That's not the point of the panopticon: the panopticon was not designed so that the eyes of the guard could be on the prisoners at all times; it was designed so that the prisoners did not know whether the guard was watching them or not. It's a subtle but important distinction.

May Minnesota's business leaders someday find the courage of our high school journalists: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Gardaí investigated how Irish Times reporter learned of domestic violence charge against member

"I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace"

“I’ve spent years just trying to survive,” Nina says, “when I should have been building a life. I hope this case can stop other women who go to the police experiencing the same shocking treatment.” It’s time the police stop failing survivors: https://goodlaw.social/4w3n

Photo by Pierre Lavie. Yes this is me. And I threw my Leica. It landed on the bass plate with hardly a scratch. Another Photographer grabbed it along with my phone and I was able to track him later. I was held face down tear gas deployed right in front of me and pepper sprayed directly into the eye.

I cannot see any viable argument that states that the US is not now an authoritarian state. It is not en route, it is there

All of the Traitors contestants left are dull, unengaging and grotesquely and uninterestingly incompetent at the task in front of them.

Iran stands as a clear example of how digital sovereignty empowers repression rather than protects rights, says Azadeh Akbari. It should be a warning against abandoning the idea of a free and global internet, she writes.

Not wild about the title (not so much an unusual move than it is a move that violates press freedom protections) but an important statement about a deeply worrying act by the FBI

Ahead of polling day, Uganda has shut down the internet, suspended civil society organisations and arrested rights defenders. The authorities must immediately end the blackout, cease the targeting of organisations and activists and ensure safety of journalists. www.article19.org/resources/ug...

Uganda has ordered a nationwide internet shutdown ahead of the general election. Reasons: to mitigate the rapid spread of online misinformation, disinformation, electoral fraud, and related risks. Reports also describe a heightened army presence on the streets.

While Kemi, the troll-in-chief has backed a social media ban for under-16s, she seems to suggest that CSAM or nonconsensual images is just fine for adults. Also how can you call for a ban for social media for under-16s and then say the state should not be banning companies?

Journalists in exile bring critical perspectives shaped by lived experience. In Germany, we help them to access training, legal advice, language support, and funding for equipment, making it possible to keep reporting and rebuild a professional path: www.ecpmf.eu/support/jour...

This is not the law.

The House Oversight Committee just approved an outrageous subpoena of journalist Seth Harp for reporting on Venezuela. His "crime," apparently? Posting already public information from a government website to X. Read our full statement:

This by @badiucao.bsky.social hits hard but how could it not? The senseless killing of Renee is a brutal reminder of runaway militarisation and political untouchability that is defining the Trump administration. They are gloating, while people are being killed.

"Defunded by Congress and fearing the Trump administration might pervert the organization to further undermine free media, the board members agreed it was better to salt the earth than leave behind a place for Trump to plant his poisonous, choking weeds." — @lizdye.bsky.social

This is a key distinction that's getting missed (to the advantage of X & Musk). Safe harbour provisions & liability shields generally assume content moderation as separate to content creation. But the CSAM crisis on X blurs this. Nikhil Pahwa highlights this well www.medianama.com/2026/01/223-...

Just saw this in LinkedIn for anyone interested in looking into Grok's production of CSAM and non-consensual sexualised imagery. www.linkedin.com/posts/mtechl...

Here is my best film ranking for 2025: 1. One Battle After Another 2. It Was Just An Accident 3. I'm Still Here 4. The Brutalist 5. The Blackbox Diaries* 6. Friendship 7. Train Dreams 8. John Candy: I Like Me 9. Tornado or Mexico 86 10. 28 Years Later

amazing how the entire machine can pivot within 24 hours. no need to slowly upsell the argument; just issue new marching orders

Starmer's unwillingness to take a principled position blinds him to the broader implications of Trump's illegal acts. And is it not just the big geopolitical stuff. What is to stop Russia or China rendering opposition politicians or dissidents from UK soil on the basis of an arrest warrant?

JFC. If you're a news organization, the way to show that you love America is to do investigative journalism and hold its leaders to account. Inform the people. Don't wrap yourself in the flag & scream, "I love America!" Show, don't tell.

