Ruth Murai
@ruthmurai.bsky.social
5.1K followers 100 following 7 posts
research editor @motherjones.com + @revealnews.org she/her
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Reposted by Ruth Murai
motherjones.com
"I hope people understand that the grieving process is lonely, but that nobody is alone in it."

In her new book, Ashley M. Jones, Alabama's poet laureate, builds a monument for the state, her late father, and Black people in America.
Alabama's poet laureate reckons with personal and political grief
In her new book, Ashley M. Jones builds a monument for her late father, Alabama, and Black people in America.
www.motherjones.com
Reposted by Ruth Murai
nlanard.bsky.social
A sister as well as a friend of Neri Alvarado Borges confirm that he is now back in Venezuela.

Neri's wrongful imprisonment attracted international attention. He is the 25-year-old with an autism awareness ribbon tattooed on his leg. This is him leaving the plane.
Reposted by Ruth Murai
reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
CONFIRMED: Arturo Suárez, the musician imprisoned by the Trump admin without due process in El Salvador for 4 months is FREE.

A video shows him telling his brother that while they were imprisoned, they were beaten daily by guards. Remember: this is the first ever mass release from CECOT.
Mother Jones
DONATE
A relative shared a video from Venezuelan broadcaster teleSUR featuring his brother, Arturo Suárez, on the plane after it landed near Caracas.
"We spent four months
without any contact with the outside world;
"
Suárez said. "We were kidnapped." He went on to say: "We got a beating for breakfast. We got a beating for lunch. We got a beating for dinner.'
Reposted by Ruth Murai
isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social
"The bitterness is still there. The anger about what happened to him is still there.”

After four months, more than 200 men sent to El Salvador have been released from CECOT and returned to Venezuela. @nlanard.bsky.social and I spoke with family members and friends waiting to be reunited with them.
"We were kidnapped"
On Friday, more than 200 Venezuelans disappeared to a megaprison in El Salvador returned home. The horror stories are already emerging.
www.motherjones.com
Reposted by Ruth Murai
motherjones.com
NEW: We spoke with the families of some of the men returned to Venezuela tonight after Trump disappeared to El Salvador in March. Horror stories are already emerging.

www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
"We were kidnapped"
On Friday, more than 200 Venezuelans disappeared to a megaprison in El Salvador returned home. The horror stories are already emerging.
www.motherjones.com
Reposted by Ruth Murai
isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social
Earlier today, the mother of Julio Zambrano, one of the Venezuelans sent to CECOT, was told to go to Caracas for some "good news." She's at the airport in anticipation of her son's arrival after four long months. @nlanard.bsky.social and I are in touch with other families as they wait for more news.
Her husband is trapped in a Salvadoran prison. She has no idea how to get him back.
Ripped apart by Trump, one Venezuelan family endures another hell: silence.
www.motherjones.com
Reposted by Ruth Murai
abbyvesoulis.bsky.social
To mark the 3-year anniversary of the Dobbs decision, I published a guide on all the ways doctors, nonprofits, pilots, and ordinary people are helping people from banned states access reproductive healthcare. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Funder, pilot, survivor, physician: Inside the network assisting abortion journeys
And some women who took them.
www.motherjones.com
Reposted by Ruth Murai
sarahszilagy.bsky.social
“What’s the big deal about allowing them to opt out?” Justice Sam Alito asked yesterday about a district not allowing parents to opt their children out of LGBTQ storybooks. The big deal, educators warn, is that today, it’s LGBTQ books. Tomorrow, it’s evolution. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
The parental Rights movement has a big day at the Supreme Court
Conservative justices seem poised to declare that kids' exposure to LGBTQ books can violate a parent's religious expression.
www.motherjones.com
Reposted by Ruth Murai
motherjones.com
Want to apply to our Ben Bagdikian Fellowship program but not sure where to start?

Join us on April 17, 1:00 p.m. EST for a virtual Q&A where our editors will talk about what the role looks like, how it can help you grow, and answer any questions you have.
The Ben Bagdikian Fellowship Program
www.motherjones.com
Reposted by Ruth Murai
jackiefmogensen.bsky.social
I’m proud to say Mother Jones is reinforcing its fact-checking operations!

