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Malia Politzer is the executive editor of piqd.com, and an award-winning long-form journalist based out of Spain. She specializes in reporting on migration, international development, human rights issues and investigative reporting.
Originally from California, she's lived in China, Spain, Mexico and India, and reported from various countries in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Her primary beats relate to immigration, economics and international development. She has published articles in Huffington Post Highline, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue India, Mint, Far Eastern Economic Review, Foreign Policy, Reason Magazine, and the Phoenix New Times. She is also a regular contributor to Devex.
Her Huffington Post Highline series, "The 21st Century Gold Rush" won awards from the National Association of Magazine Editors, Overseas Press Club, and American Society of Newspaper Editors. She's also won multiple awards for feature writing in India and the United States.
Her reporting has been supported by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, The Institute For Current World Affairs, and the Global Migration Grant.
Degrees include a BA from Hampshire College and MS from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where was a Stabile Fellow at the Center for Investigative Journalism.
Alibi: A South African True Crime Podcast
This deeply reported, award-winning podcast delves into the conviction of a black man named Anthony De Vries for robbery and double murder while under apartheid in South Africa.
De Vries claims to be innocent of the crime he was convicted of committing. This podcast follows journalist Paul MacNalley and co-presenter Freddy Mabitsala's investigation into what really happened.
Parsed into eight absorbing episodes, the first podcast introduces us to De Vries, a former mechanic born in the suburbs outside of Johannesburg. We meet people who knew him and who strongly believe in his innocence. Then the co-hosts bring us back to 1994, to the convenience store that De Vries allegedly robbed. It explains the crime, and gives historical context to some of the larger social tensions that might have led to a botched investigation and rushed conviction.
Unlike many convicted criminals who claim innocence, De Vries has all of his paperwork in order—and freely offered it to the investigative journalists for further scrutiny. He has several character witnesses and an alibi that unfortunately puts him close to the scene of the crime. He also claims to be have been tortured after being arrested. But is he truly as innocent as he claims?
Listen to the series to find out.
