Kelsey McKinney
@mckinneykelsey.bsky.social
NORMAL GOSSIP dowager queen, Defector Media, books and shit
Reposted by Kelsey McKinney
I'm basically never not thinking about Wolf Hall so when I saw the Holbein portrait of Thomas Cromwell it was like worlds colliding defector.com/the-eyes-hav...
The Eyes Have It | Defector
The eyes got me. Sir Thomas More by Hans Holbein the Younger isn’t the brightest, or the largest painting in its room—it might be the smallest—but it’s easily the most striking. It called to me from t...
defector.com
November 19, 2025 at 7:03 PM
I'm basically never not thinking about Wolf Hall so when I saw the Holbein portrait of Thomas Cromwell it was like worlds colliding defector.com/the-eyes-hav...
it only took 5 years for @jaspercwang.bsky.social to become a blogger, but we did it.
Reflections on five years in worker-owned media: defector.com/reflections-...
Reflections On Five Years In Worker-Owned Media | Defector
As I finally got to work on writing Defector’s fifth Annual Report, I found myself noodling on some broader thoughts about the worker-owned media landscape. Tom said some sections would work as a…
defector.com
November 19, 2025 at 5:43 PM
it only took 5 years for @jaspercwang.bsky.social to become a blogger, but we did it.
Reposted by Kelsey McKinney
blogged my first bylined blog for defector dot com
Reflections on five years in worker-owned media: defector.com/reflections-...
Reflections On Five Years In Worker-Owned Media | Defector
As I finally got to work on writing Defector’s fifth Annual Report, I found myself noodling on some broader thoughts about the worker-owned media landscape. Tom said some sections would work as a…
defector.com
November 19, 2025 at 5:18 PM
blogged my first bylined blog for defector dot com
Reposted by Kelsey McKinney
This is an excellent story. We got similar pitches from the same writer at Defector and if they had not been entirely generated by someone plugging prompts into The Fabulism Device they really would've been cool.
A few months ago @thelocal.to got a promising pitch from a writer with bylines in whole bunch of reputable publications—The Cut, The Guardian, Dwell, Architectural Digest, etc. Then I started investigating. Here's a story about fabulists in journalism's AI slop era. thelocal.to/investigatin...
Investigating a Possible Scammer in Journalism’s AI Era | The Local
A suspicious pitch from a freelancer led editor Nicholas Hune-Brown to dig into their past work. By the end, four publications, including The Guardian and Dwell, had removed articles from their sites.
thelocal.to
November 19, 2025 at 4:23 PM
This is an excellent story. We got similar pitches from the same writer at Defector and if they had not been entirely generated by someone plugging prompts into The Fabulism Device they really would've been cool.
Reposted by Kelsey McKinney
“Bissinger did little to quell those rumors; he yelled at me, then hung up on me, when reached by phone, and later told the New York Times that while he provided the template for Unfettered, it was Fetterman who delivered the content. “The book is John’s,” he said.” defector.com/john-fetterm...
John Fetterman's Memoir Is As Low-Effort As His Senate Tenure | Defector
John Fetterman’s just-released memoir, Unfettered, argues that he’s turned a corner and has everything under control. Fetterman was a “stubborn asshole” (his words), he was clinically depressed, he w...
defector.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:44 PM
“Bissinger did little to quell those rumors; he yelled at me, then hung up on me, when reached by phone, and later told the New York Times that while he provided the template for Unfettered, it was Fetterman who delivered the content. “The book is John’s,” he said.” defector.com/john-fetterm...
Reposted by Kelsey McKinney
work on the creative project that pays me money and that i am under contract for and that people like????? no thanks, im busy thinking about my creative project that im kind of bad at and somehow costs me money and that nobody asked for
November 19, 2025 at 2:38 AM
work on the creative project that pays me money and that i am under contract for and that people like????? no thanks, im busy thinking about my creative project that im kind of bad at and somehow costs me money and that nobody asked for
Reposted by Kelsey McKinney
Reposted by Kelsey McKinney
important stuff in Defector's annual report, out today defector.com/defector-ann...
