Emily Schwing
@emilyschwing.bsky.social
Journalist w/ lots of bylines. I really like skis and dogs. I don't really like hot weather or spiders. Go bag packed. AK-based & Arctic focused.
Pinned
This is Mertarvik, Alaska, population 300. It’s a new town.
Its residents, the vast majority of whom are Yup’ik, began moving in around 2019.
The move was by necessity: The nearby village where many residents previously lived, Newtok, is sinking, its riverbanks eroding. THREAD 🧵
Its residents, the vast majority of whom are Yup’ik, began moving in around 2019.
The move was by necessity: The nearby village where many residents previously lived, Newtok, is sinking, its riverbanks eroding. THREAD 🧵
By my count, I spent at least 40 nights in Newtok & Mertarvik over 2 yrs, interviewed over 70 people & hired an inspector to look at 7 homes built by 3 contractors. A dozen are less than 3 years old & moldy. 1 federal agency knew of problems in 2022. Another toured homes in 2023. Zero repairs made.
Reposted by Emily Schwing
November 5, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Here's what I am reading today. Why? Because subsistence foods play a huge role in the lives of Alaskans, and their value, which is particularly outsized in rural communities, is often underestimated.
Alaska typhoon victims’ losses of traditional foods go beyond dollar values, writes @yjrosen.bsky.social for the @alaskabeacon.com alaskabeacon.com/2025/11/03/a...
Alaska typhoon victims’ losses of traditional foods go beyond dollar values | Alaska Beacon
An effort to replace lost subsistence harvests is part of the aid tailored to the needs of Indigenous rural Alaskans displaced by the storm.
alaskabeacon.com
November 3, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Here's what I am reading today. Why? Because subsistence foods play a huge role in the lives of Alaskans, and their value, which is particularly outsized in rural communities, is often underestimated.
What I'm reading: www.adn.com/alaska-news/...
Questions I have:
1. is this Individual or Public Assistance? There's a big difference.
2. This didn't come quickly. Why the delay?
3. Is this an Emergency or Major Disaster Declaration? the difference is key & directly impacts response capabilities
Questions I have:
1. is this Individual or Public Assistance? There's a big difference.
2. This didn't come quickly. Why the delay?
3. Is this an Emergency or Major Disaster Declaration? the difference is key & directly impacts response capabilities
Trump approves $25 million in federal disaster aid for Western Alaska storm recovery
A spokesman for Gov. Dunleavy said the $25 million figure cited by Trump “is the initial amount of federal funding” and “more will be made available as needed.”
www.adn.com
October 23, 2025 at 7:10 PM
What I'm reading: www.adn.com/alaska-news/...
Questions I have:
1. is this Individual or Public Assistance? There's a big difference.
2. This didn't come quickly. Why the delay?
3. Is this an Emergency or Major Disaster Declaration? the difference is key & directly impacts response capabilities
Questions I have:
1. is this Individual or Public Assistance? There's a big difference.
2. This didn't come quickly. Why the delay?
3. Is this an Emergency or Major Disaster Declaration? the difference is key & directly impacts response capabilities
Reposted by Emily Schwing
Trump approved $25 million for Halong
*Biden approved $200 million for Merbok.
*Argentina $40 million
*Kristi Noem Jets $172 million
*Destroying the White House $200+ million
*Trump demands $230 from DOJ
*AIDEA Alaska Industrial Development Export Authority $50 million for Ambler Road
*Biden approved $200 million for Merbok.
*Argentina $40 million
*Kristi Noem Jets $172 million
*Destroying the White House $200+ million
*Trump demands $230 from DOJ
*AIDEA Alaska Industrial Development Export Authority $50 million for Ambler Road
October 22, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Trump approved $25 million for Halong
*Biden approved $200 million for Merbok.
*Argentina $40 million
*Kristi Noem Jets $172 million
*Destroying the White House $200+ million
*Trump demands $230 from DOJ
*AIDEA Alaska Industrial Development Export Authority $50 million for Ambler Road
*Biden approved $200 million for Merbok.
*Argentina $40 million
*Kristi Noem Jets $172 million
*Destroying the White House $200+ million
*Trump demands $230 from DOJ
*AIDEA Alaska Industrial Development Export Authority $50 million for Ambler Road
here's what i am reading today: www.adn.com/alaska-news/...
