Meghan Hoyer
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meghanhoyer.bsky.social
Meghan Hoyer
@meghanhoyer.bsky.social
800 followers 470 following 120 posts
Data Reporting Director, The Washington Post
she/her
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meghanhoyer.bsky.social
Penn State, Ohio State, Texas ... this year, preseason college football rankings were WAY wrong about which teams would dominate.
By @emilygiam.bsky.social & @jessedougherty.bsky.social: www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
The preseason college football rankings were really, really wrong
Led by Penn State, teams in the preseason top 15 have the second-worst winning percentage for programs ranked that high in decades.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 4, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Reposted by Meghan Hoyer
aedwardslevy.bsky.social
File under "charts that need no explanatory context to make the story clear" wapo.st/4iC8oCR
Chart showing an enormous July spike in ICE arrests in DC of people without criminal records
December 4, 2025 at 1:23 PM
meghanhoyer.bsky.social
Dozens of cities across the U.S. adopted Vision Zero programs to reduce the number of pedestrian deaths. But in nearly all, deaths have risen. From @rachelsiegel25.bsky.social, Ian Duncan, @moriartymaps.com & Emmanuel Martinez:
www.washingtonpost.com/business/int...
December 4, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Reposted by Meghan Hoyer
actfortransit.bsky.social
U.S. officials encouraged cities to adopt Vision Zero to save lives. Driver opposition and a lack of money derailed it.

Reporting by @rachelweiner.bsky.social & Ian Duncan. Data analysis by Emmanuel Martinez. Graphics by Dylan Moriarty.

In the Washington Post.
LOS ANGELES — As the sun set over the Pacific Ocean one Sunday this past spring, Cecilia Milbourne returned from a walk on the beach with her dog, Gucci. To reach her parked Tesla, she had to cross a road that city officials have known for years poses a danger to people on foot. Eight years ago, as part of a national initiative to stem traffic deaths called Vision Zero, the city shrank the number of lanes on the road, Vista Del Mar, and several connecting streets in the shoreside community just south of Venice. But they restored it to four lanes after an uproar by drivers — among them Octavio Girbau, who railed against a city official in a 2017 Facebook post stating he was stuck on one of those intersecting roads “in the traffic hell you created.” With a photo of Cecilia Milbourne, a young women smiling at the camera, and a photo of her dog, a small dog wearing a little shirt. On March 16, Girbau was driving south on Vista Del Mar as Milbourne was about to cross in a spot with no crosswalk and no sidewalk — just a concrete curb separating her from the moving cars. Girbau bumped another car, lost control and struck Milbourne on the side of the road, sending her flying as his Mercedes flipped onto the beach, according to a police report. Milbourne, 29, a hairdresser and actor who had moved to Los Angeles from Atlanta, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her dog died with her. Milbourne’s death on the hazardous road encapsulates the widespread failure of Vision Zero, a plan endorsed by the federal government during the Obama administration and adopted by cities across the country. The core concept, which emulates a Swedish model, is that the government — through engineering, vehicle standards and police enforcement — can ensure that the mistakes of drivers are not deadly. But the program has foundered in city after city in the United States, according to an examination of pedestrian death data by The Washington Post, even though lifesaving measures such as lower speed limits and more pedestrian crossings can be relatively inexpensive. Vision Zero’s failures in more than two dozen cities fit a predictable pattern, according to the Post analysis and interviews with experts in traffic safety. Motorists are hostile to measures that slow traffic and favor pedestrians. Local leaders give token or tepid support. Spending on pedestrian-friendly improvements is not prioritized. The U.S. government, meanwhile, never backed up its pledge with federal action or significant funds. A Post analysis found that of 27 cities that had at least five pedestrian deaths each year before adopting Vision Zero, all but one now have the same or higher pedestrian death rates than when those declarations were made. That includes Albuquerque, where the pedestrian death rate nearly doubled in the five years since the city announced it was signing on to Vision Zero. It also encompasses Long Beach, California; Sacramento; and Greensboro, North Carolina. Nationally, annual pedestrian deaths surged 70 percent from 2010 to 2023, as authorities have continued to prioritize the flow of motor vehicle traffic. Graphic showing the Vision Zero cities with the largest increases in pedestrian death rates (pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people). The date the city announced its commitment to Vision Zero is also on the graphic. The x axis goes from 2010 to 2023. The y axis goes from 0 to 10, but Fort Lauderdale has two spikes above 10. The cities are Albuquerque, Long Beach California, Greensboro North Carolina, Sacramento, Houston, Portland Oregon, San Diego, Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, and Seattle. The data source is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
December 4, 2025 at 2:17 PM
meghanhoyer.bsky.social
December: The how-much-coffee-can-I-drink challenge begins
#deadlines
December 2, 2025 at 4:44 PM
meghanhoyer.bsky.social
David Byrne is the best, full stop.
