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Jessica Goldstein

@jessicagolds.bsky.social
584 followers 239 following 219 posts

Read my reporting in the New York Times, Vulture, McSweeney's, Marie Claire & more. Debut novel RETRO to be published by Ballantine 💫 6.23.26 💫 Preorder at: jessicamgoldstein.com/retro Subscribe to my newsletter: retroreport.substack.com

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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
A+ work by these student journalists: "As student journalists, our responsibility to the campus community is shining light on the opaque parts, on the dark corners of Cornell... we wanted to focus specifically on the lack of transparency." www.thecut.com/article/corn...
thecut.com
How Student Journalists Broke the ‘Cornell Seven’ Case
“Our coverage was absolutely completely raw from the lawsuit and nothing was concealed. At a minimum, that’s what we can do as the student newspaper.”
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
This is v interesting but I would not say high-earning women drawing the financial short straw in divorce is a phenomenon “without much public fanfare” — I wrote a @washingtonian.com cover story about this in 2021! washingtonian.com/2021/12/03/m...
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Subscribe 2 my substack for original art !!! retroreport.substack.com/p/pleasure-i...
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
You don’t say!
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Retro (Penguin Random House, 2026) www.nplusonemag.com/issue-54/the...
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
"A person reasonably could consider this 'what's good about reading,' or 'the point of reading,' or 'buddy that's actually just ... what reading is,' but that all assumes that your reason for reading anything is that you want to learn something from it..." defector.com/axios-ai-rea...
defector.com
With The Power Of AI, Information Can Pour Straight Through Your Skull And Onto The Ground Without Ever Slowing | Defector
Reading: What is it? Why does anyone do it? Can anyone at Axios do it? No. Maybe that is why they write like that. When you read a book, the stuff in the book goes into your mind, and your mind assemb...
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
“The nostalgia for the moment before the disaster and the refusal to reckon with what has actually happened since then is so palpable that at times it borders on delusion. At the Obama Center, one walks into 2008 and never leaves.” www.thenation.com/article/cult...
thenation.com
The Nostalgic Architecture of the Obama Presidential Center
Where hope even has a gift shop.
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
"To be an influencer is to invite, almost by default, a Greek chorus of haters into your life." great story on virality (& the chase) as a curse: washingtonian.com/2026/08/06/t...
washingtonian.com
Guess What? Tony P Hates You, Too.
Online ridicule helped DC influencer Anthony Polcari go viral—and make money. As his social-media star wanes, he’s looking to jump to television. But can he afford to leave his snarkiest followers beh...
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Retro (Penguin Random House, 2026) www.theringer.com/2026/08/04/t...
theringer.com
The End of Google Search—and the Internet—as We Know It
For years now, Google has been tweaking its search formula to prop up AI and bury actual links. Now it’s rounding into its final form—and changing the internet forever.
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
V exciting news: My debut novel RETRO made the Center for Fiction 2026 First Novel Prize Longlist! centerforfiction.org/book-recs/20...
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Reposted by Jessica Goldstein
Emily Atkin @emorwee.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Why am I a source in this story? Amazingly, it’s not bc I report on fossil fuel propaganda, an offshoot of tobacco propaganda. It’s bc I own a shirt that says “pls don’t give me a cigarette no matter what I say” and the reporter (my bff @jessicagolds.bsky.social) wanted to know why
washingtonpost.com
Cigarettes are back in vogue. How did this happen?
Celebrities like Dua Lipa and Gracie Abrams have been photographed with cigs, as have social media influencers who like the retro vibes.
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Reported on the return of social smoking for the @washingtonpost.com! It’s about nostalgia, nihilism, being “bad” without feeling bad, how big tobacco is still doing what they do best (making people think smoking is cool) & choosing the devil you know in a world of dangers unknown. wapo.st/4wAfSvM
wapo.st
Cigarettes are back in vogue. How did this happen?
