Matt Potter
@mattpotteruk.bsky.social
Journalist, author, magpie, scriptwriter, nerd. Washington Post, BBC, Literary Review, Independent. Nonfic books WE ARE ALL TARGETS & OUTLAWS INC. Science, languages, virology, art, illicit networks, cyber, psychology, weird, prehistory, subculture. He/Him
Reposted by Matt Potter
These are astonishingly bad numbers:
Enten: "Trump is 39 below water on the Epstein case. 39 points in the negative! My goodness gracious. What Trump has been selling on the Epstein files, the Epstein case, the American people have not been buying at all ... less than half of Republicans are buying it. This is his worst issue by far"
November 13, 2025 at 6:56 PM
These are astonishingly bad numbers:
Reposted by Matt Potter
X categorised itself as “News” so that it wasn’t obvious how it was performing on app charts versus other social media apps.
News is a less competitive category so Elon gets to “win” even as he hides X’s weak performance.
(Also I notice Truss went to the effort to find the silly “X” of the logo)
News is a less competitive category so Elon gets to “win” even as he hides X’s weak performance.
(Also I notice Truss went to the effort to find the silly “X” of the logo)
"If you want a picture of the future, imagine Liz Truss grovelling for the attention of a far-right billionaire - forever"
November 13, 2025 at 7:07 PM
X categorised itself as “News” so that it wasn’t obvious how it was performing on app charts versus other social media apps.
News is a less competitive category so Elon gets to “win” even as he hides X’s weak performance.
(Also I notice Truss went to the effort to find the silly “X” of the logo)
News is a less competitive category so Elon gets to “win” even as he hides X’s weak performance.
(Also I notice Truss went to the effort to find the silly “X” of the logo)
Reposted by Matt Potter
Women at NASA, starting with one of my favorite #WomenInSTEM photos
🧵
🧵
Valerie Thomas (1943) is an African American badass scientist.
She invented the illusion transmitter in 1980.
She helped develop the digital media formats that image processing systems used in NASA's Landsat program.
Her [very cool!] NASA photo next to a stack of computer tapes, 1979.
#WomenInSTEM 🧪
She invented the illusion transmitter in 1980.
She helped develop the digital media formats that image processing systems used in NASA's Landsat program.
Her [very cool!] NASA photo next to a stack of computer tapes, 1979.
#WomenInSTEM 🧪
November 13, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Women at NASA, starting with one of my favorite #WomenInSTEM photos
🧵
🧵
Reposted by Matt Potter
US designates four groups in Europe as terrorists, calls them 'violent Antifa'
www.reuters.com/world/europe...
www.reuters.com/world/europe...
www.reuters.com
November 13, 2025 at 7:07 PM
US designates four groups in Europe as terrorists, calls them 'violent Antifa'
www.reuters.com/world/europe...
www.reuters.com/world/europe...
Reposted by Matt Potter
Marczyński, P., & Tebaldi, C. (2025). The wellness pipeline: Tracing far-right health narratives on X. New Media & Society, 0(0). #CommSky
The wellness pipeline: Tracing far-right health narratives on X - Piotr Marczyński, Catherine Tebaldi, 2025
This article examines how far-right groups advance political agendas through digital platforms, specifically by embedding reactionary ideology within health and...
journals.sagepub.com
November 13, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Marczyński, P., & Tebaldi, C. (2025). The wellness pipeline: Tracing far-right health narratives on X. New Media & Society, 0(0). #CommSky
“William Blake’s poem ‘Eternity’ was written in 1880, which was after his death in 1827.”
Great work, Google AI. The Zero-Click Impression is working out swimmingly. No notes.
Great work, Google AI. The Zero-Click Impression is working out swimmingly. No notes.
November 13, 2025 at 9:11 AM
“William Blake’s poem ‘Eternity’ was written in 1880, which was after his death in 1827.”
Great work, Google AI. The Zero-Click Impression is working out swimmingly. No notes.
Great work, Google AI. The Zero-Click Impression is working out swimmingly. No notes.
Reposted by Matt Potter
New York Times social media guidelines prohibit expression suggesting partiality on things like ICE, execution of foreigners in fishing boats, or whether law is a thing.
However, tipping off notorious serial pedophiles about other reporters is absolutely fine.
However, tipping off notorious serial pedophiles about other reporters is absolutely fine.
Fall 2017: Then-NYT reporter literally warning Epstein that someone is "digging around again."
![From:
Thomas Jr., Landon
Sent:
9/27/2017 2:47:47 PM
To:
Subject:
Got another call from Connelly..
Importance:
High
Jeffrey Epstein [jeevacation@gmail.com]
He is digging around again -- not clear if its another book/or expanded paperback version. Was asking me all sorts of questions about why you hired Ken Starr. I told him I had no idea - I think he is doing some Trump-related digging too.
