Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Ariel Wittenberg @arielwittenberg.bsky.social · 7h

“You say you want to fight cancer, but at the same time you’re creating these situations where you are actually elevating the risk of cancer."

My latest for @eenews.bsky.social on how pollution rollbacks in the name of AI will impact health

subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...

E&E News: Trump’s quest to cure cancer with AI is powered by energy that can cause it

The president signed an order to expand the use of AI for healing children with cancer. It comes as his administration is weakening a dozen EPA rules that reduce cancer-causing pollution.

subscriber.politicopro.com

Reposted by Ariel Wittenberg

Sara Luterman @slooterman.bsky.social · 2d

ICYMI: @bcrodriguez.bsky.social and I dug deep into the history of blaming moms for their kids’ autism and how some moms see echos of that dark history in MAHA

This isn't the first time moms have been blamed for their kids' autism

One of the earliest theories of autism is centered on “refrigerator mothers.” Echoes of it can be found in plans to Make America Healthy Again.

19thnews.org

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Reposted by Ariel Wittenberg

Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 5d

NEW: ICE is planning to hire a team of nearly 30 people to surveil social media 24/7, build dossiers on people, and flag them for arrest and deportation. @dell.bsky.social has the scoop: www.wired.com/story/ice-so...

ICE Wants to Build Out a 24/7 Social Media Surveillance Team

Documents show ICE plans to hire dozens of contractors to scan X, Facebook, TikTok, and other platforms to target people for deportation.

www.wired.com

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PEN Guild @pen-guild.bsky.social · 7d

And yet @politico.com uses AI that sends glaring errors to our subscribers and violates our ethics standards.

Tell POLITICO management to follow it's own rules for accurate, ethical journalism and sign our petition.

actionnetwork.org/petitions/ai...

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Ariel Wittenberg @arielwittenberg.bsky.social · 13d

Nightmare fuel of the day. Incredible reporting.

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Reposted by Ariel Wittenberg

Rebecca Tushnet @rtushnet.bsky.social · 15d

A good ad on the DC Metro

ProPublica ad: “someone on this train has the next big story. Is it you?” With URL and Signal address

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Reposted by Ariel Wittenberg

Gregg Gonsalves @gregggonsalves.bsky.social · 16d

The @washingtonpost.com story on Tylenol & autism leaves out a MAJOR 2.5M sibling-controlled study of children in Denmark, which "found no evidence that acetaminophen use during pregnancy was associated with children’s risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disability." jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children’s Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability

This nationwide cohort study with sibling control analysis examines the association of acetaminophen use during pregnancy with children’s risk of autism, ADHD, and intellectual disability.

jamanetwork.com

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Brian Stelter @brianstelter.bsky.social · 23d

New PEN America statement: “The firing and suspension of multiple journalists after the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk should alarm anyone who cares about free speech and a free press. Taken together, these measures risk creating a chilling effect that extends beyond those directly targeted..."

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Washington Post Guild @postguild.bsky.social · 23d

Statement from Post Guild Leadership: The Washington Post Guild condemns the unjust firing of columnist Karen Attiah

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Ariel Wittenberg @arielwittenberg.bsky.social · 28d

“We had this state-of-the-art facility, and they canceled the lease."

subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...

E&E News: RFK Jr. wants more air pollution research, but EPA shut down its lab

“We had this state-of-the-art facility, and they canceled the lease,” said Betsy Southerland, who worked at EPA’s Office of Science and Technology for 30 years.

subscriber.politicopro.com

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Reposted by Ariel Wittenberg

Brian Merchant @bcmerchant.bsky.social · Sep 2

This is not the AI boom creating a new type of work, this is a classic example of managers using automation to deskill old ones. Creative workers who once made a higher wage creating original art and writing are now paid in piecework to edit automated output. Bosses are using AI to cut labor costs.

angela yang @angelayang.bsky.social · Sep 2

The AI boom has created a new type of work: fixing botched AI. Designers are being hired to remake wonky AI art. Writers are asked to make ChatGPT’s writing sound more human. Even software developers are tasked with fixing buggy vibe coding.
www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-ne...

