Venuri Siriwardane
@venuri.bsky.social
Journalist covering public health in Pittsburgh. Queens kid missing good pizza and bagels.
Pinned
Venuri Siriwardane
@venuri.bsky.social
· Dec 12
The 2024 reporting on incarceration that newsrooms should emulate in 2025
We highlight some of the year's best reporting on incarceration, and offer tips for journalists interested in pursuing similar stories in their states.
www.prisonpolicy.org
Our county jail recently expanded access to MOUD. I looked into its process, which included 3 a.m. wake-up calls that one advocate called "psychologically torturous." My story made this list of the best investigative journalism about incarceration in 2024. www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2024/12...
Most newsroom leaders come from families who've been in this country for generations. Many aren't capable of empathizing with those who endure the most brutal aspects of the immigration system. Some don't even try. These are the people who are shaping coverage of what's happening right now.
My last manager genuinely had no idea I could be denied re-entry by a CBP officer every time I traveled back to the US, even with a valid work visa. I worried about what I posted on social media all the time. I also paid for my own TN visa renewal/reapplication two weeks before I was laid off.
keep in mind that people on Visas in the US can have visa renewal, green card approval, or citizenship approval all denied by USCIS for speaking out and being critical of the government at all. Doing so is brave and carries no small personal risk.
Immigrants are under incredible coercive forces.
Immigrants are under incredible coercive forces.
January 28, 2026 at 1:54 AM
Most newsroom leaders come from families who've been in this country for generations. Many aren't capable of empathizing with those who endure the most brutal aspects of the immigration system. Some don't even try. These are the people who are shaping coverage of what's happening right now.
Reposted by Venuri Siriwardane
Just say the government is lying. The goal of journalism should be to inform, not gaslight.
A battle over the truth erupts after deadly Minneapolis shooting
A battle over the truth erupts after deadly Minneapolis shooting
Federal and local leaders are sharply divided over what happened and who is to blame.
dlvr.it
January 26, 2026 at 1:29 AM
Just say the government is lying. The goal of journalism should be to inform, not gaslight.
Reposted by Venuri Siriwardane
If you have seen your favorite sex subreddit become abolish ICE overnight please DM me so I can write about it for The Verge dot com ✨
January 25, 2026 at 5:28 PM
If you have seen your favorite sex subreddit become abolish ICE overnight please DM me so I can write about it for The Verge dot com ✨
Reposted by Venuri Siriwardane
Wow, yeah, reddit.com/r/all is a remarkable tapestry of fuck ICE posts
January 25, 2026 at 5:59 AM
Wow, yeah, reddit.com/r/all is a remarkable tapestry of fuck ICE posts
Reposted by Venuri Siriwardane
is it good that the guardian’s Berlin correspondent is reporting on a US paramilitary leader?
German media likens US border patrol official’s coat to ‘Nazi look’
Gregory Bovino’s outwear choice prompts German commentators to compare it to fascist aesthetic
www.theguardian.com
January 23, 2026 at 10:25 PM
is it good that the guardian’s Berlin correspondent is reporting on a US paramilitary leader?
Reposted by Venuri Siriwardane
They messed with Texas Monthly’s James Beard Award-winning senior taco editor (truly one of the best job titles in journalism) www.sacurrent.com/news/texas-n...
ICE pulls over Texas Monthly’s senior taco editor while reporting in West Texas
'They wanted us to get anxious. It worked,' the award-winning food journalist said of his encounter with ICE agents.
www.sacurrent.com
January 24, 2026 at 6:00 AM
They messed with Texas Monthly’s James Beard Award-winning senior taco editor (truly one of the best job titles in journalism) www.sacurrent.com/news/texas-n...
