Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Sophie Chou @sophiechou.bsky.social · 1d

It’s been 5,000 years since I’ve thought about LLMs, which is where my research originally started, but this paper from the folks at @anthropic.com showing that a small, fixed number of documents is enough to poison any size LLM is really powering my brain on again www.anthropic.com/research/sma...

A small number of samples can poison LLMs of any size

Anthropic research on data-poisoning attacks in large language models

www.anthropic.com

Sophie Chou @sophiechou.bsky.social · 26d

This is what I logged on to see

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Reposted by Sophie Chou

ProPublica Guild @propublicaguild.org · 26d

We ❤️ @ire.org! @propublica.org employees wore buttons & flyered at the IRE gala to rally support for our fight for a fair contract.

The future of investigative journalism depends on protecting the workers who make it possible.

You can help by signing our petition: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...

People wearing union shirts stand outside a red carpet at the entrance of an event as people walk in.

People wearing union shirts and stickers smile and hand out ProPublica Guild buttons.

Five people sit at a table for an event wearing stickers and buttons supporting the ProPublica Guild.

Two people walking into an event wear stickers in support of the ProPublica Guild.

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ProPublica Guild @propublicaguild.org · 26d

We can’t produce fearless investigative journalism without job security and a fair contract. After almost two years of bargaining, we need your help.

Show your support for @propublica.org workers by adding your name to our petition: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...

Fair Contract Now for ProPublica Guild

We, the workers of ProPublica, provide our readers with deeply researched, unbiased news that holds power to account. This work is more important now than ever, but our staff can’t properly contribute...

actionnetwork.org

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Sophie Chou @sophiechou.bsky.social · 27d

ICYMI: our data analysis on the rise in sepsis rates in Texas after the abortion ban won an ONA award 🏆 @andreasuozzo.com

Online News Association @journalists.org · 29d

WINNER! University of Florida Award for Investigative Data Journalism, Small/Medium Newsroom: ProPublica for Life of a Mother awards.journalists.org/entries/life... #OJA25

awards.journalists.org

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Dhruv Mehrotra @dmehro.bsky.social · Sep 11

All of this is brought to you by a dream team of @jasonleopold.bsky.social , @jeffkao.bsky.social , @suryamattu.com, Ava Benny-Morrison , Harry Wilson, and Max Abelson.

It’s also my first story for Bloomberg

Tips: dmehro.89 on Signal or [email protected]

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Reposted by Sophie Chou

Dhruv Mehrotra @dmehro.bsky.social · Sep 11

NEW: We got access to Jeffrey Epstein’s personal Yahoo inbox — more than 18,000 emails.

It shows Epstein’s world in his own words: an unfiltered look at how his operation worked, who enabled it, and how Ghislaine Maxwell stayed at the center of it all.

Jeffrey Epstein Email Trove Reveals Ghislaine Maxwell’s Secrets

A cache of 18,000 messages obtained by Bloomberg News reveals Maxwell’s deep ties and involvement with the disgraced financier and sex offender.

www.bloomberg.com

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ProPublica @propublica.org · Aug 21

When the Trump administration refused to reveal how many workers had left federal health agencies, ProPublica turned to a federal employee directory to quantify the impact.

Here’s how reporters @pratheekrebala.bsky.social @anniewaldman.bsky.social and @bxroberts.org did it.

How We Tracked Workforce Reductions at Federal Health Agencies

When the Trump administration refused to reveal how many workers had left federal health agencies, ProPublica turned to a federal employee directory to quantify the impact. Here’s how we did it.

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Sophie Chou

ProPublica @propublica.org · Aug 21

NEW: More than ‎20,500 workers have left or been pushed out of federal health agencies, a ProPublica analysis found.

Staffers say the cuts will leave their agencies less equipped to conduct studies, perform inspections and combat deadly outbreaks.

Gutted: How Deeply Trump Has Cut Federal Health Agencies

More than 20,500 workers have left or been pushed out of federal health agencies, a ProPublica analysis found. Staffers say the cuts will leave their agencies less equipped to conduct studies, perform...

projects.propublica.org

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Annie Waldman @anniewaldman.bsky.social · Aug 21

NEW: In March, the Trump administration announced a massive purge of workers at the nation's health agencies.

We asked them how many workers were laid off, pushed out or left.

They refused to give us numbers.

So we conducted our own analysis... 🧵

projects.propublica.org/federal-heal...

In March, the Trump administration announced a massive purge of workers at the nation's health agencies.

We asked them how many workers were laid off, pushed out or left, and the admin refused to give us numbers.

So we conducted our own analysis, a thread...

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Reposted by Sophie Chou

ProPublica Guild @propublicaguild.org · Aug 12

ProPubli-paws love Just Cause 🐾

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Reposted by Sophie Chou

ProPublica Guild @propublicaguild.org · Aug 12

We took a collective lunch break today to protest @propublica.org management’s continued use of a flawed performance management system.

Just this morning, a member of our Bargaining Committee was fired as a result of this system.

Read more: www.propublicaguild.org/updates/we-d...

