Murray Carpenter
@murray-journo.bsky.social
Author of Sweet and Deadly, How Coca-Cola Spreads Disinformation and Makes Us Sick (MIT Press, March 2025), and Caffeinated (Penguin, 2014). Bylines at New York Times, NPR, Maine Public Radio, Washington Post, etc. Belfast, Maine.
Pinned
Juvenile sand tiger shark, about 3 feet long, in Maine’s Penobscot Bay yesterday.
Tug meeting tanker among sea smoke this morning, Penobscot Bay.
December 5, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Tug meeting tanker among sea smoke this morning, Penobscot Bay.
Reposted by Murray Carpenter
Just finished STRATA, and was entirely absorbed. Definitely one of my 2025 favorites!
WOW, thank you to @meghanbartels.bsky.social and @sciam.bsky.social for listing STRATA as a Staff Favorite Book of 2025. 🙏💫🌎
My own to-read pile just keeps growing and growing...so many gems on this list! 🤩
My own to-read pile just keeps growing and growing...so many gems on this list! 🤩
It's the most wonderful time of the year, best-of book list time! At @sciam.bsky.social we do a fun spin, highlighting a ton of books individual staffers read this year and loved, and it's always a pleasure to contribute. Check out this year's list (with lots of entries from yours truly): 📚💙
December 4, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Just finished STRATA, and was entirely absorbed. Definitely one of my 2025 favorites!
Glad to see that Sweet and Deadly made it across the pond, and is is well-displayed at @waterstones.bsky.social in Edinburgh. Thanks to @laurapoppick.bsky.social for spotting it! @mitpress.bsky.social
December 4, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Glad to see that Sweet and Deadly made it across the pond, and is is well-displayed at @waterstones.bsky.social in Edinburgh. Thanks to @laurapoppick.bsky.social for spotting it! @mitpress.bsky.social
Defendants include the Coca-Cola Company; PepsiCo; Kraft Heinz Company, which makes Lunchables and Kool-Aid; Post Holdings; and Mondelez International. The lawsuit also names General Mills; Nestle USA; Kellogg; Mars Incorporated; and ConAgra Brands." www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/u...
San Francisco Will Sue Ultraprocessed Food Companies
www.nytimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Defendants include the Coca-Cola Company; PepsiCo; Kraft Heinz Company, which makes Lunchables and Kool-Aid; Post Holdings; and Mondelez International. The lawsuit also names General Mills; Nestle USA; Kellogg; Mars Incorporated; and ConAgra Brands." www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/u...
I should buy a lottery ticket today.
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December 2, 2025 at 1:43 AM
I should buy a lottery ticket today.
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"The only thing you need to know about Olivia Nuzzi is that she used her position of power, as a journalist, to advise and elevate the world’s most prominent anti-vaccine activist to the most influential health position in the United States."
You won't believe the CRAZIEST part of the Olivia Nuzzi scandal! (My latest) newrepublic.com/article/2035...
Olivia Nuzzi’s Real Victims
More than her fiancé, or fellow female journalists, the public will pay the price for these misdeeds. RFK Jr. will see to that.
newrepublic.com
November 26, 2025 at 11:12 AM
"The only thing you need to know about Olivia Nuzzi is that she used her position of power, as a journalist, to advise and elevate the world’s most prominent anti-vaccine activist to the most influential health position in the United States."
While we're thinking about food this week, I'm pleased to be in the good company of these @mitpress.bsky.social authors:
mitpress.mit.edu/a-reading-li...
mitpress.mit.edu/a-reading-li...
A reading list to help rethink our plates this Thanksgiving
Books on the social, cultural, and environmental forces impacting our food.
mitpress.mit.edu
November 26, 2025 at 10:29 AM
While we're thinking about food this week, I'm pleased to be in the good company of these @mitpress.bsky.social authors:
mitpress.mit.edu/a-reading-li...
mitpress.mit.edu/a-reading-li...
Sunrise over Penobscot Bay
November 25, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Sunrise over Penobscot Bay
Reposted by Murray Carpenter
"Every media era gets the fabulists it deserves... this generation’s internet scammers are scavenging in the wreckage of a degraded media environment." Oof, this bleakly fascinating story from @nickhunebrown.bsky.social is today's media industry must-read, and with a hell of a kicker:
Investigating a Possible Scammer in Journalism’s AI Era | The Local
A suspicious pitch from a freelancer led editor Nicholas Hune-Brown to dig into their past work. By the end, four publications, including The Guardian and Dwell, had removed articles from their sites.
thelocal.to
November 19, 2025 at 10:18 PM
"Every media era gets the fabulists it deserves... this generation’s internet scammers are scavenging in the wreckage of a degraded media environment." Oof, this bleakly fascinating story from @nickhunebrown.bsky.social is today's media industry must-read, and with a hell of a kicker:
Reposted by Murray Carpenter
As I told the @nytimes.com, "it's not inevitable." It's not inevitable that ultraprocessed food (UPF) companies must dominate our food supply, harming our health.
We simply apply our existing tobacco control regulations to UPF. We have the tools to fix this.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/w...
