April Joyner
LightNews LightNews
banner
aprjoy.bsky.social
April Joyner
@aprjoy.bsky.social
1.4K followers 240 following 33 posts
Business journalist. Senior correspondent at LPC covering private credit. Business Insider, Reuters, and Inc. alum.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by April Joyner
jenee.bsky.social
Hi writers! I’m looking to assign a couple of features for Slate before the end of the year. If you have anything in mind that you think would be a fit please send me a pitch! Jenée.Desmond- harris@slate.com or dm me.

RTs are appreciated so this can reach more people. Thanks!
November 10, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Reposted by April Joyner
propublica.org
Insurance companies can often be aggressive with their denials because “they don’t expect people to come back,” one health care advocate said.

The lesson is simple, another expert told us: “Appeal, appeal, appeal, appeal. That’s all you have.”

By @deldeib.bsky.social
This Little-Known Appeal Could Force Your Insurer to Pay for Lifesaving Care. Here’s How to File It.
When a health insurer refuses to pay for your treatment, you may have the right to have the denial reviewed — and potentially overturned — by an independent provider. Here are six steps experts sugges...
www.propublica.org
October 9, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Reposted by April Joyner
chanda.blacksky.app
This is a really important read about how the current capitalist formations are shaping what books are available to readers and which writers get a chance to publish a book: thewalrus.ca/the-publishi...

