Jon Collins
@jcollins.bsky.social
Reporter @MPRNews. '25 Nieman fellow. Co-creator of Peabody Award-winning 74 Seconds podcast. Victory gardener.
Pinned
I love this statement from AP editor and National Press Club President Mike Balsamo. Refusing to be manipulated by people in power is the core of the journalist's job.
An estimated 111,000 spiders created this web, a "singular work of cooperation by two usually-hostile species of spider." www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/s...
Stinking, Spongy, Dark, Huge: A Spider Web Unlike Any Seen Before
www.nytimes.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:33 PM
An estimated 111,000 spiders created this web, a "singular work of cooperation by two usually-hostile species of spider." www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/s...
I love this statement from AP editor and National Press Club President Mike Balsamo. Refusing to be manipulated by people in power is the core of the journalist's job.
November 10, 2025 at 6:02 PM
I love this statement from AP editor and National Press Club President Mike Balsamo. Refusing to be manipulated by people in power is the core of the journalist's job.
Reposted by Jon Collins
You might have seen that story about the monkeys -- supposedly infected w/ herpes and COVID -- that escaped a crashed truck in Mississippi.
It was not journalism's finest hour. (With an exception or two.)
In today's Laurels & Darts, via @columjournreview.bsky.social
www.cjr.org/laurels-and-...
It was not journalism's finest hour. (With an exception or two.)
In today's Laurels & Darts, via @columjournreview.bsky.social
www.cjr.org/laurels-and-...
Laurels and Darts: Monkey business.
Primate prevarication in the Deep South. Plus, the immigration crackdown in Chicago, and the wonderfully wonky world of Bolts.
www.cjr.org
November 7, 2025 at 12:37 PM
You might have seen that story about the monkeys -- supposedly infected w/ herpes and COVID -- that escaped a crashed truck in Mississippi.
It was not journalism's finest hour. (With an exception or two.)
In today's Laurels & Darts, via @columjournreview.bsky.social
www.cjr.org/laurels-and-...
It was not journalism's finest hour. (With an exception or two.)
In today's Laurels & Darts, via @columjournreview.bsky.social
www.cjr.org/laurels-and-...
Reposted by Jon Collins
The AP tracked down details of some of the people killed in President Trump's military strikes on drug smugglers he describes as narco-terrorists.
They were, with one exception, not high-level criminals. One was a fisherman. One was a bus driver; another a taxi driver.
apnews.com/article/trum...
They were, with one exception, not high-level criminals. One was a fisherman. One was a bus driver; another a taxi driver.
apnews.com/article/trum...
November 7, 2025 at 3:18 PM
The AP tracked down details of some of the people killed in President Trump's military strikes on drug smugglers he describes as narco-terrorists.
They were, with one exception, not high-level criminals. One was a fisherman. One was a bus driver; another a taxi driver.
apnews.com/article/trum...
They were, with one exception, not high-level criminals. One was a fisherman. One was a bus driver; another a taxi driver.
apnews.com/article/trum...
Reposted by Jon Collins
The utter unpredictability of Mr. Hegseth’s moves, as described in interviews with 20 current and former military officials, has created an atmosphere of anxiety and mistrust that has forced senior officers to take sides and, at times, pitted them against one another. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
Hegseth Is Purging Military Leaders With Little Explanation
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:04 PM
The utter unpredictability of Mr. Hegseth’s moves, as described in interviews with 20 current and former military officials, has created an atmosphere of anxiety and mistrust that has forced senior officers to take sides and, at times, pitted them against one another. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
She also took on more credit card debt to pay for groceries.
“It’s just shameful. I feel bad about it,” she said of her situation. “I feel like I’m failing as an adult.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
“It’s just shameful. I feel bad about it,” she said of her situation. “I feel like I’m failing as an adult.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
Down to $1.18: How Families Are Coping With SNAP Cuts
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:25 PM
She also took on more credit card debt to pay for groceries.
“It’s just shameful. I feel bad about it,” she said of her situation. “I feel like I’m failing as an adult.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
“It’s just shameful. I feel bad about it,” she said of her situation. “I feel like I’m failing as an adult.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
Reposted by Jon Collins
When deception’s more profitable than honesty, users lose.
Internal documents suggest that Meta earns $3.5B(!) every 6 mo. from scam ads, revealing a deeper systemic problem: the economic incentive to tolerate “higher legal risk” content still outweighs any penalty. www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Internal documents suggest that Meta earns $3.5B(!) every 6 mo. from scam ads, revealing a deeper systemic problem: the economic incentive to tolerate “higher legal risk” content still outweighs any penalty. www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Meta is earning a fortune on a deluge of fraudulent ads, documents show
Meta projected 10% of its 2024 revenue would come from ads for scams and banned goods, and it internally estimates that its platforms show users 15 billion scam ads a day, company documents show.
www.reuters.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:14 AM
When deception’s more profitable than honesty, users lose.
