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joemurph.bsky.social
Joe Murphy
@joemurph.bsky.social
4.8K followers 1.9K following 580 posts
Data editor @NBCNews.com, @NBCguild.bsky.social strong, Oregonian born & raised, lives in NYC (Gowanus, Brooklyn). Formerly: New York Daily News, Denver Post, Medill.

Into dataviz, spreadsheets, accessibility, coding.

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joemurph.bsky.social
Joe Murphy @joemurph.bsky.social · Mar 1
Very proud of the bio I wrote for the #NICAR2025 / #NICAR session I'm part of, wherein I shoutout the best text editor on the planet (vim).
Joe Murphy is a technically skilled editor at NBC News who loves figuring things out, getting people on the phone, unusual spreadsheets and making order from chaos. Also a fan of accessibility, Python, CSS, vim and the command line.
Reposted by Joe Murphy
mikehixenbaugh.com
“I’ve never seen federal agents so out of control and acting in such a malicious manner,” a former federal prosecutor and federal judge said. “They said they were going after ‘the worst of the worst,’ then they became the problem.

Read this by @jonschuppe.bsky.social & @natashakorecki.bsky.social
Broken bones, burning eyes: How Trump's DHS deploys 'less lethal' weapons on protesters
Federal immigration officers have repeatedly used force in ways that appear to violate their own policies or general policing guidelines, NBC News found.
www.nbcnews.com
February 14, 2026 at 3:20 PM
joemurph.bsky.social
At least a half-dozen top officials in the current Trump administration have connections to Jeffrey Epstein, according to an NBC News review of some of the over 3 million documents the Justice Department has released. #dataViz

www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
NBC News mapped out the web of connections between Jeffrey Epstein and those in President Trump's administrations, past and present. More than half a dozen – including the president – showed up in Epstein file dumps. This graphic shows those names: Howard Lutnick, RFK Jr., Stephen Feinberg, Mehmet Oz, John Phelan, Kevin Marsh, Elon Musk and Steve Bannon.
February 14, 2026 at 5:38 PM
joemurph.bsky.social
NEW: Trump’s approval poll ratings continue to decline.

STORY: www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...

DATA TRACKER: www.nbcnews.com/data-graphic...
Presidential approval tracker: How popular is Trump at his second term?
Follow Trump’s approval rating in NBC News polls and see how it compares to those of Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Updated regularly.
www.nbcnews.com
February 11, 2026 at 3:08 PM
Reposted by Joe Murphy
frank.computer
In case you missed it: my full, free, open course on accessibility and visualization is out!
February 8, 2026 at 12:36 PM
Reposted by Joe Murphy
karenho.bsky.social
A lot of people cannot just start a paid newsletter or become freelancers to sustain their careers. The sports, metro, and international desks did work that requires *team* resources, like legal checks, documents, access to archives, and long-term beat experience.
February 4, 2026 at 2:42 PM
joemurph.bsky.social
Got this @neilsteinberg.bsky.social classic in the mail today... giving it to my 9-year-old.
The cover of the 1990-something non-fiction book If At All Possible, Involve A Cow: The Book of College Pranks. By Neil Steinberg. The back cover of the book, with a bunch of text that is too small for me to type in sorry.
February 4, 2026 at 2:12 AM
joemurph.bsky.social
MAP: A nice big interactive map showing the hometowns of the 232 athletes on Team USA: www.nbcnews.com/data-graphic... #dataViz
The U.S. is sending its most athletes ever to the Winter Olympics. Here's where they're from.
The state that produced the most Olympians is Colorado, with 32 athletes listing hometowns from the Centennial State.
www.nbcnews.com
January 29, 2026 at 6:16 PM
joemurph.bsky.social
South Carolina’s measles outbreak is now larger than the one in Texas was, and has been linked to cases in at least three other states. www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
South Carolina measles outbreak reaches 789 cases, surpassing Texas
The ongoing outbreak has spread to at least 3 other states, sending hundreds of people into quarantine.
www.nbcnews.com
January 27, 2026 at 7:28 PM
joemurph.bsky.social
"Nearly half of the databases that the CDC used to update regularly — surveillance systems that tracked public health information like Covid vaccination rates — have been paused without explanation, according to new research."

www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
Dozens of CDC databases are not being updated — most related to vaccines, study finds
The agency plays a key role in tracking the disease spread and vaccination rates. Last year, it seemed to back away from some of that work, according to new research.
www.nbcnews.com
January 26, 2026 at 10:13 PM
joemurph.bsky.social
With Congressional delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton announcing she will not run for re-election ( www.nbcnews.com/politics/202... ), that takes the total number of 80-and-older politicians in Congress running for re-election down to half (12 out of 24 members). Earlier: www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...
January 26, 2026 at 3:33 PM
joemurph.bsky.social
@NBCNews.com tracked the number of people who officers from the Dept. of Homeland Security have shot, now at 12: www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
Trump's DHS has shot 12 people during immigration enforcement operations since September. Here's what to know.
Federal agents have shot three people in Minneapolis in recent weeks, killing two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Videos contradict the Trump administration's account of their deaths.
www.nbcnews.com
January 25, 2026 at 5:20 PM
joemurph.bsky.social
The U.S. has counted more than 400 measles cases so in the first 22 days of 2026, which is more cases than get reported most entire years.

