Madeline Ostrander

Because a lot of people might be talking about journalistic ethics this holiday weekend, I want to put out there how my editor at the NYT does anon sourcing for our stories.

If something is stated and attributed to an unnamed person, she wants us to have at least three people verify it.

Opinion | Jamal Khashoggi: What the Arab world needs most is free expression The Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events.

I will never forget having to edit Jamal’s final, posthumous piece for the Washington Post, after he was murdered.

He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :

www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...

Message me if you are such a person or have collaborated on social media and public engagement for science. Thx!

🧪Hey everyone, I am a science journalist looking for folks with experience with making vertical video & other social media content and campaigns about climate & conservation for Instagram, Tiktok, etc.--for a reporting project on marine mammals. Looking for some parameters around time, cost.

If you’re looking to do a PhD in the US, it’s a mess out there. Words by me ⬇️

Oct. 15, 2025 PENTAGON PRESS ASSOCIATION STATEMENT Today, the Defense Department confiscated the badges of the Pentagon reporters from virtually every major media organization in America. It did this because reporters would not sign onto a new media policy over its implicit threat of criminalizing national security reporting and exposing those who sign it to potential prosecution. The Pentagon Press Association's members are still committed to reporting on the U.S. military. But make no mistake, today, Oct. 15, 2025 is a dark day for press freedom that raises concerns about a weakening U.S. commitment to transparency in governance, to public accountability at the Pentagon and to free speech for all. PPA

“The Defense Department has confiscated the badges of the Pentagon reporters from virtually every major media organization in America,” the Pentagon Press Association said

An Interview With the Portland Chicken Jack Dickinson, 26, says “we’re winning this.”

Willamette Week brings you the man behind the Portland chicken costume. www.wweek.com/culture/2025...

As California glaciers disappear, people will see ice-free peaks exposed for the first time in millennia The glaciers of California's Sierra Nevada are disappearing as temperatures rise. Scientists recently found that the glaciers probably have never before melted in human history.

“When these glaciers die off, we will be the first humans to see ice-free peaks in Yosemite.”

www.latimes.com/environment/... by @ianjames.bsky.social

Large Language Muddle | The Editors The AI upheaval is unique in its ability to metabolize any number of dread-inducing transformations. The university is becoming more corporate, more politically oppressive, and all but hostile to the ...

This is a fascinating analysis/call to arms.

Fifth National Climate Assessment The Fifth National Climate Assessment is the US Government’s preeminent report on climate change impacts, risks, and responses. It is a congressionally mandated interagency effort that provides the sc...

Climate.us just stood back up the Fifth National Climate Assessment website! nca5.climate.us

Donate to Support Cascade PBS journalists after online newsroom axed, organized by Isabella Breda On Monday, Sept. 22, Cascade PBS announced that it would be s… Isabella Breda needs your support for Support Cascade PBS journalists after online newsroom axed

It’s difficult to find the words to express how our unit is feeling right now, but we’ll take a stab at it: shocked, disappointed, angry, gutted. @cascadepbs.bsky.social’s choice to eliminate long-form written reporting is a massive loss for our community in a critical moment. tinyurl.com/LayoffFund

It’s #FatBearWeek again at Katmai National Park and Preserve. Thinking about the excellently chunky bears and the federal workers at national parks who have struggled amid cuts, freezes, layoffs, etc this year. Glad this celebration is still on. www.instagram.com/katmainpp?ig...

There's a word for all this: Authoritarianism | Editorial The United States has slipped into authoritarianism, leading to the essential question for those who feel uneasy or opposed: What are you going to do about it?

One of the most strongly worded editorials from a legacy newspaper that I've ever seen.

Linguistics.

“Under a third of American adults are Trump voters, and 53% are Trump disapprovers — with 48% intensely opposed.”

Recently, Mayor Bruce Harrell mocked his challenger Katie Wilson's proposal to fund local media with a democracy voucher-style program as a pointless giveaway to irrelevant "blogs." Losing local news coverage is a tragedy, and elected leaders shouldn't mockingly dismiss proposals that could help.

😖

Health losses attributed to anthropogenic climate change - Nature Climate Change The authors assess the growing field of climate change health impact attribution. They show literature bias towards direct heat effects and extreme weather in high-income countries, highlighting the l...

🌍 Climate change & health

New research shows human-caused climate change has already led to millions of deaths, illnesses, and economic losses worldwide. Heat, air pollution, infectious disease, & extreme weather are among the major drivers.

🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s415...

#SciComm #ClimateHealth 🧪

YouTube video by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Brendan Carr’s Threat To ABC Seemed Like Something Out Of “Goodfellas” - David Remnick

This conversation between Remnick and Colbert is powerful, I think. Also when Putin attacked the free press, he started with comedians. www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfGe...

Fearful Americans Stockpiling Facts Before Federal Government Comes To Take Them Away

Fearful Americans Stockpiling Facts Before Federal Government Comes To Take Them Away https://theonion.com/fearful-americans-stockpiling-facts-before-federal-gove-1819579589/

How Charlie Kirk Plans to Discredit Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Act Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk is preparing to launch a campaign against Martin Luther King Jr. and the landmark civil rights law he helped enact.

I don't need echo the many disturbing quotes that have appeared on this platform, but to me, this piece in Wired offers a lot of clarity. By all means, let's condemn political violence, but let's be clear-eyed about who Kirk was. That's what real journalism does. www.wired.com/story/charli...

KOMO to air Charlie Kirk tribute in Jimmy Kimmel's time slot Sinclair called on Jimmy Kimmel to apologize to Charlie Kirk's family, as it announced the upcoming "remembrance" special on Kirk, which airs Friday.

This is really unbelievably messed up. www.seattletimes.com/entertainmen...

Spoiler: the answer was no, at least for now.

YouTube video by harneyjt A River Runs Through It - Ending (complete)

“Eventually all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.” I am thinking of this final scene of the 1992 movie Redford directed. “I am haunted by waters.” youtu.be/OsDnrFBpsBk?...

Saving lives and truth: why protecting environmental journalists matters more than ever Ahead of World Press Freedom Day, experts are urging more protections for environmental journalists, 30 of whom were killed between 2009 and 2020.

Environmental reporting is the most dangerous field of journalism after war reporting, according to UNEP. www.unep.org/news-and-sto...

The Washington Post Fired Me — But My Voice Will Not Be Silenced. I spoke out against hatred and violence in America — and it cost me my job.

Some personal news:

I've been fired from the Washington Post in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting.

Thread incoming.

substack.com/@karenattiah...

Global map showing sea surface temperature anomalies in August 2025 relative to 1982 to 2010. Most areas are warmer than average. Red is shown for warmer sea surface temperatures, and blue is shown for colder sea surface temperatures. Data is from NOAA OISSTv2.1.

The massive extreme marine heatwave continues to stretch across the entire northern Pacific Ocean. In fact, the magnitude of the sea surface temperature anomalies even grew in August 2025 compared to earlier in the summer. Yikes... 🫠

Data from OISSTv2.1 (psl.noaa.gov/data/gridded...). 🌊

Thanks to Amelia Macapia for this lovely review!

From communities in Alaska losing ground to the storm-ravaged Cape Cod coast, we have all experienced changes in our local environment.
@madelinevo.bsky.social's new book, “At Home On An Unruly Planet,” explores how natural disasters connect communities across the globe: go.whoi.edu/ostrander

How Americans View Journalists in the Digital Age U.S. adults largely value journalists’ role in society but see their influence declining – and they differ over what a journalist is, according to Pew Research Center.

Maybe unsurprisingly, both perceptions vary a lot by political affiliation and education level. www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2...