Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Rahul Bhargava @rahulbot.bsky.social · 18h

Strong and clear response from MIT to this regime's latest attempt to take over university teaching. The demands are blatantly fascist. MIT: "we freely choose these values because they're right..." 👏🏽 orgchart.mit.edu/letters/rega...

Regarding the Compact | MIT Organization Chart

Dear members of the MIT community,

orgchart.mit.edu

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Rahul Bhargava @rahulbot.bsky.social · 21h

Study from @autisticadvocacy.org on AI in use with worrying results: generative LLMs failed to faithfully create "plain language" versions of stories for disabled readers. They problematically added in claims not in the original text. autisticadvocacy.org/2025/07/asan...

ASAN Says No Generative AI in Plain Language - Autistic Self Advocacy Network

Plain language is an important part of making things accessible for disabled people. We are very worried that people are using artificial intelligence to translate text into plain language without…

autisticadvocacy.org

Reposted by Rahul Bhargava

Rick Turner @rickturner.bsky.social · 1d

This is what the Nobel Committee ACTUALLY said.

Sorry Donald. Most of the world can see you for what you are.

When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognise courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist.
Democracy depends on people who refuse to stay silent, who dare to step forward despite grave risk, and who remind us that freedom must never be taken for granted, but must always be defended - with words, with courage and with determination.

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The Daily Show @thedailyshow.com · 1d

The following is REAL footage from Portland, 2025. Viewer discretion is advised.

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Jeff (Gutenberg Parenthesis) Jarvis @jeffjarvis.bsky.social · 3d

I begged @spiegel.de to translate Jörg Schindler's excellent reporting on America's fall into theocracy and they did. As I keep saying, German journalists are doing a better job covering America's fall than American journalists. 1/
www.spiegel.de/internationa...

Trump's Crusaders: Christian Nationalists Are Gaining a Solid Foothold in Washington

U.S. President Donald Trump has opened the doors of power to far-right Christian nationalists. Their goal: an American theocracy. The separation of church and state in America is at risk.

www.spiegel.de

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Kendra "Gloom is My Beat" Pierre-Louis @kendrawrites.com · 2d

She's not anonymous (can't speak to her salary).

Her name is Camille Zapata

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Rahul Bhargava @rahulbot.bsky.social · 2d

HONK! Fest is on! I'll be playing with two bands, but this year also includes a one-day pre-conference "HONK! U - A Conference Celebrating 20 Years of Street Music Activism". So timely and important. honkfest.org/2025-festiva...

HONK! U – A Conference Celebrating 20 Years of Street Music Activism (2025) – HONK!

The 2025 HONK! Festival will include a HONK! U Conference on Thursday, October 9 at Tufts University’s Department of Music, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with breakfast available starting at 9:00 a.m.

honkfest.org

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AAUP chapter @UT Austin @utaustinaaup.bsky.social · 3d

“Any university leader who signs on to this compact would betray everything good and solid about the university and would do deep and permanent harm to the United States and the world.”https://newrepublic.com/article/201376/trump-compact-academic-excellence-university-virginia via @newrepublic.com

Why This Essay Could Cause the University of Virginia to Shut Down

How Linda McMahon’s latest “compact” would do deep and permanent harm to American higher education

newrepublic.com

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Mike Ananny @mikeananny.bsky.social · 4d

“‘Universities & university presidents need to be the ones to stand up to Trump and say no, because we are not seeing industry leaders in specifically media & technology taking that kind of stance,’ said Mike Ananny.”

cc @annenbergmedia.bsky.social

www.uscannenbergmedia.com/2025/10/06/r...

‘Reject the Compact’ petition urges USC not to sign Trump’s contract

Faculty show support for USC to reject the federal government’s Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.

www.uscannenbergmedia.com

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Rahul Bhargava @rahulbot.bsky.social · 4d

For sure. I see so much more of this type of screen work now, compared to 15 years ago. That’s exciting (and validating).

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Alberto Cairo @albertocairo.com · 4d

"In an authoritarian context, all journalism will tend toward propaganda unless it is explicitly formulated as anti-authoritarian." @jvl.bsky.social www.thebulwark.com/p/the-washin...

The Washington Post and CBS News are dying. The Bulwark is the future.

We drink their milkshake.

www.thebulwark.com

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Protect Democracy @protectdemocracy.org · 4d

BREAKING: Today, we're suing. Federal forces in the Chicago area are brutally suppressing free speech with tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash grenades. Journalists, clergy, and demonstrators have been attacked for peacefully protesting against the government. This is an unconstitutional assault.

BREAKING: Lawsuit challenges violent Illinois ICE enforcement. Press, clergy, and protesters sue DHS for violating First Amendment

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Rahul Bhargava @rahulbot.bsky.social · 4d

Some of my Northeastern Journalism colleagues weighed in on the free-speech implications to the Kimmel suspension huntnewsnu.com/88448/campus...

Northeastern professors weigh in on what Jimmy Kimmel’s temporary suspension means for free speech, future of journalism

Since Sept. 17, news of the suspension and subsequent rehiring of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel has dominated media coverage, sparking worldwide debate about free speech. Following his Sept. 17…

huntnewsnu.com

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Rebekah Tromble @rebekahtromble.bsky.social · 7d

Message to university leaders considering signing—or negotiating—the extortion letter.

