Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Owen Lewis

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 9h

repost this if an editor has ever saved you from yourself

violent alien @blipstress.bsky.social · 9h

An actual hot take: Too many authors are afraid of editors watering down their voice or whatever and not afraid enough of editors letting you put any old slop on the page.

54 920 3.1K

Reposted by Owen Lewis

Defector @defector.com · 12h

Bill Burr keeps cycling through excuses for doing the Riyadh Comedy Festival: defector.com/bill-burr-ke...

Bill Burr Keeps Cycling Through Excuses For Doing The Riyadh Comedy Festival | Defector

By default, Bill Burr exists in a state of his ass being chapped, but clearly it’s been feeling more chapped than usual. The comedian has continued to address his decision to perform at the Riyadh…

defector.com

15 34 150

Owen Lewis @owensports.bsky.social · 16h

"Members of the Human Rights Watch had tried to meet with the comedians on the lineup before the event but had no response."

www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...

Bill Burr calls critics of Riyadh comedy festival ‘sanctimonious’ and ‘phoney’

Comedian defends appearance at controversial comedy festival, saying: ‘It felt right afterward. I vibed with them’

www.theguardian.com

2

Owen Lewis @owensports.bsky.social · 16h

I'm picturing Medvedev somehow causing irreparable damage to the next hard court they meet on and blaming the tournament for the surface being "weak like clay"

Owen Lewis @owensports.bsky.social · 16h

Didn't quite get there! Best aggressive version of Medvedev I've seen in a while.

1

Owen Lewis @owensports.bsky.social · 16h

Fitting that Medvedev had to revert to his Cincinnati 2019 pure rage mode of hitting two first serves to win that. Tien bears the unique honor of rattling Medvedev thoroughly enough to make him celebrate unironically at the end.

1 16

Owen Lewis @owensports.bsky.social · 17h

Yeah, that stretch was awful (and yet seemed possible as soon as Tien held for 1-3). Maybe after Beijing he knew he was on a clock before he cramped and got disproportionately upset when he wasn't ending rallies as quickly as he wanted to.

1

Owen Lewis @owensports.bsky.social · 17h

It's fascinating how Medvedev is in hyper-aggressive mode (or was, pre-cramps) while Tien is just playing his regular game. I think Tien outlasting Medvedev twice in a row when that's supposed to be Medvedev's specialty broke his brain a bit, especially because Tien is so much younger.

1 1

Reposted by Owen Lewis

Keith W. Dickinson @keithwdickinson.bsky.social · 21h

Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.

The Verge @theverge.com · May 26

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

buff.ly

370 8.5K 22K

Owen Lewis @owensports.bsky.social · 17h

Wild that Medvedev has now failed to close out a match before cramping horrifically against this guy twice in a row

2

Owen Lewis @owensports.bsky.social · 18h

Ridiculous. I was convinced Tien would take it right up until the end, and still think he'll come back to win the match. Medvedev has never played anyone who tested his love for suffering this much.

1 1

Owen Lewis @owensports.bsky.social · 18h

I know they're not for everyone but these interminable Tien-Medvedev rallies are absolutely mesmerizing to me

1 3

Reposted by Owen Lewis

Owen Lewis @owensports.bsky.social · 2d

I wrote about Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who has been going through it in an endearingly mortal way for the last little while: www.thesecondserve.com/alejandro-da...

The Everyman - The Second Serve

Since Alex de Minaur saved three championship points to beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final of the Citi Open, leaving Foki’s heart cracked and dripping over the court, the 26-year-old Spania...

www.thesecondserve.com

2 5 28

Reposted by Owen Lewis

Audrey Truschke @audreytruschke.bsky.social · 1d

A Rutgers professor has been forced to flee the country for his safety, after targeting by a far-right student group that was *checks notes* claiming they felt unsafe.

I'm horrified.
I'm angry.

A short 🧵 #AcademicFreedom #Rutgers #violence #antifa

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Rutgers professor moving to Europe after threats over antifa accusations

Mark Bray says threats intensified after a Turning Point USA petition accused him of promoting political violence

www.theguardian.com

13 370 780

Reposted by Owen Lewis

max tani @maxtani.bsky.social · 1d

Bari Weiss introduced herself to CBS News staff today on the network's 9AM call, saying she wants to "win," which requires restoring trust to CBS. She also said she was excited for staff to get to know the Free Press, and ended her remarks by saying: "Let's do the fucking news."

350 130 1K

Reposted by Owen Lewis

The Second Serve @the2ndserve.bsky.social · 1d

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina needs a hug. via @owensports.bsky.social

www.thesecondserve.com/alejandro-da...

The Everyman - The Second Serve

Since Alex de Minaur saved three championship points to beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final of the Citi Open, leaving Foki’s heart cracked and dripping over the court, the 26-year-old Spania...

www.thesecondserve.com

1 3

Reposted by Owen Lewis

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 2d

anyway god speed to the good folks at cbs news who will now be taking editorial direction from this genius bsky.app/profile/oliv...

Olivia Messer @oliviamesser.bsky.social · 2d

I kind of can’t believe this Bari Weiss quote is even real, and yet www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/b...

“I know that there are some people in this room who don’t believe that my marriage should have been legal … and that’s ok. Because we’re all Americans who want lower taxes.”

