This is not any big insight but it is especially important during wartime to remind ourselves that journalism does not serve the US military, or American interests, but rather "the public good," which includes all of humanity. www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/the-public...

May I point everyone to #13:

And thus began our decade of white men openly, brazenly and vigorously doing crimes and getting away with it. “The refuge occupation was a rash before a fever, a symptom of our approaching political chaos.” H/T @leahsottile.bsky.social

"The affair at Malheur was a showcase of American mythology, nostalgia, anxious masculinity, and the movement to “Make America Great Again” that would soon become inescapable."

Malheur is French for misfortune. A term of loss. I can’t think of a better word now for what happened ten years ago. www.pdxmonthly.com/news-and-cit...

Lots of compelling and welcome provocations in @leahsottile.bsky.social's 'A Living Manifesto on Journalism in 2026 and Beyond' leahsottile.substack.com/p/66-clarity

My favorite: > 13. Before using the word “unprecedented,” interview a historian.

"9. The saying “trust, but verify” is insufficient. The saying should be “earn trust, then verify.” There is a difference."

There’s a new book out about pretendians, 'Who Gets to be an Indian?', and I interviewed author @dinagw.bsky.social. She says while she doesn’t want to be in the business of calling people out, people should expect to have to prove their claims of Native identity. www.hcn.org/articles/we-...

I have many regrets about my 45 years in journalism, but now I have a new one: I wish I’d had a manifesto like this to guide me.

mood going into 2k26: @leahsottile.bsky.social's living manifesto for journalism

"Be petty and incredibly annoying with authority." Yes yes yes yes yes yes

“Should you believe in any cause? Does believing in something mean you’ve lost the ability to do your job? How much life are you willing to give up? How much of life is one’s job? How much of your participation in being a human being will you cede? Where is the line between truth and fact?”

Co-sign

A weird ending note for a weird year: I wrote a manifesto for journalists in 2026. leahsottile.substack.com/p/66-clarity

Thing I did NOT have on my 2025 bingo card: friends around the country sending me photos during their holiday travels of BLAZING EYE SEES ALL on the Bestsellers wall at Hudson Booksellers in airports across the country. Believe me when I say I am floored by this!

The 10 best books I read this year, in alphabetical order by title: Bad Company by @greenwell.bsky.social Blazing Eye Sees All by @leahsottile.bsky.social Cry For Me Argentina by @tamis.bsky.social Empire of Orgasm by @ellenhuet.bsky.social In My Remaining Years by Jean Grae

Subscribe to my Substack, you’re supporting an independent journalist who would never allow people in power to dictate my publication timeline.

Without a doubt, the best part of 2025 for me was publishing this book. I'm insanely proud of it and am eternally grateful to all who read it, reviewed it, told a friend, listened to an audiobook, sold it in their store, read it for their book club, etc. Now I have to figure out my next one...

"No one"? *glances around at other Native ppl*

The Olivia Nuzzi story and the Bari Weiss at CBS story are the same story, which is that the upper echelons of legacy media are absolutely rife with people who worship power and don't feel burdened by any sense of responsibility to their profession or the public.

You know what, I’m just going to call it and close this year‘s open tabs.

Man I remember Malheur so well. Such a clear signal of what was to come. Some of the most privileged & entitled white men in the f'ing world engaging in open lawlessness in the name of their own imagined victimhood ... ... and getting away with it. That's the true American template.

“That afternoon, the preschool sends out an email, subject line: “Regarding Wednesday’s Lockdown Experience in the Ladybugs Class.” I stare at the string of words and try to make them cohere.” An absolutely stunning essay by @grayhchapman.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/graychap...

The occupation of Malheur was when I realized we are not ok. It was a shocking thing to witness. Even more shocking to see the acquittal of men who almost certainly would have died on that refuge if they looked another way. Leah gives us the roadmap to this hellish highway we can’t seem to exit.

A real estate developer tells Willamette Week she’s “stunned by how far Portland has fallen” Meanwhile, Portlanders remain stunned at how aggressively concerned Willamette Week is for the rich.

