Sign in

Laura Hazard Owen

@laurahazardowen.bsky.social
14K followers 2.4K following 282 posts

Editor of @niemanlab.org / a fun mom in Cambridge, MA illberightback.substack.com Ebikes | Mysteries | Baking | Parent gossip | Public schools

PostsRepliesMedia
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
"We're in their shit. They're not in ours" is an incredible line!
011
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
so you might have noticed @niemanlab.org has a new look! more from @joshuabenton.com here: www.niemanlab.org/2026/10/niem...
niemanlab.org
Nieman Lab has a new look
More layout diversity, new typefaces, and restructured archives.
041
Reposted by Laura Hazard Owen
Andrew Deck @andrewdeck.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
ChatGPT is adding the signatures of real New Yorker cartoonists to its AI-generated images. So far, I've found the signatures of more than 15 contributors. "It’s slop, and unlike the other slop that I’ve encountered, this is slop that’s pretending to be me." www.niemanlab.org/2026/10/chat...
Left: A cartoon generated by ChatGPT and signed with Emily Flake’s signature that was posted to a Reddit forum in June. Right: A real Emily Flake cartoon published in The New Yorker on August 20, 2026 and licensed via The Cartoon Bank.
9042071689
Reposted by Laura Hazard Owen
Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard @niemanfoundation.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
We’re pleased to announce that veteran journalist Henry Chu has been named curator of Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard. A longtime foreign correspondent and editor who has reported from more than 30 countries, Chu will be Nieman’s ninth curator. hvd.gs/431352
hvd.gs
Henry Chu named curator of Nieman Foundation for Journalism — Harvard Gazette
Prize-winning veteran foreign correspondent, editor aims to focus on challenges facing industry, including AI, press freedom, polarization.
1156
Reposted by Laura Hazard Owen
Joshua Benton @joshuabenton.com · 01/07/2026
New by me —> Now we're getting AI fake news complaining about how AI fake news is the death of real news! How a fake news site splits its energy between (a) the imagined closure of real US newspapers and (b) Chinese-friendly takes on Taiwan www.niemanlab.org/2026/07/now-...
niemanlab.org
Now we’re getting AI fake news complaining about how AI fake news is the death of real news
Did 47 Alabama newspapers die on a single day and no one noticed? (Hint: No, they didn't.)
7211102
Reposted by Laura Hazard Owen
Andrew Deck @andrewdeck.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
NEW: More than 340 U.S. local news outlets are restricting Internet Archive access. @hanaatameez.bsky.social and I mapped out the full list, showing just how dire this trend is for the future of local news archives. www.niemanlab.org/2026/05/more...
niemanlab.org
More than 340 local news outlets are limiting the Internet Archive’s access to their journalism
McClatchy, Advance Local, Tribune Publishing and other major newspaper chains are restricting the nonprofit's archiving bots.
21819
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
"'What kinds of editorial businesses can only be built around a human being' feels like it is going to become a more and more important question." I spoke with @caseynewton.bsky.social about how he's revamping his newsletter to compete with AI:
niemanlab.org
More scoops, less aggregation and analysis: How Casey Newton is revamping his newsletter to compete with AI
"'What kinds of editorial businesses can only be built around a human being?' feels like it is going to become a more and more important question."
2226
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
incredible!
000
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
i loved the richard scarry part of this so much (imagining your source immediately being like "so, i actually think i'm more like bananas gorilla")
130
Reposted by Laura Hazard Owen
Oliver Darcy @oliverdarcy.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Scoop: Mediaite has suspended its founding editor Colby Hall after a series of instances we raised about significant errors and outright fabrications in his work. Full story in @status.news tonight.
925465
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
hi! hopefully this is not a dumb answer but i didn't control for the algorithm at all - I think one question is if tweets with links are less likely to appear in the "For You" column (I think probably but I didn't test it)
020
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Do links hurt publishers on Twitter? Our new analysis says yes. (+ some data coming for Bluesky!)
38624
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
and Neel's story, a candidate for best single story/article, is here! www.niemanlab.org/2025/08/how-...
niemanlab.org
How tribal radio stations are preparing for a future without the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
“These stations are not just media outlets, they are cultural infrastructure.”
010
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Hanaa's story, a finalist for best in-depth/enterprise reporting, is here: www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/from...
100
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
so excited that 2 @niemanlab.org stories are Mirror Award finalists: @hanaatameez.bsky.social's "From reckoning to retreat: Journalism’s DEI efforts are in decline, and @neeldhanesha.com's "How tribal radio stations are preparing for a future without the Corporation for Public Broadcasting"
newhouse.syracuse.edu
Mirror Award Finalists
The Newhouse School has recognized the best in media industry reporting since 2007.
