Lauren Barton
@laurenbarton.bsky.social
freelance journalist and college student from east tennessee. they/them.
laurenbarton.carrd.co
laurenbarton.carrd.co
Pinned
it has arrived and it is beautiful
February 10, 2026 at 9:31 PM
it has arrived and it is beautiful
Reposted by Lauren Barton
jeeeeeeesus: theintercept.com/2026/02/10/g...
Google Handed ICE Student Journalist’s Bank and Credit Card Numbers
Amandla Thomas-Johnson didn't know how much information ICE requested in a subpoena now. Google never gave him a chance to fight it.
theintercept.com
February 10, 2026 at 8:50 PM
jeeeeeeesus: theintercept.com/2026/02/10/g...
i’m sick. again. what the hell.
February 10, 2026 at 6:13 PM
i’m sick. again. what the hell.
my boyfriend lowkey worships the ground i walk on and i think everyone else’s boyfriends should do the same
February 7, 2026 at 8:34 PM
my boyfriend lowkey worships the ground i walk on and i think everyone else’s boyfriends should do the same
Reposted by Lauren Barton
President Donald Trump shared a racist image showing former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama portrayed as apes. The White House immediately defended Trump’s post: “Please stop the fake outrage,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said… www.cnbc.com/2026/02/06/t...
Trump posts racist image of Obamas, White House defends it and slams 'fake outrage'
The depiction of the Obamas, posted from Trump's Truth Social account, was included in a video pushing a conspiracy theory about 2020 election voting machines.
www.cnbc.com
February 6, 2026 at 2:36 PM
President Donald Trump shared a racist image showing former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama portrayed as apes. The White House immediately defended Trump’s post: “Please stop the fake outrage,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said… www.cnbc.com/2026/02/06/t...
winter when it snows is actually the best time to eat ice cream in case any of you didn’t know that
February 6, 2026 at 12:42 AM
winter when it snows is actually the best time to eat ice cream in case any of you didn’t know that
poured my heart and soul into this valentine’s day gift i hope my boyfriend likes it
February 6, 2026 at 12:09 AM
poured my heart and soul into this valentine’s day gift i hope my boyfriend likes it
Reposted by Lauren Barton
what if instead of going to grad school i join the circus instead
February 5, 2026 at 1:13 AM
what if instead of going to grad school i join the circus instead
like this but significantly less cool
February 5, 2026 at 9:50 PM
like this but significantly less cool
working on goody bags for my 21st birthday party that isn’t happening until april… each bag has a lip balm, face mask, nail polish, a pocket journal with a bookmark, AND as soon as i get the stuff for it i’ll be making pierced flower keychains
February 5, 2026 at 9:21 PM
working on goody bags for my 21st birthday party that isn’t happening until april… each bag has a lip balm, face mask, nail polish, a pocket journal with a bookmark, AND as soon as i get the stuff for it i’ll be making pierced flower keychains
what if instead of going to grad school i join the circus instead
February 5, 2026 at 1:13 AM
what if instead of going to grad school i join the circus instead
should i or should i not get a horse tattoo as my first tattoo
February 4, 2026 at 7:53 PM
should i or should i not get a horse tattoo as my first tattoo
Reposted by Lauren Barton
Journalism is a great industry to go into if you want to become speedrun becoming a Marxist.
The big tech founder whose 417-foot, $500 million superyacht needs a 256-foot, $75 million superyacht to "shadow" it -- because the bigger yacht lacks a helipad -- had to cut his paper's newsroom almost in half, for reasons
NEWS: The cuts were so severe that at least one department head asked to leave The Post rather than be included in the planning.
Peter Finn, The Post's international editor, requested that he be laid off once he learned about the scope of the cuts to his section.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/b...
Peter Finn, The Post's international editor, requested that he be laid off once he learned about the scope of the cuts to his section.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/b...
February 4, 2026 at 6:37 PM
Journalism is a great industry to go into if you want to become speedrun becoming a Marxist.
Reposted by Lauren Barton
Freelance rates are also abysmal and haven't changed much in 20+ years, which means they're even worse today. Not only are you not being paid enough, but you don't have the support of an organization behind you. In-depth reporting is much harder as a freelancer.
A lot of people cannot just start a paid newsletter or become freelancers to sustain their careers. The sports, metro, and international desks did work that requires *team* resources, like legal checks, documents, access to archives, and long-term beat experience.
February 4, 2026 at 5:37 PM
Freelance rates are also abysmal and haven't changed much in 20+ years, which means they're even worse today. Not only are you not being paid enough, but you don't have the support of an organization behind you. In-depth reporting is much harder as a freelancer.
just bought my friend a $125 necklace for valentine’s day because even though we aren’t dating i love her and she deserves nice things
February 4, 2026 at 4:42 PM
just bought my friend a $125 necklace for valentine’s day because even though we aren’t dating i love her and she deserves nice things
speak it shakira
February 4, 2026 at 4:03 PM
speak it shakira
Reposted by Lauren Barton
So many people doing great work here; many of us were caught in layoffs repeatedly or squeezed out of traditional staff jobs. I value the indie media ecosystem so much but there's also a critical need for newsrooms and their resources: Some stories need a lot of support, especially investigations.