The @NBCNews.com measles tracker is back for another year with more charts, more maps and more data: www.nbcnews.com/data-graphic...
Map: Track the spread of measles in the U.S.
Measles case counts soared to a 34-year high in 2025. NBC News will continue to track totals this year.
www.nbcnews.com
January 23, 2026 at 7:31 PM
Reposted by Joe Murphy
nathanlo.bsky.social
Our latest study in @jama.com on trends in county-level vaccine exemptions, demonstrating geographic pockets of high vaccine exemptions and high susceptibility to vaccine-preventable diseases. Great collab with @nbcnews.com colleagues and our Stanford team. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Trends in County-Level Childhood Vaccination Exemptions in the US
This study examines US county-level trends in nonmedical and medical exemptions to childhood vaccination requirements.
jamanetwork.com
January 22, 2026 at 7:08 PM
joemurph.bsky.social
What CDC leadership has to say about measles in the U.S. – this story is also a good read on the elimination status of the disease: www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
The new principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Ralph Abraham, appeared to shrug off the possibility that the U.S. could lose its measles elimination status. Asked on a call with reporters Tuesday whether the loss would be significant, he said, “Not really.” “We have these communities that choose to be unvaccinated. That’s their personal freedom,” Abraham said. “I think we have to respect those communities that choose to go somewhat of a different route.”
January 22, 2026 at 4:15 PM
joemurph.bsky.social
rare bird
A photo of the rear end of an red 1980s car in pretty good condition for being like 40 years old. A closer-in photo of the car, centered is a mint condition "BUSH/QUAYLE 1988" bumper sticker from a presidential race decades ago.
January 17, 2026 at 5:19 PM
Reposted by Joe Murphy
ryanjreilly.com
“These are no longer dog whistles,” Jon Lewis, a research fellow at the Program on Extremism at George Washington University, said. “They’re bullhorns.” www.nbcnews.com/tech/interne...
Some Trump administration social media posts mirror extremist rhetoric
While the posts are a small part of the administration’s overall social media presence, experts say they are clear references to white supremacist messaging.
www.nbcnews.com
January 17, 2026 at 4:30 AM
joemurph.bsky.social
Pitched and landed this story for @NBCNews.com: 24 members of Congress are 80 or older. More than half are running for re-election. #dataViz www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...
This chart shows which of Congress’s oldest 24 members are running for re-election (13 members), which aren’t (six members), and which are uncertain (four members). Each politician’s current age is shown, and for those running, the age they would be at the end of the term they could be re-elected for is shown. The party of each member is also shown. All of these politicians are at least 80 years old, most are younger than 84, and one is in his 90s. The uncertain politicians are, on average, the oldest, though there are three politicians at or near 88 who are running for re-election.
January 15, 2026 at 12:12 PM
joemurph.bsky.social
New JAMA research letter went up today with the vaccination data work that @NBCNews.com journalists and Stanford University researchers collaborated on: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

NBC News’ extensive coverage on the topic is here: www.nbcnews.com/specials/vac...
Trends in County-Level Childhood Vaccination Exemptions in the US
This study examines US county-level trends in nonmedical and medical exemptions to childhood vaccination requirements.
jamanetwork.com
January 14, 2026 at 8:18 PM
joemurph.bsky.social
Got to help @corkysiemaszko.bsky.social on this story. Shoutouts to @jessicasimeone.bsky.social for edits and @jasonabbruzzese.bsky.social for bringing it up this AM, shoutouts to my Minnesota family for their help too. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
Minneapolis schools cancel classes after ICE raid at high school the same day Renee Nicole Good was killed
The Department of Homeland Security said it chased a suspect to Roosevelt High School, where witnesses described a chaotic scene between the agents and local residents.
www.nbcnews.com
January 8, 2026 at 11:52 PM
joemurph.bsky.social
theonion.com/it-only-tues...
It Only Tuesday
WASHINGTON, DC—After running a thousand errands, working hours of overtime, and being stuck in seemingly endless gridlock traffic commuting to and from their jobs, millions of Americans were dishearte...
theonion.com
January 6, 2026 at 8:47 PM
joemurph.bsky.social
The flu surge in the last week of the year was really something else (see the line chart in the story).

"About 5,000 people have died of the flu so far this season, including 9 children, as the Trump administration pulls back on advice to get kids vaccinated." www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
Flu surges in 45 states as doctor visits reach highest level in nearly 30 years
About 5,000 people have died of the flu so far this season, including 9 children, as the Trump administration pulls back on advice to get kids vaccinated.
www.nbcnews.com
January 6, 2026 at 2:56 PM
joemurph.bsky.social
My sister ( @manniemurphy.bsky.social ) drew this picture of me for my Christmas present this year.
A pen drawing of my face.
January 5, 2026 at 12:56 AM
joemurph.bsky.social
Live updates on the U.S. military attack on Venezuela and its aftermath www.nbcnews.com/world/latin-...
Live updates: Maduro arrives in New York after capture
Follow live updates as Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro arrives in the U.S. following his capture overnight.
www.nbcnews.com
January 3, 2026 at 10:11 PM
joemurph.bsky.social
STUDY: Parents who delay baby's first vaccines also likely to skip measles shots: www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-...

This research published today in JAMA Network Open: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Parents who delay baby's first vaccines also likely to skip measles shots
Ahead of possible changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, a new report highlights growing confusion over the best time to protect infants from serious infectious diseases.
www.nbcnews.com
January 2, 2026 at 5:41 PM
joemurph.bsky.social
The latest from @NBCNews.com’s Vaccine Divide project:

"After decades of success against tetanus in the U.S., there are troubling signs that the deadly bacterial infection could make a comeback..."

www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-...
A (mostly) county map of the U.S. showing DTaP vaccination rates among kindergarteners. Rates are lower than 95% in most of the country, and lower rates are particularly visible in the Pacific Northwest and Midwest.
December 26, 2025 at 3:18 PM