Emily Schwing
@emilyschwing.bsky.social
Journalist w/ lots of bylines. I really like skis and dogs. I don't really like hot weather or spiders. Go bag packed. AK-based & Arctic focused.
Pinned
This is Mertarvik, Alaska, population 300. It’s a new town.
Its residents, the vast majority of whom are Yup’ik, began moving in around 2019.
The move was by necessity: The nearby village where many residents previously lived, Newtok, is sinking, its riverbanks eroding. THREAD 🧵
Its residents, the vast majority of whom are Yup’ik, began moving in around 2019.
The move was by necessity: The nearby village where many residents previously lived, Newtok, is sinking, its riverbanks eroding. THREAD 🧵
By my count, I spent at least 40 nights in Newtok & Mertarvik over 2 yrs, interviewed over 70 people & hired an inspector to look at 7 homes built by 3 contractors. A dozen are less than 3 years old & moldy. 1 federal agency knew of problems in 2022. Another toured homes in 2023. Zero repairs made.
Reposted by Emily Schwing
Remember last year when we said we would drop The Tribune's paywall if we raised enough money to support the transition to free? About that… 😁
The Salt Lake Tribune will drop its paywall next year, CEO tells donors at NewsMakers gala
After years of requiring people to pay for online news content, The Tribune announced an upcoming change during its 2025 annual NewsMakers Gala.
www.sltrib.com
November 23, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Remember last year when we said we would drop The Tribune's paywall if we raised enough money to support the transition to free? About that… 😁
Reposted by Emily Schwing
NEW: Alaska Owns Dozens of Deteriorating Schools. Now It Wants Under-Resourced Districts to Take Them On.
Rural superintendents are trying to “find the best, most optimal use of very lean resources.” Taking on the state’s unmaintained buildings, they say, will only increase their burden.
Rural superintendents are trying to “find the best, most optimal use of very lean resources.” Taking on the state’s unmaintained buildings, they say, will only increase their burden.
Alaska Owns Dozens of Deteriorating Schools. Now It Wants Under-Resourced Districts to Take Them On.
Rural school district superintendents are trying to “find the best, most optimal use of very lean resources.” Taking on the state’s unmaintained buildings, they say, will only increase their burden.
www.propublica.org
November 17, 2025 at 3:00 PM
NEW: Alaska Owns Dozens of Deteriorating Schools. Now It Wants Under-Resourced Districts to Take Them On.
Rural superintendents are trying to “find the best, most optimal use of very lean resources.” Taking on the state’s unmaintained buildings, they say, will only increase their burden.
Rural superintendents are trying to “find the best, most optimal use of very lean resources.” Taking on the state’s unmaintained buildings, they say, will only increase their burden.
Reposted by Emily Schwing
As Alaska ignores requests to fund school repairs, its Indigenous children suffer most because rural schools serve predominantly Alaska Native students — a population that was long forced to attend separate and unequal schools.
By @emilyschwing.bsky.social
By @emilyschwing.bsky.social
A Rural Alaska School Asked the State to Fund a Repair. Nearly Two Decades Later, the Building Is About to Collapse.
Rural school districts depend on the state to fund construction and maintenance projects. But over the past 25 years, Alaska lawmakers have ignored hundreds of requests for public schools that primari...
www.propublica.org
November 21, 2025 at 9:16 PM
As Alaska ignores requests to fund school repairs, its Indigenous children suffer most because rural schools serve predominantly Alaska Native students — a population that was long forced to attend separate and unequal schools.
By @emilyschwing.bsky.social
By @emilyschwing.bsky.social
Filing this under "Things that tell us a lot about legacy media organizations."
I delve into Jeffrey Epstein’s emails with Landon Thomas Jr., and the explosive tips about Donald Trump he fed to the ex-NYT reporter.
The big question here: How are we only finding out about this now?
Via @theintercept.com theintercept.com/2025/11/14/e...
The big question here: How are we only finding out about this now?
Via @theintercept.com theintercept.com/2025/11/14/e...
Epstein Gave NY Times Journalist Tips About Trump. Why Did They Never Get Reported?
Exchanges about Trump between reporter Landon Thomas Jr. and Jeffrey Epstein raise questions about what the New York Times knew and when.
theintercept.com
November 19, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Filing this under "Things that tell us a lot about legacy media organizations."
Reposted by Emily Schwing
abject cowardice www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/b...
November 19, 2025 at 6:18 PM
abject cowardice www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/b...