Internal documents suggest that Meta earns $3.5B(!) every 6 mo. from scam ads, revealing a deeper systemic problem: the economic incentive to tolerate “higher legal risk” content still outweighs any penalty. www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Internal documents suggest that Meta earns $3.5B(!) every 6 mo. from scam ads, revealing a deeper systemic problem: the economic incentive to tolerate “higher legal risk” content still outweighs any penalty. www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Reposted by Jon Collins
New: Conde Nast fired four employees who were among a group that confronted the company's head of human resources on Wednesday over the decision to fold Teen Vogue into Vogue/recent cuts. Employees who were fired included journalists from the New Yorker, Wired, and Bon Appétit.
November 6, 2025 at 5:49 PM
New: Conde Nast fired four employees who were among a group that confronted the company's head of human resources on Wednesday over the decision to fold Teen Vogue into Vogue/recent cuts. Employees who were fired included journalists from the New Yorker, Wired, and Bon Appétit.
Reposted by Jon Collins
Inside Axel Springer’s Weds town hall, where editorial staffers pressed execs on AI, leaving with no real answers and a confirmation that more pain is coming
“The truth is, you either embrace A.I. or you die,” CEO Mathias Döpfner said
status.news/p/axel-springer-ai-business-insider-mathias-dopfner
“The truth is, you either embrace A.I. or you die,” CEO Mathias Döpfner said
status.news/p/axel-springer-ai-business-insider-mathias-dopfner
Axel Springer Boss to Staffers: 'Embrace A.I. Or You Die'
Axel Springer staffers confronted chief Mathias Döpfner over the publishing giant’s rapid embrace of A.I., which many fear could cost them their jobs, according to a video of the meeting leaked to St...
status.news
November 6, 2025 at 12:52 AM
Inside Axel Springer’s Weds town hall, where editorial staffers pressed execs on AI, leaving with no real answers and a confirmation that more pain is coming
“The truth is, you either embrace A.I. or you die,” CEO Mathias Döpfner said
status.news/p/axel-springer-ai-business-insider-mathias-dopfner
“The truth is, you either embrace A.I. or you die,” CEO Mathias Döpfner said
status.news/p/axel-springer-ai-business-insider-mathias-dopfner
Minneapolis' Barebones is one of the highlights of every year, made better by the fact that hundreds of residents work tirelessly without pay to make it happen. Fire, puppets, kids in raccoon costumes and the sense of community when they sing "We remember" as people shout out loved ones they lost.
November 6, 2025 at 3:38 AM
Minneapolis' Barebones is one of the highlights of every year, made better by the fact that hundreds of residents work tirelessly without pay to make it happen. Fire, puppets, kids in raccoon costumes and the sense of community when they sing "We remember" as people shout out loved ones they lost.
Reposted by Jon Collins
The better of the motions headed to the public safety committee is this one from Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, which requests the City Attorney w/ the Council to draft “substantive limitations” on non-lethal use of force. It references a previous injunction from 2021
www.latimes.com/california/s...
www.latimes.com/california/s...
November 6, 2025 at 3:26 AM
The better of the motions headed to the public safety committee is this one from Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, which requests the City Attorney w/ the Council to draft “substantive limitations” on non-lethal use of force. It references a previous injunction from 2021
www.latimes.com/california/s...
www.latimes.com/california/s...
"Common Crawl has opened a back door for AI companies to train their models with paywalled articles from major news websites. And the foundation appears to be lying to publishers about this..." www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
The Company Quietly Funneling Paywalled Articles to AI Developers
“You shouldn’t have put your content on the internet if you didn’t want it to be on the internet,” Common Crawl’s executive director says.
www.theatlantic.com
November 5, 2025 at 11:10 PM
"Common Crawl has opened a back door for AI companies to train their models with paywalled articles from major news websites. And the foundation appears to be lying to publishers about this..." www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Jon Collins
Flying Squirrel Loves It Every Time
November 5, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Flying Squirrel Loves It Every Time
Block Club Chicago continuing to excel in their coverage of the crises in Chicago. blockclubchicago.org/2025/11/05/d...
Families 'Horrified' After Daycare Teacher Pulled Out Of Preschool By Armed Federal Agents
The incident happened in front of parents and children at Rayito de Sol in North Center, a parent said. They believe the employee, who cares for infants, is legally allowed to work in the United State...
blockclubchicago.org
November 5, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Block Club Chicago continuing to excel in their coverage of the crises in Chicago. blockclubchicago.org/2025/11/05/d...
"In Ukraine, unmanned weapons hunt the wounded and medics alike. Moving injured soldiers to safety has never been more difficult."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/m...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/m...
A Harrowing Escape From the Drone-Infested Hellscape of Ukraine’s Front Lines
www.nytimes.com
November 5, 2025 at 12:59 PM
"In Ukraine, unmanned weapons hunt the wounded and medics alike. Moving injured soldiers to safety has never been more difficult."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/m...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/m...
