Emily Bell
@emilybell.bsky.social
Prof Columbia J School. Director Tow Center . Writes Guardian + elsewhere. Lives in airports…views are my own, thank goodness
Reposted by Emily Bell
Spoke with @davidenrich.bsky.social and @greenwell.bsky.social about current threats to press freedom and what ought to be done about them. Thanks to @columjournreview.bsky.social for hosting, and to all of the audience members who asked such great questions. www.cjr.org/kicker/the-l...
The letter of the law, and the law in practice.
Experts discuss the risks posed to journalism as the courts test the limits of press freedom law.
www.cjr.org
February 12, 2026 at 5:28 PM
Spoke with @davidenrich.bsky.social and @greenwell.bsky.social about current threats to press freedom and what ought to be done about them. Thanks to @columjournreview.bsky.social for hosting, and to all of the audience members who asked such great questions. www.cjr.org/kicker/the-l...
Reposted by Emily Bell
i gotta say as a working visual artist that uses @beehiiv.com for my monthly newsletter, seeing them ad "AI image" generation to their media library settings feels really, really, really bad!!!
February 12, 2026 at 2:06 PM
i gotta say as a working visual artist that uses @beehiiv.com for my monthly newsletter, seeing them ad "AI image" generation to their media library settings feels really, really, really bad!!!
Reposted by Emily Bell
Some children in Dilley were so distraught they cut themselves or talked about suicide, parents told ProPublica.
They said kids lost their appetites after finding worms and mold on their food, had trouble sleeping, and were constantly sick.
They said kids lost their appetites after finding worms and mold on their food, had trouble sleeping, and were constantly sick.
The Kids Trump Sent to ICE’s Dilley Detention Center
ProPublica went inside the immigrant detention center for families in Dilley, Texas. Children held there told us about the anguish of being ripped from their lives in the United States and the fear of...
www.propublica.org
February 12, 2026 at 4:00 AM
Some children in Dilley were so distraught they cut themselves or talked about suicide, parents told ProPublica.
They said kids lost their appetites after finding worms and mold on their food, had trouble sleeping, and were constantly sick.
They said kids lost their appetites after finding worms and mold on their food, had trouble sleeping, and were constantly sick.
Reposted by Emily Bell
I wrote about Trump’s ideological deportation policies and their implications for free speech, including on university campuses. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Jameel Jaffer · Thought Control
Ideological exclusion at the border seems anachronistic now, when all human knowledge is accessible online, video-...
www.lrb.co.uk
February 11, 2026 at 1:57 PM
I wrote about Trump’s ideological deportation policies and their implications for free speech, including on university campuses. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Reposted by Emily Bell
This is a fantastic conversation, strongly recommend listening to the whole thing
Candice Fortman on centering the newsroom as a community hub, with hosts @emilybell.bsky.social and Heather Chaplin. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o...
February 11, 2026 at 3:21 PM
This is a fantastic conversation, strongly recommend listening to the whole thing
These were ideas in the 2000s - open newsrooms, pop-ups , community learning. These were GOOD IDEAS , but lacking the ownership, commitment, and vision needed to make them work. Now with leaders like @cande313.bsky.social that is changing…
Candice Fortman on centering the newsroom as a community hub, with hosts @emilybell.bsky.social and Heather Chaplin. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o...
February 11, 2026 at 3:22 PM
These were ideas in the 2000s - open newsrooms, pop-ups , community learning. These were GOOD IDEAS , but lacking the ownership, commitment, and vision needed to make them work. Now with leaders like @cande313.bsky.social that is changing…
Reposted by Emily Bell
basically no-one is using Sora.
fwiw 9.6m downloads is fewer than Zombies, Run! my lovely geek-fitness game has
Sora got *noise*, as much awareness as an app can get, but it was 5 mins of fun, not lasting quality.
useful analysis from theankler.com/p/how-hollyw... via @labuzamovies.com
fwiw 9.6m downloads is fewer than Zombies, Run! my lovely geek-fitness game has
Sora got *noise*, as much awareness as an app can get, but it was 5 mins of fun, not lasting quality.
useful analysis from theankler.com/p/how-hollyw... via @labuzamovies.com
February 11, 2026 at 10:35 AM
basically no-one is using Sora.
fwiw 9.6m downloads is fewer than Zombies, Run! my lovely geek-fitness game has
Sora got *noise*, as much awareness as an app can get, but it was 5 mins of fun, not lasting quality.
useful analysis from theankler.com/p/how-hollyw... via @labuzamovies.com
fwiw 9.6m downloads is fewer than Zombies, Run! my lovely geek-fitness game has
Sora got *noise*, as much awareness as an app can get, but it was 5 mins of fun, not lasting quality.