Celebrities like Dua Lipa and Gracie Abrams have been photographed with cigs, as have social media influencers who like the retro vibes.
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
HEATED x RETRO CROSSOVER 🔥💫 Had the best time talking to my beloved @emorwee.bsky.social about my debut novel Retro, climate dread, fighting to feel hopeful about the future, and friendship!!!! substack.com/@heated/note...
substack.com
A powerful argument against the certainty of doom
Retro, a new novel about time travel, is a tonic for readers who struggle with feeling hopeful about the future.
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Reposted by Jessica Goldstein
Nick Baumann @nickbaumann.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
So proud of my friend Jess, whose debut novel is out TODAY. Buy it!
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
MY DEBUT NOVEL RETRO IS OUT TODAY 💫 open.substack.com/pub/retrorep...
open.substack.com
My debut novel RETRO is out TODAY! The Retro Report, Special Edition 💫
SO CRAZY BUT THIS IS ACTUALLY THE MOST EXCITING THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ANYONE!
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Retro (Penguin Random House, 2026)
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
loved talking to @washingtonian.com about my debut novel RETRO (which comes out in one week!!!!) washingtonian.com/2026/06/16/j...
washingtonian.com
Jessica M. Goldstein's Novel Is a Modern Take on Time Travel
The DC journalist explores the dangers of romanticizing the past in her new book.
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
Making my vertical video debut with the @nytimes.com to ask THE pressing pop cultural question of our time: Why Do Most New Movies Look Meh? www.nytimes.com/video/movies...
nytimes.com
Video: Why Do Most New Movies Look Meh?
Jessica M. Goldstein, an arts and culture reporter, inspects why movies today look different than they did 20 years ago.
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
My Hacks series finale recap is on @vulture.com ! www.vulture.com/article/hack...
vulture.com
Hacks Series-Finale Recap: Big, Brave Girls
The series finale gives Deborah, Ava & Co. an optimistic outlook on work, family, death, and the future.
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Retro (Penguin Random House, 2026) nymag.com/strategist/a...
nymag.com
I Turned Off My Phone for a Month and Used a Landline
No texts, no Instagram, no subway Slack.
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Have you noticed a certain meh ne sais quoi at the cinema?? You are NOT alone! So why do so many new movies look like... that? I talked to film bros and film pros for the @nytimes.com to find out! www.nytimes.com/2026/04/27/m...
nytimes.com
Are Movies Really Getting Darker? Let’s Shine Some Light on the Issue.
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Do you believe in magic and/or #Nicorah? Sparks (and missing coins) are FLYING on this week's episode of Hacks! My @vulture.com recap: www.vulture.com/article/hack...
vulture.com
Hacks Recap: Uh-oh, It’s Magic
Our girls get hyped up for their dates with an international rock star and a sex worker.
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
This week on The Retro Report: WEDDINGS 🥂 Ft. the drama about The Drama, a Dorothy Baker cult classic, the most romantic thing a woman can do in the movies (divorce Cary Grant), and more! retroreport.substack.com/p/weddings-a...
retroreport.substack.com
Weddings, as needed for zest: The Retro Report, vol. 23
THE ONLY GUIDE YOU'LL EVER NEED FOR MAKING A TOAST WITH THE MOST
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Not to be parasocial about it (meta I know) but what a major celebrity sighting this week on Hacks! My @vulture.com recap: www.vulture.com/article/hack...
vulture.com
Hacks Recap: New York or Nowhere
Deborah realizes it’s time to activate the Little Debbies, so they can start a grassroots campaign to get her Madison Square Garden.
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Do you wish you could plan a getaway to the Before? V excited to announce the launch of RETRO THE AGENCY DOT COM! Plan a trip, get your Pastport, apply for a job: the site's fully functional, so go wild! And don't forget to preorder my novel, Retro, out June 23! retrotheagency.com
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
"Disappear into your phone for long enough, and your phone will disappear into you, putting you to work for the platforms even in your downtime." www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/m...
nytimes.com
Forget the A.I. Apocalypse. Memes Have Already Nuked Our Culture.
