Richard Tofel
@dicktofel.bsky.social
now consulting at Gallatin Advisory, instructor @HarvardChanSPH, author of Second Rough Draft on Substack; former president of ProPublica
Pinned
A Timely Reminder to Choose Our Words Carefully
Press Forward research can shape messaging, but we also need to preserve core values
open.substack.com
New study from Press Forward on how to promote journalism has lessons and limits. This week’s Second Rough Draft newsletter
open.substack.com/pub/dicktofe...
open.substack.com/pub/dicktofe...
Is everyone really sure the GOP House is just going to roll over for the shutdown deal?
That will entail a lot of list influence on significant appropriations.
That will entail a lot of list influence on significant appropriations.
November 10, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Is everyone really sure the GOP House is just going to roll over for the shutdown deal?
That will entail a lot of list influence on significant appropriations.
That will entail a lot of list influence on significant appropriations.
Reposted by Richard Tofel
A Sharon Begley byline, almost 5 years after her death.
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
James Watson, dead at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers
James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA who died Thursday at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers.
www.statnews.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:39 PM
A Sharon Begley byline, almost 5 years after her death.
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
A very thoughtful appraisal of Cheney from the great @bartongellman.bsky.social
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
What I Learned About Dick Cheney
The former vice president was certain he knew better than the citizens he served what was good for them.
www.theatlantic.com
November 9, 2025 at 4:55 PM
A very thoughtful appraisal of Cheney from the great @bartongellman.bsky.social
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Unless the shutdown ends very quickly, the uncertainty now surrounding business travel will likely cause it to seriously decline nationwide, with many more trips cancelled than would be accounted for by the flights directly affected.
The economic effects could be huge, and fairly abrupt.
The economic effects could be huge, and fairly abrupt.
November 7, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Unless the shutdown ends very quickly, the uncertainty now surrounding business travel will likely cause it to seriously decline nationwide, with many more trips cancelled than would be accounted for by the flights directly affected.
The economic effects could be huge, and fairly abrupt.
The economic effects could be huge, and fairly abrupt.
As it was in his first term, Donald Trump’s presidency seems to be good for the business of the New York Times
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/b...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/b...
The Times’s Profit Jumps With 460,000 More Subscribers
www.nytimes.com
November 5, 2025 at 12:55 PM
As it was in his first term, Donald Trump’s presidency seems to be good for the business of the New York Times
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/b...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/b...
Among the lessons of last night: any political party that tries to convince itself the American people in this decade are okay with 3% inflation is in for a world of hurt.
November 5, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Among the lessons of last night: any political party that tries to convince itself the American people in this decade are okay with 3% inflation is in for a world of hurt.
Before you take seriously any argument about whether it matters if Mamdani’s ends up with a majority tonight, remember that Trump won 49.8% of the vote last year.
November 5, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Before you take seriously any argument about whether it matters if Mamdani’s ends up with a majority tonight, remember that Trump won 49.8% of the vote last year.
Most of the NYC polls were right, with Mamdani winning his share of the undecided.
But Trump’s endorsement does seem to have moved some votes from Sliwa to Cuomo, lowering the margin of Mamdani’s victory.
But Trump’s endorsement does seem to have moved some votes from Sliwa to Cuomo, lowering the margin of Mamdani’s victory.
November 5, 2025 at 3:38 AM
Most of the NYC polls were right, with Mamdani winning his share of the undecided.
But Trump’s endorsement does seem to have moved some votes from Sliwa to Cuomo, lowering the margin of Mamdani’s victory.
But Trump’s endorsement does seem to have moved some votes from Sliwa to Cuomo, lowering the margin of Mamdani’s victory.
An extraordinary conversation about Google and the news business. Worth reading in full.
www.codastory.com/authoritaria...
www.codastory.com/authoritaria...
The Werewolf game: an interview with Google's former news chief Richard Gingras - Coda Story
Richard Gingras spent 15 years shaping Google's relationship with journalism—funding conferences, building friendships, creating dependencies. At a Vienna conference, we asked him to account for the s...
www.codastory.com
November 4, 2025 at 7:43 PM
An extraordinary conversation about Google and the news business. Worth reading in full.
www.codastory.com/authoritaria...
www.codastory.com/authoritaria...
Dick Cheney was, in notable respects, a sort of conservative analogue to Lyndon Johnson: a complicated figure of great commitment and accomplishment, and impressive public service, with his legacy deeply marred by a mistaken commitment to a war in the wrong place and time.