Anyway, for what its worth...
Landon Thomas, Jr.
Financial Reporter
New York Times
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/t/landon_ir thomas/index.h
tml](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:36eqtmzysqf7wsslczw4uxcd/bafkreia6463yzmb2suqn5rbfslvtta667av3ryynaetbsl7x6tniezyawu@jpeg)
November 13, 2025 at 4:09 AM
New York Times social media guidelines prohibit expression suggesting partiality on things like ICE, execution of foreigners in fishing boats, or whether law is a thing.
However, tipping off notorious serial pedophiles about other reporters is absolutely fine.
However, tipping off notorious serial pedophiles about other reporters is absolutely fine.
Reposted by Matt Potter
🧵
Here is the Nebra sky disk, considered by some the oldest known illustration of the night sky.
The artifact was discovered near Nebra alongside several Bronze Age weapons and is linked to the Unetice culture, which thrived in parts of Europe...
➡️ apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap18031...
🔭 🧪 #histsci
1/4
Here is the Nebra sky disk, considered by some the oldest known illustration of the night sky.
The artifact was discovered near Nebra alongside several Bronze Age weapons and is linked to the Unetice culture, which thrived in parts of Europe...
➡️ apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap18031...
🔭 🧪 #histsci
1/4
November 13, 2025 at 6:05 AM
Reposted by Matt Potter
Somewhere, in a lonely data center, an AI is training on 23,000 pages of Epstein docs
November 13, 2025 at 4:06 AM
Somewhere, in a lonely data center, an AI is training on 23,000 pages of Epstein docs
Reposted by Matt Potter
so glad the child sexual abuse panic was squarely pointed at folks like me by the people actually doing it & the public was like “yeah, seems right—freaks did it. not the men with all the money & fighting to keep child marriage legal, the women that are legal to kill in 30 states if you’re nervous.”
What a great day for finding out that a lot of things people thought were conspiracies are actually backed up by emails that are like hey pedo, let us pedo together in pedoland on the second day of the pedo month
November 12, 2025 at 11:20 PM
so glad the child sexual abuse panic was squarely pointed at folks like me by the people actually doing it & the public was like “yeah, seems right—freaks did it. not the men with all the money & fighting to keep child marriage legal, the women that are legal to kill in 30 states if you’re nervous.”
Reposted by Matt Potter
Fungi collections in many museums are deteriorating and need sequencing. Fast and cheap sequencing technologies exist, but because they are not as accurate at first try as much more $$$$ slower technologies, many curators have not agreed to take the small samples needed to verify DNA.
November 11, 2025 at 2:58 AM
Fungi collections in many museums are deteriorating and need sequencing. Fast and cheap sequencing technologies exist, but because they are not as accurate at first try as much more $$$$ slower technologies, many curators have not agreed to take the small samples needed to verify DNA.
Reposted by Matt Potter
To recap: Jeffrey Epstein offered a NY Times reporter photos taken in Epstein's kitchen of Donald Trump and girls in bikinis *and* implored the NYT reporter to put this information in the public discourse in 2015
What did the NY Times editors know about this offer?
What did the NY Times editors know about this offer?
“would you like photos of donald and girls in bikinis in my kitchen?” -Jeffrey Epstein
November 12, 2025 at 8:05 PM
To recap: Jeffrey Epstein offered a NY Times reporter photos taken in Epstein's kitchen of Donald Trump and girls in bikinis *and* implored the NYT reporter to put this information in the public discourse in 2015
What did the NY Times editors know about this offer?
What did the NY Times editors know about this offer?
Reposted by Matt Potter
Feels like things are going really well for Trump
November 12, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Feels like things are going really well for Trump
Reposted by Matt Potter
Not to mention a foul reference to his 20 year old girlfriend that he then “gave” to Donald.
“would you like photos of donald and girls in bikinis in my kitchen?” -Jeffrey Epstein
November 12, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Not to mention a foul reference to his 20 year old girlfriend that he then “gave” to Donald.
Reposted by Matt Potter
The Russiagate and Epstein plot lines suddenly are joined...
NEW: Jeffrey Epstein said in emails that he had been advising the Russian government on how to deal with Donald Trump, one of several cases in which he wielded his connections to try to influence the course of foreign affairs. w @nahaltoosi
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
November 12, 2025 at 9:07 PM
The Russiagate and Epstein plot lines suddenly are joined...
Reposted by Matt Potter
If anyone has a gift link I’d be eternally thankful
Carney: "We are entering an era of 'variable geometry' characterised by dynamic, overlapping, pragmatic coalitions, built around shared interests, and occasionally shared values, rather than shared institutions."
www.economist.com/the-world-ah...
www.economist.com/the-world-ah...
