Stephanie M. Lee
@stephaniemlee.bsky.social
14K followers 1.2K following 230 posts
Senior writer at @chronicle.com, writing about scholarship, scholars, and society. [email protected] / Signal: stephaniemlee.07 / stephaniemlee.com / San Francisco
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stephaniemlee.bsky.social
Hi! I'm at The Chronicle of Higher Education, where I write about debates and interesting people in the world of academic research. I used to be an investigative science reporter at BuzzFeed News.

My latest story: www.chronicle.com/article/jona...

I'm always looking for ideas — DM/email me!
Jonathan Haidt Started a Social-Media War. Did He Win?
When a study challenged his bestselling book’s thesis — that social media harms kids — the New York University psychologist fired back. That was just the beginning.
www.chronicle.com
Reposted by Stephanie M. Lee
newyorker.com
“One Battle After Another” is a great action film—not solely because of its taut suspense, its visceral thrills, and its strong rooting interest but because of the inventiveness with which details are deployed to embody the story, @tnyfrontrow.bsky.social writes.
The Real Battle of “One Battle After Another”
Paul Thomas Anderson’s spectacular, exquisitely detailed fantasy of revolution and resistance, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, looks to history for visions of hope.
www.newyorker.com
Reposted by Stephanie M. Lee
Reposted by Stephanie M. Lee
jacobsilverman.com
It's pub day for my book, "Gilded Rage: Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley," which chronicles the rise of the tech right and their role in the 2024 election. Thanks to everyone who helped along the way.
linktr.ee/gildedrage
Gilded Rage | Linktree
A searing look at the rise of Silicon Valley's far right. Out October 2025.
linktr.ee
Reposted by Stephanie M. Lee
Reposted by Stephanie M. Lee
luckytran.com
when you try and get your PhD advisor to review your manuscript 😂
Nobel committee unable to reach prize winner who is ‘living his best life’ hiking off grid

Fred Ramsdell was among those honoured with a 2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine but might not know because he is somewhere in Idaho and uncontactable
Reposted by Stephanie M. Lee
charlespiller.bsky.social
I’m deeply honored to have been named as the recipient of the Victor Cohn Prize for Excellence in Medical Science Reporting from the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing. It recognizes my work on scientific integrity for Science Magazine over the last five years. 1/7 tinyurl.com/zz54fzyr
Charles Piller wins 2025 Victor Cohn Prize - CASW
tinyurl.com
Reposted by Stephanie M. Lee
retractionwatch.com
Do Journalists Update Retracted Science News?

"Results show that retractions, and formal expressions of concern issued to scientific papers, serve as impetus for the update of news, but that this is still a rare journalistic practice."
Do Journalists Update Retracted Science News?
In recent years, retractions of scientific papers have been rising. Most retractions invalidate scientific claims and should not be used as sources of information. Retractions may directly affect k...
www.tandfonline.com
Reposted by Stephanie M. Lee
sciencewriting.bsky.social
Connector Chats are back! Join us 10/9 for a discussion about covering chaos in federal science funding, with
@stephaniemlee.bsky.social, @katherinejwu.com, and @scott-delaney.bsky.social.

Can't make it? Register to get the recording and tipsheet after the event.

bit.ly/casw-funding
Reposted by Stephanie M. Lee
lizneeley.bsky.social
Each Friday, I summarize what is happening to American science & higher ed. 🧪
This was Week 37:
- 9 universities face loyalty oath (“compact”)
- government shutdown - impact on services & fear of further RIFs
- four NIH directors officially fired

