"Local journalism often begins before a camera is rolling, before a live shot is framed, before a headline is written. It begins with proximity. With awareness. With someone deciding that what’s happening matters enough to go see it firsthand." Minnesota journalists are meeting the moment.

Part of the Trump Administration's campaign against immigrants is the false assertion that they vote illegally in elections. @cato.org shows that audits in multiple states contradict the claim of massive election fraud by immigrants. Facts matter.

We wouldn't want people exercising their First Amendment rights in a democratic society. Bad things could happen.

Wildly important win for international students in the U.S. "The unwarranted arrest and threatened deportation of Rümeysa Öztürk, a Fulbright scholar in the U.S. on a student visa, was the government’s warning to students across the country — especially student journalists."

"Immigrants in the US have reduced the deficit every year since 1994." More great info from @cato.org on the value of immigrants, particularly as Texas and Florida attempt to crack down on H1B visas in higher education — a move that will *destroy* their public university systems.

When using GenAI this poorly results in a default judgment against your client, is that automatically legal malpractice? Should the attorney have to cover the fee assignment? There's a strong argument that it amounts to an ethics violation. ABA Model Rule 1.1 requires competence.

Spent some time with the folks @radio.wpsu.org.web.brid.gy trying to explain the threats the Trump Administration poses to freedom of expression and why it should matter to everyone.

Over on FB, @penamerica.bsky.social has a great post that captures just some of the concerns I had when I made the decision to leave the University of Texas at Austin just over a year ago. Texas public universities are no longer serious about education. www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1...

New First Amendment/academic freedom lawsuit against Texas A&M under § 1983 filed in the Southern District. McCoul was terminated over faculty objection for curriculum decisions she made in a literature class.

Even the individual liberty crowd understands public health. It's a shame our HHS Secretary and other high-level officials do not.

Got a nice mention in this article in The Insider talking about how the press pool stood up for FOX when Obama tried to yank their credentials — unlike when Trump targeted AP. Solidarity matters.

Imagine sending an email complaint to the government and then finding out the government has searched your Gmail account and sent law enforcement to your home. Apparently DC forgot the First Amendment includes the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

The chilling effect is real. The message is clear: If we can arrest Don Lemon, we can arrest all the other independent, local journalists and citizen advocates who are trying to check government power. Journalism is not a crime.

John Roberts is out here making Supreme Court clerks and employees sign nondisclosure agreements Roberts surely knows this raises the question 'WTF is behind the NDA?' To do so anyway suggests he decided even public speculation is preferable to public knowledge ballsandstrikes.org/ethics-accou...

Important info from @cato.org about how immigrants contribute to our country: "The US immigrant population generated more in taxes than they received in benefits from all levels of government every year from 1994 to 2023." Facts matter.

Facts matter. New @cato.org report rebuts conservative claims that immigrants are a drain on government programs: "Immigrants are less likely to enter the welfare system, less likely to remain on welfare for long periods, and less likely to age into the most expensive entitlement programs."

Amid all the chaos that is the world today, I somehow missed this... If this isn't enough to finally unite Jews, Muslims and everyone else who isn't a radical Christian against the Trump Administration, nothing will.

JUST IN: The three other people arrested today over the MN church protest are scheduled to appear in federal court in Minneapolis at 130PM CT: Georgia Fort, Jamael Lundy and Trahern Crews. Fort says she was acting as a journalist that day. Earlier: www.politico.com/news/2026/01...

A Minnesota woman observing ICE agents in her car was cornered on one-way streets. An agent approached, called her by name—citing facial recognition. Days later, her Global Entry and TSA privileges were revoked, with no explanation.

I just spoke with @reuters.com about this terrifying development designed to deter critical coverage of ICE violence in Minneapolis. Journalism is not a crime. A federal magistrate judge rejected previous the DOJ criminal complaint so it will be interesting to see their new approach.

This will make CBS the equivalent of a 24-hour cable "news" channel. More commentary and opinion content than actual hard news and information. It's a tragic end to a staple news institution that has served our country for nearly a century.

Beyond proud to represent the Bellisario College every day and thrilled that they let me talk about First Amendment rights. Everything we do as communicators is at the very core of our democratic society, and I get to share that message with my students and the people of the Commonwealth.

Youse better be prepared to be called “jabronies” and watch out for the hoagies. ICE is rumored to be heading for Philadelphia. www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...