Indefinite displacement of hundreds of Americans and yet no federal disaster declaration. It's a piece of paper on someones desk in DC. In Alaska, this is a humanitarian crisis.
Indefinite displacement of hundreds of Americans and yet no federal disaster declaration. It's a piece of paper on someones desk in DC. In Alaska, this is a humanitarian crisis.
State and city officials work to provide housing at hotels for storm evacuees
The efforts come as the response to the storm shifts to finding support for displaced victims.
www.adn.com
October 22, 2025 at 6:51 PM
here's what i am reading today: www.adn.com/alaska-news/...
Indefinite displacement of hundreds of Americans and yet no federal disaster declaration. It's a piece of paper on someones desk in DC. In Alaska, this is a humanitarian crisis.
Indefinite displacement of hundreds of Americans and yet no federal disaster declaration. It's a piece of paper on someones desk in DC. In Alaska, this is a humanitarian crisis.
Here's what I am reading today: www.kyuk.org/arts-culture...
... and I'm wondering about that request for a federal disaster declaration.
... and I'm wondering about that request for a federal disaster declaration.
An ‘orchestra from Hell’: A firsthand account of the Halong flood
Jeron Joseph, a survivor from Kwigillingok, tells his story.
www.kyuk.org
October 21, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Here's what I am reading today: www.kyuk.org/arts-culture...
... and I'm wondering about that request for a federal disaster declaration.
... and I'm wondering about that request for a federal disaster declaration.
If you're a news organization using footage from storm ravaged communities in Alaska, maybe throw some cash at the creators. Footage should not be free. And the people you're soliciting it from have been displaced indefinitely with not much other than the clothes they were wearing.
October 21, 2025 at 8:00 PM
If you're a news organization using footage from storm ravaged communities in Alaska, maybe throw some cash at the creators. Footage should not be free. And the people you're soliciting it from have been displaced indefinitely with not much other than the clothes they were wearing.
Here's what I am reading today: www.adn.com/alaska-news/...
The two questions everyone in Alaska is asking right now is 1. what happens next? and 2. Why hasn't the Trump Administration signed a federal disaster declaration yet?
The two questions everyone in Alaska is asking right now is 1. what happens next? and 2. Why hasn't the Trump Administration signed a federal disaster declaration yet?
With storm evacuations winding down, Western Alaska families stare down an uncertain displacement in Anchorage
Officials say organizations are now looking toward finding families longer-term housing so they can move out of mass shelters.
www.adn.com
October 21, 2025 at 2:43 AM
Here's what I am reading today: www.adn.com/alaska-news/...
The two questions everyone in Alaska is asking right now is 1. what happens next? and 2. Why hasn't the Trump Administration signed a federal disaster declaration yet?
The two questions everyone in Alaska is asking right now is 1. what happens next? and 2. Why hasn't the Trump Administration signed a federal disaster declaration yet?
I have questions:
1. Why did it take nearly a week?
2. Do AK's tribal leaders know they can make a govt-to-govt requests for their communities?
3. Gov. Dunleavy said the damage surpasses the state’s ability & capacity to respond w/o fed support. What is AK lacking?
www.adn.com/alaska-news/...
1. Why did it take nearly a week?
2. Do AK's tribal leaders know they can make a govt-to-govt requests for their communities?
3. Gov. Dunleavy said the damage surpasses the state’s ability & capacity to respond w/o fed support. What is AK lacking?
www.adn.com/alaska-news/...
Dunleavy requests federal disaster declaration after Western Alaska storm
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy said the damage is of “such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state.” State lawmakers are raising concerns about options given ...
www.adn.com
October 18, 2025 at 10:26 PM
I have questions:
1. Why did it take nearly a week?
2. Do AK's tribal leaders know they can make a govt-to-govt requests for their communities?
3. Gov. Dunleavy said the damage surpasses the state’s ability & capacity to respond w/o fed support. What is AK lacking?
www.adn.com/alaska-news/...
1. Why did it take nearly a week?
2. Do AK's tribal leaders know they can make a govt-to-govt requests for their communities?
3. Gov. Dunleavy said the damage surpasses the state’s ability & capacity to respond w/o fed support. What is AK lacking?
www.adn.com/alaska-news/...
HEre's what I am reading today: theconversation.com/typhoon-leav...
Why? Because: Yes. This is potentially worse than Katrina.
Why? Because: Yes. This is potentially worse than Katrina.