1107
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
the Atlantic moved the disclaimer to the top.
0122
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
lol do you know how many people have told me second person is always fiction and I’m an idiot and bad reader for even wondering otherwise?!
100
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
I don’t blame the writer here tbh. this is ultimately an editorial call i think?
360
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
update www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/the-...
20379104
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
also ppl keep being like "well DUH the 2nd person is always fiction," which just isn't true
040
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
ty sam!!! i am not an expert but i do read a lot lot of things and I just think the explainer could have been longer and at the top. putting it at the bottom is a little too gotcha esp considering how few readers get to the ends of things
240
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
the other thing is I think you could find a real actual mom who could say a lot of these things as an “as told to.” (you could probably not get this ending that way, though.) it would be hard to find that person…but, unfortunately, easier than it used to be. I think it could be done.
3131
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
thank you for your good thoughts on the interview!! this is ultimately where I’m at too. Primarily I think the disclaimer should be at the top.
3822
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
i'm still not sure how I feel about it but glad I got to ask!
130
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
So I asked her a bunch of questions, beginning with the choice to write this as "creative nonfiction," which she kindly answered! Interview here: www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/the-...
niemanlab.org
The Atlantic’s Elizabeth Bruenig on her “hypothetical,” heavily reported measles essay
"We were attracted to the idea of providing a play-by-play of the progression of measles in granular detail."
4502
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
I was stunned by Elizabeth Bruenig's @theatlantic.com essay, "This Is How a Child Dies of Measles." Then I was struck by the disclaimer at the bottom: "This story is based on extensive reporting and interviews with physicians, including those who have cared directly for patients with measles."
theatlantic.com
This Is How a Child Dies of Measles
When your family becomes a data point in an outbreak
57816
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
so @theonion.com actually predicted this in its print issue last month
101100144
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
"Built in-house and known internally as the 'Manosphere Report,' the tool uses large language models to transcribe and summarize new episodes of dozens of podcasts." www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/how-... by @andrewdeck.bsky.social
niemanlab.org
How The New York Times uses a custom AI tool to track the “manosphere”
The daily podcast round-up is just one way the Times is adopting in-house AI transcription and summarization tools.
1168
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
"I don’t pay to go to church, to get a spiritual message, you know? And if you’re true, and your mission is to relay facts that are fundamentally important for people’s well-being, do I need to pay you for that?"
niemanlab.org
Most Americans don’t pay for news and don’t think they need to
For a new report released Wednesday, the Pew Research Center surveyed 3,560 U.S. adults in December 2025 about their relationship to the news and how they perceive its value in everyday life. Pew aThe...
51010
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Medill posits that folks living in news deserts are happy enough because "residents get so used to feeling thirsty that they no longer realize there is a different way to live" www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/many...
160
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
You too may become a "postal guru" after reading this story www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/terr...
niemanlab.org
“Terribly frustrating”: After USPS changes, more newspapers aren’t reaching subscribers on time
Newspaper delays are just one consequence of cost cuts and changes to a fraying 250-year-old system.
1196
Reposted by Laura Hazard Owen
Ben Welsh @palewi.re · 09/02/2026
🗞️ Nieman Lab republished the piece Scott Klein and I put together analyzing the decline of open-source news. If you haven't checked it out yet, here's another chance. www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/journalis…
niemanlab.org
Journalism lost its culture of sharing. Here’s how we rebuild it
The data are clear: The open-source culture that defined an earlier era of online journalism has collapsed.
12513
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
you guys have been posting a lot. i harvested it into nieman lab content www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/30-t...
niemanlab.org
30+ things The Washington Post did wrong and 19+ things they could do to fix it
"@mackenziescott you have the opportunity to do an extremely funny (and genuinely heroic) thing right now."
2167
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
doing a gigantic thread of ppl's advice for the washington post and/or diagnoses of what went wrong so if you've seen good posts lmk
223
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Jeff Bezos used to say interesting things about the Post and showed genuine curiosity in newspaper owning! in 2013, he talked about the importance of bundles and daily habits & so on that language changed a lot over the last few years. by 2024 it's "small inventions" and "stay tuned"
niemanlab.org
“Something I will be most proud of when I’m 90”: How Jeff Bezos used to talk about The Washington Post, and what’s changed
Jeff Bezos used to talk about The Washington Post with real curiosity, and the things he said were interesting and specific. Over time, that changed.
041
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
eliminating the books department when you have the whole amazon/goodreads thing does not make sense, to me!
1110
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
"You have this vision of your perfect job: Finally, you’re out of the thumb of the traffic-obsessed boss, and you can do your big investigations. But the reality is that now you have all these other jobs that [other] people used to do, and now you have to do them too." by @neeldhanesha.com
niemanlab.org
Journalism coops seem utopian. What’s it like working in one?