#BookSky
The Publishing Industry Has a Gambling Problem | The Walrus
Companies keep betting on the next bestseller. Literature is poorer for it
thewalrus.ca
September 27, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Reposted by April Joyner
capitalb.bsky.social
“It was promised to some of the residents during the time of the takeover by the federal government that the land would be returned after the war...and even though we don’t have it yet, we still all have a deep, deep connection to it."
The Army Took Their Land. Decades Later, This Black Community Still Wants It Back.
Harris Neck’s residents confront the legacy of federal land grabs and the struggle for reparative justice under the threat of climate change.
capitalbnews.org
September 6, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Reposted by April Joyner
capitalb.bsky.social
On Aug. 22, a catastrophic explosion erupted at Smitty’s Supply, a major lubricant manufacturing facility in a predominantly Black town of Roseland, Louisiana. The blaze swept through the 15-acre complex that housed half a million gallons of flammable materials.
Explosion at Louisiana Oil Plant Leaves Black Community Coated in Toxic Fallout
As oily rain fell on Roseland, where 90% of kids live in poverty, the Trump administration is considering gutting chemical-disaster safeguards.
capitalbnews.org
August 31, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Reposted by April Joyner
marshallprojectguild.org
Today, we sent a letter to @themarshallproject.org‬ leadership expressing concern about their denial of bargaining obligations. Management has repeatedly denied members Weingarten rights, engaged in an illegal layoff, and more — we need your help to demand that management bargain in good faith.
Dear Katrice and Geraldine, We are deeply concerned about the manner in which The Marshall Project has been treating our members and approaching the bargaining process. Recently, The Marshall Project leadership has betrayed our organization’s values and compromised our position in the industry and the journalism we pursue. It’s time for that to change. The guild has worked tirelessly and in good faith on proposals that would keep high-quality health care affordable for Marshallers. We have also been steadfast in asserting that all recognized members deserve due process and fair treatment required under the law. The organization, in turn, has increasingly taken anti-worker stances that have eroded trust and created a culture that makes it difficult to do the work that makes us proud. Since the organization has taken such a hardline stance, refusing to work with the guild on the items listed below, we will be filing unfair labor practices with the National Labor Relations Board and stepping up our public efforts to make it clear that we demand fair treatment. The following recent actions by the organization have taken an immense toll on the workers of The Marshall Project: 1. The organization has repeatedly denied steward representation to a member facing a Performance Improvement Plan and possible termination, as well as denying another member representation in their termination meeting last week. This denial is illegal, egregious, and completely out of line with standards across our industry and the labor movement going back decades. We are shocked that the organization would take such a hypocritical and prohibitive stance on this, given our mission. The union has filed an Unfair Labor Practice about this illegal violation of members’ Weingarten rights and demands that members be allowed steward representation in any meeting they feel is appropriate. 2. The organization has caused a retaliatory ripple effect with its actions against one employee that has touched an entire newsroom in Cleveland with negative effects that go against the stated purpose of collaboration with local media and our ability to make good on promises we made to readers. When the organization recognized members it had a duty to follow the law and not proceed with layoffs without bargaining. We have filed an Unfair Labor Practice for the illegal layoff of employees and management retaliation. 3. The organization made a unilateral change to our outside employment policy without bargaining, changing expectations to require managerial approval. We have always maintained a workplace where outside work is permitted and the organization’s sudden termination of Chris Vazquez without a steward, without an opportunity to stop the freelancing project, and without severance is unjust and defies our values. 4. The organization is employing a strategic erosion of status quo through small changes to past practice while we bargain our first contract, including erasure of our cost-of-living adjustment, a significant change to our health insurance, and modifying the evaluation process. The organization has inconsistently complied with requests for information, which does not reflect good faith in bargaining. The Marshall Project, in retaining union-busting law firm Kauff McGuire & Margolis, is willingly participating in the erosion of worker protections across our industry, a project that takes advantage of the current anti-worker political environment. When The Marshall Project voluntarily recognized our union last year, it touted a “longstanding commitment to a fair, equitable and inclusive workplace, with generous benefits.” We are demanding a return to these values.
August 14, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Reposted by April Joyner
innovationrji.bsky.social
"If you are a reporter who would like to write about immigration more thoughtfully or who has ever asked himself or herself how to begin, I’d love to hear from you. This work will only be as powerful as the community that sustains it." rjionline.org/news/when-a-...
When a press pass should shield us
Immigration coverage must be more in-depth, and we need more reporters to ensure that.
rjionline.org
August 3, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Reposted by April Joyner
afrolanews.bsky.social
On April 16, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy called autistic kids severely impaired, claimed autism was preventable, and said most autistic people could never contribute to society.
Autism was never the threat. The narrative was.
RFK’s speech about an “autism epidemic” echoed a decades-old script – written by medicine, media, nonprofits and state power – where fear passed for science, myth became law, and autistic lives…
afrolanews.org
May 9, 2025 at 8:03 PM
aprjoy.bsky.social
Whenever this subject comes up, I can’t help but think of this article from Inc. about Phil Hanes. I actually like his life story! But “I flunked out of UNC, so I had to go to Yale” gets me every time www.inc.com/magazine/200...
I grew up in a fairly well-to-do family, and I guess I was spoiled. I had a miserable time at camp and at prep school, where they didn't like spoiled kids. I got the hell beaten out of me at both places. Finally, one day I'd had enough. I started learning how to make friends with people. From that, I became a networker. When I got to the University of North Carolina, the more friends I made, the faster I got around. But for lots of reasons I never picked up a book. I made three Fs and eight Ds, and they asked me not to come back. So I had to go to Yale, where my uncle was on the board of trustees. At Yale I got gentleman's Cs.
January 30, 2025 at 4:30 AM
Reposted by April Joyner
kendrawrites.com
Did a little story about the wildfires. gift link (I'm off today but it published today)
More People Are Living in the Riskiest Wildfire Zones
The Palisades and Eaton Fires in Los Angeles show the dangers of living in what’s known as the wildland-urban interface.
www.bloomberg.com
January 9, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Reposted by April Joyner
thetolerantweft.bsky.social
I’m looking to talk to a worker who was involved in the union effort at MEDIEVAL TIMES!!! can you guys help me by reposting this until someone sees it?
December 7, 2024 at 12:46 AM
Reposted by April Joyner
jay.bsky.team
There are so many of you joining right now that things may temporarily glitch! If you’re seeing “invalid handle”, this is probably one of those things — see this thread for more information.
bsky.app Bluesky @bsky.app · Nov 14
If you're seeing "Invalid Handle" on your profile, this should resolve on its own — thanks for your patience!! 🦋
November 14, 2024 at 9:23 PM
aprjoy.bsky.social
lol I am “elder certified” although I have almost no activity on here. sorry 😭 I think I prefer to listen on social media these days
A virtual certificate with text "Celebrating 10M users on Bluesky, #150,732, April Joyner ‪@aprjoy.bsky.social‬, joined on Jun 22, 2023"
September 24, 2024 at 8:00 PM
aprjoy.bsky.social
Yikes, this is horrific
January 22, 2024 at 10:44 PM
aprjoy.bsky.social
I know many VCs & several probably support unions, but "pro-union" venture capital...hmm 🙃 This is interesting, though! Roy Bahat's HBR story on how business & labor can cooperate was also good (my previous employer went against each of his recommendations, lol) www.fastcompany.com/90940726/roy...
August 31, 2023 at 5:15 PM
aprjoy.bsky.social
Ok, this situation is truly wild and disturbing
marisakabas.bsky.social Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · Aug 12
SCOOP: The Kansas newspaper raided Friday by cops had been investigating allegations of sexual misconduct by the chief of police at his previous job.

Read my full convo with Eric Meyer, publisher of the Marion County Record: https://thehandbasket.substack.com/p/a-conversation-with-the-newspaper
excerpt from link: EM: So the backstory that we haven't told, because we don't wanna get in trouble, is that we've been investigating the police chief [Gideon Cody]. When he was named Chief just two months ago, we got an outpouring of calls from his former co-workers making a wide array of allegations against him saying that he was about to be demoted at his previous job and that he retired to avoid demotion and punishment over sexual misconduct charges and other things. We had half a dozen or more different anonymous sources calling in about that. Well, we never ran that because we never could get any of them to go on the record, and we never could get his personnel file. But the allegations—including the identities of who made the allegations—were on one of the computers that got seized. I may be paranoid that this has anything to do with it, but when people come and seize your computer, you tend to be a little paranoid.
August 13, 2023 at 6:04 PM
aprjoy.bsky.social
Oh, yikes. There has been so much written about how such tools can amplify bias. Wonder if the company is doing anything to mitigate that
j-no.bsky.social J-No @j-no.bsky.social · Jul 30
I am a recruiter for a fortune 100 company. We are using an AI based tool that as I select candidates to screen and move forward to interview with the manager is learning what a good candidate looks like based on their resume. I'm basically teaching it to replace me.
July 30, 2023 at 6:47 PM