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sewell.bsky.social
Executive Editor, Columbia Journalism Review
13 posts 14,256 followers 108 following
Regular Contributor
Posts 23 Comments 1

Happy 50th birthday to Investigative Reporters and Editors. I’m so proud to be a member. bsky.app/profile/ire-...

submitted 9 days ago • 0 comments

Practice Democracy

submitted 33 days ago • 9 comments

Serious Q: Trump won in 2016 in part because Americans were fed up with never-ending wars. He did deal w/ Taliban to withdraw from Afghanistan. Do his voters truly support “long-term ownership” of Gaza? www.nytimes.com/live/2025/02...

submitted 26 days ago • 24 comments

NEW: We uncovered more deleted tweets from Darren Beattie, the White House aide fired in 2018 for speaking at a conference alongside white nationalists who Trump just appointed to a top level State Department job. In purged tweets, Beattie cheered on Jan 6th riot. www.cnn.com/2025/02/03/p...

submitted 27 days ago • 133 comments

NPR and PBS Face a Moment of Truth: The system needs more stable funding, a greater emphasis on local content, and reduced reliance on private financing and syndicated programs. www.cjr.org/analysis/npr...

submitted 27 days ago • 1 comment

America, 1945-2025. There were good times and bad times, but it was quite a ride. You’ll be missed.

submitted 27 days ago • 3 comments

The DEI caused the plane crash narrative is a distraction. The tariffs are a distraction. Whatever insane nonsense Trump spews that the media will chase like cats chasing a laser light is a distraction. The only story that counts right now is the wholesale hijacking of control of the US government.

submitted 28 days ago • 1036 comments

How does a newspaper get to be 225 years old? Not by standing still. @speppered.bsky.social on how New Hampshire’s Keene Sentinel is changing its business model & engagement with the community. (Only 5 US news orgs have published that long under the same name) www.niemanlab.org/2025/01/why-...

submitted 27 days ago • 0 comments

FWIW, one reason I sometimes play the role of news media apologist on here is that my Bluesky feed is full of misunderstandings & misguided critiques of the news media. If this site were full of credulity & naive praise of shoddy news coverage, I'd be spending more energy debunking & criticizing it.

submitted 28 days ago • 6 comments

NEW: Mere weeks after historic wildfires, the Los Angeles Times just offered buyouts to anyone who’s been at the company for longer than two years. From the COO’s note to staff: “The economic landscape of the media industry continues to be extremely challenging.“

submitted 27 days ago • 35 comments

Here's how to cover things that are illegal: (i) this is illegal (ii) they say it's legal (iii) It's not Truth sandwich, extra mustard

submitted 42 days ago • 173 comments

@paulinebock.bsky.social please DM me, I didn’t get your full email.

submitted 41 days ago • 0 comments

James Goodale represented NYT in the Pentagon Papers case. In CJR he asks whether today’s media owners have what it takes to stand up to Trump. www.cjr.org/political_pr...

submitted 45 days ago • 1 comment

NEW in CJR: The story of the downfall Ozy Media, whose unraveling embodied the (widespread) excesses of the digital media startup era. From Susie Banikarim and Joshua Hersh: www.cjr.org/kicker/the-u...

submitted 84 days ago • 2 comments

6 months ago, some Stanford students barricaded themselves in the university president's office. A student reporter followed them in. He was arrested and faces felony allegations. The university wants him prosecuted. I looked into why. Via @columjournreview.bsky.social www.cjr.org/getting-the-...

submitted 89 days ago • 24 comments

Quit the LA Times today: "Those moves can’t be defended...Given the existential stakes for our democracy that I believe Trump’s second term poses, and the evidence that Soon-Shiong is currying favor with the President-elect, they are repugnant and dangerous. harrylitman.substack.com/p/why-i-just...

submitted 88 days ago • 133 comments

Scoop: After the LA Times published a piece about Elon Musk that carried a headline owner Patrick Soon-Shiong didn't like, a new rule was implemented: Prior to publishing opinion stories, headlines must be emailed to Soon-Shiong, where he can then choose to weigh in. www.status.news/p/los-angele...

submitted 88 days ago • 509 comments

Why is Stanford pressing criminal charges against a student journalist who embedded with protesters? Story by @bgrueskin.bsky.social for @columjournreview.bsky.social: www.cjr.org/getting-the-...

submitted 88 days ago • 2 comments

“Despite the Harris campaign spending almost half a billion dollars more than the Trump campaign, Trump appears to have been more effective at defining Democrats’ priorities to the American public.” www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

submitted 93 days ago • 4 comments

I'm really excited to share some news about our @propublica.org @texastribune.org collaboration!! In the new year, we will be launching a new initiative to work with five newsrooms in the state to cover an issue of importance to Texans.

submitted 97 days ago • 101 comments

What the US press can expect: • DOJ leak investigations + pressure on reporters to disclose sources • use of FCC licensing + antitrust laws to threaten media outlets • denial of access to WH + public records • restrictions on covering mass protests + law enforcement www.cjr.org/the_media_to...

submitted 110 days ago • 6 comments

The US isn't an autocracy…yet. In @columjournreview.bsky.social, Sheila Coronel shares 10 tips for journalists reporting under autocratic rule. www.cjr.org/political_pr...

submitted 110 days ago • 1 comment

Hello, I'm the editor of Columbia Journalism Review, and this is my first time on Bluesky. I want to wean off Twitter, which has become intolerant and intolerable. But I'm also 47; it's hard for me to switch from old habits. Can anyone share advance on how to start engaging here?

submitted 124 days ago • 18 comments