As part of that, my colleagues are looking for smart and curious early-career journalists to join the newsroom for a yearlong crash course in fact-checking investigative journalism: www.motherjones.com/careers/fell...
The Ben Bagdikian Fellowship Program
www.motherjones.com
Reposted by Ruth Murai
cir-union.bsky.social
A BBC study of AI tools found that "51% of all AI answers to questions about the news were judged to have significant issues of some form" and "13% of the quotes sourced from BBC articles were either altered or didn’t actually exist in that article" www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/...
Screenshotted excerpt from BBC AI study, which reads:

"The answers produced by the AI assistants contained significant inaccuracies and distorted
content from the BBC. In particular:
• 51% of all AI answers to questions about the news were judged to have significant issues of some form.
• 19% of AI answers which cited BBC content introduced factual errors – incorrect factual statements, numbers and dates.
• 13% of the quotes sourced from BBC articles were either altered from the original source or not present in the article cited."
Reposted by Ruth Murai
motherjones.com
Do some journalism with us! 📰 🧑‍💻📝
ruthmurai.bsky.social
Fellowship applications are OPEN!! Come work with me on our incredible fact-checking ressearch team 😎 motherjones.com/careers/fellowships/
The Ben Bagdikian Fellowship Program
www.motherjones.com
ruthmurai.bsky.social
Fellows receive health insurance, dental + vision, the same PTO and sick days as other new employees and are part of our union!!!! @cir-union.bsky.social
Reposted by Ruth Murai
timothypmurphy.bsky.social
Hello, CIR is hiring our next Editorial Fellowship class—we're looking for smart and curious early-career journalists to join us for a yearlong crash course in fact-checking investigative journalism. I did it, it's a great program. And now a union gig w/ benefits motherjones.com/careers/fellowships/
The Ben Bagdikian Fellowship Program
motherjones.com
ruthmurai.bsky.social
Fellowship applications are OPEN!! Come work with me on our incredible fact-checking ressearch team 😎 motherjones.com/careers/fellowships/
The Ben Bagdikian Fellowship Program
www.motherjones.com
Reposted by Ruth Murai
sarahszilagy.bsky.social
I’ve had an incredible experience as a fellow at Mother Jones. It’s a real opportunity to work with some first-class reporters and editors in such a welcoming, supportive environment. I can’t recommend it enough. Happy to answer any q’s in my DMs :))
motherjones.com
Are you a smart, early-career journalist with an interest in fact-checking? Join our team as an editorial fellow!

Fellows receive $26.67/hour, plus benefits including health, dental, and vision.

Applications are due April 20 at 11:59 PST:
The Ben Bagdikian Fellowship Program
www.motherjones.com
Reposted by Ruth Murai
motherjones.com
Research shows Latino-led films sell more tickets. Then why are there so few?

@melvisacosta.bsky.social dives into some fascinating numbers about Hollywood ahead of their big night.
Research shows Latino-led films sell more tickets. Then why are there so few? #oscars #latino #film
YouTube video by Mother Jones
youtube.com
Reposted by Ruth Murai
alexjn.bsky.social
For @motherjones.com, I wrote about how Musk and Trump's DOGE is just a Big Tech version of the tired GOP goal of attacking poor folks by blaming an "entitlement" culture. But it wasn't always this way—during the New Deal, Americans earned these "entitlements."
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Entitlements originally had a different meaning. When Franklin D. Roosevelt adopted Social Security in 1935, the program was pitched as “social insurance,” one that Americans “earned” and were “entitled” to. But Republicans have flipped that meaning by associating these programs with notions of dependence: lazy people asking for handouts—an “entitled” culture.
Reposted by Ruth Murai
alexjn.bsky.social
For @motherjones.com: Today, the Trump administration put federal DEI workers on leave, asserting that DEI is “discrimination” threatening “American values of hard work.” This argument over merit is everywhere on the right—from DEI to welfare. But the question they need to answer is: Merit for whom?
Trump shuts down diversity programs across government
The president is demanding that federal workers inform on colleagues who violate his decree.
www.motherjones.com