K Petrin
@petrinkae.bsky.social
Currently: JSK Journalism Fellow. Normally: Data & graphics 🧙 @chalkbeat.org. Cofounder @transjournalists.org. 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈. petrinkae.github.io
Pinned
K Petrin
@petrinkae.bsky.social
· Dec 5
How newsrooms are capturing the “trans debate,” but not its consequences
Let’s change that together.
jskfellows.stanford.edu
Here's a brief summary of what I'm thinking about and working on at the @jskstanford.bsky.social this year.
jskfellows.stanford.edu/how-newsroom...
jskfellows.stanford.edu/how-newsroom...
Reposted by K Petrin
About Epstein, Edge, eugenics, and finding my name in the Epstein files.
www.thenerve.news/p/epstein-bi...
www.thenerve.news/p/epstein-bi...
The billionaires' eugenics project: how Epstein infiltrated Harvard, muzzled the humanities and preached master-race science
Edge - Jeffrey Epstein's favourite intellectual salon - was sold to me as a gathering of the world's finest minds, writes Virginia Heffernan. The files reveal it was something far darker: a decades-lo...
www.thenerve.news
February 15, 2026 at 3:32 PM
About Epstein, Edge, eugenics, and finding my name in the Epstein files.
www.thenerve.news/p/epstein-bi...
www.thenerve.news/p/epstein-bi...
Job-seekers SHOULD withdraw from jobs that don’t feel like the right fit. Whether that’s a tool the newsroom uses, questionable editorial judgment, an employee policy that seriously mismatches your needs… It respects the employer’s time and shows a clear sense of purpose in your job hunt.
A conscientious journalism grad withdraw from a job when she learned the Cleveland Plain Dealer uses AI to write its stories.
Now the editor is castigating her and journalism professors for not being “prepared for the workforce.”
You can’t make this shit up.
www.cleveland.com/news/2026/02...
Now the editor is castigating her and journalism professors for not being “prepared for the workforce.”
You can’t make this shit up.
www.cleveland.com/news/2026/02...
February 16, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Job-seekers SHOULD withdraw from jobs that don’t feel like the right fit. Whether that’s a tool the newsroom uses, questionable editorial judgment, an employee policy that seriously mismatches your needs… It respects the employer’s time and shows a clear sense of purpose in your job hunt.
Reposted by K Petrin
Internal documents obtained by LOOKOUT show two of Arizona's longest-running LGBTQ+ advocacy orgs. crafted a marriage equality proposal that one Democratic lawmaker described as a "rollback."
It'd allow religious officials to refuse to perform same-sex weddings.
www.lookoutnews.org/two-lgbtq-gr...
It'd allow religious officials to refuse to perform same-sex weddings.
www.lookoutnews.org/two-lgbtq-gr...
Two LGBTQ+ Groups Are Pushing A Bill That Would Allow Pastors to Discriminate Against Same-Sex Partners
A marriage equality strategy Equality Arizona and ONE Community developed behind the scenes has exposed fractures within the state’s movement toward LGBTQ+ inclusion.
www.lookoutnews.org
February 13, 2026 at 8:15 PM
Internal documents obtained by LOOKOUT show two of Arizona's longest-running LGBTQ+ advocacy orgs. crafted a marriage equality proposal that one Democratic lawmaker described as a "rollback."
It'd allow religious officials to refuse to perform same-sex weddings.
www.lookoutnews.org/two-lgbtq-gr...
It'd allow religious officials to refuse to perform same-sex weddings.
www.lookoutnews.org/two-lgbtq-gr...
Reposted by K Petrin
“I’ve never seen federal agents so out of control and acting in such a malicious manner,” a former federal prosecutor and federal judge said. “They said they were going after ‘the worst of the worst,’ then they became the problem.
Read this by @jonschuppe.bsky.social & @natashakorecki.bsky.social
Read this by @jonschuppe.bsky.social & @natashakorecki.bsky.social
Broken bones, burning eyes: How Trump's DHS deploys 'less lethal' weapons on protesters
Federal immigration officers have repeatedly used force in ways that appear to violate their own policies or general policing guidelines, NBC News found.
www.nbcnews.com
February 14, 2026 at 3:20 PM
“I’ve never seen federal agents so out of control and acting in such a malicious manner,” a former federal prosecutor and federal judge said. “They said they were going after ‘the worst of the worst,’ then they became the problem.