November 19, 2025 at 2:05 PM
important stuff in Defector's annual report, out today defector.com/defector-ann...
famous people should be allowed to add their birth charts to wikipedia so that I can see them
November 18, 2025 at 3:00 PM
famous people should be allowed to add their birth charts to wikipedia so that I can see them
Reposted by Kelsey McKinney
Missed this entirely last week, but @mckinneykelsey.bsky.social goes deep into exactly why Del Toro’s Frankenstein didn’t quite work for me.
November 17, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Missed this entirely last week, but @mckinneykelsey.bsky.social goes deep into exactly why Del Toro’s Frankenstein didn’t quite work for me.
Reposted by Kelsey McKinney
two dumb bitches saying exaaactlyyy
Megyn Kelly: "I know somebody very close to this case…Jeffrey Epstein, in this person's view, was not a pedophile…He was into the barely legal type, like he liked 15 year old girls…He wasn't into like 8 year olds…There's a difference between a 15 year old and a 5 year old."
November 13, 2025 at 6:05 PM
two dumb bitches saying exaaactlyyy
Reposted by Kelsey McKinney
Yes, and: There are lots of reporting jobs at startup nonprofit local news organizations doing really important work outside of corporate ownership, for any journalists willing to consider living outside of the nation's three largest cities!
November 12, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Yes, and: There are lots of reporting jobs at startup nonprofit local news organizations doing really important work outside of corporate ownership, for any journalists willing to consider living outside of the nation's three largest cities!
having read both versions of frankenstein and a book of criticism and a novel based on frankenstein in the last month… i am happy to release my creature (this blog)
defector.com/guillermo-de...
defector.com/guillermo-de...
Guillermo del Toro's ‘Frankenstein’ Is Flawed Because His Creature Is Not | Defector
Guillermo del Toro has devoted much of his career to sanctifying monsters. In his first feature film, Cronos, an aging antique dealer stumbles into eternal life, becoming a vampire who, rather than be...
defector.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:48 PM
having read both versions of frankenstein and a book of criticism and a novel based on frankenstein in the last month… i am happy to release my creature (this blog)
defector.com/guillermo-de...
defector.com/guillermo-de...
Reposted by Kelsey McKinney
What a thrill to be part of @talkingpointsmemo.com's series about the past 25 years of digital media! I wrote about why private equity goons destroyed Deadspin and why it matters.
There Are No Weird Blogs Anymore Cause It’s More Fruitful to Drive Them Out of Business
I learned many surprising lessons from my 20 months as editor-in-chief of...
talkingpointsmemo.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:24 PM
What a thrill to be part of @talkingpointsmemo.com's series about the past 25 years of digital media! I wrote about why private equity goons destroyed Deadspin and why it matters.
Reposted by Kelsey McKinney
contribute to our tip jar and enter the raffle to journey on our dime and either watch us flail around in a rented professional kitchen (option 1) or flail around in a rented professional kitchen alongside us (option 2) defector.com/help-secure-...
Help Secure Our Financial Independence By Infiltrating The Great Blogger Bake Shop | Defector
Last year, Defector’s operations geniuses submitted our annual Tip Jar drives for consideration in the Online Journalism Awards category of “Innovation in Revenue Strategy” for mid-size newsrooms. We ...
defector.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:05 PM
contribute to our tip jar and enter the raffle to journey on our dime and either watch us flail around in a rented professional kitchen (option 1) or flail around in a rented professional kitchen alongside us (option 2) defector.com/help-secure-...
if you still use goodreads please vote for my book for readers choice awards if you liked it!!!
www.goodreads.com/choiceawards...
www.goodreads.com/choiceawards...
Opening Round: Vote for the Readers' Favorite Nonfiction of 2025!
Discover the Readers' Favorite Nonfiction in the 2025 Goodreads Choice Awards.
www.goodreads.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:29 PM
if you still use goodreads please vote for my book for readers choice awards if you liked it!!!
www.goodreads.com/choiceawards...
www.goodreads.com/choiceawards...
Reposted by Kelsey McKinney
I received this email about Democrats caving to end the shutdown from one of the SNAP recipients I spoke to:
November 10, 2025 at 2:17 PM
I received this email about Democrats caving to end the shutdown from one of the SNAP recipients I spoke to:
"Within this amorphous framework, men’s biggest problem is, likewise, a feeling—an unreachable itch, or a marrow-deep belief—that men should still rank above women in the social hierarchy, just not as much as before. "
www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
What Did Men Do to Deserve This?
