Today for @matternews.bsky.social : A petition to ban data centers in Ohio won’t be going to the ballot this year. So here's how organizers are working locally instead. matternews.org/voices/local...

Last week for @matternews.bsky.social : a look at how Columbus is funding the fight against homelessness, and why the $13 million allotment isn't nearly enough to make a long-term difference. matternews.org/voices/local...

Last week, the Columbus City Council unanimously approved more than $13 million in funding for a nonprofit fighting homelessness in the city. But that hefty sum probably still won’t be enough to make a long-term difference writes @julesaroscoe.bsky.social. matternews.org/voices/local...

Ohio's primaries are on Tuesday. If you live in Columbus, here are the races you should pay attention to: matternews.org/community/po...

A very cool one today for Refractor: Researchers used pollen trapped in an ancient Roman shipwreck's waterproofing to map where it travelled across the Adriatic Sea. refractor.io/history/roma...

Today for @huffpost.com: after the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting, President Trump said the law enforcement agents who took down the gunman were "really attractive." Here's why some psychologists think he might have said that. www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...

My very first for Refractor: DNA extracted from parrot feathers in a tomb in Peru provide new evidence for an expansive ancient trade network spanning across the Andes Mountains. A fascinating study. refractor.io/history/feat...

This week for @matternews.bsky.social: Ohio is considering a formal trade partnership with Israel. Businesses say good for business. Residents wonder why state is spending time on this instead of "literally anything that would benefit a single regular person." matternews.org/voices/local...

Today for @matternews.bsky.social : Can you refuse to serve an ICE agent? matternews.org/voices/local...

This week @matternews.bsky.social: A Columbus coffee chain has been under fire for saying it would not refuse to serve ICE agents; but the people who work there say that’s not the full story. Raises interesting questions about how businesses should handle ICE visits: matternews.org/voices/local...

This week at @matternews.bsky.social : Columbus received a fat check from the state this month, because for the past two years, people here have sold weed. And nobody seems to know what we’re going to use it for. matternews.org/voices/local...

Did you guys know that dots don't matter in Gmail handles? Because I didn't. Anyway, if you want to contact me about journalism, feel free to email me at [email protected] OR [email protected]! You learn something every day.

This week for @matternews.bsky.social : Do we carry the flame? I wrote about Columbus educators' thoughts on Ohio's proposed Charlie Kirk bill. matternews.org/voices/local...

Guys, I was on a podcast! Huge thank you to @marksimon.bsky.social for letting me talk for way too long. Give a listen to hear how I approach stupid questions and what it's like to pursue journalism while working a full-time job. Crazy, but it can be done I think. open.spotify.com/episode/7wmT...

For @404media.co this morning: a group of immigrant rights organizers are helping people use Fortnite to practice what to do if they encounter ICE agents in the wild. And I got to see it. www.404media.co/ice-defense-...

This institutionalism is, in part, historical. ... In 1912, voters passed the city’s first charter, which switched the model from ward-based to fully at-large. In order to run city-wide, candidates would need substantially more resources than previously required. New from @julesaroscoe.bsky.social.

This institutionalism is, in part, historical. ... In 1912, voters passed the city’s first charter, which switched the model from ward-based to fully at-large. In order to run city-wide, candidates would need substantially more resources than previously required. New from @julesaroscoe.bsky.social.

Politics this month in Columbus: an unassuming end to the city's most contentious election this year might not be as disappointing as you think. matternews.org/voices/local...

Guess who's now writing the Local Politics column for @matternews.bsky.social ! My first this month is about the Columbus Ohio school board elections next week— but it's actually a lot more than that. If you have city politics tips for Columbus, please find me :) matternews.org/voices/local...

A long time coming for @404media.co: @jasonkoebler.bsky.social and I looked at hundreds of pages of court docs to see what lawyers say when they're caught using AI. Some good ones include being a lawyer is hard, good advertising, and "I didn't mess up actually": www.404media.co/18-lawyers-c...

Spent many (many!) hours pulling legal explanations and apologies from lawyers who were caught using AI that hallucinated in which they explained to a judge why they used AI. The explanations are astonishing and extremely good: www.404media.co/18-lawyers-c...

Today for @wired.com (!): You're not ready for the next generation of scammers. What happens when AI tools get so sophisticated that even real-time video calls can't be trusted? www.wired.com/story/youre-...

Really heartbreaking, visceral piece from @julesaroscoe.bsky.social: www.404media.co/they-sometim...

powerful story from @julesaroscoe.bsky.social about deep sea fishers organizing for basic internet connection while they're on expeditions www.404media.co/they-sometim...

New from 404 Media: deep-sea fishers can spend 10 months at sea, but they're not allowed to use the ship's Wi-Fi, meaning they can't talk to their families back home. Now they're fighting back for change. www.404media.co/they-sometim...

