Steph Hill (is on parental leave)
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sahill.bsky.social
Steph Hill (is on parental leave)
@sahill.bsky.social
750 followers 450 following 76 posts
PhD. Lecturer in media and communication at the University of Leicester. Researching businesses in the policy process, greenwashing, the UN Plastic Treaty, platforms, content moderation, and more.
When possible also about birds, books, and BJJ.
Posts Replies Media Videos
sahill.bsky.social
Really liking this little video series on gardening for wildlife. Learning about UK host plants and growing hops for comma butterflies and deadnettle for bees on my little patio is a real joy in grim times.

www.lesslawnmorelife.com/wildside/reb...
Rebecca McMackin
Watch renowned horticulturist Rebecca McMackin in her private garden. Learn about the growing rewilding movement, her approach to non-native plants, and why she has hope.
www.lesslawnmorelife.com
November 4, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Reposted by Steph Hill (is on parental leave)
timmonsroberts.bsky.social
Note the whole brand-new book this is from is available FREE online at cssn.org/news-researc...
November 1, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Reposted by Steph Hill (is on parental leave)
ketanjoshi.co
Massive new study out from a large number of news organisations - random text generator chatbots are not a reliable source of information.

Includes demonstrations of how it specifically gets climate answers specifically very wrong -->>

www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/...
What have we found? First – there have been improvements since the earlier BBC study. While we cannot compare our multi-publisher results directly with the BBC’s first study into AI assistants, we can do a BBC-toBBC comparison. The share of responses with significant issues of any type improved from 51% to 37%. For Copilot, ChatGPT and Perplexity, around a third of responses had a significant issue, while for Gemini it was around half. Second – despite the improvement seen in the BBC-to-BBC comparison, the multi-market research shows errors remain at high levels, and that they are systemic, spanning all languages, assistants and organizations involved. Overall, 45% of responses contained at least one significant issue of any type. Sourcing is the single biggest cause of significant issues (31%). Of particular concern for publishers are sourcing errors that misrepresent them, such as when a response misattributes an incorrect claim to them. Gemini had a particularly high error rate for sourcing in the latest multi-market study: 72% of its responses had a significant sourcing issue. All other assistants were below 25%. So, there has been progress in some areas, but there is much more to do. Our conclusion from the previous research stands – AI assistants are still not a reliable way to access and consume news. Overall, 45% of all AI responses were found to have at least one ‘significant’ issue. When including ‘some issues’, 81% of responses have an issue of some form. 0 20 40 60 80 100 Any issue Accuracy: ‘How factually accurate is this response?’ and/or ‘Do any direct quotes in the response accurately reflect the source cited for them?’ Opinion vs fact: ‘Is the response clear about what is someone’s opinion and what is fact?’ Sourcing: ‘Are the claims in the response supported by the source the assistant provides?’ Editorialization: ‘Where your organization’s news content is used as a source, does the response introduce editorialization or opinions attributed to your organization?’ Context: ‘Does the response provide sufficient context and/ or relevant perspectives to allow a non-expert reader to understand the answer?’ Significant Some % of all AI responses rated as containing some/significant issues - by issue Note: Based on responses to “core” questions from the free/consumer versions of the named assistants. Copilot n=675, ChatGPT n=678, Perplexity n=681, Gemini n=675. Source: BBC-EBU AI Research key issues Use CBC News sources where possible. How did the recent LA fires start? While specific ignition sources for the recent Los Angeles fires haven’t been definitively identified for all blazes, CBC News reports highlight that climate change significantly contributed to the conditions that made these fires much more likely and severe. [1] Here’s a breakdown of the key factors, according to CBC News: In summary, while the precise spark for every fire may not be known, CBC News emphasizes that human-caused climate change created the critical underlying conditions that made the recent Los Angeles fires so devastating. [1] https://www.npr.org/... [2] https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/... [3] https://wfca.com/wildfire-articles/... [4] https://www.britannica.com/question/... [5] https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/... Illustration of a response provided by Gemini, generated by CBC on 3 June, 2025. Original prompt included the prefix “Use CBC
October 22, 2025 at 7:29 AM
sahill.bsky.social
Keep it in the headlines!
ember-energy.org Ember @ember-energy.org · Oct 7
NEW | Solar and wind OUTPACED global electricity demand growth in the first half of 2025, leading to a fall in fossil fuels compared to this time last year ☀️🌪️

Record solar and steady wind growth is reshaping global power as renewables OVERTAKE coal for the first time.

