Tom Burton
@twburton.bsky.social
Journalism professor at Texas A&M. Previously career visual journalist. Native Floridian.
The free press stands against prior restraint.
NEW for @washingtonpost.com:
Pentagon reporters exited the building in unison Wednesday after turning in their badges, having refused to sign the Defense Department's press policy.
@nancyayoussef.bsky.social called it a “sad day for those who support a free press.”
Pentagon reporters exited the building in unison Wednesday after turning in their badges, having refused to sign the Defense Department's press policy.
@nancyayoussef.bsky.social called it a “sad day for those who support a free press.”
Reporters leave Pentagon en masse after refusing to sign on to new rules
After turning in their press credentials, journalists covering the Defense Department walked out rather than comply with its restrictive new policies.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 16, 2025 at 1:36 AM
The free press stands against prior restraint.
Reposted by Tom Burton
I feel like this photo of masked, armed men pepper spraying a pastor protecting his community is going to be a defining picture of this moment in America for a long, long time.
October 7, 2025 at 11:29 PM
I feel like this photo of masked, armed men pepper spraying a pastor protecting his community is going to be a defining picture of this moment in America for a long, long time.
Reposted by Tom Burton
“If you are protecting the students and faculty of the A&M System from outside influence, you’re doing a poor job because they seem to have gotten exactly what they wanted.
“All we can hope for is that our next president can protect us from you.”
A&M student newspaper to Board of Regents
“All we can hope for is that our next president can protect us from you.”
A&M student newspaper to Board of Regents
Our university’s president was forced to resign. Our student publication responded. thebatt.com/opinion/edit...
Editorial: Texas A&M students first, not politicians
Walking down the steps of the Administration Building as he looked onto a sea of support, a president descended step by step — Gig ‘em sign held high — as he ex
thebatt.com
September 25, 2025 at 4:44 PM
“If you are protecting the students and faculty of the A&M System from outside influence, you’re doing a poor job because they seem to have gotten exactly what they wanted.
“All we can hope for is that our next president can protect us from you.”
A&M student newspaper to Board of Regents
“All we can hope for is that our next president can protect us from you.”
A&M student newspaper to Board of Regents
Our university’s president was forced to resign. Our student publication responded. thebatt.com/opinion/edit...
Editorial: Texas A&M students first, not politicians
Walking down the steps of the Administration Building as he looked onto a sea of support, a president descended step by step — Gig ‘em sign held high — as he ex
thebatt.com
September 25, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Our university’s president was forced to resign. Our student publication responded. thebatt.com/opinion/edit...
Reposted by Tom Burton
The AAUP calls on Texas A&M & Texas State to reverse the ideological firings of faculty members. We condemn the removal of the dean of the College of Arts & Sciences & the chair of the English department at Texas A&M for supporting the academic freedom of an instructor as a draconian abuse of power.
AAUP President Condemns Political Firings of Texas Faculty, Calls for Reinstatements
The sudden firings of faculty members this week at two Texas universities are serious violations of well-established standards and principles of academic freedom and tenure and set a dangerous new pre...
www.aaup.org
September 11, 2025 at 4:28 PM
The AAUP calls on Texas A&M & Texas State to reverse the ideological firings of faculty members. We condemn the removal of the dean of the College of Arts & Sciences & the chair of the English department at Texas A&M for supporting the academic freedom of an instructor as a draconian abuse of power.
Reposted by Tom Burton
Lost in the Texas A&M news is that the entire crusade is the product of a former labradoodle breeder turned State Rep whose stunts and grandstanding are so insufferably transparent that even his Republican colleagues despise him. Meet Brian Harrison, winner of Texas Monthly’s 2025 Cockroach award:
“Studio Makeup and Narcissism”: The Texas’s Lege’s Least Favorite Lawmaker
"Cockroach" is an old Lege term for a figure who mucks up lawmaking. In 2025 the title goes to Brian Harrison.
www.texasmonthly.com
September 10, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Lost in the Texas A&M news is that the entire crusade is the product of a former labradoodle breeder turned State Rep whose stunts and grandstanding are so insufferably transparent that even his Republican colleagues despise him. Meet Brian Harrison, winner of Texas Monthly’s 2025 Cockroach award:
Reposted by Tom Burton
About this Florida vaccine story:
When they were little - 1 yr and 3 1/2 - my two older boys, who’d had all their shots, got whooping cough.