If you’ve never listened to the Bundyville podcast by Leah Sotille, one of our best chroniclers of the far right in the west, now is as good a time as any to remedy that. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b...

this is fantastic

Washington approves over 99% of archaeological permits, records show As tribes struggle to protect their heritage, the nation’s leading state archaeologist says she lacks the authority to to stop development projects.

If you can believe it, January 1, 2026 marks ten years since the armed takeover of Oregon’s Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. For Portland Monthly, I wrote about how the ensuing decade was dominated by anxious men and a culture of lawlessness. www.pdxmonthly.com/news-and-cit...

“Malheur was not in Oregon anymore. It was in the White House.”

“Aspirational rurality.” “Cowboy mythology.” Once again Leah Sottile hits it out of the park, and I feel like some of the insomniac thoughts I have found words.

A band of far right extremists invading and occupying federal property and then getting off with nearly zero consequences? Good thing that never happened again.

"Malheur is French for misfortune. A term of loss. I can’t think of a better word now for what happened that winter. It was the start of our collective loss."

If you can believe it, January 1, 2026 marks ten years since the armed takeover of Oregon’s Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. For Portland Monthly, I wrote about how the ensuing decade was dominated by anxious men and a culture of lawlessness. www.pdxmonthly.com/news-and-cit...

When I left OPB after more than 5 years in 2021, I was barely making $50K. A fellow nonprofit more than doubled my salary.

Shameful that @opb.org has 25 year employees having trouble making ends meet, while leadership make multiple six-figure salaries. How is this acceptable?

On the day that @opb.org CEO Rachel Smolkin posted this video, saying OPB’s funding gap of $5 million was closed, I was also told by the Chief Content Officer that Hush was canceled. Eighty percent of my income, and my health insurance - gone. I was given no reason for the cancellation. 1/x

Alex Zielinski @alexzee.bsky.social shares her story for our “what our audience doesn’t know” series. "Realizing how OPB inequitably values our colleagues has hurt morale across the entire organization." -Alex Zielinski, OPB reporter/producer

Salem PD regularly violates public records law and apparently learned no lessons in Hush season 1. Records this old should not need any redactions under Oregon law and should be released for free. This is a money making scam because SPD doesn't want to spend money to follow the law.

Today I found a new low in public records hell: I paid $980.15 so a person employed by Salem Police could watch me view 33 year old records. My arguments with them went nowhere; they let me know any further viewing or copying would incur significantly more $.

What a treat to find Blazing Eye Sees All on Portland Monthly’s list of the best books of 2025! www.pdxmonthly.com/arts-and-cul...

Wow and I haven’t even written about Olivia Nuzzi and Ryan Lizza yet

The Crime Writers On crew listens to approximately 1 billion podcasts every year. I would trust their opinion more than almost anyone on what's good and what's not. Appreciate their support and kind words.

It's amazing to me that people as far away as New Hampshire can understand the importance of Hush more than the leadership of @opb.org right here in Oregon does. Again... you'd have to listen to the podcast though to understand it.

This is a huge loss to Oregonians. Leah Sottile's journalism is a huge asset to residents of our state (and heck, all people who want to be informed)!

I've said this before, but Leah is one of my professional heroes. She is a national treasure. It's been such an insane privilege to work with her & learn from her & play even a miniscule role in her work. This is a huge loss for OPB and for Oregonians. I do not understand it at all.

This season of Hush is riveting. I was listening to episode 7 on Sunday and thinking to myself: these two journalists are so damn good at what they do and how cool that it’s found a home at @opb.org. Wow, what a loss.

In fact, it is used as a teaching tool at University of Oregon School of Law. Of course, leadership at OPB might know that if they expressed any interest in the project. They did not.

This one of the most disappointing and concerning decisions I have witnessed. The work of @leahsottile.bsky.social and @ryanjhaas.bsky.social on Hush, s2 was phenomenal. It elevated rural voices and shed light on a story deeply meaningful to their community & elevated the role of journalism itself.