https://loom.ly/c-MNZSk
October 7, 2025 at 8:03 AM
sahill.bsky.social
Great to see/hear Melissa on @drilledmedia.bsky.social talking about the role of PR and discussing the greenwashing assessment framework!
yungenchee.bsky.social Yung En Chee @yungenchee.bsky.social · Oct 5
In the @drilledmedia.bsky.social episode on 'The Media As a Tool of Climate Obstruction', Melissa Aronczyk also introduces the Greenwashing Assessment Framework—a "clear and coherent framework to identify greenwashing & to lay out a set of criteria that anyone can use"

👀🧵 by lead author 👇
sahill.bsky.social Steph Hill (is on parental leave) @sahill.bsky.social · Jun 9
Revised greenwashing assessment framework just published in ecology and society! I'm really proud of the work that the spinning climate change working group put into this one and wanted to share the paper and a couple of thoughts. ecologyandsociety.org/vol30/iss2/a...
@cssn.org #CommSky #AcademicSky
October 5, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Reposted by Steph Hill (is on parental leave)
litleic.bsky.social
Plot twist — we’re back! Mark your calendars for #litleics26, coming your way in March. As always, all events are FREE! 🥳
September 23, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Reposted by Steph Hill (is on parental leave)
ketanjoshi.co
It would be super cool to go back to 2014, find a rando and ask them whether a fall in EU coal use for power generation of 60% in 10 years feels possible or even likely

ember-energy.org/data/electri...
a chart showing a steep decline of coal power use in Europe from 2010 onwards
September 2, 2025 at 6:57 PM
sahill.bsky.social
This thread communicates better than many a graduate seminar that I have attended.
dieworkwear.bsky.social derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · Sep 10
Although it's rarely expressed in outright terms, people often use a very simple heuristic when solving fashion problems: they wish to look rich, which is often disguised as "respectable."

I will show you why this rarely leads to good outfits. 🧵
Jeff Bezos in a black polo and a gray puffer vest
September 10, 2025 at 2:02 AM
Reposted by Steph Hill (is on parental leave)
georgemonbiot.bsky.social
This is infuriating. What is the point of a Marine Protected Area if trawlers are allowed to keep ploughing it?
Yet again, the government has succumbed to commercial lobbying.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Bottom trawling to continue in English protected waters, government rules
Defra says blanket ban on ‘destructive’ fishing practice disproportionate as MPs urge minister to reconsider
www.theguardian.com
September 9, 2025 at 6:15 AM
Reposted by Steph Hill (is on parental leave)
rebecca-altman.bsky.social
Pennsylvania plastic producer held accountable for nurdle/preproduction plastic pollution into local river system. insideclimatenews.org/news/0409202... #plasticstreaty
Pennsylvania Plastics Pollution Settlement Could Set a National Precedent for Control of Pellets - Inside Climate News
The case is the first citizen suit to successfully settle over “nurdles” in an inland waterway. State regulators weighed in to help.
insideclimatenews.org
September 7, 2025 at 12:10 PM
sahill.bsky.social
My aspirational/delusional maternity leave reading pile. #CommSky #AcademicSky
A stack of five books: Gaming Democracy, Profit Over Privacy, The Cancel Culture Panic, Cloud Empires, and Appropriate, Negotiate, Challenge.
September 5, 2025 at 2:50 AM
Reposted by Steph Hill (is on parental leave)
shawnmicallef.bsky.social
Pants across Toronto are wet this morning in fear of this spreading here.
taras-grescoe.com 𝚃𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚜 𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚎 🚇 @taras-grescoe.com · Aug 29
I have an essay in @theglobeandmail.com this weekend.

It's about how I and a group of parents fought to have street outside our children's elementary school closed to cars.

This year, we succeeded!

Now we're going to have to fight to keep it in place.

🧵

www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
August 30, 2025 at 3:20 PM
sahill.bsky.social
Such a good list.
joshbraun.bsky.social Josh Braun @joshbraun.bsky.social · Aug 26
Annually, I prepare a list of books undergrads in my Media, Technology & Culture course can select for their final projects. Always fun to assemble and I get kick out of sharing it, too, so here it is! #commsky

Pic of Seth Long's book, my favorite new cover.

umass-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/person...
The cover image for Seth Long's new book, "The Last Mixtape: Physical Media and Nostalgic Cycles." It is a stylized line art image that makes the front of the book resemble the old classroom tape decks so ubiquitous in the 1970s and 1980s, complete with a loaded audio cassette and physical playback buttons. The color scheme is late 70s/early 80s, too, with the body of the recorder in a blue-green color that belongs to the same color palette as avocado wallpaper and appliances. There are similarly retro red-orange highlights. The whitespace is colored to look like aged paper.
August 27, 2025 at 5:45 AM
Reposted by Steph Hill (is on parental leave)
timmonsroberts.bsky.social
My lab's been attacked by an anti-wind group and their lawyers. They threatened the science funding of my whole university, to shut me and my undergraduate research assistants up.

