Helen Havlak
LightNews LightNews
banner
anotherhelen.bsky.social
Helen Havlak
@anotherhelen.bsky.social
35 followers 53 following 0 posts
Publisher of @theverge
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Helen Havlak
reckless.bsky.social
We are strict about the background policy because I want our readers to know where information comes from and who is accountable for it, and I have zero interest in pretending we have magical insight into anyone’s thinking. Read more here: www.theverge.com/press-room/2...
This list could go on and on — the clear pattern is that tech companies have uniformly adopted a strategy of obfuscating information behind background. It’s also easy to see why companies like to abuse background: they can provide their point of view to the media without being accountable for it. Instead, journalists have to act like they magically know things, and readers have to guess who is trustworthy and who is not. This is bad, so we’re going to reset these expectations as loudly as possible. From now on, the default for communications professionals and people speaking to The Verge in an official capacity will be “on the record.” We will still honor some requests to be on background, but at our discretion and only for specific reasons that we can articulate to readers.
December 16, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Reposted by Helen Havlak
miasato.bsky.social
Earlier this month, a study went viral — a social listening firm said it had traced "inauthentic" social media activity that helped to spread narratives that Taylor Swift was using Nazi symbolism. Then all hell broke loose.

I tried to get to the bottom of it: www.theverge.com/report/84572...
A vague study on Nazi bots created chaos in the Taylor Swift fan universe
A sloppy report has triggered a new wave of viral discourse.
www.theverge.com
December 16, 2025 at 9:47 PM