Brandon Wall
@walldo.bsky.social
Now: on the market | Previous: CBS News (Social Media director), BuzzFeed News (Director of Newsroom Strategy and Experiments), Chicago Sun-Times (Digital Editor) | Once described as 'a beautiful creature of the Internet'
Pinned
Brandon Wall
@walldo.bsky.social
· Sep 4
A quick update: A few weeks ago, I left my role as Social Media Director at CBS News after a great run navigating 2024 and first chunk of 2025. I learned a lot and am very thankful for the opportunity to work with an incredible social team, but it was time for something different 🧵
Will just leave this clear-sighted piece here, published at 5:38pmET January 6 2021: "The Rioters Who Took Over The Capitol Have Been Planning Online In The Open For Weeks"
www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jane...
www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jane...
The Rioters Who Took Over The Capitol Have Been Planning Online In The Open For Weeks
The mob that forced Congress to flee organized on both obscure and mainstream sites.
www.buzzfeednews.com
January 6, 2026 at 8:04 PM
Will just leave this clear-sighted piece here, published at 5:38pmET January 6 2021: "The Rioters Who Took Over The Capitol Have Been Planning Online In The Open For Weeks"
www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jane...
www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jane...
"One year after the start of congestion pricing, traffic jams are less severe, streets are safer, and commute times are improving for travelers from well beyond Manhattan."
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Congestion pricing after one year: How life has changed.
How life has changed in the New York area, according to data on traffic, transit and the responses of 600 readers.
www.nytimes.com
January 5, 2026 at 10:44 PM
"One year after the start of congestion pricing, traffic jams are less severe, streets are safer, and commute times are improving for travelers from well beyond Manhattan."
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Brandon Wall
most of it is paywalled so I can complete necessary purchases, but a little something for the bsky audience that's been so kind to me this year! some hot takes of mine!
December 30, 2025 at 8:13 PM
most of it is paywalled so I can complete necessary purchases, but a little something for the bsky audience that's been so kind to me this year! some hot takes of mine!
I missed this yesterday: "A San Antonio-based member of the Nihilistic Violent Extremist (NVE) group 764 pleaded guilty today to racketeering activity and multiple acts relating to the sexual exploitation of children."
(warning, truly vile activities described here) www.justice.gov/opa/pr/764-e...
(warning, truly vile activities described here) www.justice.gov/opa/pr/764-e...
‘764’ Extremist Group Leader Pleads Guilty to RICO, Child Exploitation Charges
A San Antonio-based member of the Nihilistic Violent Extremist (NVE) group 764 pleaded guilty today to racketeering activity and multiple acts relating to the sexual exploitation of children.
www.justice.gov
December 20, 2025 at 9:33 PM
I missed this yesterday: "A San Antonio-based member of the Nihilistic Violent Extremist (NVE) group 764 pleaded guilty today to racketeering activity and multiple acts relating to the sexual exploitation of children."
(warning, truly vile activities described here) www.justice.gov/opa/pr/764-e...
(warning, truly vile activities described here) www.justice.gov/opa/pr/764-e...
"Then we opened the Slack channel to nearly 70 world-class journalists ... Investigations reporter Katherine Long tried to convince Claudius it was a Soviet vending machine from 1962, living in the basement of Moscow State University." www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anth...
We Let AI Run Our Office Vending Machine. It Lost Hundreds of Dollars.
An AI agent ran a snack operation in the WSJ newsroom. It gave away a free PlayStation, ordered a live fish—and taught us lessons about the future of AI.
www.wsj.com
December 18, 2025 at 7:00 PM
"Then we opened the Slack channel to nearly 70 world-class journalists ... Investigations reporter Katherine Long tried to convince Claudius it was a Soviet vending machine from 1962, living in the basement of Moscow State University." www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anth...
"The brothers’ release from Romania was the culmination of a yearslong effort by Andrew to forge alliances with Mr. Trump’s advisers and family members." www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/u...
How a Manosphere Star Accused of Rape and Trafficking Was Freed
www.nytimes.com
December 11, 2025 at 2:56 PM
"The brothers’ release from Romania was the culmination of a yearslong effort by Andrew to forge alliances with Mr. Trump’s advisers and family members." www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/u...
Reposted by Brandon Wall
A quick update: A few weeks ago, I left my role as Social Media Director at CBS News after a great run navigating 2024 and first chunk of 2025. I learned a lot and am very thankful for the opportunity to work with an incredible social team, but it was time for something different 🧵
September 4, 2025 at 12:17 AM
A quick update: A few weeks ago, I left my role as Social Media Director at CBS News after a great run navigating 2024 and first chunk of 2025. I learned a lot and am very thankful for the opportunity to work with an incredible social team, but it was time for something different 🧵
This makes some good points about the kind of traffic getting devoured by AI search results, and where wins will be in the future, but I disagree that explainers are "dead" — the audience appetite has just shifted to vertical video instead of SEO-optimized text www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/sorr...
Sorry, the explainer is dead
"Remember when we told journalists to write more explainers? Yeah, sorry about that."
www.niemanlab.org
December 5, 2025 at 5:08 PM
This makes some good points about the kind of traffic getting devoured by AI search results, and where wins will be in the future, but I disagree that explainers are "dead" — the audience appetite has just shifted to vertical video instead of SEO-optimized text www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/sorr...
