"To the extent that X ever was the “public square” of the internet, it is clearly no longer such a place. The platform — known as Twitter until it was rechristened in 2023 by Elon Musk — has become an echo chamber for extremist conspiracy theories and hate speech — or, depending on what you’re looking for, a porn site."
"The Trump administration has instructed federal health agencies to pause all external communications, such as health advisories, weekly scientific reports, updates to websites and social media posts, according to nearly a dozen current and former officials and other people familiar with the matter."
Meet SEJ member Bilal Motley! Bilal, an award-winning filmmaker from Chester, Pa., has been featured in CNN, Variety and The Philadelphia Inquirer. His work focuses on environmental justice and class dynamics.
Wahid Bhat is an environmental editor at Ground Report and an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication. His work focuses on covering environmental and climate change issues, such as extreme weather events, pollution and water. You can help SEJ support journalists like Wahid by giving to SEJ programs, Fund for Environmental Journalism, conference travel stipends, members-in-need fund or creating a legacy with a free will.
"The mother of Austin Tice, an American journalist abducted in Syria, said on Monday that she had met with Syria’s new leader in Damascus and expressed hope that “a page will be turned” in the more than decade-long search for her son."
"President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order intended to “immediately stop all government censorship,” a sweeping action that could chill years of efforts to combat the proliferation of false information online."
Many journalists can’t imagine themselves writing an opinion piece, but veteran reporter Tim Wheeler suggests they reconsider. With public distrust of news media mounting and government willingness to inform plummeting, Wheeler says it’s more important than ever for journalists to explain what they do and why it matters. Advice and an annotated example: How to put on the opinion writer’s hat.
"A billionaire couple was accused of withholding water that could help stop Los Angeles’ massive wildfires. Democratic leadership was blamed for fire hydrants running dry and for an empty reservoir. Firefighters were criticized for allegedly using “women’s handbags” to fight the fires. Those are just a few of the false or misleading claims that have emerged amid general criticism about California’s water management sparked by the fierce Los Angeles fires."