November 4, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Dick Cheney was, in notable respects, a sort of conservative analogue to Lyndon Johnson: a complicated figure of great commitment and accomplishment, and impressive public service, with his legacy deeply marred by a mistaken commitment to a war in the wrong place and time.
Reposted by Richard Tofel
One night recently, I got a Signal message
Would I be interested in seeing an internal Trump admin memo?
I said yes (duh). Then, I couldn’t believe what I was looking at.
The memo shows how the VA is making access to health coverage header for just one group:
Male vets w/ breast cancer….
Would I be interested in seeing an internal Trump admin memo?
I said yes (duh). Then, I couldn’t believe what I was looking at.
The memo shows how the VA is making access to health coverage header for just one group:
Male vets w/ breast cancer….
November 1, 2025 at 4:59 PM
One night recently, I got a Signal message
Would I be interested in seeing an internal Trump admin memo?
I said yes (duh). Then, I couldn’t believe what I was looking at.
The memo shows how the VA is making access to health coverage header for just one group:
Male vets w/ breast cancer….
Would I be interested in seeing an internal Trump admin memo?
I said yes (duh). Then, I couldn’t believe what I was looking at.
The memo shows how the VA is making access to health coverage header for just one group:
Male vets w/ breast cancer….
A timely reminder from @wsj.com that the most serious threat of anti-Semitism in the US comes, once again, from the right
www.wsj.com/opinion/the-...
www.wsj.com/opinion/the-...
Opinion | The MAGA Right’s Antisemitism Problem
By failing to draw a clear line, JD Vance and the Heritage Foundation put conservatism in jeopardy.
www.wsj.com
November 1, 2025 at 6:43 AM
A timely reminder from @wsj.com that the most serious threat of anti-Semitism in the US comes, once again, from the right
www.wsj.com/opinion/the-...
www.wsj.com/opinion/the-...
The LA Times, whose owner wants to foist a half billion stake on the public, lost more than $20 million in the first half of this year.
www.thewrap.com/la-times-pat...
www.thewrap.com/la-times-pat...
Patrick Soon-Shiong Wants to Raise $500 Million for the LA Times, but Who Would Invest? | Analysis
Patrick Soon-Shioing is circulating a private placement offering doc that is laden with the downsides that overshadow much happy talk.
www.thewrap.com
October 30, 2025 at 7:36 PM
The LA Times, whose owner wants to foist a half billion stake on the public, lost more than $20 million in the first half of this year.
www.thewrap.com/la-times-pat...
www.thewrap.com/la-times-pat...
A journalism cautionary tale for the ages
www.semafor.com/article/10/2...
www.semafor.com/article/10/2...
Exclusive: British newspaper spoke to the wrong DeBlasio, not an ‘imposter’
How a Long Island vintner, with the help of ChatGPT, prompted a transatlantic journalistic debacle.
www.semafor.com
October 30, 2025 at 6:57 AM
A journalism cautionary tale for the ages
www.semafor.com/article/10/2...
www.semafor.com/article/10/2...
A very tough but fair piece from the general counsel of @newyorker.com on the ignominy of Paul Weiss.
www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
What if the Big Law Firms Hadn’t Caved to Trump?
It’s not inconceivable that, had the firms resisted the President’s executive orders, his momentum for lawlessness might have been curbed.
www.newyorker.com
October 27, 2025 at 10:24 PM
A very tough but fair piece from the general counsel of @newyorker.com on the ignominy of Paul Weiss.
www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
Here is the Reagan talk on tariffs from 1987 that is in the news this morning.
The general observations, starting at just before the 2:00 mark, are a devastating critique of Trump’s current approach. He’d be horrified if the American people watched this.
youtube.com/watch?v=5t5Q...
The general observations, starting at just before the 2:00 mark, are a devastating critique of Trump’s current approach. He’d be horrified if the American people watched this.
youtube.com/watch?v=5t5Q...
President Reagan's Radio Address on Free and Fair Trade on April 25, 1987
YouTube video by Reagan Library
youtube.com
October 24, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Here is the Reagan talk on tariffs from 1987 that is in the news this morning.
The general observations, starting at just before the 2:00 mark, are a devastating critique of Trump’s current approach. He’d be horrified if the American people watched this.
youtube.com/watch?v=5t5Q...
The general observations, starting at just before the 2:00 mark, are a devastating critique of Trump’s current approach. He’d be horrified if the American people watched this.
youtube.com/watch?v=5t5Q...
