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Joseph Darius Jaafari on Muck Rack

Joseph Darius Jaafari

Verified
Phoenix
As seen in: AZCentral | The Arizona Republic, Lookout Phx, IMDb, MSN, The New York Times, USA Today, New York Post, The Atlantic, Motherboard, Quartz, Rolling Stone, Substack and
Editor in Chief, founder of @LOOKOUTphx. Formers: @azcentral @spotlightpa @marshallproj @vicenews @phillyinquirer

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Joseph Darius Jaafari’s Biography

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Reporter. Photographer. Documentary Filmmaker.

I am a seasoned data reporter and doc filmmaker who covers subculture, crime and health.

I graduated from the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism with a focus on urban reporting and specialized in video and data platforms.

Joseph Darius Jaafari’s Journalist Portfolio

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What It's Like to Be HIV Positive in the Military

What It's Like to Be HIV Positive in the Military

There's not much to see in Otisville, New York. The town, with a population of just over 1,000 people, looks …

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Why Some Gay Republicans Stand by the Second Amendment, Even After Orlando

Why Some Gay Republicans Stand by the Second Amendment, Even After Orlando

Before the victims of the Orlando shooting were all announced, gun advocates were bracing for a media firesto…

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Lab-Grown Testicles Could One Day Help Injured Soldiers Have Kids

Lab-Grown Testicles Could One Day Help Injured Soldiers Have Kids

Aaron Causey with his daughter, Alexandra Jayne "A.J." Causey. Causey's legs were amputated after stepping on…

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'The City Is The Slumlord' In Harlem Building With Bed Bugs, Rats & Black Mold

'The City Is The Slumlord' In Harlem Building With Bed Bugs, Rats & Black Mold

The floorboards of the apartments at 161 West 140th Street cracked below my feet and I was told many times to…

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How Louisiana Residents Are Working to Recover from the Floods

How Louisiana Residents Are Working to Recover from the Floods

All photos by author Even a week after a deluge put huge chunks of Louisiana and other parts of the South und…

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For Some Families of Murder Victims, Help Doesn't Come Without a Fight

For Some Families of Murder Victims, Help Doesn't Come Without a Fight

Tyrisha Robinson tenses up whenever she has to remember the day she ended her child's life. In April last yea…

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Articles

Barracks Phoenix liquor board hearing has debate on queer culture

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By Joseph Darius Jaafari Verified
| Q Voice News Verified
A recent hearing over Barracks Phoenix — a proposed leather bar in Phoenix’s Melrose District — quickly spiraled into a discussion about the definition of “cruising,” leather culture, and whether businesses can use sex to market themselves before board members finally returned to the question they were actually there to answer — Did bar owner Matthew Moody properly remove his former business partner from the company? Photo: Joseph Darius Jaafari for LOOKOUT This article first appeared on LOOKOUT.
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Barracks Phoenix, planned leather bar, faces push back from U-Haul heir

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By Joseph Darius Jaafari Verified
| Q Voice News Verified
Various pieces of leather-themed artwork wait to find their places on the walls at Barracks, a new leather bar planned for Phoenix. Photo: Joseph Darius Jaafari for LOOKOUT This article originally appeared on LOOKOUT. Matthew Moody is in deep shit. The leather and kink party promoter has spent years building a reputation as one of the region’s go-to DJs for underground queer events, spinning at leather weekends and fetish festivals from coast to coast. These days, though, he’s buried in drywall.
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Phoenix gay leather bar gets liquor license after eight-hour debate

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By Joseph Darius Jaafari Verified
| Phoenix New Times Verified
This story was first published by LOOKOUT, an investigative nonprofit news organization covering Arizona’s LGBTQ+ communities. After nearly eight hours of testimony about cruising and queer culture, the Arizona State Liquor Board’s decision on a gay bar that has caught the attention of leather folks across the country ultimately came down to something far less provocative: corporate paperwork.
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Interview

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What was your first job as a journalist?

I worked for free at an arts and entertainment blog site called LA Splash. Great first-time experience learning how to write on deadline.

Have you ever used a typewriter?

I actually used to have the next gen typewriter (read: typewriter with a digital interface). I remember using it endlessly growing up.

How is social media changing news?

Oy. I only have 140 characters? Here ya go: Print is not being taken over by social media in the same way radio wasn't taken over by TV

Awards

Steven Weitzner Award for Excellence in Journalism

2013 - General Reporting

$5,000 scholarship and senior internship