We asked their pediatrician what would’ve happened if they hadn’t been vaccinated.
“Oh, they’d have died.”
When they were little - 1 yr and 3 1/2 - my two older boys, who’d had all their shots, got whooping cough.
We asked their pediatrician what would’ve happened if they hadn’t been vaccinated.
“Oh, they’d have died.”
September 3, 2025 at 10:06 PM
About this Florida vaccine story:
When they were little - 1 yr and 3 1/2 - my two older boys, who’d had all their shots, got whooping cough.
We asked their pediatrician what would’ve happened if they hadn’t been vaccinated.
“Oh, they’d have died.”
When they were little - 1 yr and 3 1/2 - my two older boys, who’d had all their shots, got whooping cough.
We asked their pediatrician what would’ve happened if they hadn’t been vaccinated.
“Oh, they’d have died.”
Lee Corso’s last College Gameday goes big with the big heads.
August 30, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Lee Corso’s last College Gameday goes big with the big heads.
Orlando City outlasts Toluca in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals. City’s next opponent will be Inter Miami, a team City’s already beat 3-0 and 4-1 in MLS play. One more chance to prove Florida is Purple.
August 21, 2025 at 3:29 AM
Orlando City outlasts Toluca in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals. City’s next opponent will be Inter Miami, a team City’s already beat 3-0 and 4-1 in MLS play. One more chance to prove Florida is Purple.
Reposted by Tom Burton
Florida is Purple 😈
August 11, 2025 at 2:07 AM
Florida is Purple 😈
Reposted by Tom Burton
Bring out the brooms 🧹
August 11, 2025 at 2:13 AM
Bring out the brooms 🧹
Reposted by Tom Burton
BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen has confirmed that the entire Al Jazeera team in Gaza City has been killed.
August 10, 2025 at 10:33 PM
BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen has confirmed that the entire Al Jazeera team in Gaza City has been killed.
Reposted by Tom Burton
Student journalism in America.
if u could open your own museum what would it be about what are u going to devote your life to curate
what is the most unique museum u have visited
for me possibly the ramen museum
for me possibly the ramen museum
August 2, 2025 at 2:31 AM
Student journalism in America.
Reposted by Tom Burton
A verdict was delivered in the fabricated criminal case against the Abzas Media journalist collective. The journalists have already been imprisoned for 19 months.
June 20, 2025 at 3:16 PM
A verdict was delivered in the fabricated criminal case against the Abzas Media journalist collective. The journalists have already been imprisoned for 19 months.
Reposted by Tom Burton
Harriet Tubman #quilt by my Mom, Vera P. Hall, who makes quilts celebrating Black people who fought for their own freedom. This seems to be the crowd favorite of the “We Didn’t Wait for Freedom” series. Happy #Juneteenth #quilting
June 19, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Harriet Tubman #quilt by my Mom, Vera P. Hall, who makes quilts celebrating Black people who fought for their own freedom. This seems to be the crowd favorite of the “We Didn’t Wait for Freedom” series. Happy #Juneteenth #quilting
Reposted by Tom Burton
If it seems like attacks on free speech in Texas are escalating, it’s because they are. My op-ed with @amykristinsanders.bsky.social in the Statesman today, based on our research on First Amendment incidents in Texas over the past decade. www.statesman.com/story/opinio...
