Leigh Alexander and Nina Freeman

NOTE: This patstebin was made for the sake of being used as a source on DeepFreeze, a website at which I am a contributor.

Subject: Leigh Alexander and Nina Freeman.
Sources: Twitter, LinkedIn, Offworld, Leigh Alexander's and Nina Freeman's personal websites.
Final version completed on: 07.01.2016
Credits: Original investigation, format is more or less based on the format of @BoogiepopRobin's pastebins.

Introduction: former gaming journalist Leigh Alexander has covered Nina Freeman in at least three online article, disclosing the friendship between the two only in the last one. In another online article that was written during the course of the friendship Alexander covered the then upcoming game Tacoma. While Freeman was not mentioned by name in this article, she had worked on the game. Alexander did not disclose the relationship in this article as well. Alexander had likewise covered Freeman during the course of their friendship in an article that was published in a print magazine. Seeing that I do not have a copy of the Magazine issue in which the article was published, I cannot say whether or not disclosure was included in the article.

Evidence of the friendship between Alexander and Freeman and the articles in which Alexander failed to disclose the relationship are presented below. Tweets exchanged between Alexander and Freeman indicate they have been friends since at least as early as 2012.

Background: Leigh Alexander has written for various gaming journalism outlets, most prominently Offword and Gamasutra (https://archive.is/HQOUZ#selection-113.6-153.247). She lists her twitter handle on her website as @leighalexander (https://archive.is/j6nRm#selection-115.0-124.0). Nina Freeman is an independent game developer and lists her twitter handle on her site as @hentaiphd (https://archive.is/SZfXj).

Tweets between Alexander and Freeman showing friendship between the two:

05.28.2012: (@hentaiphd) @leighalexander i luv u bb (https://archive.is/KFKGP)
06.04.2012: (@hentaiphd) @leighalexander ur my fave Anime Babe (https://archive.is/LIpHw)
06.04.2012: (@hentaiphd) @leighalexander ♡ https://archive.is/oapjy
07.27.2012: (@hentaiphd) @leighalexander I'm actually waiting for someone now haha but can we hang out next week I wanna anime w u bb (https://archive.is/0CoVA)
08.23.2012: (@hentaiphd) @leighalexander I miss uヽ(´o｀；are you gonna be at babycastles this weekend? https://archive.is/coo7z
10.06.2012: (@hentaiphd) My anime soulmate @leighalexander and I together 4ever (https://archive.is/qfJkW)
10.06.2012: (@hentaiphd) Mai waifu @leighalexander (https://archive.is/fbTCc)
10.12.2012: (@hentaiphd) Drunk dial to @nameoftheyear concludes in @colettebennett and @leighalexander and I singing evangelion theme song I love anime uguuuu (https://archive.is/pgomM)
10.12.2012:(@hentaiphd) Anime life @colettebennett @leighalexander omfg yes https://archive.is/BwZIK
10.13.2012: (@hentaiphd) the night @leighalexander and i fell asleep playing katawa shoujo (@hentaiphd) (https://archive.is/qNExs)
03.25.2013: (@hentaiphd) @christinelove are you sitting at a table near the board games right now? (https://archive.is/8aZLN)
03.25.2013: (@leighalexander, responding to the above tweet) @hentaiphd @christinelove yeah neener where are you right now? i am semi hanging in our office near the press room for now, could find you (https://archive.is/l6vdp)
03.25.2013: (@hentaiphd, responding to the above tweet) @leighalexander @christinelove omg yes I'm on the second floor where the talks are (https://archive.is/3fD9u)
03.25.2013: (@leighalexander, responding to the above tweet) @hentaiphd @christinelove haha which building? there are a lot of places where there are talks. west hall? (https://archive.is/N1V1a)
03.25.2013: (@hentaiphd, responding to the above tweet) @leighalexander @christinelove yeah west, I think we're gonna try and eat food now if you want to meet and come? (https://archive.is/jAJXe)
03.25.2013: (@leighalexander, responding to the above tweet) @hentaiphd @christinelove well i totally horned in on you trying to meet up with christine but if i can join you let me know where to show - (https://archive.is/Hchho)
06.05.2013: (@hentaiphd) @leighalexander i miss u (https://archive.is/qr3cO)
06.05.2013: (@leighalexander, responding to the above tweet) @hentaiphd I miss u too bb, I'm coming home for games for change tho (https://archive.is/hq7ms)
06.05.2013: (@hentaiphd, responding to the above tweet) @leighalexander omg yes, I won't be there because I have work but let's get drinks after!!! (https://archive.is/uLa3d)
09.13.2013: (@leighalexander) @m_kopas @hentaiphd yesss hang out with Nina, nina hang out with Merritt yaaaaay  (https://archive.is/LY1KV)
09.24.2013: (@leighalexander) If I could afford to fly MYSELF places I would totally go to indiecade :(((( (https://archive.is/gJtVQ)
09.24.2013: (@hentaiphd, responding to the above tweet) @leighalexander ;______; miss u (https://archive.is/Opnmo)
09.24.2013: (@leighalexander, responding to the above tweet) @hentaiphd why won't anyone buy me a round trip flight and pay me to cover an event where I just go hang out with my friends (https://archive.is/tlBl4)
11.08.2013: (@leighalexander) Learn about and support Code Liberation, an amazing initiative by my friend @hentaiphd to teach women programming http://www.http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/11/08/interview-code-liberation-on-game-workshops-for-women/erview-code-liberation-on-game-workshops-for-women/  (https://archive.is/zckAR)
11.15.2013: (@hentaiphd) @leighalexander omfg cannot wait to see you (https://archive.is/NDaD9)
11.15.2013: (@leighalexander, responding to the above tweet) @hentaiphd same (https://archive.is/o2KTT)
01.15.2014: (@leighalexander) Increasingly excited to See Everyone at GDC (https://archive.is/eljSO)
01.15.2014: (@hentaiphd, responding to the above tweet) @leighalexander can't wait to see u~ (https://archive.is/E7DhS)
01.15.2014: (@leighalexander, responding to the above tweet) @hentaiphd i am sorry i didn't stay in ny long enough to catch one of your classes bb (https://archive.is/NWh31)
03.19.2014: (@hentaiphd) A night spent blowing kisses at @leighalexander (https://archive.is/xuvFz)
03.31.2014: (@hentaiphd) sorta just wanna do a game jam on the sidewalk at a suburban mall (https://archive.is/8E9ry)
03.31.2014: (@leighalexander, responding to the above tweet) @hentaiphd oh god can i please join (https://archive.is/X8JCw)
03.31.2014: (@hentaiphd, responding to the above tweet) @leighalexander yes please. it's gotta be one of those grubby suburban MA malls. (https://archive.is/apYVu)
03.31.2014: (@leighalexander) next week, i'm speaking at @DifferentGames and will be able to see @m_kopas @metasynthie @hentaiphd @mcdaldno and ppl aaah (https://archive.is/YzWuv)
04.11.2014: (@leighalexander) @hentaiphd @radiatoryang aah i wish i could be there now but i can't leave here until i get keys :(((( (https://archive.is/OMcrw)
04.11.2014: (@hentaiphd, responding to the above tweet) @leighalexander @radiatoryang omg I can't wait to see uuuuu (https://archive.is/IAXH4)
04.11.2014: (@leighalexander, responding to the above tweet) @hentaiphd @radiatoryang well obv ill be there in the morning if i cannot make it for tonight (https://archive.is/VQPMJ)
10.08.2014: (@hentaiphd) @leighalexander remember when we hung out at chiptune shows in brooklyn (https://archive.is/QIlzz)
10.08.2014: (@leighalexander, responding to the above tweet) @hentaiphd yes, remember when we had dumplings and watched kuragehime (https://archive.is/lCDZI)
01.05.2015: (@leighalexander) @hentaiphd @samusclone i made friends with nina because our mutual friend told me what her twitter handle is and i went 'gotta meet the phd' (https://archive.is/RsqyU)

