Kat Tenbarge
@kattenbarge.bsky.social
Independent journalist covering internet culture, politics, and media @spitfirenews.com. Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/kattenbarge
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Kat Tenbarge
@kattenbarge.bsky.social
· Feb 5
Spitfire News
A newsletter from Kat Tenbarge about internet culture, politics, and media.
spitfirenews.com
Almost two weeks ago, I found out I was one of 40 people getting laid off from NBC News.
Those who know me know I’ve wanted to go independent for a long time. Later this month, I’m launching @spitfirenews.com. We need journalism that is louder than ever.
spitfirenews.com/p/an-introdu...
Those who know me know I’ve wanted to go independent for a long time. Later this month, I’m launching @spitfirenews.com. We need journalism that is louder than ever.
spitfirenews.com/p/an-introdu...
Reposted by Kat Tenbarge
Part of the issue is that those most actively protesting and leading mutual aid are women and gender non-conforming people. Both groups are illegible to many as protesters. This helps explain the invisibilization of current protests and resistance.
January 21, 2026 at 8:18 PM
Part of the issue is that those most actively protesting and leading mutual aid are women and gender non-conforming people. Both groups are illegible to many as protesters. This helps explain the invisibilization of current protests and resistance.
Reposted by Kat Tenbarge
Consequences for the companies that are creating tools to fuel this, too.
To those aiming to do good work in AI: commit to eliminate bias in the work you’re doing. The informational foundation of AI is wholly patriarchal. Actively root it out. Tell us what you’re doing to combat this.
To those aiming to do good work in AI: commit to eliminate bias in the work you’re doing. The informational foundation of AI is wholly patriarchal. Actively root it out. Tell us what you’re doing to combat this.
More and more, I've seen genAI as the new frontier for patriarchy, to push back against women's right to autonomy at scale. Combatting this would require real consequences for perpetrators both online and offline.
January 20, 2026 at 8:41 PM
Consequences for the companies that are creating tools to fuel this, too.
To those aiming to do good work in AI: commit to eliminate bias in the work you’re doing. The informational foundation of AI is wholly patriarchal. Actively root it out. Tell us what you’re doing to combat this.
To those aiming to do good work in AI: commit to eliminate bias in the work you’re doing. The informational foundation of AI is wholly patriarchal. Actively root it out. Tell us what you’re doing to combat this.
Last week, in response to international pressure, X announced it was restricting Grok's ability to edit people into revealing clothes. That has not stopped the rampant trend of sexual harassment via Grok edits. The culture around GenAI is firmly rooted in abuse.
spitfirenews.com/p/grok-will-...
spitfirenews.com/p/grok-will-...
Grok will always be a harassment tool
GenAI and gender-based violence are inextricably linked, well beyond bikinis on X.
spitfirenews.com
January 20, 2026 at 8:07 PM
Last week, in response to international pressure, X announced it was restricting Grok's ability to edit people into revealing clothes. That has not stopped the rampant trend of sexual harassment via Grok edits. The culture around GenAI is firmly rooted in abuse.
spitfirenews.com/p/grok-will-...
spitfirenews.com/p/grok-will-...
Reposted by Kat Tenbarge
1. ICE has STOPPED PAYING for medical treatment for its 73,000 detainees
ICE has not paid its bills to 3rd party providers since OCTOBER and the situation will likely persist for MONTHS, a Popular Information investigation reveals
Meanwhile, critically ill ICE detainees are not receiving care
🧵
ICE has not paid its bills to 3rd party providers since OCTOBER and the situation will likely persist for MONTHS, a Popular Information investigation reveals
Meanwhile, critically ill ICE detainees are not receiving care
🧵
ICE has stopped paying for detainee medical treatment
ICE halted payments in October, and the situation will persist for at least several more months
popular.info
January 20, 2026 at 1:42 PM
1. ICE has STOPPED PAYING for medical treatment for its 73,000 detainees
ICE has not paid its bills to 3rd party providers since OCTOBER and the situation will likely persist for MONTHS, a Popular Information investigation reveals
Meanwhile, critically ill ICE detainees are not receiving care
🧵
ICE has not paid its bills to 3rd party providers since OCTOBER and the situation will likely persist for MONTHS, a Popular Information investigation reveals
Meanwhile, critically ill ICE detainees are not receiving care
🧵
Reposted by Kat Tenbarge
Sometimes the most radical thing you can do is educate normal people on complex subjects in ways that are engaging and digestible.