Minneapolis mayoral results will continue to be tabulated tomorrow. Mayor Jacob Frey says "it looks damn good for us." He says "Minneapolis is on the rise."
November 5, 2025 at 4:33 AM
Minneapolis mayoral results will continue to be tabulated tomorrow. Mayor Jacob Frey says "it looks damn good for us." He says "Minneapolis is on the rise."
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey's election night party at Jefe. Quite a few media here.
November 5, 2025 at 2:31 AM
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey's election night party at Jefe. Quite a few media here.
People are trickling into the DeWayne Davis election night party at Lush. The Minneapolis mayoral candidate isn't here yet. I've covered a lot of election night parties, and the aesthetics here definitely beat them all. But of course we won't know the new mayor until votes are tabulated.
November 5, 2025 at 1:42 AM
People are trickling into the DeWayne Davis election night party at Lush. The Minneapolis mayoral candidate isn't here yet. I've covered a lot of election night parties, and the aesthetics here definitely beat them all. But of course we won't know the new mayor until votes are tabulated.
“As humans, we crave connection,” he said. “And I think as journalists, especially broadcast journalists, we have an opportunity to help build that connection between people.” www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
Dan Gunderson, longtime MPR journalist and master Minnesota storyteller, retires
Dan Gunderson spent nearly four decades covering the people, communities and places of northwestern Minnesota. For the past year, he’s been highlighting everyday Minnesotans doing inspiring things for...
www.mprnews.org
November 3, 2025 at 6:43 PM
“As humans, we crave connection,” he said. “And I think as journalists, especially broadcast journalists, we have an opportunity to help build that connection between people.” www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
My job is definitely to help hold elected folks accountable, but I also think it's worth pointing out that I have tons of respect for all sorts of people who choose public service. The vast majority are smart and well intentioned. Some are even kind! People don't talk about that often enough.
November 2, 2025 at 11:40 PM
My job is definitely to help hold elected folks accountable, but I also think it's worth pointing out that I have tons of respect for all sorts of people who choose public service. The vast majority are smart and well intentioned. Some are even kind! People don't talk about that often enough.
Journalism orgs are undoubtedly diminished from last century. But I love to see them stand up to bullies who try to intimidate/manipulate journalists. There are definite failures (access etc) but MSM has historically been pretty protective of its independence
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
N.C. GOP spokesman urges reporter to drop news story, citing Trump ties
Communications director Matt Mercer later said in a social media post that Trump should “feed ProPublica to the USAID wood chipper.”
www.washingtonpost.com
November 1, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Journalism orgs are undoubtedly diminished from last century. But I love to see them stand up to bullies who try to intimidate/manipulate journalists. There are definite failures (access etc) but MSM has historically been pretty protective of its independence
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
“You know what the police officer said who took my sister’s case? Mariah didn’t seem like she was afraid enough. Her case didn’t have enough severity,” Hunter said. “In Minneapolis you can be pistol-whipped and it’s not severe enough for you.” www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
Calls for accountability in the murder of Mariah Samuels grow louder
Members of Mariah Samuels’ family as well as activists and community leaders say the Minneapolis Police Department didn’t do enough to protect Samuels from her ex-boyfriend, who is charged with killin...
www.mprnews.org
October 31, 2025 at 5:07 PM
“You know what the police officer said who took my sister’s case? Mariah didn’t seem like she was afraid enough. Her case didn’t have enough severity,” Hunter said. “In Minneapolis you can be pistol-whipped and it’s not severe enough for you.” www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
I taught a journalism course for Harvard a few months back and had a couple students almost surely using AI even though it defeats the purpose of learning how to write/report. One woman read me what sounded like verbatim AI when I asked her a question in class.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/o...
Opinion | Why Even Basic A.I. Use Is So Bad for Students
www.nytimes.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:21 PM
I taught a journalism course for Harvard a few months back and had a couple students almost surely using AI even though it defeats the purpose of learning how to write/report. One woman read me what sounded like verbatim AI when I asked her a question in class.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/o...
"The National Guard Reaction Force is expected to complete civil unrest training and be fully operational by April 1...23,500 troops across all 50 states and three territories, excluding the District of Columbia, the documents say."
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Pentagon readying thousands of Guard ‘reaction forces’ as U.S. mission widens
The Defense Department’s newly established “quick reaction force” within the National Guard is being readied for civil unrest missions in U.S. cities.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 30, 2025 at 4:34 PM
"The National Guard Reaction Force is expected to complete civil unrest training and be fully operational by April 1...23,500 troops across all 50 states and three territories, excluding the District of Columbia, the documents say."
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Reposted by Jon Collins
one of my favorite things is when the subject of a piece threatens a journalist and the journalist responds by casually printing everything very matter of factly
October 30, 2025 at 2:11 PM
one of my favorite things is when the subject of a piece threatens a journalist and the journalist responds by casually printing everything very matter of factly