We don’t talk enough about how morally depraved the tech industry turned out to be. Every single ounce of their self-regarding statements of values was an outright lie.
My birthday gift to all of you is permission to log off tonight. Bluesky will be here tomorrow.
My birthday gift to all of you is permission to log off tonight. Bluesky will be here tomorrow.
I had a great time at the IIJ conference ( @indiejournalists.bsky.social ) and think more independent journalists should join them because they are holding space for the future of independent journalism in all forms. Had super hopeful discussions with journalists.
Be part of it: theiij.com
“If measles-mumps-rubella vaccination rates decline 1% annually for the next five years, associated medical and societal costs could reach $1.5 billion.” (That 1% is a conservative estimate “given current policy and coverage trajectory”.) [beckershospitalreview.com]
The last photo of third-grader Mikaeil Mirdoraghi, waving to his mom before he left for school. He was killed shortly after in the U.S./Israeli strike on a primary school in Minab.
"No stupid rules of engagement." — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, March 2, 2026
"The strike would rank among the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of U.S. conflicts in the Middle East." — Reuters, March 5, 2026
Lots of good advice already! Having a friend help is also useful. Basically, positive reinforcement plus training sessions with desensitization i.e. having someone assist with the timing of the noise and conditioning (and maybe even walk in the door to help with positive reinforcement).
"She frequently reported on stories critical of ICE for Nashville Noticias, the Spanish-language outlet."
www.tennessean.com/story/news/l...
War, what is it good for?
"annoying forever actually" is my three word memoir.
New from 404 Media: Proton Mail, the privacy-focused email service, gave authorities data that let the FBI unmask an anonymous 'Stop Cop City' protester. It was payment data linked to the anonymous email account. From that, FBI ID'd them, then tracked their movements www.404media.co/proton-mail-...
One of the best early birthday gifts of my life.
This is the central lie of prediction markets: They claim to get us closer to the truth but, in the end, they make us less certain about the world. But this erosion of trust is a feature, not a bug, for these platforms. A world where people are suspicious of every motive is a world where the cold logic of gambling feels more rational. A zero-trust society is one where the prediction markets’ dubious “wisdom of crowds” marketing seems extra appealing. In this way, prediction markets are a system that justifies its own existence—a well-oiled machine chipping away at societal trust while offering a convenient solution to its own problem. The prediction markets have done what any savvy trader or firm might—they’ve hedged their bets. The house can’t lose.
One of the reasons prediction markets have these news feeds, tweet like newsrooms, & market themselves as getting 'closer to the truth' is that they're trying to exploit a low trust moment. But the markets w/ their insider trading also contribute to everyone assuming the fix is in. self-fulfilling
Wrote about the central lie of prediction markets. How they are the perfect technology for a low-trust society, simultaneously exploiting and reifying an environment in which believing the motives behind any person or action becomes harder. www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
I love this thing. Transported to a time when I felt like THIS is the reason the internet exists.
I'm definitely going to have fun with it. Looking at you, SRCCON.
2026.srccon.org/participatio...
Correction. Orwell never said this. He did however, warn that: "political language... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” (That's Politics and the English Language, one of my favorite essays)
If you'll be at #NICAR26 in Indy, I'm doing a few sessions.
3/5 (Thurs) @ 11:30: Using data to find sources
3/6 (Fri) @ 10:15: Demo: The Gun Violence Data Hub
3/6 (Fri) @ 11:30: Connect with skeptical and disengaged audiences ... with data!
Hope to see ya there!
schedules.ire.org/nicar-2026/#...
Thread from someone who knowssssssssss:
This.
Except for 2026 (deadline March 8).
Now is the time to submit your idea for a session at SRCCON 2026. Deadline is March 8.
Honestly speed it up, so we can separate the slop mills from the places that slow down and let humans do real reporting and investigations again.
You know what we need more of? Content.
Let AI write articles you don't want to write that someone else will supposedly want to read and pay for. So, you can supposedly do more of the work you want to do, Reporter — despite huge investments in commodifying what you do.
No holes in this argument.
I'm looking to hear some specific examples of how disabled Minnesotans have been harmed by federal Medicaid pause for reporting I'm doing at @motherjones.com . Please reach out to jmetraux@motherjones.com with any leads.
I should mention that Sid Miller is, among many other things, an Islamophobic former champion rodeo cowboy who once was investigated for using taxpayer funds to travel to Oklahoma for a “Jesus Shot” that he believed would cure all pain for life.
New post!
Many Americans hold contradictory opinions on the same policies. Question wording effects can swing opinions by 20+ points on immigration, the budget, and transgender rights.
That's a problem for people who interpret polls for a living.
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/many-ameri...
Orwell at his very best could never come up with some of this. Proactively in a defensive way is basically a line from a coen bros film.
An ICE Air flight is en route to Guantanamo Bay from Miami, FL — the 1st since Feb 5 when an ICE Air flight from Alexandria, LA stopped in GTMO before carrying out a deportation to Haiti.
Just the jolt I needed to go offline. 🙏