January 20, 2026 at 2:08 PM
Sometimes the most radical thing you can do is educate normal people on complex subjects in ways that are engaging and digestible.
Reposted by Kat Tenbarge
I'm not saying it's perfect here on bsky dot app but we got college football talk, couple different flavors of smart people having good conversations about smart things, crazy-ass heartwarming(?)/terrifying(?) live blog, pretty decent jokes, some good on-the-ground stuff; things are all right
January 20, 2026 at 3:40 AM
I'm not saying it's perfect here on bsky dot app but we got college football talk, couple different flavors of smart people having good conversations about smart things, crazy-ass heartwarming(?)/terrifying(?) live blog, pretty decent jokes, some good on-the-ground stuff; things are all right
I’ve never really paid attention to a football game before and it’s kind of stressful
January 20, 2026 at 3:30 AM
I’ve never really paid attention to a football game before and it’s kind of stressful
Bluesky has actually been remarkably successful as an app within a relatively short time frame. Expecting it to have the same metrics as some of the biggest apps in the world is stupid. What really matters is having content that people care about, especially if it travels outside the platform itself
January 20, 2026 at 12:04 AM
Bluesky has actually been remarkably successful as an app within a relatively short time frame. Expecting it to have the same metrics as some of the biggest apps in the world is stupid. What really matters is having content that people care about, especially if it travels outside the platform itself
“The truth always lies somewhere in the middle” has to be one of my least favorite phrases. Sometimes, one side is actually truthful and one side is actually malicious and lying!
January 19, 2026 at 8:34 PM
“The truth always lies somewhere in the middle” has to be one of my least favorite phrases. Sometimes, one side is actually truthful and one side is actually malicious and lying!
A Bud Light-style boycott of a Broadway musical is not going to work. The demographic going to see Six the musical is going to show up more to see Dylan Mulvaney in response to transphobic hate, not less. Signed, someone who has seen Six on Broadway twice and has never drank a Bud Light
January 19, 2026 at 7:02 PM
A Bud Light-style boycott of a Broadway musical is not going to work. The demographic going to see Six the musical is going to show up more to see Dylan Mulvaney in response to transphobic hate, not less. Signed, someone who has seen Six on Broadway twice and has never drank a Bud Light
Reposted by Kat Tenbarge
Protecting people is my job. No one—not this administration, not ICE—will keep me from doing it.
I sat down with @newyorker.com to talk about why I’m not backing down in the face of political intimidation.
I sat down with @newyorker.com to talk about why I’m not backing down in the face of political intimidation.
January 19, 2026 at 5:37 PM
Protecting people is my job. No one—not this administration, not ICE—will keep me from doing it.
I sat down with @newyorker.com to talk about why I’m not backing down in the face of political intimidation.
I sat down with @newyorker.com to talk about why I’m not backing down in the face of political intimidation.
Reposted by Kat Tenbarge
Dr. Gladys West, the pioneering mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern GPS technology, has died. She was 95.
Dr. Gladys West, Mathematician Whose Work Made GPS Possible, Dies at 95
ALEXANDRIA, VA — Dr. Gladys West, the pioneering mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern GPS technology, has died. She passed away
thezebra.org
January 19, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Dr. Gladys West, the pioneering mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern GPS technology, has died. She was 95.
Reposted by Kat Tenbarge
Happy MLK Jr day. Don’t just speak the words. Do the actions.
January 19, 2026 at 6:45 PM
Happy MLK Jr day. Don’t just speak the words. Do the actions.