useful analysis from theankler.com/p/how-hollyw... via @labuzamovies.com
Reposted by Emily Bell
You want whistles? We can get you whistles. 100 whistles? No problem? 500 whistles? No problem. 1000? Again, no problem! We will get you whistles, for free, just drop a line at whistlegoblins.fun
Whistle becomes key tool in protests against Trump’s ICE crackdown
Protesters have been blowing whistles to alert people to agents’ presence – and that has upset figures on the right
www.theguardian.com
February 11, 2026 at 3:43 AM
You want whistles? We can get you whistles. 100 whistles? No problem? 500 whistles? No problem. 1000? Again, no problem! We will get you whistles, for free, just drop a line at whistlegoblins.fun
Reposted by Emily Bell
No-one seems to have noticed, but many of the core developments in the Mandelson/Epstein story these last few days have been broken on this website. @pickardje.bsky.social and @petergeoghegan.bsky.social are both posting each breaking development on BlueSky, not X.
February 10, 2026 at 11:40 AM
No-one seems to have noticed, but many of the core developments in the Mandelson/Epstein story these last few days have been broken on this website. @pickardje.bsky.social and @petergeoghegan.bsky.social are both posting each breaking development on BlueSky, not X.
Reposted by Emily Bell
Outlier Media Reimagines What Local News Can Be. Sarah Alvarez and Candice Fortman join hosts @emilybell.bsky.social and Heather Chaplin on a new episode of Journalism 2050. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o...
February 9, 2026 at 6:07 PM
Outlier Media Reimagines What Local News Can Be. Sarah Alvarez and Candice Fortman join hosts @emilybell.bsky.social and Heather Chaplin on a new episode of Journalism 2050. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o...
Reposted by Emily Bell
That critique of the government extracting resources from PR. The power poles.
February 9, 2026 at 1:30 AM
That critique of the government extracting resources from PR. The power poles.
Reposted by Emily Bell
Wait hold up...
Did Bad Bunny just give his Grammy to Liam Conejo Ramos the poor kid who was kidnapped by ICE? If so amazing
The sign beforehand said "Conejo" on it too
Did Bad Bunny just give his Grammy to Liam Conejo Ramos the poor kid who was kidnapped by ICE? If so amazing
The sign beforehand said "Conejo" on it too
February 9, 2026 at 1:34 AM
Wait hold up...
Did Bad Bunny just give his Grammy to Liam Conejo Ramos the poor kid who was kidnapped by ICE? If so amazing
The sign beforehand said "Conejo" on it too
Did Bad Bunny just give his Grammy to Liam Conejo Ramos the poor kid who was kidnapped by ICE? If so amazing
The sign beforehand said "Conejo" on it too
Reposted by Emily Bell
Morgan McSweeney has resigned
Lots of reasons for it but among them is our revelation on Thursday evening that McSweeney’s think tank paid a PR firm to investigate journalists.
McSweeney was across that decision.
Still so many questions to answer about it
Lots of reasons for it but among them is our revelation on Thursday evening that McSweeney’s think tank paid a PR firm to investigate journalists.
McSweeney was across that decision.
Still so many questions to answer about it
🔴 BREAKING: Labour Together paid controversial PR firm £30k to investigate journalists who were digging into how its undeclared funding
Reporters from Sunday Times, Guardian and other outlets targetted
*And* Morgan McSweeney knew about it
Full story:
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/exclusive-...
Reporters from Sunday Times, Guardian and other outlets targetted
*And* Morgan McSweeney knew about it
Full story:
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/exclusive-...
BREAKING: McSweeney’s think tank paid PR firm to investigate journalists
Labour Together put private investigators onto journalists writing about its funding. Starmer's right-hand man knew.
democracyforsale.substack.com
February 8, 2026 at 2:50 PM
Morgan McSweeney has resigned
Lots of reasons for it but among them is our revelation on Thursday evening that McSweeney’s think tank paid a PR firm to investigate journalists.
McSweeney was across that decision.
Still so many questions to answer about it
Lots of reasons for it but among them is our revelation on Thursday evening that McSweeney’s think tank paid a PR firm to investigate journalists.
McSweeney was across that decision.
Still so many questions to answer about it
💯 first thing I thought, (well the second, after ‘this is an act of political obeisance dressed up as a ‘business’ decision’) . That vaporizing your sports department on the eve of the Super Bowl, the Winter Olympics, and the US hosted World Cup, is insanity
"When you cut your sports section, it’s because you actually don’t want the paper to exist anymore." —Josh Marshall
talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/do-yo...
talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/do-yo...