Reposted by Venuri Siriwardane
How sad is this? The CDC closed its FOIA office, so this story could only be published because a Danish journalist provided Rolling Stone with the documents, after obtaining them through a freedom of information request to the University of Southern Denmark
www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
HHS Gave a $1.6 Million Grant to a Controversial Vaccine Study. These Emails Show How That Happened
Two Danish researchers faced accusations of “questionable research practices” as RFK Jr.’s top appointees made their study a “funding priority.”
www.rollingstone.com
January 18, 2026 at 4:11 AM
How sad is this? The CDC closed its FOIA office, so this story could only be published because a Danish journalist provided Rolling Stone with the documents, after obtaining them through a freedom of information request to the University of Southern Denmark
www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
Reposted by Venuri Siriwardane
ICE killed a Black man, Keith Porter, 7 days before Renee Good, and I hadn't heard about it until today. His vigils went unnoticed. His life came and gone and America forgot to blink.
Two Americas.
Two Americas.
January 8, 2026 at 8:06 PM
ICE killed a Black man, Keith Porter, 7 days before Renee Good, and I hadn't heard about it until today. His vigils went unnoticed. His life came and gone and America forgot to blink.
Two Americas.
Two Americas.
Reposted by Venuri Siriwardane
NEWS: In a heartbreaking video, after ICE shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis, a woman who was in the same SUV cries out: “They killed my wife. I don’t know what to do."
“We stopped to videotape, and they shot her in the head,” the distraught woman sobs.
www.advocate.com/news/minneso...
“We stopped to videotape, and they shot her in the head,” the distraught woman sobs.
www.advocate.com/news/minneso...
Distraught woman says ICE killed her wife in video after deadly Minneapolis shooting
“They killed my wife,” the distraught woman says, adding, “They shot her in the head.”
www.advocate.com
January 7, 2026 at 8:55 PM
NEWS: In a heartbreaking video, after ICE shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis, a woman who was in the same SUV cries out: “They killed my wife. I don’t know what to do."
“We stopped to videotape, and they shot her in the head,” the distraught woman sobs.
www.advocate.com/news/minneso...
“We stopped to videotape, and they shot her in the head,” the distraught woman sobs.
www.advocate.com/news/minneso...
Reposted by Venuri Siriwardane
I still haven't totally wrapped my head around what losing the CP means, because it's hard to believe that all of that reporting and writing—especially on the arts, small businesses, and marginalized neighborhoods—just won't happen regularly anymore. Support its staff who made all that possible.
I set up a GoFundMe for former @pghcitypaper.com staff. This will be used to help us submit last year's stories for awards, defray loss of income and insurance, and support laid-off single moms with childcare. Chip in if you'd like:
Donate to Support former Pittsburgh City Paper staff, organized by Colin Williams
R.I.P. Pittsburgh City Paper, 1991-2025.
After over three decades, Block… Colin Williams needs your support for Support former Pittsburgh City Paper staff
gofund.me
January 5, 2026 at 5:01 PM
I still haven't totally wrapped my head around what losing the CP means, because it's hard to believe that all of that reporting and writing—especially on the arts, small businesses, and marginalized neighborhoods—just won't happen regularly anymore. Support its staff who made all that possible.
Reposted by Venuri Siriwardane
Well folks, some news. Ownership is folding @pghcitypaper.com. I wish I could say this was more surprising. I'll be on the lookout for new roles while I continue to teach and hopefully find places to publish some stories I haven't finished. In the meantime, I'm all ears for opportunities.
December 31, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Well folks, some news. Ownership is folding @pghcitypaper.com. I wish I could say this was more surprising. I'll be on the lookout for new roles while I continue to teach and hopefully find places to publish some stories I haven't finished. In the meantime, I'm all ears for opportunities.
Reposted by Venuri Siriwardane
As we enter the fall and winter respiratory virus season, @venuri.bsky.social interviewed local public health experts to learn how Allegheny County is navigating the shifting landscape of federal vaccine policy.
Q&A: As vaccination rates dip, how are Allegheny County leaders responding?