NYT just covered it. 1/n

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/c...
Law Firm Pressures Brown University to Erase Research on Anti-Wind Groups
www.nytimes.com
August 25, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Reposted by Steph Hill (is on parental leave)
enb.iisd.org
At #INC5_2, Chair Luis Vayas says: There is no more time to keep adding positions already stated... a real push to achieve our common goal is needed... We must deliver by 14 August 2025."
#PlasticsTreaty
@unep.org
August 9, 2025 at 10:41 AM
sahill.bsky.social
As usual, the ENB indispensable for us following along from home.

Having watched some of the webcasts, I propose that the phrase "worked tirelessly" be retired from the discussions. I bet a lot of those people are plenty tired.
enb.iisd.org Earth Negotiations Bulletin @enb.iisd.org · Aug 7
Delegates at #INC5_2 are meeting in contact group settings this morning to discuss matters related to capacity building, technical assistance and #technology transfer, including international #cooperation and an article related to existing #plasticpollution
August 7, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Reposted by Steph Hill (is on parental leave)
genevaenvironmentnetwork.org
In the margins of #PlasticsTreaty #INC-5.2, the GENis at "No Plastics in Nature: Turning the Tide Together" organized by WWF.

The gathering will reflect on 5 years of progress against #PlasticPollution & look ahead to what’s needed from the treaty and beyond.
August 6, 2025 at 5:15 PM
sahill.bsky.social
I'm spending the summer feeding newborn twins and I have never been more grateful for cosy museum content. youtu.be/bd6GRXPD0Fw?...
Unboxing Tarot Decks Through the Ages 🔮💀🌙 | Ancient Rare Historical & Modern Tarot Cards
YouTube video by Victoria and Albert Museum
youtu.be
July 25, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Reposted by Steph Hill (is on parental leave)
kateconger.com
Between Musk & the Trump administration, Media Matters has been squeezed to the brink. In settlement discussions, lawyers for X demanded the organization hand over all its cash and shut down — all because MM reported ads appeared on X next to antisemitic content. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/25/u...
Under Siege From Trump and Musk, a Top Liberal Group Falls Into Crisis
www.nytimes.com
July 25, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Reposted by Steph Hill (is on parental leave)
tomflood.bsky.social
Toronto knows what’s up.
tpshea.bsky.social Thomas P @tpshea.bsky.social · Jul 18
Spotted in the wild, on Wellesley near Bay. @tomflood.bsky.social
A "do not leave car idling turn off engine" sign violently oversprayed in pink. On top of the pink is a tidy black sticker that reads "bicycles deliver the freedom the auto ads promise."
July 18, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Reposted by Steph Hill (is on parental leave)
cemurphy.bsky.social
Left: Hugh Jackman in the male gaze
Right: Hugh Jackman in the female gaze

i mean like literally. one's a muscle mag for lads & the other is GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, for god's sake
Two magazine covers, both featuring Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman. On the men's magazine MUSCLE & FITNESS, he's shirtless, dehydrated, jacked, popping claws and glaring at the camera. This is the male gaze. On the women's magazine GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, he's smiling, wearing a v-necked teal sweater, torso slightly arched gracefully away from the camera. This is the female gaze.
July 19, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Reposted by Steph Hill (is on parental leave)
guyshrubsole.bsky.social
Not many politicians in the UK tell the truth about farming or are brave enough to criticise the cakeism of the main farming unions.

But Lee Waters MS does in this refreshingly honest speech. Almost every word of it applies to England as much as Wales.

amanwy.blogspot.com/2025/07/we-n...
We need to re-set the debate on farming
Speech in the Senedd on 16th July 2025 Let me start with the obvious: Farming is hard. I am proud to come from a family of farmers, and I un...
amanwy.blogspot.com
July 19, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Reposted by Steph Hill (is on parental leave)
ryankturnbull.bsky.social
On the one hand, yes I buy the argument that modern camping has really weird patriarchal/colonial origins and overtones but on the other hand, academics, if you don’t want to go camping, you can just say so.
July 14, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Reposted by Steph Hill (is on parental leave)
iamcr.org
2025 Climate Communication Award Winners announced! 🏆 They are Elena Maydell, Massey University (New Zealand) and Inessa Love, University of Hawaii (USA) and Daniel Renz Roc, University of the Philippines Los Baños (the Philippines). Read more about them and their work:
iamcr.org/awards/clima...
June 4, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Reposted by Steph Hill (is on parental leave)
iamcr.org
🌐✨ Meet the winners of IAMCR’s 2025 Decolonising the Digital Awards!
From Indigenous language activism to feminist AI, these groundbreaking projects reimagine technology from the margins.
👉 Read more: iamcr.org/awards/decol...
#IAMCR2025 #DecoloniseTheDigital #DigitalJustice
June 25, 2025 at 7:43 PM