‘Do You Speak Billionaire?’ and Other Stories From the Fall of the Washington Post
I think I can say with little fear of contradiction that I...
talkingpointsmemo.com
February 6, 2026 at 6:15 AM
💯 first thing I thought, (well the second, after ‘this is an act of political obeisance dressed up as a ‘business’ decision’) . That vaporizing your sports department on the eve of the Super Bowl, the Winter Olympics, and the US hosted World Cup, is insanity
Reposted by Emily Bell
Lol since I wrote this the amount shipped today jumped another 6,000.
The whistle goblins shipped 100,000 whistles in the first four days of February. And today? The fifth day? 37,000 more. This is perhaps the most inspiring act of collective action I’ve ever been lucky enough to be a part of.
Help by buying filament: linktr.ee/WhistleWi…
Help by buying filament: linktr.ee/WhistleWi…
February 6, 2026 at 2:50 AM
Lol since I wrote this the amount shipped today jumped another 6,000.
Totally agree. And …strangely it is the commercial side which arguably struggles more with culture change in that respect
February 6, 2026 at 5:44 AM
Totally agree. And …strangely it is the commercial side which arguably struggles more with culture change in that respect
💯 The realization creeping into the industry that the journalism IS the business model - be it subs, licensing, non profit, membership, even ads - is a difficult transition for most
February 5, 2026 at 8:09 PM
💯 The realization creeping into the industry that the journalism IS the business model - be it subs, licensing, non profit, membership, even ads - is a difficult transition for most
Reposted by Emily Bell
Mayor Mamdani has endorsed Gov. Hochul for reelection via an essay in The Nation that lauds her for fighting back against ICE and committing to funding a childcare expansion in NYC.
www.thenation.com/article/poli...
The essay also includes this section:
www.thenation.com/article/poli...
The essay also includes this section:
February 5, 2026 at 1:05 PM
Mayor Mamdani has endorsed Gov. Hochul for reelection via an essay in The Nation that lauds her for fighting back against ICE and committing to funding a childcare expansion in NYC.
www.thenation.com/article/poli...
The essay also includes this section:
www.thenation.com/article/poli...
The essay also includes this section:
American journalism is being put in peril, not principally by the failure of its business model, but by the political destruction of anti-democratic billionaires….
February 5, 2026 at 12:46 PM
American journalism is being put in peril, not principally by the failure of its business model, but by the political destruction of anti-democratic billionaires….
What does Moltbook have to say about the Epstein Files?
February 5, 2026 at 5:37 AM
What does Moltbook have to say about the Epstein Files?
Unexpected certainly
February 5, 2026 at 5:35 AM
Unexpected certainly
Reposted by Emily Bell
With the awful WaPo layoffs and the state of journalism more broadly, if it's useful for any writers and reporters considering going indy, @molly.wiki, @xoxogossipgita.bsky.social of Aftermath, @jasonkoebler.bsky.social of 404 Media, @edzitron.com and me will do a little workshop next week.
February 5, 2026 at 12:09 AM
With the awful WaPo layoffs and the state of journalism more broadly, if it's useful for any writers and reporters considering going indy, @molly.wiki, @xoxogossipgita.bsky.social of Aftermath, @jasonkoebler.bsky.social of 404 Media, @edzitron.com and me will do a little workshop next week.
If he is categorized as ‘political’…
February 5, 2026 at 5:31 AM
If he is categorized as ‘political’…
Reposted by Emily Bell
"Rhe only reason we know any of this [about Mandelson] is because Epstein became entangled in the MAGA movement’s narrative.
"What we still aren’t asking is how similar networks of influence are operating elsewhere today."
New on D4S: democracyforsale.substack.com/p/release-th...
"What we still aren’t asking is how similar networks of influence are operating elsewhere today."
New on D4S: democracyforsale.substack.com/p/release-th...
Release the files - on Mandelson, Starmer and McSweeney
Sunlight is the only disinfectant to the corruption that's been revealed this week
democracyforsale.substack.com
February 4, 2026 at 6:50 PM
"Rhe only reason we know any of this [about Mandelson] is because Epstein became entangled in the MAGA movement’s narrative.
"What we still aren’t asking is how similar networks of influence are operating elsewhere today."
New on D4S: democracyforsale.substack.com/p/release-th...
"What we still aren’t asking is how similar networks of influence are operating elsewhere today."
New on D4S: democracyforsale.substack.com/p/release-th...
It is still hard to understand how the Epstein Files’ first significant political casualty might be …Keir Starmer
February 5, 2026 at 5:28 AM
It is still hard to understand how the Epstein Files’ first significant political casualty might be …Keir Starmer