Aidan Ryan

‘He knows all the levers’: How Trump has targeted, and shaped, the media in his second term - The Boston Globe President Trump has taken the executive branch’s regulatory and enforcement powers over media organizations and their wealthy owners to new levels.

My latest @bostonglobe.com looks at Trump's singular position in media, and how his targeting of news organizations and use of new media to amplify his administration's narrative have reached new levels in his second term www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/15/b...

Definitely more of an opportunity than what it became under NBC (the brand was all but folded into NBC10). Spectrum told me they plan to hire more staff and will work out of NBC’s studios in Needham. So this could give the network new life, but we’ll have to see how it unfolds

Spectrum News acquires NECN from NBCUniversal - The Boston Globe The deal is for the assets of NECN, and does not include any NBC employees moving to Spectrum News.

Local TV news: Spectrum News is buying NECN from NBCUniversal, giving new life to the regional news network that had been folded into NBC10 Boston. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/11/b...

The End of Books Coverage at the Washington Post Becca Rothfeld, a former critic at the Washington Post, on the death of the paper’s books section.

"A newspaper is—or ought to be—the opposite of an algorithm, a bastion of enlightened generalism in an era of hyperspecialization and personalized marketing." www.newyorker.com/books/page-t...

Washington Post cuts a third of its staff in a blow to a legendary news brand The Washington Post is laying off one-third of its staff in the newsroom and other departments, a brutal blow at one of journalism’s most legendary brands.

A brutal day for journalism.
apnews.com/article/wash... 
Washington Post cuts a third of its staff in a blow to a legendary news brand

Death of a Sports Section The Washington Post sports department was dismantled before its leaders gave it a chance to change

Me on the death of the Washington Post sports section.

This isn't a day to be nostalgic. It's a day to be angry.
www.theringer.com/2026/02/04/m...

The shuttering of the Washington Post sports section is a national loss. Spoke to Aidan for this story.

The Washington Post eliminated its sports department. It’s just the latest in the erosion of American sports journalism. - The Boston Globe As it has become harder than ever to build and maintain sustainable media businesses, sports journalism has largely shifted away from costly in-depth reporting into talk shows, gambling advice, and an...

I wrote about the widespread layoffs at The Washington Post, and how the elimination of its legendary sports department is just the latest in the erosion of in-depth, American sports journalism. @bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/04/b...

Journalist Don Lemon arrested after protest that disrupted Minnesota church service Journalist Don Lemon has been arrested after he entered a Minnesota church and recorded anti-immigration enforcement protesters who disrupted a service.

BREAKING: Journalist Don Lemon is arrested after a protest that disrupted a service at a Minnesota church.

The Christian Science Monitor has been drowned out in the digital age. Can new leadership revive it? - The Boston Globe A new crop of leaders at its Back Bay newsroom is trying to reverse years of decline.

New from me: I profiled The Christian Science Monitor, the Pulitzer Prize-winning paper where new leaders are trying to reverse years of decline while doubling down on its mission of being "for all mankind," at a time when many outlets are going niche. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/30/b...

Elizabeth Hughes: There is a path for Pittsburgh to save its newspaper As publisher of The Inquirer, I believe that our own experience over the past decade offers a template for success.

some (rare) good news for the journalism industry: The Philadelphia Inquirer is profitable
www.inquirer.com/opinion/comm...

I am The Post’s ‘federal government whisperer.’ It’s been brutal. One reporter’s effort to show how Trump was transforming government brought her 1,168 new sources — and nearly broke her.

Confirming the NYT's reporting: FBI agents arrived at Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's home this morning and conducted a search. Natanson penned this outstanding first-person piece last month about being "the federal government whisperer." www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

How the Nantucket Current became a definitive source for the island’s news, on and off shore - The Boston Globe The publication launched four years ago to challenge the island’s 204-year-old newspaper, becoming profitable roughly a year into its existence.

The free, digital-only Nantucket Current has succeeded in competing with its paid print rival, the Inquirer and Mirror, with an ad-supported newsletter that reaches 20,000 subscribers. Aidan Ryan reports in The Boston Globe: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/31/b...

For my last story of 2025, I profiled the Nantucket Current, a four-year-old digital publication that has become a dominant source of news on the island for its mix of breaking news, viral stories that reach international audiences, and popular Instagram page. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/31/b...

Brian McGrory to rejoin Boston Globe as editor - The Boston Globe McGrory, currently the chair of Boston University’s journalism department, previously served as Globe editor from 2012 until early 2023.

New: Brian McGrory is returning to The Boston Globe as editor. He previously served in the top job from 2012 to 2023. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/15/b...

Boston Globe editor Nancy Barnes to step down - The Boston Globe In a note to the Globe newsroom Friday, Barnes said she is stepping down at the end of next week and will stay on staff as an editor-at-large.

New: Nancy Barnes is stepping down as editor of The Boston Globe at the end of next week. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/12/b...

In an age of streaming and AI slop, parents and researchers worry about a shrinking PBS Kids - The Boston Globe Federal funding cuts have put PBS under some of the greatest pressures of its half-century existence.

What does PBS Kids look like after federal funding cuts?
- 30% of staff laid off this year
- Expect half the number of new shows after next slate is released
- Likely to cut ability to play PBS Kids games offline

My latest for @bostonglobe.com: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/07/b...