Read this by @jonschuppe.bsky.social & @natashakorecki.bsky.social
Read this by @jonschuppe.bsky.social & @natashakorecki.bsky.social
Reposted by K Petrin
DOGE allegedly used ChatGPT to identify 1,400 NEH grants it said were DEI. Grants were terminated April 2025, according to a court filing. E.g.
Film: 1873 Colfax massacre
Film: first female pilots flying for U.S. military in WWII
Film: “Untold Story of Jewish Women Slave Labor in the Holocaust"
Film: 1873 Colfax massacre
Film: first female pilots flying for U.S. military in WWII
Film: “Untold Story of Jewish Women Slave Labor in the Holocaust"
ChatGPT cuts in action
www.politico.com
February 13, 2026 at 11:49 PM
DOGE allegedly used ChatGPT to identify 1,400 NEH grants it said were DEI. Grants were terminated April 2025, according to a court filing. E.g.
Film: 1873 Colfax massacre
Film: first female pilots flying for U.S. military in WWII
Film: “Untold Story of Jewish Women Slave Labor in the Holocaust"
Film: 1873 Colfax massacre
Film: first female pilots flying for U.S. military in WWII
Film: “Untold Story of Jewish Women Slave Labor in the Holocaust"
Reposted by K Petrin
“We left one tyranny and came to another kind of tyranny,” Nikita said in Russian. “Even in Russia, they don’t treat children like this.”
I interviewed a family of Russian asylum seekers who’ve been held more than four months at the Dilley detention center in Texas.
As we spoke over Zoom this week, their daughter Kamilla was one day shy of turning 12. I asked her what she wanted for her birthday.
She replied: “To get out of here.”
As we spoke over Zoom this week, their daughter Kamilla was one day shy of turning 12. I asked her what she wanted for her birthday.
She replied: “To get out of here.”
'Even in Russia, they don't treat children like this': A family's nightmare in ICE detention
A Russian couple and their children sought asylum in the U.S. In a Texas detention center, they say they endured worms in the food and hourslong waits for medicine.
www.nbcnews.com
February 13, 2026 at 9:24 PM
“We left one tyranny and came to another kind of tyranny,” Nikita said in Russian. “Even in Russia, they don’t treat children like this.”
Reposted by K Petrin
I interviewed a family of Russian asylum seekers who’ve been held more than four months at the Dilley detention center in Texas.
As we spoke over Zoom this week, their daughter Kamilla was one day shy of turning 12. I asked her what she wanted for her birthday.
She replied: “To get out of here.”
As we spoke over Zoom this week, their daughter Kamilla was one day shy of turning 12. I asked her what she wanted for her birthday.
She replied: “To get out of here.”
'Even in Russia, they don't treat children like this': A family's nightmare in ICE detention
A Russian couple and their children sought asylum in the U.S. In a Texas detention center, they say they endured worms in the food and hourslong waits for medicine.
www.nbcnews.com
February 13, 2026 at 6:39 PM
I interviewed a family of Russian asylum seekers who’ve been held more than four months at the Dilley detention center in Texas.
As we spoke over Zoom this week, their daughter Kamilla was one day shy of turning 12. I asked her what she wanted for her birthday.
She replied: “To get out of here.”
As we spoke over Zoom this week, their daughter Kamilla was one day shy of turning 12. I asked her what she wanted for her birthday.
She replied: “To get out of here.”
Reposted by K Petrin
And if you want a 5500 word deep dive into the connections between the Trump administration’s anti-trans positions and the rollback of feminism, read this. (DM if you can’t get beyond the paywall) www.nybooks.com/articles/202...
February 13, 2026 at 4:25 PM
And if you want a 5500 word deep dive into the connections between the Trump administration’s anti-trans positions and the rollback of feminism, read this. (DM if you can’t get beyond the paywall) www.nybooks.com/articles/202...
Reposted by K Petrin
Reposted by K Petrin
"About half of U.S. adults say they are worn out by the amount of news these days, and people are more likely to say most of the news they come across is not relevant to their lives."
Americans’ Complicated Relationship With News
Most say being informed is essential for voting. Yet views differ on the importance of following news – and many say they're worn out by it.
www.pewresearch.org
February 13, 2026 at 11:53 AM
"About half of U.S. adults say they are worn out by the amount of news these days, and people are more likely to say most of the news they come across is not relevant to their lives."