Trying to start a war via text is undignified as hell on top of everything else. The deadbeat dad/toxic ex boyfriend of presidents
January 19, 2026 at 6:08 PM
Trying to start a war via text is undignified as hell on top of everything else. The deadbeat dad/toxic ex boyfriend of presidents
I don’t do sports whatsoever but I’m the daughter of an Indiana University family, ergo I’m wearing my Hoosiers sweatshirt for what I’ve been informed is a Big Game
January 19, 2026 at 5:41 PM
I don’t do sports whatsoever but I’m the daughter of an Indiana University family, ergo I’m wearing my Hoosiers sweatshirt for what I’ve been informed is a Big Game
I’ve seen a lot of people share the sentiment that AI getting more pervasive could be good because it will make everyone get offline. I don’t share that optimism! I have seen nothing to indicate that online spaces getting worse encourages people to leave them—in fact, I think we’ve seen the opposite
January 18, 2026 at 10:20 PM
I’ve seen a lot of people share the sentiment that AI getting more pervasive could be good because it will make everyone get offline. I don’t share that optimism! I have seen nothing to indicate that online spaces getting worse encourages people to leave them—in fact, I think we’ve seen the opposite
Recording evidence of state violence is great, but you know what’s even better? Taking away their ability to be violent in the first place!
January 18, 2026 at 10:04 PM
Recording evidence of state violence is great, but you know what’s even better? Taking away their ability to be violent in the first place!
Reposted by Kat Tenbarge
The question to ask if you want to find common ground with people and find a level of cohesion and tranquillity with those around you is ‘why they are cruel, bigoted and brainwashed?’ not ‘how do we appease them?’
Just because a lot of people are cruel, bigoted, and brainwashed doesn’t mean we have to find a “middle ground” with them or a “compromise” that satisfies some of their racist delusions. We just don’t.
January 18, 2026 at 9:06 PM
The question to ask if you want to find common ground with people and find a level of cohesion and tranquillity with those around you is ‘why they are cruel, bigoted and brainwashed?’ not ‘how do we appease them?’
Reposted by Kat Tenbarge
americans, please: do not take the bait by resisting ICE yourselves. just give the democrats $20. they will give it to ICE so they can train more guys
January 18, 2026 at 9:15 PM
americans, please: do not take the bait by resisting ICE yourselves. just give the democrats $20. they will give it to ICE so they can train more guys
Several of the top podcasters, influencers, and politicians right now are proudly aligned with Nazi sex traffickers and people *still* argue we’re too quick to “cancel” people
January 18, 2026 at 7:38 PM
Several of the top podcasters, influencers, and politicians right now are proudly aligned with Nazi sex traffickers and people *still* argue we’re too quick to “cancel” people
Just because a lot of people are cruel, bigoted, and brainwashed doesn’t mean we have to find a “middle ground” with them or a “compromise” that satisfies some of their racist delusions. We just don’t.
January 18, 2026 at 7:28 PM
Just because a lot of people are cruel, bigoted, and brainwashed doesn’t mean we have to find a “middle ground” with them or a “compromise” that satisfies some of their racist delusions. We just don’t.
Reposted by Kat Tenbarge
In advance of King Day tomorrow, I am resharing a piece about Coretta AND MLK as a reminder that they were a team. open.substack.com/pub/prisoncu...
Coretta Scott King and Looking Backwards
No MLK without CSK
open.substack.com
January 18, 2026 at 6:04 PM
In advance of King Day tomorrow, I am resharing a piece about Coretta AND MLK as a reminder that they were a team. open.substack.com/pub/prisoncu...
Reposted by Kat Tenbarge
The so called ‘war on terror’ was actually itself a campaign to terrorize people at home and abroad. ICE was a product of that, which is clarifying.
January 18, 2026 at 6:11 PM
The so called ‘war on terror’ was actually itself a campaign to terrorize people at home and abroad. ICE was a product of that, which is clarifying.
Reposted by Kat Tenbarge
I wrote about my experiences being sexually exploited as a child, and what we need to do to make sure AI doesn’t make that a reality for millions of children.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
My picture was used in child abuse images. AI is putting others through my nightmare | Mara Wilson
I was a child actor, exploited by strangers on the internet. Now millions of children face the same danger
www.theguardian.com
January 18, 2026 at 2:20 AM
I wrote about my experiences being sexually exploited as a child, and what we need to do to make sure AI doesn’t make that a reality for millions of children.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
I read my own entry on “Grokipedia,” Elon Musk’s Grok-generated “alternative” to Wikipedia, and within a few paragraphs it included a false allegation of sexual assault against a man who, to my knowledge, has never been accused of it
January 17, 2026 at 5:18 PM
I read my own entry on “Grokipedia,” Elon Musk’s Grok-generated “alternative” to Wikipedia, and within a few paragraphs it included a false allegation of sexual assault against a man who, to my knowledge, has never been accused of it