Humans are being hired to make AI slop look less sloppy

In the age of automation, human workers are being brought in to fix what artificial intelligence gets wrong.

www.nbcnews.com

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Reposted by Ariel Wittenberg

Michael Wara @michaelwara.bsky.social · Aug 28

ICE is arresting contract firefighters on active wildfires.

This is especially significant for the fire workforce in the PNW because of the heavy reliance on contract workforce. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Federal agents arrest firefighters working on WA wildfire

Federal agents showed up northeast of Lake Cushman to check identification of crew members fighting Washington's largest active wildfire.

www.seattletimes.com

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Reposted by Ariel Wittenberg

Chelsea Harvey @chelseaeharvey.bsky.social · Aug 22

20 years ago, the WHO published a pair of reports estimating the number of annual deaths attributable to climate change. I was fascinated to learn that there have been few attempts since to revisit this fundamental question about the impact of global warming on humanity -- until now. The story:

Colin Carlson @colincarlson.bsky.social · Aug 22

I'm delighted today to announce we're launching the Global Burden of Climate Change Study, an international team effort to standardize estimates of present day death, disability, and illness due to climate change. @chelseaeharvey.bsky.social with the scoop: subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...

E&E News: People are dying from climate change. But how many?

A team of researchers hopes to provide the long-elusive answer, thanks to the growing field of attribution science.

subscriber.politicopro.com

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Reposted by Ariel Wittenberg

Scott Waldman @scottpwaldman.bsky.social · Aug 21

She is standing in front of a structure built by enslaved people.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Aug 21

White House official Lindsey Halligan: "While slavery is obviously a horrible aspect of our nation's history, you can't really talk about slavery honestly unless you also talk about hope and progress ... we need to stop focusing so much on the lack of progress."

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Lora Kolodny @lorak.bsky.social · Aug 22

cpj.org - Private
13. It is on account of Mr. Guevara's local reporting and livestreaming that
he is currently being held in ICE custody in Folkston, Georgia.
14. According to arguments made in an immigration bond hearing on July
1, 2025, which CPJ remotely attended, the United States Government opposes Mr.
Guevara's release on bond primarily on the grounds that his reporting by means of
5
recording and livestreaming the public activities of law enforcement presents a
safety threat. In other words, the Government makes no pretext about the fact that
they are continuing to detain Mr. Guevara because of his journalism.
15. This argument is deeply disturbing to CPJ. It is premised on the inter-
related notions that practicing journalism is dangerous in the eyes of the
Government, and that people do not have the right to observe what the police and
other law enforcement officers are doing in their own community in open and in
public places. These notions are contrary to the First Amendment, and to
international practice and jurisprudence in respect of press freedom and access to
information.
16. A central tenet of a free society-as distinguished from a police state—
is the freedom of journalists to report what they observe while traveling or standing
in publicly accessible, outdoor spaces like streets, sidewalks, and parking lots. The Government's objection to such a basic level of information gathering cannot be reconciled with the United States' constitutional guarantees of free speech and free
press.

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Reposted by Ariel Wittenberg

Chelsea Harvey @chelseaeharvey.bsky.social · Aug 20

NEW: @arielwittenberg.bsky.social and I took a deep dive into a burgeoning nationwide movement to improve heat-related warnings and save lives. These efforts have been largely spearheaded by local officials/meteorologists - and Trump's cuts may threaten to stifle them. www.eenews.net/articles/hea...

Heat warnings wither under Trump

Health experts have raced to modernize alert systems as extreme heat kills thousands in the U.S. every year. Those efforts are being canceled.

www.eenews.net

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Reposted by Ariel Wittenberg

🇨🇦 Bernice Hillier 🇨🇦 @bernicecb.bsky.social · Aug 15

The gear most volunteer fire departments have is not designed for wildfires, but for the calls they usually take. It can keep flames and smoke out during a house fire, but isn't breathable or nimble when trekking through the woods in summer heat. #Newfoundland #wildfires www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

'Like wearing a snowsuit in summer': Volunteer firefighters face hurdles without wildfire gear | CBC News

A pair of volunteer fire chiefs in Newfoundland say smaller departments are not well equipped to battle forest fires, as the province deals with more than double the average number of wildfires this y...

www.cbc.ca

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Reposted by Ariel Wittenberg

whet moser @whetmoser.com · Aug 12

this is so depressing (h/t @benjaminharnett.com) www.niemanlab.org/2025/08/poli...