Reposted by K Petrin
Columnist Miles Griffis reflects on the history of queer country dance and its importance to the gay community at a two-step lesson.
Learning to two-step at a queer country bar - High Country News
Columnist Miles Griffis reflects on the history of queer country dance and its importance to the gay community at a two-step lesson.
www.hcn.org
February 13, 2026 at 9:00 AM
Columnist Miles Griffis reflects on the history of queer country dance and its importance to the gay community at a two-step lesson.
Reposted by K Petrin
obviously not the most important thing but i am very proud that i was the first person to break this: bsky.app/profile/kiss...
NEW: In addition to corresponding with Jeffery Epstein during the interview process to become Baylor president, DOJ emails reveal that Ken Starr hosted Epstein and his girlfriend Karyna Shuliak in Waco, on Baylor's campus in 2012 during Starr's presidency.
www.chron.com/culture/arti...
www.chron.com/culture/arti...
'Come see me': Ex-Baylor president hosted Epstein at Waco campus in 2012
Newly released emails confirm an even deeper history between Epstein and Starr.
www.chron.com
February 12, 2026 at 3:55 PM
obviously not the most important thing but i am very proud that i was the first person to break this: bsky.app/profile/kiss...
Reposted by K Petrin
maybe i'm just being insane but i'm really glad other outlets are finally picking this up. baylorlariat.com/2026/02/11/j...
Jeffrey Epstein visited Ken Starr on Baylor’s campus in 2012 - The Baylor Lariat
“It was great having Jeffrey here. He’s a prince. Next time, he is warmly welcome and encouraged to ‘break bread’ with me at the Allbritton House,” former Baylor President Kenneth Starr wrote in an em...
baylorlariat.com
February 12, 2026 at 3:40 PM
maybe i'm just being insane but i'm really glad other outlets are finally picking this up. baylorlariat.com/2026/02/11/j...
Reposted by K Petrin
A federal agent shot a Chicago woman 5 times after saying she tried to ram him with her car.
Newly released evidence contradict that agent's account — and shows that agents boasted about the shooting. blockclubchi.co/463Y4i1
Newly released evidence contradict that agent's account — and shows that agents boasted about the shooting. blockclubchi.co/463Y4i1
February 12, 2026 at 3:00 PM
A federal agent shot a Chicago woman 5 times after saying she tried to ram him with her car.
Newly released evidence contradict that agent's account — and shows that agents boasted about the shooting. blockclubchi.co/463Y4i1
Newly released evidence contradict that agent's account — and shows that agents boasted about the shooting. blockclubchi.co/463Y4i1
Reposted by K Petrin
8/ For more on what kids are experiencing inside the Dilley detention center, read the full story by reporter @micarosenberg.bsky.social:
The Kids Trump Sent to ICE’s Dilley Detention Center
ProPublica went inside the immigrant detention center for families in Dilley, Texas. Children held there told us about the anguish of being ripped from their lives in the United States and the fear of...
www.propublica.org
February 9, 2026 at 12:43 PM
8/ For more on what kids are experiencing inside the Dilley detention center, read the full story by reporter @micarosenberg.bsky.social:
Reposted by K Petrin
1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken.
Hundreds of kids are still detained.
We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
Hundreds of kids are still detained.
We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
February 9, 2026 at 12:25 PM
1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken.
Hundreds of kids are still detained.
We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
Hundreds of kids are still detained.
We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
Reposted by K Petrin
The nation’s conscience has been shocked by high-profile incidents of federal immigration enforcement agents engaging children. The impact is affecting the lives of children and families broadly across race, immigration status, and economic class ohiocapitaljournal.com/briefs/the-k...
The kids are not alright — ICE threatens children's short-term health, long-term prospects • Ohio Capital Journal
The nation’s conscience has been shocked by high-profile incidents of federal immigration enforcement agents engaging children. The impact is affecting the lives of children and families broadly…
ohiocapitaljournal.com
February 11, 2026 at 9:30 PM
The nation’s conscience has been shocked by high-profile incidents of federal immigration enforcement agents engaging children. The impact is affecting the lives of children and families broadly across race, immigration status, and economic class ohiocapitaljournal.com/briefs/the-k...