33 250 2.1K

Reposted by Owen Lewis

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 2d

crazy that one of the most storied institutions in american journalism is going to be run by two people with basically no experience to do it

Exclusive | CBS News taps Adam Rubenstein — once ostracized at NY Times for liking Chick-fil-A — as new deputy editor

Sources expect Rubenstein will effectively run the Free Press now that Weiss will be busy steering the editorial direction of shows like “60 Minutes,” “Face The Nation” and …

nypost.com

380 1.6K 8.4K

Owen Lewis @owensports.bsky.social · 2d

I wrote about Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who has been going through it in an endearingly mortal way for the last little while: www.thesecondserve.com/alejandro-da...

The Everyman - The Second Serve

Since Alex de Minaur saved three championship points to beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final of the Citi Open, leaving Foki’s heart cracked and dripping over the court, the 26-year-old Spania...

www.thesecondserve.com

2 5 28

Reposted by Owen Lewis

Ian Gordon @idgordon.bsky.social · 2d

If you'd like to delight in a side-by-side comparison, here's Bari Weiss' reported note to CBS staffers (left) and the one I cooked up on ChatGPT with a quickly dashed-off prompt (right). Looking forward to hearing from you in the days and weeks ahead!

59 440 2.2K

Reposted by Owen Lewis

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 2d

Jane Goodall said she would launch Trump and Musk on one-way trip into space

Primatologist said in interview released after her death she would also put Putin, Xi and Netanyahu on that spaceship In a lifetime studying the behavior of chimpanzees, Jane Goodall became something of an authority on the aggressiveness of alpha male adults. Now, in an interview released just days after her death, the famed primatologist reveals what she would do with Donald Trump, Elon Musk and other human beings she saw as showing similar traits: launch them on a one-way trip into space. The insight into Goodall’s thinking comes in the Netflix documentary Famous Last Words, recorded in March and kept under wraps until her death last week at the age of 91. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

34 150 810

Reposted by Owen Lewis

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 2d

once again encouraging you all to support independent, worker owned, billionaire free News media when and how you are able

Kat Tenbarge @kattenbarge.bsky.social · 2d

Installing someone like Bari Weiss as the head of a major news organization isn’t even about profit or longevity. In effect it’s about continuing to shrink the traditional news industry smaller and smaller and weaker and weaker and less and less journalism based until it ceases to exist

3 150 590

Owen Lewis @owensports.bsky.social · 2d

Defector is on a heater today, goddamn

Defector @defector.com · 2d

No good art comes from greed: defector.com/taylor-swift...

No Good Art Comes From Greed | Defector

The packages arrived square and thin and carefully wrapped on Saturday afternoon. There were three of them, but only one was mine. If I could have rejected my package, sent it back from whence it…

defector.com

2

Reposted by Owen Lewis

patrick @redford.bsky.social · 2d

I wrote about Bari Weiss as the grim future of mainstream media under billionaire control: defector.com/bari-weiss-s...

Bari Weiss Signs Huge Deal To Usher CBS News Into Its Vichy Era | Defector

On Monday, newly appointed Paramount CEO David Ellison announced that his company had acquired the Free Press, the smirking blood-and-soil blog founded and run by former New York Times hall monitor Ba...

defector.com

27 160 530

Reposted by Owen Lewis

Greg Pak @gregpak.net · 2d

Whenever someone running a news org talks about representing "all... perspectives" or throws around phrases like "diversity of opinion," ask if they regularly hire and include the viewpoints of abolitionists and socialists.

Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 2d

BREAKING— David Ellison, CEO of Paramount Skydance, just sent out this email to Paramount employees re: The Free Press acquisition/Bari Weiss. Says she has passion for "rigorous, fact-based reporting & a relentless commitment to amplifying voices from all corners of the spectrum."

Text shared w me:

Dear Team Paramount:

I think we can all agree that the temperature of our nation's social discourse feels higher than ever. Too often, the space once reserved for thoughtful dialogue has been consumed by partisan division and hostile disputes. If we are to move forward, we must find our way back to the ideals that shaped both our country and civilization itself: open exchange of ideas, vigorous yet respectful debate, and a genuine regard for the beliefs and traditions of others.

This challenge extends to the media. While it was founded with the mission of informing the public and fostering discussion on the issues of the day, too often it has become a platform that amplifies the very partisanship tearing our society apart. George Washington warned that the primary danger in politics is partisanship. Today, that danger extends far beyond politics - threatening the fabric of our communities. When we reduce every issue to "us vs. them" or "my way vs. the wrong way," we close ourselves off from listening, learning, and ultimately growing, both as individuals and as a society.

I don't pretend to have a solution to this challenge. But I do believe we each have a responsibility to do our part. At Paramount, we have both a unique opportunity and an obligation as stewards of one of the most iconic and respected news organizations in the world. We are challenging ourselves to do better - recognizing that we have the ability to reach a broad audience and demonstrate constructive, respectful, and bipartisan dialogue in our own work.
Our mission is clear: to ensure that this global platform remains a place where people can seek the truth, gain understanding, and engage with the facts. That is our purpose.

With this in mind, I am excited to share that The Free Press is joining our Company. Since its launch just five years ago, The Free Press, under cofounder Bari Weiss' leadership,

9 240 1.2K