Banks are amazing. You bounce a payment and five seconds later here’s an insane fee, the drug cartels launder money, and they’re like oops, we missed that.
*slaps roof of post* this anecdote can hold so many references to a very specific period of time
Instead of reporting outside in a hurricane to show viewers how windy or wet it is, TV journalists should report from an oil refinery and explain why the world has become so dangerous.
When people see "the mayor's office did not respond to repeated requests for comment"/"a list of questions," etc.—especially when that mayor is known for playing games with access—they don't think "wow, what did PubliCola do?", they think "wow, he really doesn't want to answer questions."
just sent another email to the mayor's office asking them to treat me with the same respect as other reporters by responding to my questions. Every elected official and spokesperson who does this seems to think they've discovered a cheat code, when readers correctly see it as a lack of transparency.
On November 5, Bozeman will hold an election that is as down-ballot as it gets: voters will select five members for a commission that reviews the city’s government structure. Bozeman Tenants United shared with Bolts why they're organizing around it: boltsmag.org/montana...
Advocates in Bozeman, Montana, are using a once-in-a-decade chance to reshape their local government structure to create more equitable representation and, eventually, more affordable housing policy.
I think we've got another week to wait here in WA
A reminder: Just because the current city government (in Seattle, but maybe this applies to your city too!) is assertively anti-transparency, that doesn't make inaccessible government acceptable or normal. File records requests, bug your elected officials, show up at meetings and demand to be heard.
AI-fueled disinformation isn’t just happening with national races, it’s also happening in local races, including in Seattle. In August, a group of Seattle residents who were vocally supporting and Tanya Woo and Sara Nelson and arguing with people on social media were revealed to be bots.
We have already entered this era. This is a dangerous time, where most people don’t know how to – or don’t even think to – inspect videos for authenticity. These AI-generated vids are perfectly tuned for virality and they’re penetrating more deeply than they ever have in several populations.