Afterward, as the rest of the band and crew dispersed, Byrne hopped on a rented bike for a solo ride through the District on a beautiful fall afternoon:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNmc...
David Byrne: Tiny Desk Concert
YouTube video by NPR Music
www.youtube.com
December 1, 2025 at 5:37 PM
meghanhoyer.bsky.social
This is fine.gif
The concentration of wealth among the richest Americans is unlike anything in history — and so is billionaires’ influence in politics.
From @ence.bsky.social @bethreinhard.bsky.social @aaronschaffer.com & Naftali Bendavid:
Read more: www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
November 21, 2025 at 5:54 PM
meghanhoyer.bsky.social
The homicide rate in the US has been dropping in the past three years and is trending toward its lowest level in decades. Reporters visited five cities with major decreases to figure out why. Data analysis by @jdharden.bsky.social:
www.washingtonpost.com/nation/inter...
A lookup tool with a line chart that allows users to pick a city and show the homicide rate over the past decade. The chart highlights DC's rate vs. the US rate
November 20, 2025 at 7:50 PM
meghanhoyer.bsky.social
Wide roads and fast-moving vehicles — especially when combined with signs of poverty, homelessness, drug & alcohol abuse, plus a lack of pedestrian-focused roadway improvements — has produced a pattern of death-by-vehicle that is uniquely American.
Investigation by Ian Duncan & Emmanuel Martinez:
The deadliest roads in America
The number of pedestrians killed by vehicles has increased in the U.S., with road infrastructure and inadequate safety measures among key contributing factors.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 19, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Reposted by Meghan Hoyer
whetmoser.com
"Efforts to make changes lacked support in large part because they would require forcing drivers to slow down" 🎁https://wapo.st/4polhCJ
The deadliest roads in America
The number of pedestrians killed by vehicles has increased in the U.S., with road infrastructure and inadequate safety measures among key contributing factors.
wapo.st
November 19, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Reposted by Meghan Hoyer
emgusk.bsky.social
“Every statistic has a name behind it, a family member behind it, a loved one behind it,” Keegan White said.
The deadliest roads in America
The number of pedestrians killed by vehicles has increased in the U.S., with road infrastructure and inadequate safety measures among key contributing factors.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 19, 2025 at 5:35 PM
meghanhoyer.bsky.social
Baby boomers hold more than $85 trillion in assets, making them the richest generation by far. Successive generations weighed down by debt and child care costs will be hard-pressed to replicate their wealth. By @federicacocco.bsky.social & Shannon Najmabadi:
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
How baby boomers got so rich and why their kids are unlikely to catch up
The wealthiest generation holds more than $85 trillion in assets thanks to economic conditions Gen X, millennials and others would be hard-pressed to replicate.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 18, 2025 at 5:59 PM
meghanhoyer.bsky.social
With his new pay package, Elon Musk will make $3 billion more per year than the 1.4 million elementary school teachers in the U.S. combined.
By @alyssafowers.bsky.social & Leslie Shapiro:
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...
Elon Musk is set to make more than every U.S. elementary teacher combined
See how Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s new payment package compares with other occupations in the United States.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 18, 2025 at 4:08 PM
meghanhoyer.bsky.social
Data journalist @jeremybmerrill.com analyzed 38,000 ChatGPT conversations and found AI has gotten less formal -- dropping some words and adding contractions -- while clinging to the EmDash and some cliched constructions. w/ @emmakumer.bsky.social & SzuYu Chen: www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...
a chart showing Chat GPT curbed its use of words like Ensure, Various and Crucial from as high as 20% to about 2% A line chart showing ChatGPT now uses you're and it's in almost a third of chats several examples of ChatGPT using "not just ... but" constructions in it's responses: for instance, "Not just techniques, but habits of being"
November 13, 2025 at 6:15 PM
meghanhoyer.bsky.social
🧠Can you detect AI writing? @jeremybmerrill.com, Szu Yu Chen + @emmakumer.bsky.social found there are a lot of giveaways if you look closely: 🧠https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/interactive/2025/how-detect-chatgpt-em-dash/?itid=hp-top-table-main_p001_f012
What are the clues that ChatGPT wrote something? We analyzed its style.