We simply apply our existing tobacco control regulations to UPF. We have the tools to fix this.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/w...
Scientists Call for Global Shift Away From Ultraprocessed Foods
www.nytimes.com
November 19, 2025 at 8:55 PM
As I told the @nytimes.com, "it's not inevitable." It's not inevitable that ultraprocessed food (UPF) companies must dominate our food supply, harming our health.
We simply apply our existing tobacco control regulations to UPF. We have the tools to fix this.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/w...
We simply apply our existing tobacco control regulations to UPF. We have the tools to fix this.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/w...
Reposted by Murray Carpenter
"Pre-2000, if you saw a person at McDonald's ... everyone would say you shouldn't be eating the Big Mac & fries, really not paying attention to the Coke."
Companies obscured the health risks of sugary beverages for decades. @whyythepulse.org & @murray-journo.bsky.social discussed Coca-Cola's rise:
Companies obscured the health risks of sugary beverages for decades. @whyythepulse.org & @murray-journo.bsky.social discussed Coca-Cola's rise:
Coca-Cola and a Secret Research Operation Meant to Exonerate Sugar
Coca-Cola’s rise to global brand domination, and how the company influenced our habits and perceptions along the way.
whyy.org
November 18, 2025 at 12:40 AM
"Pre-2000, if you saw a person at McDonald's ... everyone would say you shouldn't be eating the Big Mac & fries, really not paying attention to the Coke."
Companies obscured the health risks of sugary beverages for decades. @whyythepulse.org & @murray-journo.bsky.social discussed Coca-Cola's rise:
Companies obscured the health risks of sugary beverages for decades. @whyythepulse.org & @murray-journo.bsky.social discussed Coca-Cola's rise:
Reposted by Murray Carpenter
"They have brilliantly associated themselves with ... good times, happiness, and fun."
@murray-journo.bsky.social and @thepulse.whyy.org discuss how Coca-Cola has influenced consumer habits & perceptions:
@murray-journo.bsky.social and @thepulse.whyy.org discuss how Coca-Cola has influenced consumer habits & perceptions:
Coca-Cola and a Secret Research Operation Meant to Exonerate Sugar
Coca-Cola’s rise to global brand domination, and how the company influenced our habits and perceptions along the way.
whyy.org
November 6, 2025 at 11:05 PM
"They have brilliantly associated themselves with ... good times, happiness, and fun."
@murray-journo.bsky.social and @thepulse.whyy.org discuss how Coca-Cola has influenced consumer habits & perceptions:
@murray-journo.bsky.social and @thepulse.whyy.org discuss how Coca-Cola has influenced consumer habits & perceptions:
If he can sell a watery cup of joe for $1,000, I wish this guy was on my book publicity team. @afp.com #coffee #caffeine
youtu.be/QEtTmIJ3pwg?...
youtu.be/QEtTmIJ3pwg?...
World's most expensive coffee goes on sale in Dubai at $1,000 a cup | AFP
YouTube video by AFP News Agency
youtu.be
November 6, 2025 at 5:23 PM
If he can sell a watery cup of joe for $1,000, I wish this guy was on my book publicity team. @afp.com #coffee #caffeine
youtu.be/QEtTmIJ3pwg?...
youtu.be/QEtTmIJ3pwg?...
Very pleased to be in good company at @mitpress.bsky.social #scicomm #health #commercialdeterminants #upf
mitpress.mit.edu/reading-for-...
mitpress.mit.edu/reading-for-...
Reading for truth in health
Books to help make sense of misinformation in personal and public health.
mitpress.mit.edu
November 6, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Very pleased to be in good company at @mitpress.bsky.social #scicomm #health #commercialdeterminants #upf
mitpress.mit.edu/reading-for-...
mitpress.mit.edu/reading-for-...
Perks of the early dark evenings on Penobscot Bay.
November 4, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Perks of the early dark evenings on Penobscot Bay.
Polling place here in Belfast, Maine seemed surprisingly busy for an off-year election.
November 4, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Polling place here in Belfast, Maine seemed surprisingly busy for an off-year election.
The morning after a storm slammed into western Alaska last month, Jimmy Jones was collecting driftwood on the beach near Quinhagak, a fishing village. When he reached to pick up a log, a face stared up at him from the sand beneath.
By @sachimulkey.bsky.social: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/c...
By @sachimulkey.bsky.social: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/c...
A Storm Hit Alaska. Now, a Native Community Is Racing to Save Its History.
www.nytimes.com
November 4, 2025 at 6:16 PM
The morning after a storm slammed into western Alaska last month, Jimmy Jones was collecting driftwood on the beach near Quinhagak, a fishing village. When he reached to pick up a log, a face stared up at him from the sand beneath.
By @sachimulkey.bsky.social: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/c...
By @sachimulkey.bsky.social: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/c...
At Popham Beach State Park in midcoast #Maine Sunday, an ambitious project to use sand to replenish a storm-damaged leach field on Wood Island.
