MyTwoCensus
{{Infobox organization
|name = MyTwoCensus
|image = MyTwoCensus logo.png
|image_border =
|size = 230px
|alt =
|caption = MyTwoCensus' logo
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|motto =
|formation = February 2009
|extinction =
|type = political
|status =
|purpose = Monitor 2010 U.S. Census
|headquarters = San Francisco, California, United States
|location =
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|membership =
|language = English
|leader_title = Founder
|leader_name = Stephen Robert Morse
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|website = {{URL|http://www.mytwocensus.com/}}
|remarks =
}}
MyTwoCensus is a census tracking group. It was created in February 2009 for the 2010 U.S. Census.{{cite web|url=http://universe.byu.edu/node/6253 |title=BYU president encourages participation in census |publisher=Universe.byu.edu |date=2010-02-22 |accessdate=2010-03-18}} It tracks topics such as the constitutionality of including illegal immigrants in the census.{{cite web|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/216590/page/2 |title=Census Taker's Death Highlights Controversy |publisher=Newsweek.com |date= |accessdate=2010-03-18}}
History
The group was created by Stephen Robert Morse, a journalist and filmmaker as a project to identify reasons why the 2010 U.S. Census would be a controversial process. As part of this process, Morse applied and won a grant through The Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship program from the Phillips Foundation.{{cite web|url=http://www.thephillipsfoundation.org/index.php?q=fellowship_profiles |title=Overview of The Robert Novak Journalism Fellows since inception of the program |publisher=The Phillips Foundation |date=2005-11-01 |access-date=2010-03-18}} The award allowed Morse to continue his pet project. Morse first developed the idea as he was on Craigslist, looking for an additional job in San Francisco soon after college graduation, and noticed that the US Census Bureau was looking to hire employees in the Bay Area at the rate of $22-$26 per hour. After further research, Morse and University of Pennsylvania friend Evan Goldin created the group's website and blog, MyTwoCensus.com, in order to provide unofficial oversight for the U.S. Census Bureau.{{Cite news |url=http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/node/59283
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120509194057/http://thedp.com/index.php/article/2009/04/college_alum_creates_site_to_monitor_2010_census |archive-date=2012-05-09 |title=College alum creates site to monitor 2010 census |newspaper=The Daily Pennsylvanian |date=2009-04-16 |last=Burnard |first=Matthew |access-date=2022-01-24}} In March 2010, the site added a community message board operated through the social-networking site, Ning. Journalists from The Washington Post and CNN have cited MyTwoCensus in their reporting. {{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/06/23/census.race.questions/index.html |title=Errors in census interviews misinterpret racial, ethnic identity |first=Liane |last=Membis |work=CNN |date=June 25, 2010}}
Activities
The MyTwoCensus website reports on the handling of the census{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}}. MyTwoCensus is headed by two journalists: Morse and Goldin. Morse has said that he utilizes Google News, and attends census worker recruitment sessions in his reporting.{{cite web|last=Weir |first=David |url=http://industry.bnet.com/media/10001524/mytwocensus-and-the-future-of-journalism/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090716142824/http://industry.bnet.com/media/10001524/mytwocensus-and-the-future-of-journalism/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 16, 2009 |title=MyTwoCensus and the Future of Journalism | BNET Media Blog | BNET |publisher=Industry.bnet.com |date=2009-03-31 |accessdate=2010-03-18}} In 2009, MyTwoCensus discovered that the U.S. Census Bureau had supposedly paid the delivery company FedEx several million dollars over time to mail documents that were not time-sensitive{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}}. The group publicized the findings after a census worker wrote to the website questioning the bureau's use of "priority overnight delivery."{{cite web|url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/06/eye_opener_more_census_woes.html?hpid=news-col-blog |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924135735/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/06/eye_opener_more_census_woes.html?hpid=news-col-blog |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 24, 2012 |title=Federal Eye - Eye Opener: More Census Woes |publisher=Voices.washingtonpost.com |date=2009-06-09 |accessdate=2010-03-18}} The group has been critical of Census Bureau management, including Robert M. Groves the current Director of the United States Census Bureau, as well as both Republicans and Democrats for their handling of 2010 Census operations. MyTwoCensus has been mentioned in right-wing publications, such as that of conservative blogger Michelle Malkin.{{cite web|last=Malkin |first=Michelle |url=http://michellemalkin.com/2010/02/05/the-super-sized-census-boondoggle/|title=The Super-Sized Census Boondoggle |publisher=Michelle Malkin |date=2010-02-05 |accessdate=2010-03-18}} Though most MyTwoCensus reports are authored by Morse himself, other journalists, including Emily Babay and Emily Schultheis of The Daily Pennsylvanian and Laura Masnerus (formerly of The New York Times) have written for the site as well.{{cite web|last=Rubin |first=Daniel |url=http://www.mytwocensus.com/tag/philadelphia-inquirer/ |title=Philadelphia Inquirer |publisher=My Two Census |date=2009-05-03 |accessdate=2010-03-18}}
References
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External links
- [http://www.mytwocensus.com/ MyTwoCensus website]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mytwocensus}}