Typhoon leaves flooded Alaska villages facing a storm recovery far tougher than most Americans will ever experience
‘As the storm approached Alaska, everything went sideways,’ leaving people no time to evacuate and little time to prepare. An Alaska meteorologist explains what happened and the challenges ahead.
theconversation.com
October 15, 2025 at 9:27 PM
HEre's what I am reading today: theconversation.com/typhoon-leav...
Why? Because: Yes. This is potentially worse than Katrina.
Why? Because: Yes. This is potentially worse than Katrina.
Reposted by Emily Schwing
The massive storm flooded communities and destroyed homes Sunday when it slammed into the coast of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, bringing with it destructive winds and high waters.
(From KYUK - Bethel and @alaskapublic.org)
(From KYUK - Bethel and @alaskapublic.org)
51 people rescued and at least 3 still missing after massive storm hits Western Alaska
The three people unaccounted for are from Kwigillingok, one of the communities devastated by the remnants of Typhoon Halong.
www.ktoo.org
October 13, 2025 at 11:19 PM
The massive storm flooded communities and destroyed homes Sunday when it slammed into the coast of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, bringing with it destructive winds and high waters.
(From KYUK - Bethel and @alaskapublic.org)
(From KYUK - Bethel and @alaskapublic.org)
What does Typhoon Halong reveal about housing conditions in Western Alaska? Here's a thread...👇
October 13, 2025 at 8:47 PM
What does Typhoon Halong reveal about housing conditions in Western Alaska? Here's a thread...👇
Well, this is unexpected, but also quite welcome.
Journalism, he said, is how we know what's happening in troubled lands. "These extraordinary eyewitness accounts are the culmination of the daily efforts of countless people who work to ensure that information isn't manipulated for ends contrary to truth and human dignity“
apnews.com/article/pope...
apnews.com/article/pope...
Pope urges news agencies to stand as bulwark against lies, manipulation and post-truths
Pope Leo XIV has encouraged international news agencies to stand firm as a bulwark against the “ancient art of lying” and manipulation.
apnews.com
October 10, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Well, this is unexpected, but also quite welcome.
here's what I am reading today: www.npr.org/2025/10/08/n... Why? Because who doesn't love science, polar exploration and a break from all the relentless bad news these days.
Famed polar exploration ship Endurance not as strong as legend held, researcher says
Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton's crew famously survived after the Endurance became stuck in ice in 1915. A researcher says the ship was ill-equipped for the voyage and Shackleton was aware.
www.npr.org
October 10, 2025 at 3:57 PM
here's what I am reading today: www.npr.org/2025/10/08/n... Why? Because who doesn't love science, polar exploration and a break from all the relentless bad news these days.
it's a little more nuanced than that... but yes, this is what I am reading today.
Ah yes, carving through the wilderness so someone can make an AI video of Darth Vader doing a TikTok dance. interc.pt/478DpZU
October 9, 2025 at 6:59 PM
it's a little more nuanced than that... but yes, this is what I am reading today.
Reposted by Emily Schwing
Bari Weiss has officially been announced as the editor in chief of CBS News. “She’s not a reporter; she’s never been in the field,” a 60 Minutes producer told Adam Piore for a recent profile of CBS. “Talk about controversies.”
www.cjr.org/feature/cbs-...
www.cjr.org/feature/cbs-...
For the past year, journalists at CBS News have been up against extraordinary pressure. The network reached a tipping point.
“Who would have thought this is the piece that would get me fired?” Bill Owens, the former executive producer of 60 Minutes, said in the screening room. For the past year, CBS journalists have been up...
www.cjr.org
October 6, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Bari Weiss has officially been announced as the editor in chief of CBS News. “She’s not a reporter; she’s never been in the field,” a 60 Minutes producer told Adam Piore for a recent profile of CBS. “Talk about controversies.”
www.cjr.org/feature/cbs-...
www.cjr.org/feature/cbs-...
journalists always love being thanked. It rarely happens. Have you thanked one of us for protecting your first amendment rights today?
October 3, 2025 at 8:33 PM
journalists always love being thanked. It rarely happens. Have you thanked one of us for protecting your first amendment rights today?
Reposted by Emily Schwing
URGENT: Write a letter to your lawmakers using our action center tool telling them to vocally oppose journalist Mario Guevara's deportation and to do so quickly.
Guevara could be kicked out of the country as early as TODAY. He is legally authorized to work here and is not charged with any crime.
