Mark Armstrong
LightNews LightNews
banner
markarms.bsky.social
Mark Armstrong
@markarms.bsky.social
1.3K followers 1.3K following 410 posts
Producer, writer, singer.

Editor, @niemanstoryboard.org
Podcasts @ursastory.bsky.social
Music: https://www.instagram.com/markarmsmusic
Founder (emeritus) of Longreads

markarms.com
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
markarms.bsky.social
Mark Armstrong @markarms.bsky.social · Jan 16
If it hadn't been for the community on TikTok, I probably wouldn't have started releasing music again after 15 years.

I hope it doesn't go away, but if it does, here's one more song.

markarms.com/2025/01/16/w...
What would you tell your younger self?
A new song: “Don’t Get Too Comfortable.”
markarms.com
markarms.bsky.social
My Friday newsletter for @niemanstoryboard.org:

Featuring @sasha-bonet.bsky.social and @cmtapper.bsky.social, @pamelacolloff.bsky.social, @evrat.bsky.social + Charlotte mag tributes from @michaelngraff.bsky.social @tommytomlinson.bsky.social @ncrabbithole.com

niemanstoryboard.org/2025/11/14/t...
The art of listening - Nieman Storyboard
Sasha Bonét on structuring a memoir. Plus: Pamela Colloff on getting unstuck, European Press Prize, and more
niemanstoryboard.org
November 14, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Reposted by Mark Armstrong
charlesornstein.bsky.social
GREAT JOB ALERT!
ProPublica is hiring another senior editor for our Local Reporting Network.

The editor will edit the work of 4-5 reporters from our partner newsrooms, collaborating on projects that spur change.

💰 Salary range: $150,000 to $195,000
➡️ Apply: propub.li/3JAIqme
November 14, 2025 at 2:09 PM
markarms.bsky.social
New @niemanstoryboard.org podcast episode! Loved this @cmtapper.bsky.social conversation with @sasha-bonet.bsky.social about her new book, “The Waterbearers: A Memoir of Mothers and Daughters.”

niemanstoryboard.org/2025/11/13/s...

#booksky #longreads #podcasts
Sasha Bonét on ‘leaving room for the story to shape itself’ and how a family home can become a character - Nieman Storyboard
The writer and cultural critic breaks down her approach on interviewing, research, and story structure for her memoir, “The Waterbearers”
niemanstoryboard.org
November 13, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Reposted by Mark Armstrong
jeisinger.bsky.social
JOB ALERT! We are hiring a business editor.

You have an unerring instinct for the jugular of the wealthy & powerful? Build a team with me and we’ll get after it!

job-boards.greenhouse.io/propublica/j...

You can email me or on Signal at 718-496-5233
Senior Editor, Business
New York City, United States
job-boards.greenhouse.io
November 12, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Reposted by Mark Armstrong
brenttoderian.bsky.social
“I want you to understand, regardless of your politics, the historical danger of a secret police…I want you to understand that every issue you care about—any hope of participatory democracy—is downstream of this.”

Please read this whole thing. Before you keep scrolling. And then please share it.
bgrueskin.bsky.social Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 7d
Kyle Kingsbury is not a journalist. He is not an op-ed writer.

He is a computer safety researcher.

And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.

In under 1600 words.

aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
I Want You to Understand Chicago Politics Chicago 2025-11-08 I want you to understand what it is like to live in Chicago during this time. Every day my phone buzzes. It is a neighborhood group: four people were kidnapped at the corner drugstore. A friend a mile away sends a Slack message: she was at the scene when masked men assaulted and abducted two people on the street. A plumber working on my pipes is distraught, and I find out that two of his employees were kidnapped that morning. A week later it happens again. An email arrives. Agents with guns have chased a teacher into the school where she works. They did not have a warrant. They dragged her away, ignoring her and her colleagues’ pleas to show proof of her documentation. That evening I stand a few feet from the parents of Rayito de Sol and listen to them describe, with anguish, how good Ms. Diana was to their children. What it is like to have strangers with guns traumatize your kids. For a teacher to hide a three-year-old child for fear they might be killed. How their relatives will no longer leave the house. I hear the pain and fury in their voices, and I wonder who will be next. Understand what it is to pray in Chicago. On September 19th, Reverend David Black, lead pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, was praying outside the ICE detention center in Broadview when a DHS agent shot him in the head with pepper balls. Pepper balls are never supposed to be fired at the head because they can seriously injure, or even kill. “We could hear them laughing as they were shooting us from the roof,” Black recalled. He is not the only member of the clergy ICE has assaulted. Methodist pastor Hannah Kardon was violently arrested on October 17th, and Baptist pastor Michael Woolf was shot with pepper balls on November 1st. Understand what it is to sleep in Chicago. On the night of September 30th, federal agents rappelled from a Black Hawk helicopter to execute a raid on an apartment building on the South Sho…
November 11, 2025 at 11:28 PM
Reposted by Mark Armstrong
anamariecox.bsky.social
My ACA current plan is going from $385/mo to $821/mo.
November 11, 2025 at 12:21 AM
Reposted by Mark Armstrong
atrubek.bsky.social
I havent read such a banger of an essay in a very long time. This is so well-written!
Maybe Don’t Talk to the New York Times About Zohran Mamdani
It’s remarkable, the people you’ll hear from. Teach for even a little while at an expensive institution—the term they tend to prefer is “elite”—and odds are that eventually someone who was a studen…
lithub.com
November 8, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Reposted by Mark Armstrong
newyorker.com
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 6, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Reposted by Mark Armstrong
lyndab08.bsky.social
A family friend was telling us about what her husband shared about his experience in Broadview before he was deported back to Mexico. She's been sharing to friends and family because she's just in disbelief & horror what her husband told her. She wasn't able to talk to him until he was in Mexico.
November 7, 2025 at 3:08 AM
markarms.bsky.social
My Friday newsletter for @niemanstoryboard.org: Featuring election week, @joeposnanski.com, @sho-walter.bsky.social, Michael J. Mooney, Vincent Beiser, Julian Brave NoiseCat, and @hrishikesh.co

niemanstoryboard.org/2025/11/07/h...

#longreads #booksky
How we reveal our character - Nieman Storyboard
Scenes from an election week. Plus: Selling a book proposal and the value of a ‘flop’
niemanstoryboard.org
November 7, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Reposted by Mark Armstrong
katelynburns.com
The question "Why does this say male/female?" means that any trans person now has to explain their entire mental health and medical history to domestic or foreign government officials.

This is de facto differential treatment that no other citizen has to face.
November 6, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Reposted by Mark Armstrong
niemanstoryboard.org
"You think that you know what your story is, and you want them to speak to this, but they go over here to some other place entirely. Let it happen."
‘Surprise is magic in journalism’ - Nieman Storyboard
Author Claudia Rowe on writing about the foster care system. Plus: Keeping your day job while publishing books with Erin Somers
niemanstoryboard.org
November 5, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Reposted by Mark Armstrong
royalpratt.bsky.social
Federal agents pulling a woman out of Rayito Del Sol, a daycare by Lane Tech high school
November 5, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Reposted by Mark Armstrong
niemanstoryboard.org
"For larger pieces I abide by the index-card method. After I’m done reporting I start jotting down every scene I’ve got, every description I have, every person I’ve interviewed, every point I want to make, onto a series of cards and lay them out on the floor."
From index cards to interviews: Eight journalists on reporting and writing scenes - Nieman Storyboard
Nieman Storyboard's archive of lessons and advice from some of the most memorable narrative nonfiction
niemanstoryboard.org
November 4, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Reposted by Mark Armstrong
niemanfoundation.bsky.social
Curious about the Nieman Fellowship? Join us for a live Q&A session to learn what it’s like to spend a year studying as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University this Friday, November 7, 1:00 PM ET.
Fellowship Q&A for prospective applicants - Nieman Foundation
Curious about the Nieman Fellowship? Join us online from the Nieman Foundation for Journalism for a live Q&A session to learn what it’s like to spend a year studying as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University. Hear directly from current Nieman Fellows and Interim Curator Henry Chu about the application process, fellowship experience, and how […]
nieman.harvard.edu
November 3, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Reposted by Mark Armstrong
niemanstoryboard.org
"He pushed us to find the universal meaning in our stories. … Over the years, I’ve come to think about universal meaning in existential terms. It’s the feeling that underlies everything about why we tell, read, think, and live by stories. Who are we and why?"

niemanstoryboard.org/2025/10/31/s...
Storytelling with humility (and teeth) - Nieman Storyboard
The New Yorker's Burkhard Bilger goes to ‘Molar City.’ Plus: Dana Hedgpeth on history’s lessons, and a tribute to a beloved Los Angeles Times mentor
niemanstoryboard.org
November 3, 2025 at 5:43 PM
markarms.bsky.social
My Friday newsletter for @niemanstoryboard.org: @tromano.bsky.social in conversation with Burkhard Bilger, plus: Dana Hedgpeth & Sari Horwitz, @saribotton.bsky.social, @gretarainbow.com, and Erika Hayasaki pays tribute to Richard Kipling.