We Demand a Pro Worker ProPublica — ProPublica Guild

We took a collective lunch break Tuesday to protest ProPublica management’s continued use of a flawed performance management system — including denying steward representation in disciplinary meeti...

www.propublicaguild.org

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Reposted by Sophie Chou

Melissa Sanchez @melissa-sanchez.bsky.social · Aug 12

I love working at ProPublica. I would love it more if it could guarantee us just cause protections. Go union.

ProPublica Guild @propublicaguild.org · Aug 12

Members in Chicago, Seattle, Berkeley and across the country are lunching out to show support for Just Cause protections that apply to every ProPublica Guild worker, every time.

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Sophie Chou @sophiechou.bsky.social · Jul 10

Reporting this story was mind boggling 😵‍💫 glad to see it make an impact!

Jeremy Kohler @jeremykohler.bsky.social · Jul 10

After our investigation uncovered waste in Texas’ anti-abortion program, state officials will now require providers to submit receipts before getting reimbursed with taxpayer dollars. Follow-up by @cassandrajaramillo.bsky.social and me for @propublica. www.propublica.org/article/texa...

Texas Overhauls Anti-Abortion Program That Spent Tens of Millions of Taxpayer Dollars With Little Oversight

After a ProPublica and CBS News investigation revealed that Texas’ funding pipeline for anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers is riddled with waste, nonprofits in the program must now provide a detai...

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Sophie Chou

Andrea Suozzo @andreasuozzo.com · Jul 1

Here's how we did this analysis: www.propublica.org/article/texa...

Miscarriage Is Increasingly Dangerous for Women in Texas, Our Analysis Shows. Here’s How We Did It.

Using seven years of hospital discharge data, we found that the number of blood transfusions during emergency room visits for first-trimester miscarriage shot up by 54% since Texas banned abortion.

www.propublica.org

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Sophie Chou @sophiechou.bsky.social · Jul 2

The latest in our series:

Andrea Suozzo @andreasuozzo.com · Jul 1

After Texas made performing abortions a felony, miscarriage became more dangerous. The number of blood transfusions in ED visits for first-trimester pregnancy loss shot up by 54%. My latest:

www.propublica.org/article/texa...

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Andrea Suozzo @andreasuozzo.com · May 20

Three of my colleagues are being placed on PIPs today, and they will go into those meetings without union representation. We're not shutting up about this — having stewards in disciplinary meetings is a basic union right, and @propublica.org management should do the right thing.

ProPublica Guild @propublicaguild.org · May 15

1/4 UPDATE: This week, @propublica.org management informed a third bargaining unit member that they will be placed on a performance improvement plan and denied steward representation at the meeting where it is discussed. Our full statement 👇

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Sophie Chou @sophiechou.bsky.social · May 15

🥹

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Sophie Chou @sophiechou.bsky.social · May 9

:(

Reposted by Sophie Chou

Andrea Suozzo @andreasuozzo.com · May 8

Really disappointed in @propublica.org management for this decision, which is out of step with both industry standards and ProPublica’s mission of accountability.

ProPublica Guild @propublicaguild.org · May 8

1/ 🚨 Yesterday, @propublica.org management confirmed that it will again deny steward representation at disciplinary meetings. Our full statement 👇

Thursday, May 8, 2025
ProPublica management continues to deny steward representation
Yesterday morning, ProPublica management confirmed that it will deny steward representation to at least two more bargaining unit members it plans to discipline next week through the issuance of Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs).
This is part of a larger pattern: management has denied steward representation in every meeting where members were placed on PIPs. The plans are the first step in a disciplinary process that often leads to termination.
We have raised this issue repeatedly.
Last Thursday, more than 70% of our unit sent an open letter to ProPublica leadership, urging them to stop resisting core union protections including steward access, just cause and accountability in the disciplinary process.
This week, managers informed two employees that they would be placed on PIPs in meetings next week. Shortly afterward, ProPublica’s general counsel told Guild leadership that stewards will not be allowed in those meetings.
ProPublica’s disciplinary process remains opaque, inconsistently applied and shielded from scrutiny. Blocking stewards from these meetings is out of step with our industry and the principles of fairness and accountability the newsroom claims to uphold.

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Sophie Chou @sophiechou.bsky.social · May 9

:’(

Sophie Chou @sophiechou.bsky.social · May 9

… yeah :/

Reposted by Sophie Chou

Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard @niemanfoundation.bsky.social · Apr 14

Congratulations to @propublica.org, winner of the Worth Bingham Prize for Investigative Journalism for “Life of the Mother,” a landmark series that showed how state abortion bans in the U.S. have led to preventable deaths and has spurred important reforms.
nieman.harvard.edu/propublicas-...

ProPublica’s “Life of the Mother” wins the 2024 Worth Bingham Prize for Investigative Journalism - Nieman Foundation

ProPublica’s skillfully reported series “Life of the Mother,” which reveals how state abortion bans in the U.S. have led to preventable deaths, is the winner of the 2024 Worth Bingham Prize for Invest...

nieman.harvard.edu

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Reposted by Sophie Chou

ProPublica Guild @propublicaguild.org · May 8

5/ We will continue to fight for steward representation for our colleagues and call on management to change its position on this vital issue.

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ProPublica Guild @propublicaguild.org · May 8

4/ Blocking stewards from these meetings is out of step with our industry and the principles of fairness and accountability the newsroom claims to uphold.

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