The world is in a new age of variable geometry, says Mark Carney
Canada’s prime minister argues that countries that build new networks and pragmatic alliances will be best placed to thrive in this new age
www.economist.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:53 PM
If anyone has a gift link I’d be eternally thankful
Reposted by Matt Potter
Further to this, it is disappointing that most of the news coverage of the $1bn threat letter did not critically engage with its content.
Instead, most coverage accepted the content of the letter at face value.
Instead, most coverage accepted the content of the letter at face value.
My post yesterday on the $Ibn Trump legal threat against the BBC has been picked up by newspapers around the world. It would appear few had gone through the letter and spotted that, well, it contained no evidence in support of its claims of damage.
>
>
November 12, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Further to this, it is disappointing that most of the news coverage of the $1bn threat letter did not critically engage with its content.
Instead, most coverage accepted the content of the letter at face value.
Instead, most coverage accepted the content of the letter at face value.
Reposted by Matt Potter
Oh wow these really are BAAAAAD for Trump
Epstein alleged that Trump 'spent hours' with one of his victims, as thousands of documents released www.bbc.com/news/live/c2...
Epstein alleged that Trump 'spent hours' with one of his victims, as thousands of documents released www.bbc.com/news/live/c2...
New Epstein emails that mention Trump released by House Democrats - live updates
The White House accuses Democrats of creating a
www.bbc.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Oh wow these really are BAAAAAD for Trump
Epstein alleged that Trump 'spent hours' with one of his victims, as thousands of documents released www.bbc.com/news/live/c2...
Epstein alleged that Trump 'spent hours' with one of his victims, as thousands of documents released www.bbc.com/news/live/c2...
Reposted by Matt Potter
The Epstein files are clearly more damning than we assumed, which is saying something.
November 12, 2025 at 7:57 PM
The Epstein files are clearly more damning than we assumed, which is saying something.
Reposted by Matt Potter
Well it was more begging than urging...
November 12, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Well it was more begging than urging...
Reposted by Matt Potter
Information underpins democracy and the BBC is a key part of that.
We need to protect our institutions
open.substack.com/pub/christin...
We need to protect our institutions
open.substack.com/pub/christin...
Information underpins Democracy – why the BBC must be defended
Recent events at the BBC have wide-reaching implications for our democracy - and the sooner we realise it, the better
open.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:42 AM
Information underpins democracy and the BBC is a key part of that.
We need to protect our institutions
open.substack.com/pub/christin...
We need to protect our institutions
open.substack.com/pub/christin...
Reposted by Matt Potter
Brexit reduced the UK’s GDP by between 6% and 8%. That is MASSIVE. #ProjectFear #wetoldyouso
www.nber.org/papers/w3445...
www.nber.org/papers/w3445...
November 10, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Brexit reduced the UK’s GDP by between 6% and 8%. That is MASSIVE. #ProjectFear #wetoldyouso
www.nber.org/papers/w3445...
www.nber.org/papers/w3445...
Reposted by Matt Potter
Wondering why everything seems shit and you have no money compared with 10 years ago?
This is a big part of why:
This is a big part of why:
Brexit reduced the UK’s GDP by between 6% and 8%. That is MASSIVE. #ProjectFear #wetoldyouso
www.nber.org/papers/w3445...
www.nber.org/papers/w3445...
November 10, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Wondering why everything seems shit and you have no money compared with 10 years ago?
This is a big part of why:
This is a big part of why:
The oi-where's-your-poppy policing is insane.
It was never like this before. Not when there actually were wars of conscription; nor when veterans of those wars were still alive.
Poppy-inspectors turning them into some culture war totem is the real scandal.
www.the-independent.com/life-style/w...
It was never like this before. Not when there actually were wars of conscription; nor when veterans of those wars were still alive.
Poppy-inspectors turning them into some culture war totem is the real scandal.
www.the-independent.com/life-style/w...
Performative poppy wearing has turned toxic – should we be wearing white poppies?
As two TV presenters and a politician have already fallen foul of the rabid ‘Where’s your poppy?’ brigade, and actor Mark Rylance has been branded ‘woke’ for donning a symbol of pacifism, Helen Coffey...
www.the-independent.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:50 AM
The oi-where's-your-poppy policing is insane.
It was never like this before. Not when there actually were wars of conscription; nor when veterans of those wars were still alive.
Poppy-inspectors turning them into some culture war totem is the real scandal.
www.the-independent.com/life-style/w...
It was never like this before. Not when there actually were wars of conscription; nor when veterans of those wars were still alive.
Poppy-inspectors turning them into some culture war totem is the real scandal.
www.the-independent.com/life-style/w...