As the Trump administration tries to upend vaccination practices, Allegheny County's top immunization official and a key advocacy group counter with research.
bit.ly
October 30, 2025 at 7:11 PM
As we enter the fall and winter respiratory virus season, @venuri.bsky.social interviewed local public health experts to learn how Allegheny County is navigating the shifting landscape of federal vaccine policy.
Reposted by Venuri Siriwardane
Actually I think more media unions should work some kind of right to expression into their contracts. It’s ridiculous that every major newspaper chain plus NYT and WaPo restricts journalists from expressing any meaningful opinion for the entirety of their careers.
September 15, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Actually I think more media unions should work some kind of right to expression into their contracts. It’s ridiculous that every major newspaper chain plus NYT and WaPo restricts journalists from expressing any meaningful opinion for the entirety of their careers.
Reposted by Venuri Siriwardane
Treble NLS suggested we return to the place where he was handcuffed in the midst of a mental health crisis for portraits for @venuri.bsky.social's story on how involuntary ‘302’ hospitalizations fall more heavily on Black patients. Trusting his vision, I met him at the edge of the Mon Wharf. 🧵
August 28, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Treble NLS suggested we return to the place where he was handcuffed in the midst of a mental health crisis for portraits for @venuri.bsky.social's story on how involuntary ‘302’ hospitalizations fall more heavily on Black patients. Trusting his vision, I met him at the edge of the Mon Wharf. 🧵
Reposted by Venuri Siriwardane
Do you live in Allegheny County and have you or a loved one experienced involuntary mental health commitment? Public Source would like to learn from you for our ongoing series When Care is Compulsory. Please email venuri@publicsource.org if you are in a position to share.
July 30, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Do you live in Allegheny County and have you or a loved one experienced involuntary mental health commitment? Public Source would like to learn from you for our ongoing series When Care is Compulsory. Please email venuri@publicsource.org if you are in a position to share.
Reposted by Venuri Siriwardane
And experts are very clear: these people are fringe.
Scientific consensus is that race and IQ studies are shoddy.
But journalism has trouble saying that; it’s nearly impossible for them to figure out what whole fields believe. That’s why “Merchants of Doubt” work.
Scientific consensus is that race and IQ studies are shoddy.
But journalism has trouble saying that; it’s nearly impossible for them to figure out what whole fields believe. That’s why “Merchants of Doubt” work.
July 4, 2025 at 1:51 PM
And experts are very clear: these people are fringe.
Scientific consensus is that race and IQ studies are shoddy.
But journalism has trouble saying that; it’s nearly impossible for them to figure out what whole fields believe. That’s why “Merchants of Doubt” work.
Scientific consensus is that race and IQ studies are shoddy.
But journalism has trouble saying that; it’s nearly impossible for them to figure out what whole fields believe. That’s why “Merchants of Doubt” work.
Reposted by Venuri Siriwardane
Magee nurses say executives' jetsetting stands in contrast to low staffing levels and employee burnout:
Magee is the latest hospital to push for a union amid anger at UPMC executives
Nurses say executives' jetsetting stands in contrast to low staffing levels and employee burnout.
www.pghcitypaper.com
May 29, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Magee nurses say executives' jetsetting stands in contrast to low staffing levels and employee burnout:
Reposted by Venuri Siriwardane
political journalists obsess over the public’s lack of trust in our profession but strangely see that as downstream of things like “we didn’t talk enough about how biden was old” and not “many of us appear to be indifferent to a nihilistic attack on the constitution”
May 15, 2025 at 12:29 PM
political journalists obsess over the public’s lack of trust in our profession but strangely see that as downstream of things like “we didn’t talk enough about how biden was old” and not “many of us appear to be indifferent to a nihilistic attack on the constitution”
Reposted by Venuri Siriwardane
This kid is 15, and so has a moral clarity and uprightness that no adult elected official would or could ever have. There aren't really and never have been two sides of this issue, but if it has to be argued as a binary thing I don't see how anything less than this could seem like the side to be on.
this is a letter to the editor from a high school track runner who came in second to a trans girl in a race. her state house rep in maine started talking about it. so she wrote this: www.pressherald.com/2025/05/14/r...