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
My debut novel RETRO got a Kirkus star ⭐️! "...a 2020s office novel that cleverly lampoons both the luxury travel industry & self-obsessed tech bros’ myopic innovations. A nuanced, biting cautionary tale about how not staying present can erase our very selves." www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews...
kirkusreviews.com
RETRO | Kirkus Reviews
A failed actress finds her calling as a Time Travel Agent guiding rich “explorers” on escapist vacations into the past.
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Big day for us @dceiver.bsky.social!! bsky.app/profile/lett...
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Retro (Penguin Random House, 2026) www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
Trying something new at THE RETRO REPORT: a retro recap!! Time travel to 1999 to talk SATC classic, “they shoot single people, don’t they?” 🚬💗🫩 open.substack.com/pub/retrorep...
open.substack.com
An endless parade of decoys and distractions: The Retro Report, vol. 20
TIME TRAVEL TO 1999 FOR A SINGLE & FABULOUS RETRO RECAP!
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
"When I recently tried explaining this dynamic to another friend—a writer/critic, no kids—he kindly reframed: “Imagine a musician in the future being interviewed about the music they grew up hearing, & they say, ‘My parents were really into KPop Demon Hunters.’”" open.substack.com/pub/thefutur...
open.substack.com
Every grown-up gets a trophy
You, an adult, don’t have to like the music of ‘KPop Demon Hunters’
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
This week’s issue of THE RETRO REPORT is all about awards that technically don’t exist, including my million dollar journalism idea: The Pulitzer Prize for Excellence in Restraint 🏆 retroreport.substack.com/p/the-only-r...
retroreport.substack.com
The only real award is bragging rights: The Retro Report, vol. 19
MY MILLION-DOLLAR JOURNALISM IDEA AND IT'S ALL YOURS — FOR FREE!
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
into this: "It’s not an accident that the greatest evangelists and technocrats who promote these technologies seem to have a poor grasp of human interaction." www.chrismelito.com/blog/the-but...
chrismelito.com
The Simulacrum is Insufficient — CHRIS MELITO
I’ve been thinking a lot about our collective inability to faithfully simulate human interaction. Invariably, in any modern debate about technology replacing the effort of humans, someone on the pro t...
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
This week’s Retro recs are all <200 pages so if you are over hearing me talk about The Power Broker… REJOICE! open.substack.com/pub/retrorep...
open.substack.com
Living gracefully if we live at all: The Retro Report, vol. 18
THE WOLF AT THE DOOR, THE NINETIES REVIVAL, AND RETRO RECS THAT KEEP IT MOVING!
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
I have hot theories about sex scenes, NOT-a-sex-scenes, Pet Billionaires™️ and more in this week’s issue of The Retro Report! open.substack.com/pub/retrorep...
open.substack.com
Is there anything sexier in cinema than a not-a-sex-scene? The Retro Report, vol. 17
AND: IS THE SECRET TO ROMANCE... HIGH-DENSITY AFFORDABLE HOUSING?
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
This week on THE RETRO REPORT: do you want to get out of here? (Here = reality) I have recs for that! let’s gooooo Also: remember when Super Bowl commercials used to be the Super Bowl of commercials? I have thoughts & theories about the great advertising decline! open.substack.com/pub/retrorep...
open.substack.com
Escape to a magnificent elsewhere: The Retro Report, vol. 16
LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
“There are things more important than medals,” he said. “I stood up for what I believe in.” www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/w...
nytimes.com
Ukrainian Olympian Is Disqualified Over Helmet Honoring War Dead
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Arlington ultramarathoner Michael Wardian just broke the world record for fastest time in 50Ks (!) on all seven continents (!!) www.arlnow.com/2026/02/10/a... I had a blast profiling him in 2022 for @washingtonian.com after he ran across the entire United States: washingtonian.com/2022/09/14/b...
washingtonian.com
This Arlington Runner Ran 3,200 Miles Across the Country
Michael Wardian ran 3,200 miles across the country.