To those hiring in journalism - stop saying "we really want to work with you" if you're not going to hire that person. It's disingenuous and ours is an industry built entirely on trust.
November 19, 2025 at 7:40 PM
To those hiring in journalism - stop saying "we really want to work with you" if you're not going to hire that person. It's disingenuous and ours is an industry built entirely on trust.
AK's Education Department is a "hands-off landlord." The agency owns nearly half of about 120 rural schools statewide. Inside, I've found failing fire alarms, faulty foundations, toxic leaks & raw sewage. Now the state wants rural districts to own those buildings. www.propublica.org/article/alas...
Alaska Owns Dozens of Deteriorating Schools. Now It Wants Under-Resourced Districts to Take Them On.
Rural school district superintendents are trying to “find the best, most optimal use of very lean resources.” Taking on the state’s unmaintained buildings, they say, will only increase their burden.
www.propublica.org
November 17, 2025 at 5:52 PM
AK's Education Department is a "hands-off landlord." The agency owns nearly half of about 120 rural schools statewide. Inside, I've found failing fire alarms, faulty foundations, toxic leaks & raw sewage. Now the state wants rural districts to own those buildings. www.propublica.org/article/alas...
Reposted by Emily Schwing
Truly, the apparently urgent, insatiable desire of a wide swath of the ruling class to email a monster with no particular expertise is worthy of book-length dissertations
Jeffrey Epstein Was The Unofficial Advice Columnist For The Elites | Defector
Ever since it was disclosed that financier Leon Black had paid Jeffrey Epstein over $150 million for tax and estate planning in 2014, six years after the latter pleaded guilty to child prostitution ch...
defector.com
November 15, 2025 at 1:23 AM
Truly, the apparently urgent, insatiable desire of a wide swath of the ruling class to email a monster with no particular expertise is worthy of book-length dissertations
Reposted by Emily Schwing
November 5, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Here's what I am reading today. Why? Because subsistence foods play a huge role in the lives of Alaskans, and their value, which is particularly outsized in rural communities, is often underestimated.
Alaska typhoon victims’ losses of traditional foods go beyond dollar values, writes @yjrosen.bsky.social for the @alaskabeacon.com alaskabeacon.com/2025/11/03/a...
Alaska typhoon victims’ losses of traditional foods go beyond dollar values | Alaska Beacon
An effort to replace lost subsistence harvests is part of the aid tailored to the needs of Indigenous rural Alaskans displaced by the storm.
alaskabeacon.com
November 3, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Here's what I am reading today. Why? Because subsistence foods play a huge role in the lives of Alaskans, and their value, which is particularly outsized in rural communities, is often underestimated.
What I'm reading: www.adn.com/alaska-news/...
Questions I have:
1. is this Individual or Public Assistance? There's a big difference.
2. This didn't come quickly. Why the delay?
3. Is this an Emergency or Major Disaster Declaration? the difference is key & directly impacts response capabilities
Questions I have:
1. is this Individual or Public Assistance? There's a big difference.
2. This didn't come quickly. Why the delay?
3. Is this an Emergency or Major Disaster Declaration? the difference is key & directly impacts response capabilities
Trump approves $25 million in federal disaster aid for Western Alaska storm recovery
A spokesman for Gov. Dunleavy said the $25 million figure cited by Trump “is the initial amount of federal funding” and “more will be made available as needed.”
www.adn.com
October 23, 2025 at 7:10 PM
What I'm reading: www.adn.com/alaska-news/...
Questions I have:
1. is this Individual or Public Assistance? There's a big difference.
2. This didn't come quickly. Why the delay?
3. Is this an Emergency or Major Disaster Declaration? the difference is key & directly impacts response capabilities
Questions I have:
1. is this Individual or Public Assistance? There's a big difference.
2. This didn't come quickly. Why the delay?
3. Is this an Emergency or Major Disaster Declaration? the difference is key & directly impacts response capabilities
Reposted by Emily Schwing
Trump approved $25 million for Halong
*Biden approved $200 million for Merbok.
*Argentina $40 million
*Kristi Noem Jets $172 million
*Destroying the White House $200+ million
*Trump demands $230 from DOJ
*AIDEA Alaska Industrial Development Export Authority $50 million for Ambler Road
*Biden approved $200 million for Merbok.
*Argentina $40 million
*Kristi Noem Jets $172 million
*Destroying the White House $200+ million
*Trump demands $230 from DOJ
*AIDEA Alaska Industrial Development Export Authority $50 million for Ambler Road
October 22, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Trump approved $25 million for Halong
*Biden approved $200 million for Merbok.