Given the WaPo disaster, I’m re-posting my starter pack of indie journalists—it probably needs an update so give me a shout to add folks.
#wapo #journalism
go.bsky.app/A2UpMn5
#wapo #journalism
go.bsky.app/A2UpMn5
February 4, 2026 at 3:48 PM
So many people doing great work here; many of us were caught in layoffs repeatedly or squeezed out of traditional staff jobs. I value the indie media ecosystem so much but there's also a critical need for newsrooms and their resources: Some stories need a lot of support, especially investigations.
journalists absolutely deserve to be paid for their hard work and i love seeing my journalist friends/mutuals with successful newsletters of their own, but i 100% agree with this. journalism needs to be accessible, and paywalled newsletters are another way to take accessibility away from readers.
i know that this is an unpopular take, but everyone starting their own newsletter as a revenue stream is not a sustainable model for writing and reporting or for people who love and want to pay for media.
A lot of people cannot just start a paid newsletter or become freelancers to sustain their careers. The sports, metro, and international desks did work that requires *team* resources, like legal checks, documents, access to archives, and long-term beat experience.
February 4, 2026 at 3:51 PM
journalists absolutely deserve to be paid for their hard work and i love seeing my journalist friends/mutuals with successful newsletters of their own, but i 100% agree with this. journalism needs to be accessible, and paywalled newsletters are another way to take accessibility away from readers.
Reposted by Lauren Barton
i know that this is an unpopular take, but everyone starting their own newsletter as a revenue stream is not a sustainable model for writing and reporting or for people who love and want to pay for media.
A lot of people cannot just start a paid newsletter or become freelancers to sustain their careers. The sports, metro, and international desks did work that requires *team* resources, like legal checks, documents, access to archives, and long-term beat experience.
February 4, 2026 at 2:50 PM
i know that this is an unpopular take, but everyone starting their own newsletter as a revenue stream is not a sustainable model for writing and reporting or for people who love and want to pay for media.
Reposted by Lauren Barton
individual newsletters also don’t have the infrastructure for the more investigative journalism that risks lawsuits so we lose that when we tell people essentially to start a blog instead of having a robust newsroom with resources!!!
February 4, 2026 at 3:15 PM
individual newsletters also don’t have the infrastructure for the more investigative journalism that risks lawsuits so we lose that when we tell people essentially to start a blog instead of having a robust newsroom with resources!!!
Reposted by Lauren Barton
the guy who financed a propaganda film about the nazi first lady is killing a newspaper that writes unfavorably about her and her husband. this is how the club works.
February 4, 2026 at 3:00 PM
the guy who financed a propaganda film about the nazi first lady is killing a newspaper that writes unfavorably about her and her husband. this is how the club works.
as a young journalist who is still building their portfolio, i have absolutely no desire to be published in (or to work for) news outlets like the washington post. i used to dream about having bylines in wapo, but there’s nothing to dream about anymore. additionally, there’s no sense in it.
February 4, 2026 at 3:44 PM
as a young journalist who is still building their portfolio, i have absolutely no desire to be published in (or to work for) news outlets like the washington post. i used to dream about having bylines in wapo, but there’s nothing to dream about anymore. additionally, there’s no sense in it.
Reposted by Lauren Barton
"Jeff Bezos, the billionaire owner of The Washington Post, and Will Lewis, the publisher he appointed at the end of 2023, are embarking on the latest step of their plan to kill everything that makes the paper special." www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
The Murder of The Washington Post
Today’s layoffs are the latest attempt to kill what makes the paper special.
www.theatlantic.com
February 4, 2026 at 3:35 PM
"Jeff Bezos, the billionaire owner of The Washington Post, and Will Lewis, the publisher he appointed at the end of 2023, are embarking on the latest step of their plan to kill everything that makes the paper special." www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Lauren Barton
Mackenzie Scott will not save the Washington Post. It's done. A billionaire murdered it and billionaires will not save us.
Support local and independent news, friends. Here are some starter packs.
go.bsky.app/FzSc9z
Support local and independent news, friends. Here are some starter packs.
go.bsky.app/FzSc9z
February 4, 2026 at 3:33 PM
Mackenzie Scott will not save the Washington Post. It's done. A billionaire murdered it and billionaires will not save us.
Support local and independent news, friends. Here are some starter packs.
go.bsky.app/FzSc9z
Support local and independent news, friends. Here are some starter packs.
go.bsky.app/FzSc9z
Reposted by Lauren Barton
Gov. Bill Lee didn't mention immigration during Monday's State of the State address, despite Republican legislative leadership partnering with Trump aide Stephen Miller on a slate of anti-immigrant measures.
Tennessee governor leaves immigration enforcement out of final address • Tennessee Lookout
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee didn’t talk about immigration during his State of the State, despite a slate of harsh bills from GOP lawmakers.
tennesseelookout.com
February 4, 2026 at 3:06 PM
Gov. Bill Lee didn't mention immigration during Monday's State of the State address, despite Republican legislative leadership partnering with Trump aide Stephen Miller on a slate of anti-immigrant measures.