POWER BROKER
When Daniel Alarcón, a New York–based writer and the executive producer of NPR’s Radio Ambulante podcast, began reporting on Hurricane Maria’s aftermath in Puerto Rico (page 84), one name kept surfacing: Jorge Bracero. The electrical utility worker had become a one-man news outlet, providing updates on the (painfully slow) progress in restoring power at a time when local distrust in government and media ran high. Alarcón even heard Bracero’s name in a comedy show in San Juan and marveled at the audience’s knowing reaction. “He was this cultural touchstone for people,” he says. “After that I was like, I’ve got to talk to this guy.” When Adrienne So joined WIRED as an editorial fellow more than a decade ago, part of her job was to fact-check stories about gadgets and gear.…