& so much more buttondown.com/liminalcreat...
Week 37
Sept 27-Oct 2, 2025 - hold the door
buttondown.com
Reposted by Stephanie M. Lee
Reposted by Stephanie M. Lee
washingtonpost.com
Mario Guevara, an Emmy-award winning reporter, was deported to El Salvador — a nation he fled more than two decades ago. He was arrested while covering a protest of the Trump administration in a case that has alarmed free speech groups.
U.S. deports journalist Mario Guevara to El Salvador, family says
Mario Guevara, an independent journalist, was arrested while covering a protest of the Trump administration in a case that has alarmed free speech groups.
www.washingtonpost.com
stephaniemlee.bsky.social
"To the presidents and trustees of those nine universities: This decision will define you. You can be remembered as leaders who defended higher education’s independence against attack, or as those who surrendered it. There is no middle ground. Choose independence." www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
The Trump Administration’s ‘Compact’ Is a Trap
Choose independence. Refuse to sign.
www.chronicle.com
Reposted by Stephanie M. Lee
stephaniemlee.bsky.social
NEW: What's it like to be an autism scientist funded by the Trump administration? The government is funding respected scholars to study autism's causes, experts say, while also sowing misinformation. In the wake of *that* press conference, I talked to the grantees. www.chronicle.com/article/what...
What It’s Like to Be an Autism Scientist Funded by the Trump Administration
The government is funding respected scholars to study autism’s causes, at a time when experts say it’s also sowing misinformation about the same topic.
www.chronicle.com
stephaniemlee.bsky.social
This is an incredibly helpful and context-rich breakdown of the "compact" that the Trump administration has sent to nine universities, offering them an edge in federal funding. Written by many of my brilliant colleagues www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
The White House’s New ‘Compact’ Would Offer Universities an Edge in Grant Funding. What’s In It?
We’ve seen what the Trump administration’s stick looks like. Let’s look at its carrot.
www.chronicle.com
stephaniemlee.bsky.social
NEW: What's it like to be an autism scientist funded by the Trump administration? The government is funding respected scholars to study autism's causes, experts say, while also sowing misinformation. In the wake of *that* press conference, I talked to the grantees. www.chronicle.com/article/what...
What It’s Like to Be an Autism Scientist Funded by the Trump Administration
The government is funding respected scholars to study autism’s causes, at a time when experts say it’s also sowing misinformation about the same topic.
www.chronicle.com
Reposted by Stephanie M. Lee
kyledcheney.bsky.social
BREAKING: Judge William Young, a Reagan appointee, delivers the most scathing legal rebuke of the Trump era, ruling that Trump and his cabinet illegally targeted pro-Palestinian students for deportation to "strike fear" into First Amendment protesters. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Reposted by Stephanie M. Lee
scottpwaldman.bsky.social
ICYMI: Our team dug deeper into the Trump administration's misleading climate science report. It's more than a fact check. We show the sleights of hand they employ - fake debates, manipulated data, reliance on fossil fuel-funded experts - to reach a desired outcome. www.politico.com/interactives...
How a major DOE report hides the whole truth on climate change
www.politico.com
Reposted by Stephanie M. Lee
jeremymberg.bsky.social
The fiscal year ends tomorrow.

Here are results from NIH Reporter downloaded an hour ago.

The total amount of funding committed for FY2025 at this point is 99.0% of that for FY2024. The same difference could be due to a variety of technical factors.

1/3
A graph showing the fraction of annual grant funding committed for NIH for fiscal years 2015 to 2025. The fiscal year 2025 lagged behind but then caught up over the last two months.
Reposted by Stephanie M. Lee
svasti.bsky.social
"Of the 557 drug approvals in our sample, 331 (59.4%) have a patent that cites a research publication acknowledging NIH support. Indeed, more than half of approved drugs (286, or 51.4%) are linked to at-risk research—research funded by grants that would have been cut under a 40% budget reduction." 🧪
stephaniemlee.bsky.social
All year long I've ben reporting on the decimation of federally funded research. It's been distressing for many scientists, and on the latest College Matters podcast, I tried to break it all down in conversation with the great @jackstripling.bsky.social. Listen: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
Reposted by Stephanie M. Lee
Reposted by Stephanie M. Lee
jeremymberg.bsky.social
Here are data on the percentage of FY2024 appropriation committed to date in FY2025. Most ICs are well on track, but four ICs (NIMHD, NINR, NHLBI, NHGRI) still appear to be under 80%.

Note that values >100% reflect either a higher appropriation for FY25 or an increased % devoted to grants.
A table of the percentage of fiscal year 2025 funding compared to fiscal year 2024 for 25 NIH institutes and centers (and the Office of the Director).