*Argentina $40 million
*Kristi Noem Jets $172 million
*Destroying the White House $200+ million
*Trump demands $230 from DOJ
*AIDEA Alaska Industrial Development Export Authority $50 million for Ambler Road
*Biden approved $200 million for Merbok.
*Argentina $40 million
*Kristi Noem Jets $172 million
*Destroying the White House $200+ million
*Trump demands $230 from DOJ
*AIDEA Alaska Industrial Development Export Authority $50 million for Ambler Road
here's what i am reading today: www.adn.com/alaska-news/...
Indefinite displacement of hundreds of Americans and yet no federal disaster declaration. It's a piece of paper on someones desk in DC. In Alaska, this is a humanitarian crisis.
Indefinite displacement of hundreds of Americans and yet no federal disaster declaration. It's a piece of paper on someones desk in DC. In Alaska, this is a humanitarian crisis.
State and city officials work to provide housing at hotels for storm evacuees
The efforts come as the response to the storm shifts to finding support for displaced victims.
www.adn.com
October 22, 2025 at 6:51 PM
here's what i am reading today: www.adn.com/alaska-news/...
Indefinite displacement of hundreds of Americans and yet no federal disaster declaration. It's a piece of paper on someones desk in DC. In Alaska, this is a humanitarian crisis.
Indefinite displacement of hundreds of Americans and yet no federal disaster declaration. It's a piece of paper on someones desk in DC. In Alaska, this is a humanitarian crisis.
Here's what I am reading today: www.kyuk.org/arts-culture...
... and I'm wondering about that request for a federal disaster declaration.
... and I'm wondering about that request for a federal disaster declaration.
An ‘orchestra from Hell’: A firsthand account of the Halong flood
Jeron Joseph, a survivor from Kwigillingok, tells his story.
www.kyuk.org
October 21, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Here's what I am reading today: www.kyuk.org/arts-culture...
... and I'm wondering about that request for a federal disaster declaration.
... and I'm wondering about that request for a federal disaster declaration.
If you're a news organization using footage from storm ravaged communities in Alaska, maybe throw some cash at the creators. Footage should not be free. And the people you're soliciting it from have been displaced indefinitely with not much other than the clothes they were wearing.
October 21, 2025 at 8:00 PM
If you're a news organization using footage from storm ravaged communities in Alaska, maybe throw some cash at the creators. Footage should not be free. And the people you're soliciting it from have been displaced indefinitely with not much other than the clothes they were wearing.
Here's what I am reading today: www.adn.com/alaska-news/...
The two questions everyone in Alaska is asking right now is 1. what happens next? and 2. Why hasn't the Trump Administration signed a federal disaster declaration yet?
The two questions everyone in Alaska is asking right now is 1. what happens next? and 2. Why hasn't the Trump Administration signed a federal disaster declaration yet?
With storm evacuations winding down, Western Alaska families stare down an uncertain displacement in Anchorage
Officials say organizations are now looking toward finding families longer-term housing so they can move out of mass shelters.
www.adn.com
October 21, 2025 at 2:43 AM
Here's what I am reading today: www.adn.com/alaska-news/...
The two questions everyone in Alaska is asking right now is 1. what happens next? and 2. Why hasn't the Trump Administration signed a federal disaster declaration yet?
The two questions everyone in Alaska is asking right now is 1. what happens next? and 2. Why hasn't the Trump Administration signed a federal disaster declaration yet?
I have questions:
1. Why did it take nearly a week?
2. Do AK's tribal leaders know they can make a govt-to-govt requests for their communities?
3. Gov. Dunleavy said the damage surpasses the state’s ability & capacity to respond w/o fed support. What is AK lacking?
www.adn.com/alaska-news/...
1. Why did it take nearly a week?
2. Do AK's tribal leaders know they can make a govt-to-govt requests for their communities?
3. Gov. Dunleavy said the damage surpasses the state’s ability & capacity to respond w/o fed support. What is AK lacking?
www.adn.com/alaska-news/...
Dunleavy requests federal disaster declaration after Western Alaska storm
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy said the damage is of “such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state.” State lawmakers are raising concerns about options given ...
www.adn.com
October 18, 2025 at 10:26 PM
I have questions:
1. Why did it take nearly a week?
2. Do AK's tribal leaders know they can make a govt-to-govt requests for their communities?
3. Gov. Dunleavy said the damage surpasses the state’s ability & capacity to respond w/o fed support. What is AK lacking?
www.adn.com/alaska-news/...