niemanstoryboard.org/2025/10/31/s...
Storytelling with humility (and teeth) - Nieman Storyboard
The New Yorker's Burkhard Bilger goes to ‘Molar City.’ Plus: Dana Hedgpeth on history’s lessons, and a tribute to a beloved Los Angeles Times mentor
niemanstoryboard.org
October 31, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Reposted by Mark Armstrong
niemanstoryboard.org
“I'm a throwback. I think I'm kind of more in the mold of Joseph Mitchell, or one of the older music writers who would find odd corners of American culture and write about them.” @tromano.bsky.social in conversation with Burkhard Bilger.

niemanstoryboard.org/2025/10/31/b...
Behind the Scenes: Burkhard Bilger weaves humor and history into a story about teeth for The New Yorker - Nieman Storyboard
The New Yorker staff writer shares his own dental history to tell a story about America's ailing health care system
niemanstoryboard.org
October 31, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Reposted by Mark Armstrong
ursastory.bsky.social
IRL connection is more important than ever. Join us!
Ursa Story Club
October 29, 2025 at 6:05 PM
markarms.bsky.social
After our first successful live show, @ursastory.bsky.social is rolling out Ursa Story Club — join us in Brooklyn and Philly w/ @deeshaphilyaw.bsky.social @dawniewalton.bsky.social @kiese.bsky.social @thedennemichele.bsky.social @trejohnson.bsky.social

ursastory.com/ursa-story-c...
Ursa Story Club: New Events in November and December - Ursa Story Company
Join us for more Ursa Story Club live events in Brooklyn and Philadelphia.
ursastory.com
October 29, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Reposted by Mark Armstrong
anamariecox.bsky.social
I did not enjoy writing this; it can't even serve as an ad for my newsletter, which I've suspended due to an overbilling situation that has me almost regretting leaving Substack. But, you know, it's evidence for the piece I just didn't get to include.

talkingpointsmemo.com/tpm-25/patro...
Patron-Supported Journalism Can’t Be the Future of News
Writing about the failure of patron-supported journalism is itself a kind of...
talkingpointsmemo.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Reposted by Mark Armstrong
propublica.org
“Bands of masked men apprehending people in broad daylight in the streets and hauling them off. Disappearing people to a third country,” a former DHS official said. “We’re at an inflection point in history right now and it’s frightening.”

By @davidmcswane.bsky.social @hannahallam.bsky.social
How Trump is Building a Violent, Shadowy Federal Police Force
Trump’s DHS appointees have dismantled civil rights guardrails, protected agents’ anonymity and encouraged them to wear masks, threatened groups that stood in their way, and overwhelmed legal challeng...
www.propublica.org
October 27, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Reposted by Mark Armstrong
willjames.bsky.social
Every few days I think about a 22-year-old I met last year at Seattle's open-air drug market at 12th and Jackson.

As our interview wrapped up, he urged me to dig into the foster care system and what it does to people like him.

It is comforting to know that @claudiarowe.bsky.social did just that.
October 25, 2025 at 8:28 PM
markarms.bsky.social
My Friday newsletter for @niemanstoryboard.org:

Featuring @claudiarowe.bsky.social, @somers.bsky.social, @sarafredman.bsky.social, @bartona104.bsky.social, @jatomic.bsky.social, @audioflux.bsky.social, @ryanbeckwith.bsky.social, Tat Bellamy-Walker...

niemanstoryboard.org/2025/10/24/s...
‘Surprise is magic in journalism’ - Nieman Storyboard
Author Claudia Rowe on writing about the foster care system. Plus: Keeping your day job while publishing books with Erin Somers
niemanstoryboard.org
October 24, 2025 at 1:21 PM
markarms.bsky.social
On this week's @niemanstoryboard.org podcast, I spoke with @claudiarowe.bsky.social, author of “Wards of the State: The Long Shadow of American Foster Care,” which has been named a finalist for the 2025 National Book Awards.

niemanstoryboard.org/2025/10/23/n...

@nationalbook.bsky.social #booksky
National Book Award finalist Claudia Rowe on writing about teens and the foster care system - Nieman Storyboard
The author of ‘Wards of the State’ on preparing sources to be part of a book and covering the foster care system-to-incarceration pipeline
niemanstoryboard.org
October 23, 2025 at 2:44 PM