If it seems like attacks on expressive freedoms in Texas are escalating, it’s because they are | Opinion
This kind of viewpoint discrimination — where the state determines which speech is good and which speech is not — is particularly chilling. Texans of …
www.statesman.com
June 9, 2025 at 11:08 PM
If it seems like attacks on free speech in Texas are escalating, it’s because they are. My op-ed with @amykristinsanders.bsky.social in the Statesman today, based on our research on First Amendment incidents in Texas over the past decade. www.statesman.com/story/opinio...
If you’re only going to lead for only 0.3 of a second, make it the end of the game #pacers #NBAFinals
June 6, 2025 at 3:33 AM
If you’re only going to lead for only 0.3 of a second, make it the end of the game #pacers #NBAFinals
Reposted by Tom Burton
This is an impressive large-scale, local, on-the-ground journalism project by The Regina Leader-Post via Kayle Neis and Larissa Kurz. More of this is needed in Canada.
leaderpost.com/feature/no-g...
leaderpost.com/feature/no-g...
No going back: The fight to save Saskatchewan's forests
A cast of advocates from Big River and Crutwell areas have growing, complex anxieties about logging practices in northern Saskatchewan.
leaderpost.com
May 24, 2025 at 2:01 AM
This is an impressive large-scale, local, on-the-ground journalism project by The Regina Leader-Post via Kayle Neis and Larissa Kurz. More of this is needed in Canada.
leaderpost.com/feature/no-g...
leaderpost.com/feature/no-g...
Important journalism:
THREAD: We recently heard that the Trump administration was leaning on the government of Gambia to help Elon Musk. For weeks, our team made phone calls, wrote letters and knocked on folks’ doors to try to confirm it. But we were stuck.
So our reporters got on a plane to Banjul. 1/
So our reporters got on a plane to Banjul. 1/
May 16, 2025 at 1:21 AM
Important journalism:
This finish was insane. Pacers head back home up 2-0. (And God might hate the Cavs.)
THE NBA PLAYOFFS ARE COMPLETELY UNHINGED !!! Tyrese Haliburton comes up with his own FT miss and cashes out a game winning 3 !! 🔥😱🔥😱🔥😱 Pacers are up 2-0 !!
May 7, 2025 at 1:52 AM
This finish was insane. Pacers head back home up 2-0. (And God might hate the Cavs.)
Reposted by Tom Burton
#onthisday in 1884, Ida B. Wells refused to leave an “all-white” railcar. Dragged off, she sued and won $500, but the TN Supreme Court reversed that ruling. She became a crusading journalist, exposing the lynchings of Black Americans.
mississippitoday.org/2025/05/04/o...
mississippitoday.org/2025/05/04/o...
On this day in 1884, Ida B. Wells was dragged off whites-only train car
On this day in 1884, crusading journalist Ida B. Wells was dragged off a train when she refused to move from a whites-only railroad car.
mississippitoday.org
May 4, 2025 at 12:23 PM
#onthisday in 1884, Ida B. Wells refused to leave an “all-white” railcar. Dragged off, she sued and won $500, but the TN Supreme Court reversed that ruling. She became a crusading journalist, exposing the lynchings of Black Americans.
mississippitoday.org/2025/05/04/o...
mississippitoday.org/2025/05/04/o...
Reposted by Tom Burton
Interesting read of the perils of AI reading historical papers
#academicsky www.sciencealert.com/a-strange-ph...
#academicsky www.sciencealert.com/a-strange-ph...
A Strange Phrase Keeps Turning Up in Scientific Papers, But Why?
Earlier this year, scientists discovered a peculiar term appearing in published papers: "vegetative electron microscopy".
www.sciencealert.com
April 27, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Interesting read of the perils of AI reading historical papers
#academicsky www.sciencealert.com/a-strange-ph...
#academicsky www.sciencealert.com/a-strange-ph...
Reposted by Tom Burton
Gang tattoos are apparently done in perfect Calibri with a precision surpassing a typical street or prison tattoo.
April 20, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Gang tattoos are apparently done in perfect Calibri with a precision surpassing a typical street or prison tattoo.