Analyzing 330,000 messages from OpenAI’s ChatGPT revealed its favorite emoji and other telltale patterns in how the chatbot uses language.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 13, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Reposted by Meghan Hoyer
washingtonpost.com
While other presidents have largely kept their activities focused on helping end past government shutdowns, President Trump has visited six countries, undertaken a massive construction project and attended a “Great Gatsby”-themed party at Mar-a-Lago.
How Trump spent his time during the shutdown
During the shutdown, the president visited six countries, spoke at a million-dollar-a-plate dinner and undertook a massive construction project at the White House.
wapo.st
November 13, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Reposted by Meghan Hoyer
willoremus.com
every company in 2025
comic strip with call and response text. who are we? CEOs what do we want? AI! AI to do what? We don't know! When do we want it? Right now!
November 12, 2025 at 5:59 PM
meghanhoyer.bsky.social
In parts of the eastern US & Intermountain West, atmospheric rivers rising from the Pacific Ocean are slamming into the region with increasing force. These changes are worsening devastation in Appalachia, where poverty, aging infrastructure & hilly terrain combine to make preparing for floods hard:
Where the sky keeps bursting
A Washington Post investigation shows why much of the eastern U.S. is increasingly vulnerable to extreme rain and floods.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 12, 2025 at 6:23 PM
meghanhoyer.bsky.social
A collection of 47,000 publicly shared ChatGPT conversations compiled by The Washington Post sheds light on the reasons people turn to the chatbot and the deeply intimate role it plays in many lives, by @jeremybmerrill.com and @gerritd.bsky.social: www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
We analyzed 47,000 ChatGPT conversations. Here’s what people really use it for.
What do people ask the popular chatbot? We analyzed thousands of chats to identify common topics discussed by users and patterns in ChatGPT’s responses.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 12, 2025 at 5:18 PM
meghanhoyer.bsky.social
Since early 2025, Democrats have pulled back from talking about climate change. At the same time, nations and companies are scaling back their most ambitious plans to lower carbon emissions — or going silent on the issue entirely. By @kcrowebasspro.bsky.social & @shannonosaka.bsky.social:
The big issue Democrats have stopped talking about
A Washington Post analysis of Democratic lawmakers’ appearances and social media posts show they are going quiet on climate.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:27 PM
meghanhoyer.bsky.social
So so excited to welcome the very talented @chrishacker.me to @wpdatateam.bsky.social!! Chris is our team's newest hire, joining us as a computational journalist embedded on the national desk. 🙌
November 11, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Reposted by Meghan Hoyer
shannonosaka.bsky.social
The Post (me and @kcrowebasspro.bsky.social) analyzed the social media posts and appearances of prominent politicians across the country.

We found that no one is talking about climate change anymore. In 2025, mentions are 60% lower than in 2024.

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
This bar chart shows a decrease in mentions of 'climate' since a peak in August 2022, when Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act.
November 10, 2025 at 4:24 PM
meghanhoyer.bsky.social
House Speaker Mike Johnson’s congressional district has one of the highest SNAP usage rates in the country. In interviews, several people who rely on SNAP and voted for Johnson and Trump did not fault Republican leaders. By Lydia Sidhom & Cleve Wootson: www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
In MAGA stronghold, fury over SNAP but little blame for Trump in shutdown
People who use SNAP in Mike Johnson’s congressional district wonder why his power hasn’t protected them, but many lay the blame on Washington’s dysfunction.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:33 PM
meghanhoyer.bsky.social
Of the 6 million veterans receiving disability payments last year, about 1.5 million were designated 100 percent disabled — a nearly ninefold increase since 2021. A whole industry has popped up around getting people to 100% by @caitlingilbert.bsky.social, @reinlwapo.bsky.social & Craig Whitlock:
The unregulated industry that coaches veterans to pile on benefits
The number of vets receiving 100 percent disability ratings has surged in recent years. For-profit firms, influencers and the VA play a large role in the trend.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Reposted by Meghan Hoyer
travismandrews.bsky.social
Thanks for sharing out story, @jimmykimmel.com! For anyone interested, here's a gift link to the piece: wapo.st/49yu548
November 5, 2025 at 6:22 PM