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
"Unlike, say, data analytics giant Palantir or some other high-profile surveillance companies, Ring is a surveillance network that homeowners have by and large deployed themselves, powered by fear mongering against our neighbors and unfettered consumerism." www.404media.co/with-ring-am...
404media.co
With Ring, American Consumers Built a Surveillance Dragnet
Ring's 'Search Party' is dystopian surveillance accelerationism.
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
"What people click—and what they think they like—is largely a matter of what is available to them... It is a sign of a fatally limited imagination to assume that we can only ever desire the pittance to which we are currently reconciled." www.newyorker.com/books/page-t...
newyorker.com
The End of Books Coverage at the Washington Post
Becca Rothfeld, a former critic at the Washington Post, on the death of the paper’s books section.
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
If you already miss @chrisrichards.bsky.social in the Post, get his Substack! He's A++ on Bad Bunny's halftime show w objectively correct opinions abt "Easter eggs" (ugh) & language barriers ("songs in an unfamiliar tongue aren’t obstacles so much as invitations"): open.substack.com/pub/thefutur...
open.substack.com
An end zone dance in the shape of infinity
Notes on Bad Bunny’s halftime show in the middle of a national crisis
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
Feeling so much grief and rage over the layoffs at the Washington Post. To people who've asked me what I think the vision is here, I simply must scream: THERE IS NO VISION!!! I have never seen so many men so desperately lacking in vision in all my days!!!!! retroreport.substack.com/p/i-simply-m...
retroreport.substack.com
I simply must scream: There is no vision! The Retro Report, vol. 15
GRIEF AND RAGE FOR THE SLAUGHTER AT THE WASHINGTON POST
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
.@ashleyrparker.bsky.social gets it www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
theatlantic.com
The Murder of The Washington Post
Today’s layoffs are the latest attempt to kill what makes the paper special.
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
“I know they would do anything, that they would hurt people, that they’ve murdered people & shot them in the back 10 times. I know that intellectually. But I still did not expect them to gas a chill friendly protest full of nurses, teachers, children & the elderly.” www.theverge.com/policy/87278...
theverge.com
ICE is afraid of children protesting
“Next time, I’ll be back with a gas mask.”
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Incredible run of questions in the latest Chotining with the cinematographer of the Melania doc www.newyorker.com/culture/q-an...
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Big news for the Trackstar guys! PSA: Just profiled Jack Coyne & Co for the @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/a... bsky.app/profile/maxt...
nytimes.com
How Your Favorite Musician’s Favorite Game Show Took Over Social Media
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
“Victim behavior is not actually counterintuitive at all. It’s actually quite logical... The only people not surprised by the victim’s behavior is the offender. They know. I have videotapes of these guys saying, ‘I knew she wouldn’t tell, I knew she’d come back.’” www.thecut.com/article/me-t...
thecut.com
Lessons From My Me Too
In 2017, I accused the Today show’s longest-serving anchor of sexual misconduct. I was no one’s perfect victim.
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Today’s RETRO REPORT is all about showbiz, baby!! Ft. A review of why the Golden Globes were like… that… and an evaluation of Josie & the Pussycats worthy of its brilliance (cc @dceiver.bsky.social) retroreport.substack.com/p/chomp-on-y...
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Mike Madden @mikemadden.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
“One day, a woman wrote to me on Signal, asking me not to respond. She lived alone, she messaged, and planned to die that weekend. Before she did, she wanted at least one person to understand: Trump had unraveled the government, and with it, her life.” @hannahnatanson.bsky.social essay:
washingtonpost.com
I am The Post’s ‘federal government whisperer.’ It’s been brutal.
One reporter’s effort to show how Trump was transforming government brought her 1,168 new sources — and nearly broke her.
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Jessica Goldstein @jessicagolds.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Retro (Penguin Random House, 2026)
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