Tell us: Are you concerned about funding cuts to PBS and GBH Kids? - The Boston Globe We want to hear how parents feel about public media funding cuts at a time when there are more kids programs on YouTube, streaming services, and TV than ever before.

For @bostonglobe.com, I'm looking to speak to parents about their children's media habits and whether they're concerned about funding cuts that have impacted PBS Kids, GBH Kids, and other stations. If you're a parent, please consider filling out the survey here: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/25/b...

Alex Seitz-Wald left broadcast news for a local Maine paper. The 2026 campaign won’t let him escape the national scene. - The Boston Globe The Globe spoke to Alex Seitz-Wald about transitioning from NBC to the Midcoast Villager — and how coverage of Graham Platner’s controversial US Senate campaign bridged the gap.

Pleasure chatting with @aidanryan.bsky.social about leaving national politics for local news in Maine and getting sucked right back into the campaign drama.

Great questions about the dynamics between local and national news. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/11/b...

The Plymouth Independent names a Pulitzer winner as its next editor The Plymouth Independent, a digital startup that ranks among the larger such projects in Eastern Massachusetts, has named a new executive editor. David Kidwell, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist …

New at Media Nation: The Plymouth Independent names a Pulitzer winner as its next editor. dankennedy.net/2025/11/07/t...

GBH lays off 15 employees following loss of federal funding, its fourth round of job cuts this year - The Boston Globe Employees working on children’s programming as well as business and operations staff in marketing, finance, and technology were among the job cuts.

New: GBH is laying off 15 employees — its fourth round of layoffs this year. Cuts to federal funding continue to hit the public media giant's business hard, as stations across the country grapple with the loss of funds. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/06/b...

How the Coolidge became one of four theaters in the world to screen ‘One Battle After Another’ in VistaVision - The Boston Globe The Brookline cinema had an ongoing relationship with director Paul Thomas Anderson.

Fascinating story about how @thecoolidge.bsky.social is one of four theaters in the world to show One Battle After Another in VistaVision, including the tech needed to pull it off and its connection to PTA. One of my favorite theater experiences in recent years! www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/25/a...

A DOJ lawyer accused Harvard of ‘indifference to antisemitism.’ As a Harvard undergrad he wrote a paper from Hitler’s perspective. - The Boston Globe Michael Velchik once also told a peer that "Mein Kampf" was among his favorite recent reads.

the DOJ atty (& 2x Harvard grad) who suggested Harvard showed "wanton indifference to antisemitism" once wrote a paper from the perspective of Hitler & expressed admiration for Mein Kampf

stunning reporting from
@hilaryburns.bsky.social @talkopan.bsky.social

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/02/m...

EEOC charge vs. Harvard "backs [its claim] up almost exclusively by showing a demographic shift and not how that shift occurred...effectively relying on a...legal theory known as disparate impact." But "Trump signed an executive order in April that prohibited federal agencies from using the theory."

Harvard hiring investigation could upend employment practices for institutions well beyond academia - The Boston Globe Harvard is now a key target in the conservative movement’s efforts to roll back decades of diversity hiring practices.

Trump barred using a practice called disparate impact that uses statistical analysis to prove racial discrimination. But his administration is effectively using the same approach to accuse Harvard of reverse discrimination. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/18/m...

Meet the Harvard Law alum at the center of the White House’s campaign against Harvard - The Boston Globe As a senior policy official for President Trump, May Mailman has become a key point person on the administration’s campaign to bring higher education to heel.

ICYMI, our profile of and interview with the Harvard Law alum at the center of the WH campaign against Harvard is here, from 2 weeks ago:
(w / @aidanryan.bsky.social )
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/26/n...

Harvard negotiations over settlement with White House intensify, Trump administration says - The Boston Globe The negotiations have advanced to the point where the administration is looking over proposed text that could lead to a deal.

New: Harvard negotiations with the White House have intensified to the point that there is some text under review by the admin, though it's unclear if it's agreed upon by both sides w/ @aidanryan.bsky.social
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/05/n...

Meet the Harvard Law alum at the center of the White House’s campaign against Harvard - The Boston Globe As a senior policy official for President Trump, May Mailman has become a key point person on the administration’s campaign to bring higher education to heel.

Knowing May Mailman: Meet the Harvard Law alum at the center of the White House’s campaign against Harvard
W/ @aidanryan.bsky.social
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/26/n...

GBH to lay off 13 employees from PBS history program American Experience due to federal funding cuts - The Boston Globe The layoffs at GBH are among first immediate cuts in public media after Congress last week approved President Trump’s rescissions package that cuts $1.1 billion for public media.

New: GBH will lay off 13 employees from American Experience due to "severe cuts in federal funding for public media," CEO Susan Goldberg told staff. The layoffs are among the first cuts in public media after Congress rescinded $1.1 billion in public media funding. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/22/b...

America’s Test Kitchen lays off seven employees and will cease publication of Cook’s Country magazine - The Boston Globe The Boston-based food media company is shuttering its bimonthly magazine in the second round of layoffs in two years.

A food media scoop: America's Test Kitchen will cease publication of Cook's Country magazine after its October/November issue. The company laid off seven employees, about 3 percent of staff, last month. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/08/b...