Reposted by K Petrin
An in-depth article about the Open Visualization Academy in the University of Miami's News news.miami.edu/stories/2026... #dataviz #infographics #dataVisualization #dataJournalism
Making sense of data
The Open Visualization Academy—a first-of-its-kind platform recently launched by a faculty member at the University of Miami—offers free courses on designing data-backed charts and maps to communicate...
news.miami.edu
February 11, 2026 at 3:01 PM
An in-depth article about the Open Visualization Academy in the University of Miami's News news.miami.edu/stories/2026... #dataviz #infographics #dataVisualization #dataJournalism
Reposted by K Petrin
NEW: The Trump administration’s push for mass deportations has resulted in more than 18,000 challenges in federal court from immigrants claiming their detention is illegal.
We are tracking the increase in these cases 👇
We are tracking the increase in these cases 👇
Tracking the Historic Rise of Habeas Cases Filed by Detained Immigrants
ProPublica is tracking the historic rise in challenges filed by immigrants claiming their detention is illegal.
projects.propublica.org
February 10, 2026 at 1:30 PM
NEW: The Trump administration’s push for mass deportations has resulted in more than 18,000 challenges in federal court from immigrants claiming their detention is illegal.
We are tracking the increase in these cases 👇
We are tracking the increase in these cases 👇
Reposted by K Petrin
I parsed through some of the emails in the Epstein files, and it’s very clear that Epstein was a eugenicist weirdo. Something he very much had in common with the billionaire class à la Elon Musk, Peter Thiel and Donald Trump. New for @motherjones.com.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Epstein couldn't stop emailing people about eugenics
In the latest files, the trafficker gives it a Silicon Valley–pilled name: "genetic altruism."
www.motherjones.com
February 10, 2026 at 8:47 PM
I parsed through some of the emails in the Epstein files, and it’s very clear that Epstein was a eugenicist weirdo. Something he very much had in common with the billionaire class à la Elon Musk, Peter Thiel and Donald Trump. New for @motherjones.com.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by K Petrin
Reposted by K Petrin
From one year ago:
Trump, Bad Bunny and Puerto Rico’s Perennially Broken Power Grid
Puerto Rico has the least reliable energy system of any place in the U.S. Despite billions of federal dollars available for repairs, it’s still in shambles.
www.politico.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:20 AM
From one year ago:
Reposted by K Petrin
📣 DEADLINE EXTENDED: You now have until Sunday, Feb 8 to apply for Planet Detroit's Neighborhood Reporting Lab! Learn to report on environmental and health issues in your Detroit neighborhood. No journalism experience needed.
Apply →
Apply →
Planet Detroit 2026 Neighborhood Reporting Lab Application
Apply for the 2026 Neighborhood Reporting Lab to tell stories about leaders and change makers in your neighborhood, focusing on environment, health, and local solutions. Train with Planet Detroit…
buff.ly
February 4, 2026 at 5:07 PM
📣 DEADLINE EXTENDED: You now have until Sunday, Feb 8 to apply for Planet Detroit's Neighborhood Reporting Lab! Learn to report on environmental and health issues in your Detroit neighborhood. No journalism experience needed.
Apply →
Apply →
Reposted by K Petrin
Monica Roberts is Black trans history. A trailblazing journalist and advocate, she founded TransGriot, an award-winning blog amplifying Black trans stories. She told their stories with truth and power, shaping trans journalism and leaving a lasting legacy.
February 8, 2026 at 6:07 PM
Monica Roberts is Black trans history. A trailblazing journalist and advocate, she founded TransGriot, an award-winning blog amplifying Black trans stories. She told their stories with truth and power, shaping trans journalism and leaving a lasting legacy.
Reposted by K Petrin
“Lorin Stein, the disgraced former editor of The Paris Review who resigned after accusations of sexual impropriety, forwarded to Wolff an email from the writer Stephen Elliott, who intended to sue the list’s creator… Epstein promises to ‘help anyway i can.’”
How the men in the Epstein files defeated #MeToo
The emails show the “anti-woke” crusaders are afraid of accountability.
www.theverge.com
February 8, 2026 at 6:23 PM
“Lorin Stein, the disgraced former editor of The Paris Review who resigned after accusations of sexual impropriety, forwarded to Wolff an email from the writer Stephen Elliott, who intended to sue the list’s creator… Epstein promises to ‘help anyway i can.’”