Should a serious and impartial media outlet state that their nation is the "last best hope for earth"? This unserious "value" would be laughable if it wasn't from something with a legacy of accountability and transparency to defend. Jingoism is jingoism even when cloaked in the stars and stripes

What joyous news for a Boxing Day. Alaa is in the UK and reunited with his family. Hopefully now he can recover, reconnect with his loved ones and continue his courageous work for democracy, human rights and justice

Traveling for the holidays? We’ve got your back. Our December advice column offers travel tips galore:

My god. From Sharyn Alfonsi’s email to her ‘60 Minutes’ colleagues, posted by the NYT Michael Grynbaum:

An invisible eye is spying on Ugandans. Journalists, political activists, and opposition leaders are targeted; their private information intercepted unlawfully. Watch The Spying State: Big Brother Uganda - a documentary featuring our partner Unwanted Witness: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDhK...

The Trump Doctrine is, essentially: “Who’s gonna stop you?”

"The government signposts end-to-end encryption as a threat, but what they fail to consider is that breaking it would be a threat to our national security too." Our CEO @jemimahsteinfeld.bsky.social on the urgent need to protect end-to-end encryption: www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-priv...

Have we had power that was this petty and pathetic before?

The FCC earlier this year told local broadcasters they could be fined or lose their licenses if they aired “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

How to describe a hunger strike without using the words hunger strike. Very interesting choice of words.

Just a reminder that at least 600 Americans were fired for failing to show sufficient respect after Charlie Kirk's murder.

Newly Unsealed Batch Of Epstein Estate Photos Contains Rare Holographic Dershowitz

Rights groups say Mohammadi, who won 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, was detained at ceremony in northeastern city of Mashhad.

🎧: @wildfranz.bsky.social, editor of the @tbij.bsky.social, joins @arusbridger.bsky.social and @lionelbarber.bsky.social on Media Confidential to discuss why investigative journalism is more important than ever.

Just watched It Was Just an Accident, Jafar Panahi's masterpiece at @glasgowfilmtheatre.bsky.social only to learn that Narges Mohammadi has been rearrested. Call for her release and watch the film. Stand up for the courageous people of #Iran

Books about “Asian wife sharing” that included detailed descriptions of orgies and scenes involving “ladyboys.” That’s what our reporter discovered on a Goodreads page tied to the email address of a top Pentagon official. What came next was even wilder.

Keir Starmer's gov spent #HumanRightsDay chumming up with Orban to plot the erosion of human rights protections, I spent it with utterly courageous HRDs from #Algeria, #Palestine and #Belarus in Scottish Parliament. I had a better day.

The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition condemns the legal threat made against the #BBC by US President #DonaldTrump. We must stand united in supporting the public service broadcaster against a world leader with a record of using the courts to silence criticism: antislapp.uk/2025/12/09/t...

“Documents obtained through [FOI] show [Danielle] Smith … met with [Jordan] Peterson “to discuss how his organization can work with the province to have their online training platform accredited.” Those discussions … would eventually include changing the law if necessary to allow the accreditation”

Georgia is jailing journalists for doing their job. Join the discussion on #MziaAmaglobeli’s imprisonment, the wave of arrests since 2024 & how to defend media freedom. Organised by @mediafreedomeu.bsky.social in partnership with us. www.mfrr.eu/jailed-for-d... #FreeMzia #DayoftheImprisonedWriter

#Cameroon 🇨🇲 @hrw.org urges an urgent, impartial investigation into opposition leader Anicet Ekane’s death in custody, amid concerns over political repression and detainee mistreatment.

#Belarus 🇧🇾 BAJ reports that the authorities have opened an "extremism" case against exiled journalist Iryna Khalip. She only learned of the investigation after police searched her parents' apartment in Minsk. buff.ly/EJSekVY

What started 10yrs ago as a bunch of academics investigating how authoritarian rulers reach across borders, now on stage at the European Parliament: little moment of pride for research and advocacy on transnational repression.

Labour bearing down on immigration will fix this any day now.

What a fucking loser. Bilingualism is amazing and we should celebrate the weans who can speak multiple languages - it will probably be them who will allow the UK to thrive globally. A weak man who sees jealousy and spite as the only forces that can be marshalled for his campaign