Guevara could be kicked out of the country as early as TODAY. He is legally authorized to work here and is not charged with any crime.
October 2, 2025 at 2:31 PM
URGENT: Write a letter to your lawmakers using our action center tool telling them to vocally oppose journalist Mario Guevara's deportation and to do so quickly.
Guevara could be kicked out of the country as early as TODAY. He is legally authorized to work here and is not charged with any crime.
Guevara could be kicked out of the country as early as TODAY. He is legally authorized to work here and is not charged with any crime.
Reposted by Emily Schwing
From @jpradio.bsky.social @romanbattaglia.com — another example of why we need reporters everywhere.
Environmental advocates say that excluding the public and press from timber auctions limits government transparency and prevents meaningful oversight of public land management.
The Bureau of Land Management says the auctions are business meetings, not public events.
The Bureau of Land Management says the auctions are business meetings, not public events.
BLM timber sales in Oregon and Washington are now closed to the public
An environmental advocate in Southern Oregon said a new policy excluding the public from federal timber auctions hurts accountability and transparency.
www.opb.org
September 26, 2025 at 10:38 PM
From @jpradio.bsky.social @romanbattaglia.com — another example of why we need reporters everywhere.
Reposted by Emily Schwing
While documenting unfolding events two journalists sheltering behind a van were directly targeted by ICE agents firing pepper balls. One round struck a woman in the nose, leaving her bleeding.
9:00 a.m. September 25th outside the Broadview ice facility
9:00 a.m. September 25th outside the Broadview ice facility
September 26, 2025 at 3:11 PM
While documenting unfolding events two journalists sheltering behind a van were directly targeted by ICE agents firing pepper balls. One round struck a woman in the nose, leaving her bleeding.
9:00 a.m. September 25th outside the Broadview ice facility
9:00 a.m. September 25th outside the Broadview ice facility
Reposted by Emily Schwing
In case anyone thought ICE shooting at journalists was just an LA thing. Or that they'd cut it out after repeated warnings from judges. Nope. More of the same in Chicago.
Took fire to the face. ICE definitely isn’t aiming at ground and firing at people’s heads again.
September 26, 2025 at 5:43 PM
In case anyone thought ICE shooting at journalists was just an LA thing. Or that they'd cut it out after repeated warnings from judges. Nope. More of the same in Chicago.
Reposted by Emily Schwing
I was back at 26 Federal Plaza today, where an ICE agent violently threw this bereft woman to the ground in front of her kids. She had not touched him. She did not pose any threat. She had to be taken to the hospital. (🎥: Elias Eliahu)
September 25, 2025 at 6:03 PM
I was back at 26 Federal Plaza today, where an ICE agent violently threw this bereft woman to the ground in front of her kids. She had not touched him. She did not pose any threat. She had to be taken to the hospital. (🎥: Elias Eliahu)
if i had a dollar for every time someone in journalism over 20+ years told me about "getting my foot in the door," well, I would not have as many dollars as Taylor Swift, who owns the door and what's behind it, but I'd still expect to be paid and supported for my time, skills and creative effort.
If people didn't know that the NFL doesn't pay Super Bowl halftime performers before, they're definitely going to know now after the NFL tried to get Taylor Swift to sign on for "exposure." www.yahoo.com/entertainmen...
NFL ‘Flatly Refused’ to Meet Taylor Swift’s Demands About Super Bowl Performance, Source Says
The speculation about Taylor Swift’s possible performance at the Super Bowl has now reportedly come to an abrupt end. Industry insiders claimed that Swift made some demands to perform for the halftime...
www.yahoo.com
September 26, 2025 at 5:43 PM
if i had a dollar for every time someone in journalism over 20+ years told me about "getting my foot in the door," well, I would not have as many dollars as Taylor Swift, who owns the door and what's behind it, but I'd still expect to be paid and supported for my time, skills and creative effort.
I have also been wondering this. Where are all the movie stars and Hollywood socialites willing to write letters and make donations large enough to allow America's small and essential rural public radio stations to continue to provide the vital public service that we do?
Do any of the professors or journalists or teachers also get their jobs back or nah
September 23, 2025 at 10:14 PM
I have also been wondering this. Where are all the movie stars and Hollywood socialites willing to write letters and make donations large enough to allow America's small and essential rural public radio stations to continue to provide the vital public service that we do?