May 16, 2025 at 3:52 AM
This kid is 15, and so has a moral clarity and uprightness that no adult elected official would or could ever have. There aren't really and never have been two sides of this issue, but if it has to be argued as a binary thing I don't see how anything less than this could seem like the side to be on.
Reposted by Venuri Siriwardane
Emerging journalists/photojournalists– come join our independent, nonprofit newsroom in Pittsburgh! Delight in the joys of holding power to account & Pittsburgh's fries on salad habit. @publicsource.org interns get to work across their interests from reporting to fact checking to engagement & more.
Journalism students and recent grads: Why not intern in Pittsburgh this fall? @publicsource.org is a nonprofit newsroom with a vigorous program of story production, fact-checking, training and mentorship. Apply here: www.publicsource.org/jobs/#editor...
Explore PublicSource's open jobs, internships in Pittsburgh
Discover career opportunities in reporting, editing, visual storytelling and more. Explore our Pittsburgh job listings.
www.publicsource.org
April 22, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Emerging journalists/photojournalists– come join our independent, nonprofit newsroom in Pittsburgh! Delight in the joys of holding power to account & Pittsburgh's fries on salad habit. @publicsource.org interns get to work across their interests from reporting to fact checking to engagement & more.
Pitt faculty, students and staff sent an open letter to university officials this morning. It's got 902 signatures and counting. Among their demands:
1) Protect the campus from immigration raids
2) Fight "unjust federal grant termination"
3) Avoid layoffs
4) Create a crisis task force
1) Protect the campus from immigration raids
2) Fight "unjust federal grant termination"
3) Avoid layoffs
4) Create a crisis task force
PGHS - Pittsburgh Healthcare Workers, Scientists, & Scholars
@pgh-health-science.bsky.social
· Apr 21
Thank you again to everyone who signed the open letter to #Pitt!
Today, we are delivering the letter - electronically and in person - to the university leadership.
The link remains active for anyone who didn't have a chance to sign previously: tinyurl.com/PittLetter
Today, we are delivering the letter - electronically and in person - to the university leadership.
The link remains active for anyone who didn't have a chance to sign previously: tinyurl.com/PittLetter
April 21, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Pitt faculty, students and staff sent an open letter to university officials this morning. It's got 902 signatures and counting. Among their demands:
1) Protect the campus from immigration raids
2) Fight "unjust federal grant termination"
3) Avoid layoffs
4) Create a crisis task force
1) Protect the campus from immigration raids
2) Fight "unjust federal grant termination"
3) Avoid layoffs
4) Create a crisis task force
Reposted by Venuri Siriwardane
The Trump administration is cutting staff and grant funding at Health and Human Services including the NIH. Those agencies fund much of Pittsburgh’s research. Are you an affected researcher? Please consider emailing PublicSource at encrypted publicsource412@proton.me or Signal at PublicSource.412
April 17, 2025 at 7:07 PM
The Trump administration is cutting staff and grant funding at Health and Human Services including the NIH. Those agencies fund much of Pittsburgh’s research. Are you an affected researcher? Please consider emailing PublicSource at encrypted publicsource412@proton.me or Signal at PublicSource.412
Reposted by Venuri Siriwardane
Reposted by Venuri Siriwardane
My uncle is a big time IP lawyer in NYC. I cannot stress enough how taking away IP laws would benefit the wealthy who would steal and then out produce any ideas they find useful. Thus destroying all creatives and their livelihoods.
April 13, 2025 at 12:38 PM
My uncle is a big time IP lawyer in NYC. I cannot stress enough how taking away IP laws would benefit the wealthy who would steal and then out produce any ideas they find useful. Thus destroying all creatives and their livelihoods.