November 4, 2025 at 10:50 AM
At Popham Beach State Park in midcoast #Maine Sunday, an ambitious project to use sand to replenish a storm-damaged leach field on Wood Island.
A surprising aspect of the housing crisis:
If Mainers returned to the number of people per housing unit that was typical in 1970, the state could house an additional 500,000 residents without erecting a single new building.
My story for @themainemonitor.org
themainemonitor.org/maine-buildi...
If Mainers returned to the number of people per housing unit that was typical in 1970, the state could house an additional 500,000 residents without erecting a single new building.
My story for @themainemonitor.org
themainemonitor.org/maine-buildi...
Maine is building homes faster, but they are emptier
Often-overlooked numbers show how fewer people are living together, inadvertently contributing to Maine's housing crisis.
themainemonitor.org
November 3, 2025 at 9:03 PM
A surprising aspect of the housing crisis:
If Mainers returned to the number of people per housing unit that was typical in 1970, the state could house an additional 500,000 residents without erecting a single new building.
My story for @themainemonitor.org
themainemonitor.org/maine-buildi...
If Mainers returned to the number of people per housing unit that was typical in 1970, the state could house an additional 500,000 residents without erecting a single new building.
My story for @themainemonitor.org
themainemonitor.org/maine-buildi...
The archives at @ucsf-industrydocs.bsky.social were invaluable for finding Coca-Cola documents while researching my book Sweet and Deadly. Journalists are continually using the collections for reporting on PFAS and fossil fuels, as well as tobacco and opioids. www.library.ucsf.edu/news/small-b...
Small but Mighty Collections from the UCSF Industry Documents Library - UCSF Library
Overview of three collections within the UCSF Industry Documents Library that contain Shell, Exxon, Coca-Cola and PFAS industry documents.
www.library.ucsf.edu
November 3, 2025 at 8:15 PM
The archives at @ucsf-industrydocs.bsky.social were invaluable for finding Coca-Cola documents while researching my book Sweet and Deadly. Journalists are continually using the collections for reporting on PFAS and fossil fuels, as well as tobacco and opioids. www.library.ucsf.edu/news/small-b...
Reposted by Murray Carpenter
Coca-Cola rolled out a cane sugar version of its soda after Trump urged the corporation to do so — but debates around the sweetener in Coke are decades old.
On this podcast extra, we talk about this with journalist
@murray-journo.bsky.social, author of Sweet and Deadly.
🔗 bit.ly/4ofqexy
On this podcast extra, we talk about this with journalist
@murray-journo.bsky.social, author of Sweet and Deadly.
🔗 bit.ly/4ofqexy
October 29, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Coca-Cola rolled out a cane sugar version of its soda after Trump urged the corporation to do so — but debates around the sweetener in Coke are decades old.
On this podcast extra, we talk about this with journalist
@murray-journo.bsky.social, author of Sweet and Deadly.
🔗 bit.ly/4ofqexy
On this podcast extra, we talk about this with journalist
@murray-journo.bsky.social, author of Sweet and Deadly.
🔗 bit.ly/4ofqexy
In the Boston area Thursday ? Please join us at this ideas festival in Newton, where I’ll be discussing Sweet and Deadly on a panel at 8:30 a.m. @mitpress.bsky.social
www.authorsinnovators.org
www.authorsinnovators.org
Home | authorsinnovators
www.authorsinnovators.org
October 28, 2025 at 4:27 PM
In the Boston area Thursday ? Please join us at this ideas festival in Newton, where I’ll be discussing Sweet and Deadly on a panel at 8:30 a.m. @mitpress.bsky.social
www.authorsinnovators.org
www.authorsinnovators.org
Reposted by Murray Carpenter
Often-overlooked numbers show how fewer people are living together, inadvertently contributing to the #housingcrisis in #Maine. Read more from @murray-journo.bsky.social for free at the link below.
themainemonitor.org/maine-buildi...
themainemonitor.org/maine-buildi...
Maine is building homes faster, but they are emptier
Often-overlooked numbers show how fewer people are living together, inadvertently contributing to Maine's housing crisis.
themainemonitor.org
October 27, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Often-overlooked numbers show how fewer people are living together, inadvertently contributing to the #housingcrisis in #Maine. Read more from @murray-journo.bsky.social for free at the link below.
themainemonitor.org/maine-buildi...
themainemonitor.org/maine-buildi...
Late monarch on asters, in midcoast Maine.
October 26, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Late monarch on asters, in midcoast Maine.
Reposted by Murray Carpenter
Amid a tumultuous time for climate change research, Paul Mayewski has resigned as director of the Climate Change Institute at the University of #Maine in Orono after 24 years in the role.
themainemonitor.org/climate-chan...
themainemonitor.org/climate-chan...
UMaine Climate Change Institute leader steps down
The leadership change comes as the field faces significant hurdles, such as a federal government hostile to the idea of climate change.
themainemonitor.org
October 24, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Amid a tumultuous time for climate change research, Paul Mayewski has resigned as director of the Climate Change Institute at the University of #Maine in Orono after 24 years in the role.
themainemonitor.org/climate-chan...
themainemonitor.org/climate-chan...