Reposted by Brandon Wall
A """funny""" thing I've noticed is that if you see a buckwild and totally made up claim on Reddit and then search that claim on Google, trying to source it, the Gemini AI summary will be like "oh, yeah, that totally happened, and my source is that three hour old Reddit thread you were just reading"
December 5, 2025 at 6:19 AM
A """funny""" thing I've noticed is that if you see a buckwild and totally made up claim on Reddit and then search that claim on Google, trying to source it, the Gemini AI summary will be like "oh, yeah, that totally happened, and my source is that three hour old Reddit thread you were just reading"
Reposted by Brandon Wall
SCOOP: The Jan. 6 pipe bomb suspect told the FBI he believed in 2020 election conspiracy theories.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
Pipe bomb suspect told FBI he believed 2020 election conspiracy theories
The suspect has been cooperating with the FBI, according to sources, and is expected to make his first court appearance on Friday.
www.nbcnews.com
December 5, 2025 at 2:14 PM
SCOOP: The Jan. 6 pipe bomb suspect told the FBI he believed in 2020 election conspiracy theories.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
Reposted by Brandon Wall
Exclusive: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order to “kill everybody” in the first strike on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean. After two men survived, the mission commander ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions, according to two sources.
Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order to kill all crew members in the Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug boat. Navy SEALs fired a second missile.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 28, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Exclusive: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order to “kill everybody” in the first strike on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean. After two men survived, the mission commander ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions, according to two sources.
Something profoundly depressing and anti-human about this Meta/Facebook AI slop prompt
November 28, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Something profoundly depressing and anti-human about this Meta/Facebook AI slop prompt
Reposted by Brandon Wall
Blue Jays should definitely be proud though. That was some damn good baseball.
November 2, 2025 at 4:21 AM
Blue Jays should definitely be proud though. That was some damn good baseball.
Reposted by Brandon Wall
I'm a Dodger fan and can't help but be thrilled that they won. But those Blue Jays were something else and deserve all the kudos. As one wag said on BSky when they beat the Yankees "Any team that beats the Yankees is America's team.If that's the Toronto Blue Jays, so be it. I don't make the rules."
November 2, 2025 at 4:25 AM
I'm a Dodger fan and can't help but be thrilled that they won. But those Blue Jays were something else and deserve all the kudos. As one wag said on BSky when they beat the Yankees "Any team that beats the Yankees is America's team.If that's the Toronto Blue Jays, so be it. I don't make the rules."
Reposted by Brandon Wall
Truly epic. Everyone is gonna remember that time Will Smith shocked everyone on live TV
November 2, 2025 at 4:08 AM
Truly epic. Everyone is gonna remember that time Will Smith shocked everyone on live TV
I need someone to clip and post all of the bleeping out Fox did as Will Smith came back to the dugout
November 2, 2025 at 4:08 AM
I need someone to clip and post all of the bleeping out Fox did as Will Smith came back to the dugout
Reposted by Brandon Wall
All the thinkpieces about Bluesky don't account for the fact that it's occasionally 100% wall-to-wall baseball on here
November 2, 2025 at 3:41 AM
All the thinkpieces about Bluesky don't account for the fact that it's occasionally 100% wall-to-wall baseball on here
Yuppp. I was working the night of Cubs World Series Game 7 in 2016 and my BuzzFeed News co-workers, bless them, let me stand 2 feet from the giant TV and I did not do a single ounce of work for 4 hours and 28 minutes through a rain delay and extra innings
bsky.app/profile/pete...
bsky.app/profile/pete...
I’m enjoying the games and the drama, but I honestly believe if I was a real fan of either of these teams I’d be dead from a coronary.
November 2, 2025 at 3:50 AM
Yuppp. I was working the night of Cubs World Series Game 7 in 2016 and my BuzzFeed News co-workers, bless them, let me stand 2 feet from the giant TV and I did not do a single ounce of work for 4 hours and 28 minutes through a rain delay and extra innings
bsky.app/profile/pete...
bsky.app/profile/pete...
Reposted by Brandon Wall
Fox Sports should probably go interview the managers again right now. They’d love it.
November 2, 2025 at 3:44 AM
Fox Sports should probably go interview the managers again right now. They’d love it.
I said in the group chat before this game started that it had the chance to be the second or third greatest World Series Game 7 ever, or at least in recent memory, and now here we are
November 2, 2025 at 3:43 AM
I said in the group chat before this game started that it had the chance to be the second or third greatest World Series Game 7 ever, or at least in recent memory, and now here we are
YES Roku I am still watching!!! What timing
November 2, 2025 at 3:42 AM
YES Roku I am still watching!!! What timing
I LOVE BASEBALL SO MUCH
November 2, 2025 at 3:39 AM
I LOVE BASEBALL SO MUCH
I am having all-too-vivid flashbacks to Cubs Game 7 World Series a decade ago and oh my god, I love baseball so much this is so stressful
November 2, 2025 at 3:29 AM
I am having all-too-vivid flashbacks to Cubs Game 7 World Series a decade ago and oh my god, I love baseball so much this is so stressful
Reposted by Brandon Wall
This is such good baseball, i hate it so much
November 2, 2025 at 3:19 AM
This is such good baseball, i hate it so much
Reposted by Brandon Wall
I love sports announcers: “In a game full of MVPs, who could imagine it would be a total fucking loser who would hit a home run to tie the score in the top of the 9th”
November 2, 2025 at 3:20 AM
I love sports announcers: “In a game full of MVPs, who could imagine it would be a total fucking loser who would hit a home run to tie the score in the top of the 9th”