Crazy story today: this group of distant water fishermen is fighting for Wi-Fi on their boats so they can talk to their families (or anyone else in the outside world) for the ten months a year they're out at sea. www.404media.co/they-sometim...

me and @jasonkoebler.bsky.social got to experience the Wikiportraits project firsthand yesterday – awesome work by the coolest people

TODAY for @404media.co: Photos of famous people on Wikipedia are famously, famously, tragically bad. These volunteer photographers are trying to change that: www.404media.co/photographer...

I don't post much about this because it's a paper-first news org, but I've been covering some pretty drama-filled news for the Boston Guardian. e.g.: The city is pausing a new zoning plan after getting over 500 letters of opposition. But it gets better. 1/ read.thebostonguardian.com/the-boston-g...

New: The $2 billion media conglomerate that owns sites like IGN and CNET is quietly taking DEI information off its website: www.404media.co/ziff-davis-d...

NEW: Amazon delivery drivers are delivering packages in the Los Angeles wildfires. Amazon says drivers are told not to deliver in mandatory evac zones, but one resident's last photo of her home was a delivery confirmation picture taken after she evacuated: www.404media.co/an-amazon-de...

An Amazon delivery confirmation photo is the last time a Palisades resident saw her house standing. Amazon drivers say they have been delivering in neighborhoods that were evacuated soon after they left, are delivering in adjacent neighborhoods. Scary situation www.404media.co/an-amazon-de...

TODAY: Amazon is arguing to the NLRB that its union-busting tactics are "protected by the First Amendment," and that requiring it to put up NLRB posters on workers' rights violates that amendment. www.404media.co/amazon-says-...

TODAY: Everything you need to know about the Friend AI necklace diss track beef on Twitter: www.404media.co/ai-companion...

New from 404 Media: a new report dives into how a Microsoft app is powering employee surveillance - AI-generated performance metrics - singles out workers in estimates of how long a task will take - uses Copilot www.404media.co/how-a-micros...

TODAY: A new report says that Microsoft's Dynamics 365 Field Service technology uses AI to single out workers and closely monitor their performance. Microsoft says it's on the customer to use this tool legally: www.404media.co/how-a-micros...

TODAY: Are you sick and tired of your gig work job? Here's some free advice from a Navy-sponsored ad. Join a Navy manufacturing plant: www.404media.co/navy-ad-gig-...

HR company announces, then gets rid of, a plan to give AI bots employment records and treat them "just as any person would be" after everyone on the internet agrees that is a bad idea: www.404media.co/ai-employees...

TODAY: Google Cloud was briefly listed as a sponsor of an Israeli military tech conference. Organizers say Google was not a sponsor this year, but workers are concerned about the company's links to an Israeli military conference: www.404media.co/google-cloud...

New: Google Cloud listed, and then removed, as a sponsor of an Israeli military tech conference. Conference says Google not sponsoring so may have been a mistake. Regardless, workers are concerned at Google's links to the conference, Google not commenting www.404media.co/google-cloud...

A car rental service in Charlotte has replaced their agents with remote workers on video chat. If you need to speak to a manager you go into an office where you talk to another screen sitting at a big executive desk www.404media.co/car-rental-s...

Oh would you like to speak to a manager instead of this person on video chat? Sure, just step into this office where there is another video chat screen so you can talk to someone else: www.404media.co/car-rental-s...

TODAY: eBay took down the most expensive eBay listing I have ever seen (for what looks like a gadget from a 1980s spy film) for violating its policy on not selling electronic surveillance equipment. www.404media.co/ebay-removes...

TODAY: An Apple manufacturing facility in Santa Clara is misclassifying its hazardous waste and has more than a dozen other “potential violations” of environmental regulations, according to an EPA report. Here's the rundown of what they found: www.404media.co/california-a...

Internal messages shared with 404 Media show how an official’s complaint about a drag queen story hour can spiral into bomb threats against the library hosting it. www.404media.co/lancaster-dr...

If you're in the mood to read some crazy emails... This piece has everything. Bomb threats, drag queens, no pronouns because of woke: www.404media.co/lancaster-dr...

TODAY: California fines Amazon $6 million for not giving workers a written performance quota. Amazon responds by saying they don't have a quota, actually: www.404media.co/california-f...

TikTok's new AI-generated avatars of real people can help brands build "real and human connections" with consumers. The FTC said not to do things like that just last week: www.404media.co/tiktok-intro...

TODAY: a Microsoft-contracted quality assurance testing company laid off an entire 160-person team because they began organizing, a new ULP alleges. Microsoft has a standing labor neutrality agreement with the union: www.404media.co/microsoft-qa...

TODAY: a report by Oxford research group Fairwork finds that Amazon workers in AI- and robotics-powered warehouses feel isolated at work, which makes it more difficult to unionize. "Amazon as a company has a reputation for anti-unionism": www.404media.co/amazons-ai-w...