"I've been experimenting with integrating my news publication project with the Fediverse for nearly half a decade." Such a valuable summary. #Fediverse

Ben Werdmuller

Integrating a News Publication Into the Fediverse

[Sean Tilley] Sean has been integrating We Distribute with the fediverse for years. It's been hard - particularly at the beginning, which is the p...

"The European Commission is issuing burner phones and basic laptops to some US-bound staff to avoid the risk of espionage, a measure traditionally reserved for trips to China." #Democracy

Ben Werdmuller

EU issues US-bound staff with burner phones over spying fears

[Andy Bounds in the Financial Times] The last few months have radically changed the risk assessment for people traveling to the US from abroad - a...

I'm on my way back from the International Journalism Festival in Perugia - and I left more hopeful than I’ve been in years. A reflection on product, tech, open source, federated platforms, and the future of journalism: #ijf25 #journalism #opensource

Ben Werdmuller

Notes from Perugia: journalism, values, and building the web we need

We can own the platforms that support us

Very excited to be at an in-person @npub163hd...mv0n aperitivo at #IJF25. @Andy Piper is welcoming us all and setting the stage. The #fediverse can help build a more free, more international, more democratic social web.

"A year after leaving Substack in early 2024, newsletter writers are making more money peddling their words on other platforms." Mostly Ghost and Beehiiv. #Media

Ben Werdmuller

After leaving Substack, writers are making more money elsewhere

[Alexander Lee at Digiday] Substack isn't the best deal in town for independent journalists: "A year after leaving Substack in early 2024, newsle...

In a world where people are deported for liking an Instagram post, I worry that we’re making a huge mistake by building open social protocols that don’t have privacy at their core. I’m glad people are working on it.

As you probably know, I work for a non-profit newsroom that investigates abuses of power with the intention of bringing about real change. We published our annual report last week, which highlights some of that change. See the Impact section for more.

ProPublica

ProPublica's 2024 Annual Report

ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.

In a push for "efficiency", DOGE has led to the Social Security website frequently crashing, blocking access to much-needed benefits. #Democracy

Ben Werdmuller

Social Security’s website keeps crashing, as DOGE demands cuts to IT staff

[Lisa Rein, Hannah Natanson and Elizabeth Dwoskin at The Washington Post] More "efficiency" from DOGE: "Retirees and disabled people are facing c...

Trans people are targeted, their rights stripped: some murmurings Students deported for protesting: some angst People shipped against a judge's orders to a prison in El Salvador with no possibility of being retrieved: a few people saying this is bad The stock market goes down: everyone is angry

“Everyone has just been copying each other’s features in walled gardens, but now innovation will become decentralized around human connection.” #Fediverse

Ben Werdmuller

Facing the Looming Threat of A.I., Publishers Turn to Decentralized Platforms

[John Markoff in The New York Times] A lovely piece about Mike McCue, who, through Flipboard, Surf, and his general activities through the communi...