Politico’s recent AI experiments shouldn’t be subject to newsroom editorial standards, its editors testify

In a July arbitration hearing, Politico faced allegations that two generative AI tools violated its union contract.

www.niemanlab.org

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Reposted by Ariel Wittenberg

Matt Pearce @mattdpearce.com · Aug 12

AI is going to transform journalism! (I’m going to create lower editorial standards and claim it’s not actually journalism in order to justify the actual output)

www.niemanlab.org/2025/08/poli...

Politico’s recent AI experiments shouldn’t be subject to newsroom editorial standards, its editors testify

In a July arbitration hearing, Politico faced allegations that two generative AI tools violated its union contract.

www.niemanlab.org

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Reposted by Ariel Wittenberg

Clare Fieseler, PhD @fieseler.bsky.social · Aug 13

God, I love local news so much. 🍕

www.app.com/story/money/...

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Ariel Wittenberg @arielwittenberg.bsky.social · Aug 12

“If it doesn’t align with reality, why are we putting Politico’s name on it?” —Me

Proud of the work we’re doing @pen-guild.bsky.social to stand up for good journalism in the age of AI

The NewsGuild-CWA @newsguild.org · Aug 11

NEW: POLITICO’s top editors testified that its AI experiments don’t need to follow the newsroom’s own editorial standards.

If media execs won’t protect journalism standards, NewsGuild members @pen-guild.bsky.social will!

www.niemanlab.org/2025/08/poli...

Politico’s recent AI experiments shouldn’t be subject to newsroom editorial standards, its editors testify

In a July arbitration hearing, Politico faced allegations that two generative AI tools violated its union contract.

www.niemanlab.org

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Reposted by Ariel Wittenberg

Gillian Branstetter @gbbranstetter.bsky.social · Aug 10

A story designed to break my heart specifically: "The Phelans ran the only bookstore in Vermillion, South Dakota. They sold it and moved after a new law would have required their daughter to use a boy’s bathroom."

A family opened a town’s first bookstore. A bathroom bill is driving them away.

The Phelans ran the only bookstore in Vermillion, South Dakota. They sold it and moved after a new law would’ve required their daughter to use a boy’s bathroom.

wapo.st

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Reposted by Ariel Wittenberg

Chelsea Harvey @chelseaeharvey.bsky.social · Aug 4

Cool

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/s...

‘Hot Wasps’ Found at Nuclear Facility in South Carolina

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Ariel Wittenberg

Washington-Baltimore News Guild @wbng.org · Jul 31

🚨NEW: We have a deal at The Hill!

After three years, journalists @thehill.com voted overwhelmingly to ratify their first collective bargaining agreement, securing increases in pay, vacation time, family leave and more.

newsguild.org/journalists-...

Journalists at The Hill overwhelmingly ratify first-ever union contract | The NewsGuild - TNG-CWA

Journalists at The Hill have voted to ratify their first union contract, securing increases in pay, vacation time and family leave.

newsguild.org

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Reposted by Ariel Wittenberg

Brian Merchant @bcmerchant.bsky.social · Jul 21

There's much more in the piece, with commentary from the great @mattdpearce.com, @arielwittenberg.bsky.social, @mishal-khan.bsky.social, and @jasonkoebler.bsky.social, who touched on this dynamic in the barnburner linked below.

In sum, the fight over AI in journalism is just beginning to erupt.

The Media's Pivot to AI Is Not Real and Not Going to Work

AI is not going to save media companies, and forcing journalists to use AI is not a business model.

www.404media.co

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