1. Why did it take nearly a week?
2. Do AK's tribal leaders know they can make a govt-to-govt requests for their communities?
3. Gov. Dunleavy said the damage surpasses the state’s ability & capacity to respond w/o fed support. What is AK lacking?
www.adn.com/alaska-news/...
HEre's what I am reading today: theconversation.com/typhoon-leav...
Why? Because: Yes. This is potentially worse than Katrina.
Why? Because: Yes. This is potentially worse than Katrina.
Typhoon leaves flooded Alaska villages facing a storm recovery far tougher than most Americans will ever experience
‘As the storm approached Alaska, everything went sideways,’ leaving people no time to evacuate and little time to prepare. An Alaska meteorologist explains what happened and the challenges ahead.
theconversation.com
October 15, 2025 at 9:27 PM
HEre's what I am reading today: theconversation.com/typhoon-leav...
Why? Because: Yes. This is potentially worse than Katrina.
Why? Because: Yes. This is potentially worse than Katrina.
Reposted by Emily Schwing
The massive storm flooded communities and destroyed homes Sunday when it slammed into the coast of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, bringing with it destructive winds and high waters.
(From KYUK - Bethel and @alaskapublic.org)
(From KYUK - Bethel and @alaskapublic.org)
51 people rescued and at least 3 still missing after massive storm hits Western Alaska
The three people unaccounted for are from Kwigillingok, one of the communities devastated by the remnants of Typhoon Halong.
www.ktoo.org
October 13, 2025 at 11:19 PM
The massive storm flooded communities and destroyed homes Sunday when it slammed into the coast of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, bringing with it destructive winds and high waters.
(From KYUK - Bethel and @alaskapublic.org)
(From KYUK - Bethel and @alaskapublic.org)
What does Typhoon Halong reveal about housing conditions in Western Alaska? Here's a thread...👇
October 13, 2025 at 8:47 PM
What does Typhoon Halong reveal about housing conditions in Western Alaska? Here's a thread...👇
Well, this is unexpected, but also quite welcome.
Journalism, he said, is how we know what's happening in troubled lands. "These extraordinary eyewitness accounts are the culmination of the daily efforts of countless people who work to ensure that information isn't manipulated for ends contrary to truth and human dignity“
apnews.com/article/pope...
apnews.com/article/pope...
Pope urges news agencies to stand as bulwark against lies, manipulation and post-truths
Pope Leo XIV has encouraged international news agencies to stand firm as a bulwark against the “ancient art of lying” and manipulation.
apnews.com
October 10, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Well, this is unexpected, but also quite welcome.
here's what I am reading today: www.npr.org/2025/10/08/n... Why? Because who doesn't love science, polar exploration and a break from all the relentless bad news these days.
Famed polar exploration ship Endurance not as strong as legend held, researcher says
Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton's crew famously survived after the Endurance became stuck in ice in 1915. A researcher says the ship was ill-equipped for the voyage and Shackleton was aware.
www.npr.org
October 10, 2025 at 3:57 PM
here's what I am reading today: www.npr.org/2025/10/08/n... Why? Because who doesn't love science, polar exploration and a break from all the relentless bad news these days.
it's a little more nuanced than that... but yes, this is what I am reading today.
Ah yes, carving through the wilderness so someone can make an AI video of Darth Vader doing a TikTok dance. interc.pt/478DpZU
October 9, 2025 at 6:59 PM
it's a little more nuanced than that... but yes, this is what I am reading today.
Reposted by Emily Schwing
Bari Weiss has officially been announced as the editor in chief of CBS News. “She’s not a reporter; she’s never been in the field,” a 60 Minutes producer told Adam Piore for a recent profile of CBS. “Talk about controversies.”
www.cjr.org/feature/cbs-...
www.cjr.org/feature/cbs-...
For the past year, journalists at CBS News have been up against extraordinary pressure. The network reached a tipping point.
“Who would have thought this is the piece that would get me fired?” Bill Owens, the former executive producer of 60 Minutes, said in the screening room. For the past year, CBS journalists have been up...
www.cjr.org
October 6, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Bari Weiss has officially been announced as the editor in chief of CBS News. “She’s not a reporter; she’s never been in the field,” a 60 Minutes producer told Adam Piore for a recent profile of CBS. “Talk about controversies.”
www.cjr.org/feature/cbs-...
www.cjr.org/feature/cbs-...