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AAUP @aaup.org · 7d

AAUP President Todd Wolfson and AFT President Randi Weingarten on Trump’s Loyalty Pledge for Colleges and Universities.

Now is the time to unite in defense of democracy and higher education!

Read full statement below 👇

@aft.org
@proftwolf.bsky.social
@rweingarten.bsky.social

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The Media and Democracy Project @mediaanddemocracy.bsky.social · 9d

News organizations are failing to communicate that POTUS is detached from reality & democracy.
Democracywashing his declared war on US cities by zero context for how *unconstitutional* & dangerous this is.

“We should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military.”

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Corrected headline. a1 NYTimes.

Constitution And Reality
Under Siege. Trump Declares War On Cities.
Trump and Hegseth Recount Familiar
Partisan Complaints to lop Military Leaders The U.S. generals and admirals summoned from around the world had been given little information about the planned event.

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ACLU @aclu.org · 8d

BREAKING: Our client Mario Guevara, an Emmy-winning journalist detained by ICE in retaliation for livestreaming law enforcement activity, will be deported tomorrow to El Salvador.

Mario and his family are being punished for his reporting. This cruelty is meant to stifle our free press.

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Anil Dash @anildash.com · 9d

Within the industry, the only narrative that many hear are the loud voices of the hard-right CEOs who have taken over all the media channels, but the actual individual workers are still having huge impact and are still the ones who actually make things happen. Be sure to amplify that reality.

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Rahul Bhargava @rahulbot.bsky.social · 9d

Workshops for @infoplusconf.bsky.social live! Street viz, period data, decarbonization, community data, sonification, data quilting, infographics for movement. Nov 14th in Boston. Sign up now: informationplusconference.com/2025/worksho...

Information+ Conference 2025

Interdisciplinary practices in information design and visualization 14–16 November 2025Boston, MA USA

informationplusconference.com

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Techdirt @techdirt.com · 10d

The Mainstream Media Is Catastrophically Failing To Meet The Moment

Earlier today we wrote about Trump's extraordinary admission that he was basing military deployment decisions on old Fox News footage and lies from his advisors. But there's an even more damning story here: how that revelation…

The Mainstream Media Is Catastrophically Failing To Meet The Moment

Earlier today we wrote about Trump's extraordinary admission that he was basing military deployment decisions on old Fox News footage and lies from his advisors. But there's an even more damning story here: how that revelation almost never saw the light of day because of journalistic cowardice. The smoking gun quote came from Trump's phone interview with NBC's Yamiche Alcindor:

www.techdirt.com

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Roxane Gay @roxanegay.bsky.social · 10d

If any other president in all of history said the military should use American cities as a training ground he would be removed from office that same day. The hardest thing to tolerate in all this is how relatively silent elected democrats are. It’s ridiculous.

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Ruha Benjamin @ruha9.bsky.social · 11d

As someone currently on probation at Princeton, what also stands out here is the sham faculty governance on display:

Faculty panel reviews all the evidence n decides there is no grounds for suspension.

Admin overrules their decision n Provost Kavita Bala calls for significant disciplinary action.

Nathan Kalman-Lamb @nkalamb.bsky.social · 11d

The whole outrageous story:

www.thenation.com/article/soci...

Cornell Cut Classes by a Pro-Palestinian Professor After an Israeli Student’s Discrimination Complaint

Dr. Eric Cheyfitz, who has taught at Cornell for more than two decades, claims the university is attempting to silence him as part of a broader crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism.

www.thenation.com

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Cornell AAUP @cornellaaup.bsky.social · 11d

As the national @aaup.org stated in its recent report, “On Title VI, Discrimination, and Academic Freedom,” "This conflation of political critique with antisemitism lays the foundation for enforcement of Title VI against speech that is protected by the First Amendment and academic freedom."

New AAUP Report Analyzes Weaponization of Title VI in DOE Investigations

A new Committee A report addresses the issue of discrimination in higher education and the recent surge in US Department of Education investigations utilizing Title VI in programs that receive federal...

www.aaup.org

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Rahul Bhargava @rahulbot.bsky.social · 11d

Tomorrow @ 3pm ET our partner @pregnancyjust.bsky.social is hosting a webinar about their data on pregnancy criminalization in the two years after the Dobbs decision, and discussing local impacts with Southern state partners. See their upcoming events: linktr.ee/pregnancyjust

Flyer in orange and purple color scheme listing with link, date, and list of panelists

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Mike Masnick @mmasnick.bsky.social · 12d

White House Deputy Press Secretary seen here posting data showing how much more prevalent right wing domestic terrorism is than left wing domestic terrorism... while thinking she's showing the reverse.

Apparently she can only read headlines, but not the actual graph with the data.

Abigail Jackson saying: Democrats, calling your political opponents Nazis has consequences.

Study: Left-wing terrorism climbs to 30-year high

And posting a graph from Axios that shows WAY WAY WAY more right wing terrorism, and showing a very slight increase in left wing terrorism this year that would still have it lower than basically every other year of right wing terrorism.

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