Changes in the economy and in the culture seem to have hit them hard. Scott Galloway believes they need an “aspirational vision of masculinity.”
www.newyorker.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:11 PM
"Within this amorphous framework, men’s biggest problem is, likewise, a feeling—an unreachable itch, or a marrow-deep belief—that men should still rank above women in the social hierarchy, just not as much as before. "
www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
John Fetterman retire bitch.
November 10, 2025 at 6:36 PM
John Fetterman retire bitch.
Reposted by Kelsey McKinney
Hi writers! I’m looking to assign a couple of features for Slate before the end of the year. If you have anything in mind that you think would be a fit please send me a pitch! Jenée.Desmond- harris@slate.com or dm me.
RTs are appreciated so this can reach more people. Thanks!
RTs are appreciated so this can reach more people. Thanks!
November 10, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Hi writers! I’m looking to assign a couple of features for Slate before the end of the year. If you have anything in mind that you think would be a fit please send me a pitch! Jenée.Desmond- harris@slate.com or dm me.
RTs are appreciated so this can reach more people. Thanks!
RTs are appreciated so this can reach more people. Thanks!
Reposted by Kelsey McKinney
i haven't heard back from portnoy yet, but here's an update from @defector.com: "When reached for comment Thursday, Portnoy declined to say whether he'd follow through on his company relocation plans, but sent this instead: 'Suck my cock Samer'"
Let's Check In With People Who Threatened To Leave Zohran Mamdani's NYC | Defector
When Zohran Mamdani upset Andrew Cuomo to win the New York City Democratic mayoral primary in June, it led to a lot of histrionics. The usual fear tactics against a young Muslim democratic socialist h...
defector.com
November 6, 2025 at 9:22 PM
i haven't heard back from portnoy yet, but here's an update from @defector.com: "When reached for comment Thursday, Portnoy declined to say whether he'd follow through on his company relocation plans, but sent this instead: 'Suck my cock Samer'"
Reposted by Kelsey McKinney
my favorite author and my favorite album is the mashup i needed
wrote about lily allen defector.com/lily-allen-t...
Lily Allen Takes The "Fuck It" Approach To A Breakup Album | Defector
All couples in love are alike; each shattered couple, however, has been shattered in its own way. When you fall in love with someone, your friends tolerate you talking about them and fawning over them...
defector.com
October 30, 2025 at 7:23 PM
my favorite author and my favorite album is the mashup i needed
Reposted by Kelsey McKinney
"The songs are not built with pop choruses and meant for radio play. The album is a story, and the story is about getting fucked over so badly that you have no choice but to exorcise the demon from your body with art." @mckinneykelsey.bsky.social
Lily Allen Takes The "Fuck It" Approach To A Breakup Album | Defector
All couples in love are alike; each shattered couple, however, has been shattered in its own way. When you fall in love with someone, your friends tolerate you talking about them and fawning over them...
defector.com
November 2, 2025 at 12:35 PM
"The songs are not built with pop choruses and meant for radio play. The album is a story, and the story is about getting fucked over so badly that you have no choice but to exorcise the demon from your body with art." @mckinneykelsey.bsky.social
Reposted by Kelsey McKinney
good review of Werner Herzog’s book, which is about the dangers of AI, going on long walks, and a cube-shaped translucent pig stuck in a sewer grate
Werner Herzog’s New Book Tackles The Problem Of Truth | Defector
You might think of Werner Herzog’s new book, The Future of Truth, as the story of two animals. On the front cover, you see the silhouette of a lone penguin, somewhere in the middle distance, setting ...
defector.com
October 31, 2025 at 1:07 PM
good review of Werner Herzog’s book, which is about the dangers of AI, going on long walks, and a cube-shaped translucent pig stuck in a sewer grate
wrote about lily allen defector.com/lily-allen-t...
Lily Allen Takes The "Fuck It" Approach To A Breakup Album | Defector
All couples in love are alike; each shattered couple, however, has been shattered in its own way. When you fall in love with someone, your friends tolerate you talking about them and fawning over them...
defector.com
October 30, 2025 at 4:55 PM
wrote about lily allen defector.com/lily-allen-t...