Seems like a good day to repost this column from four years ago. If the explosion in sports gambling is finally-- as was inevitable-- turning into a major scandal, can problems for the press be far behind?
dicktofel.substack.com/p/the-press-...
dicktofel.substack.com/p/the-press-...
The Press Has a Gambling Problem
From AP and CBS to the New York Times, it's fueling the sports betting craze.
dicktofel.substack.com
October 23, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Seems like a good day to repost this column from four years ago. If the explosion in sports gambling is finally-- as was inevitable-- turning into a major scandal, can problems for the press be far behind?
dicktofel.substack.com/p/the-press-...
dicktofel.substack.com/p/the-press-...
New study from Press Forward on how to promote journalism has lessons and limits. This week’s Second Rough Draft newsletter
open.substack.com/pub/dicktofe...
open.substack.com/pub/dicktofe...
A Timely Reminder to Choose Our Words Carefully
Press Forward research can shape messaging, but we also need to preserve core values
open.substack.com
October 23, 2025 at 12:18 PM
New study from Press Forward on how to promote journalism has lessons and limits. This week’s Second Rough Draft newsletter
open.substack.com/pub/dicktofe...
open.substack.com/pub/dicktofe...
Reposted by Richard Tofel
Hey folks! A little bit of news from me. I'll be starting a new program at the @harvardkennedy.bsky.social @shorensteinctr.bsky.social in January focusing on how we can support and bolster the independent media that is so crucial to our democracy.
shorensteincenter.org/article/inde...
shorensteincenter.org/article/inde...
Announcing new program on independent media, Julia Angwin to join as inaugural director - The Shorenstein Center
shorensteincenter.org
October 21, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Hey folks! A little bit of news from me. I'll be starting a new program at the @harvardkennedy.bsky.social @shorensteinctr.bsky.social in January focusing on how we can support and bolster the independent media that is so crucial to our democracy.
shorensteincenter.org/article/inde...
shorensteincenter.org/article/inde...
Reposted by Richard Tofel
“Finally, it is important for our students, and as many of our fellow citizens as we can engage, to better grasp how the evident decline in trust in the arena of public health came to pass.” bsky.app/profile/dick...
October 21, 2025 at 10:51 AM
“Finally, it is important for our students, and as many of our fellow citizens as we can engage, to better grasp how the evident decline in trust in the arena of public health came to pass.” bsky.app/profile/dick...
Reposted by Richard Tofel
The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And nearly 20 children, two of whom have cancer. @nicolefoy.bsky.social
More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days.
The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And near...
www.propublica.org
October 16, 2025 at 4:08 PM
The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And nearly 20 children, two of whom have cancer. @nicolefoy.bsky.social
Reposted by Richard Tofel
LA Times digital subscriptions last year brought in a little over $31 million.
Comparable figure for NY Times: More than $1.25 billion.
ca-times-cdn.platform.californiatimes.com/c8/d0/ce8f13...
Comparable figure for NY Times: More than $1.25 billion.
ca-times-cdn.platform.californiatimes.com/c8/d0/ce8f13...
October 16, 2025 at 9:58 PM
LA Times digital subscriptions last year brought in a little over $31 million.
Comparable figure for NY Times: More than $1.25 billion.
ca-times-cdn.platform.californiatimes.com/c8/d0/ce8f13...
Comparable figure for NY Times: More than $1.25 billion.
ca-times-cdn.platform.californiatimes.com/c8/d0/ce8f13...
Reposted by Richard Tofel
“In my view (and not mine alone), they have become the quality chain in the nation,” writes @dicktofel.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/dicktofe...
Why Hearst is Buying Newspapers: A Conversation with Steve Swartz
The CEO on "opportunistic" acquisitions in Austin and Dallas-- and more
open.substack.com
October 16, 2025 at 1:57 PM
“In my view (and not mine alone), they have become the quality chain in the nation,” writes @dicktofel.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/dicktofe...
Most newspaper chains are sellers, but Hearst has made two big purchases this year in Texas. What’s up? This week’s Second Rough Draft newsletter
open.substack.com/pub/dicktofe...
open.substack.com/pub/dicktofe...
Why Hearst is Buying Newspapers: A Conversation with Steve Swartz
The CEO on "opportunistic" acquisitions in Austin and Dallas-- and more
open.substack.com
October 16, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Most newspaper chains are sellers, but Hearst has made two big purchases this year in Texas. What’s up? This week’s Second Rough Draft newsletter
open.substack.com/pub/dicktofe...
open.substack.com/pub/dicktofe...