NEW: Magistrate judge rejected DOJ's attempt to charge former CNN journalist Don Lemon over anti-ICE protest in MN church. Prosecutors appear to have sought charges against 8 people of whom 3 have been reported arrested. www.politico.com/news/2026/01...

This is how you tell a story...

More destruction at the University of Texas — this time a direct hit to the student experience. These workgroups serve ALL students and faculty. It is no longer a serious institution.

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

Quoted here in an informative @niemanreports.org piece by Jared Schroeder on the growing threats to press freedom: “I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that what we're seeing from the Trump administration is an unprecedented level of hostility towards the press.”

The latest @penamerica.bsky.social report captures a lot of the legislative priorities and anti-intellectual ideology I saw developing at UT-Austin and throughout Texas that sent me packing... It should be required reading for anyone considering a job in higher education. pen.org/report/ameri...

It rocks that everyone at CBS News is blabbing www.theguardian.com/media/2026/j...

I’m seeing posts from people (outside of MN) about how US citizens should carry their passports. And let me say that *inside* MN, we are calmly responding to requests with: “No, I don’t have to show you any documentation.” Because that’s how you protect everyone, regardless of immigration status.

My former colleague @stevevladeck.bsky.social out this morning with a OneFirst bonus on the extremely troubling search of WaPo journalist Hannah Natanson's home. Happy to share a free trial to OneFirst, Steve's outstanding coverage of SCOTUS and more.

Judge William Young already held that the Trump admin violated the First Amendment by arresting and trying to deport these students for their pro-Palestinian advocacy. Today he’ll consider @aaup.org & @mesa1966.bsky.social’s request for an injunction and other relief. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/u...

From @francescadnunz.bsky.social: Police—sheriffs, Texas state cops, and even ICE—can follow the location of your smart phone without a warrant. Yet, we know little about how this software has been used. Presented with support from @pulitzercenter.org

This is a very dangerous escalation of the Trump Administration's tactics to cow the press into submission. Searches of news organization offices and journalists' homes, along with threats of using the Espionage Act against them, run counter to fundamental democratic values.

You can reliably count on President Trump to say the quiet part out loud.

Another terrifying development that makes me thankful to have escaped higher education in Texas... What could possibly go wrong giving "the public easy access to file complaints" about higher education that many of them have no direct experience with?!

More and more, citizens have to fill gaps in government oversight that used to be filled by local newspapers and journalists. The Trump Administration's war on public media will only increase the lack of local accountability.

Multiple federal appellate courts have recognized a First Amendment right to record law enforcement carrying out their duties in public.

The average lawyer is apparently much less intelligent or significantly lazier than I expected. Stop being dumb (or lazy), attorney colleagues. You're making us all look bad. Many attorneys are being sanctioned — and they should be.

It just keeps getting more ridiculous in Texas. More evidence that the GOP rhetoric about wanting to teach "western civilizations" is just cover for bringing back racism and misogyny.

Forensic analysis of objective video evidence. This is how you serve readers searching for clarity.

A great read over at @foiaball.com that uses public records to illustrate the relationship between my former employer and that other professor who worked in my college. You know... the one who has a private jet.

It's been a year of unprecedented attacks on freedom of speech and particularly on freedom of the press in the United States. Regardless of your political leanings everyone should be worried about government attempts to silence expression.

Only redacting 246 words in an 80-page transcript is a win for transparency. Court records like these should be released to the public whenever redaction is possible. Sadly, rulings on the media's ability to cover the trial—critical to the public's trust in the legal system—were less favorable.

The Bum Steer awards are always one of my favorite holiday happenings, and @texasmonthly.bsky.social nails it this year: "The GOP has been in charge of Texas for two decades, so if Republican voters have a deep-seated grievance, it’s the fault of Republicans."

ICYMI: I asked DHS' public affairs office if it considered recording or following law enforcement to be obstruction of justice, and they said "that sure sounds like obstruction." reason.com/2025/12/22/d...

Who could have possibly imagined?! It's not like we knew Shotspotter was sending police bogus reports of gunfire that turned out to be kids shooting fireworks or cars backfiring.

Found the Associated Press article where the existence of this letter was first disclosed two years ago, in response to a FOIA request It's definitely real apnews.com/article/jeff...

More shenanigans from Penn State's Board of Trustees, which as I say in the article, violate the spirit of the state's open records laws. Given all the ways the Board attempts to avoid transparency, it is hard to see this as anything other than a bad faith attempt to avoid disclosure.