Summary: Numerous tweets show a friendship between Alexander and Freeman going back to 2012. Said friendship was even admitted by Alexander on November 2013 (https://archive.is/zckAR) and again on January 2015 (https://archive.is/RsqyU).

Articles with potential disclosure issues in which Freeman is mentioned:

04.01.2015: Experience a difficult night in the life of a teenage girl (Offworld) https://archive.is/mcVRA
04.23.2015: 'I make games, and now I don't need to hide anymore' (Offworld) https://archive.is/qGiYI

Articles containing proper disclosure:

11.11.2015: Cibele and the end of an era for internet lovers (Offworld) https://archive.is/5mPfi

Article by Alexander covering Freeman which may or may not contain disclosure:

According to Freeman, Alexander had covered her in the March 2014 issue of NylongMag: https://archive.is/00I6v , https://archive.is/PcL5i . This was after Alexander had referred to Freeman as a friend of hers (https://archive.is/zckAR). This article appears to be available only in print and I do not have access to it. I therefore cannot tell whether or not it contains disclosure.

Articles with potential disclosure issues in which Freeman is not mentioned but still has a stake in subject being covered:

06.15.2015: The only things you really need to know about Microsoft's E3 press event (Offworld) https://archive.is/MXwBd

While the article above does not mention Freeman herself, it does mention the game Tacoma. Freeman has worked on that game as a level designer since February 2015, as is noted on her linkedin profile: https://archive.is/WToTY#selection-1399.0-1427.75 . Alexander should have therefore disclosed her friendship with Freeman in this article. Alexander's coverage of Freeman from April 2015 also confirms she worked on Tacoma, and that Alexander was aware of it prior to the publican of the above article: https://archive.is/qGiYI#selection-151.0-161.6 .