, 2009
Mike's Rating
2.7

Although the graphic helps to explain a little about the technology, this story presents minimal information. The single interviewee was asked only 2 questions.

See Full Review » (11 answers)
See All NT Reviews » NT Rating: 3.2
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Levels & Stats

Member LevelHelp
4.6 avg.
4.6 avg.
Activity
5.0 avg.
Experience
3.1 avg.
Ratings
3.9 avg.
Transparency
4.0 avg.
Validation
5.0 avg.

StatsHelp
Story Reviews
2,075
Number of Raters
67
Ratings Received
295
Number of Comments
1
Ratings Given
488
Story Answers
17,228
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