"If I was less self-directed, I'd probably be freaking out."
051
Reposted by Laura Hazard Owen
Andrew Deck @andrewdeck.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
NEW: News publishers are limiting Internet Archive access to prevent AI crawlers from using the digital library as a backdoor to their content. @hanaatameez.bsky.social and I confirmed The Guardian and The New York Times have put in place new restrictions. www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/news...
niemanlab.org
News publishers limit Internet Archive access due to AI scraping concerns
Outlets like The Guardian and The New York Times are scrutinizing digital archives as potential backdoors for AI crawlers.
0207
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
this Q&A by @neeldhanesha.com about what federal agents are using in MN, is alarming, but also really interesting. The pepper spray in use today is hotter & clingier than it used to be. "Less than lethal" rounds are larger & faster, and standard eye protection doesn't protect against them.
niemanlab.org
What a safety expert thinks journalists should know about “less than lethal” rounds and chemical irritants used by ICE
"The consideration that we make with all of our recommendations is, 'What is the safest thing you can use while still getting your assignment done?’"
2118
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
"Back in the day, you’d have [riot police using] beanbag guns, or Nerf or sponge rounds that were moving at 150 to 200 feet per second. The newer 'less than lethal' rounds move 450 to 500 feet per second." www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/what...
niemanlab.org
What a safety expert thinks journalists should know about “less than lethal” rounds and chemical irritants used by ICE
"The consideration that we make with all of our recommendations is, 'What is the safest thing you can use while still getting your assignment done?’"
141
Reposted by Laura Hazard Owen
Taylor Kate Brown @taylorkatebrown.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
two great stories from @niemanlab.org today. One, on a storyshare run by a tiny NH news co-op " Brannon praised Bassett for listening so attentively to local newsrooms — including some of the smallest newsrooms and newspapers with clunky tech in her cohort" by @sarahscire.com
niemanlab.org
A scrappy story-sharing tool with local newsroom DNA gains traction
Plucky Wire was incubated in an unlikely place for a journalism technology: the tiny Granite State News Collaborative. Now, it's being used by hundreds of outlets countrywide.
143
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
the work @bellingcat.com is doing in Minneapolis is essential. I spoke with @eoghanmacguire.bsky.social about the site's U.S. strategy www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/in-m...
niemanlab.org
In Minneapolis and other U.S. cities, Bellingcat supplements local news by “zooming in with a forensic lens”
Partnerships with local news outlets help "bring our stories to the audiences who need to see them most."
2593166
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
he says other journalism funders should ask themselves 2 questions: 1. Do the organizations have real plans to grow their audiences outside of their most faithful followers? 2. Do they understand how to defend themselves and their work from bad actors? www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/crai...
niemanlab.org
Craig Newmark explains why he’s pulling back on funding journalism
One question he says other funders should ask: "Do the organizations have real plans to grow their audiences outside of their most faithful followers?"
194
Reposted by Laura Hazard Owen
Steve Mullis @stevemullis.net · 08/01/2026
"In the aftermath of Good’s killing by ICE agent Jonathan Ross, it’s clear some news organizations were better equipped than others to analyze the visual evidence provided from bystander videos," writes @laurahazardowen.bsky.social for @niemanlab.org.
niemanlab.org
When just showing the video isn’t enough: Minneapolis shooting puts news organizations to the test
When everyone has seen the same videos, what service do news sites provide?
062
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
ok these gifts will not save journalism. BUT they will caffeinate, entertain, feed, and snuggle journalists www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/the-...
niemanlab.org
The 2025 gift guide for journalists
Coffee (faster!), #tradwife murder mysteries, heated mattress pads, Prohibition-era video games, and much more.
1114
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
the board has published an update that does not seem to address the reporters' actual concerns suncoastsearchlight.org/board-direct... they also say, "We will have a public-facing policy governing the use of AI in research and writing before the end of the year."
suncoastsearchlight.org
Suncoast Searchlight Board Of Directors Response To Recent Concerns Over Use Of AI - Suncoast Searchlight
November 25, 2025 Recently, after Suncoast Searchlight reporters raised concerns about the use of AI in editing, the Board of Directors worked with staff and management to review how AI has been used...
041
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
it's harder than using a password bc you have to click out then go back! i was wondering if they're trying to cut down on password sharing or?
110
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
so many news sites are making you log in with an email + a 6-digit code sent to your email and this is not less annoying?
2120
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
"A lot of people have been hurt over this strike financially [and] emotionally. I want to make sure that has its due. But we’re going to have to work through that very quickly and get back to work." by @sarahscire.com
niemanlab.org
What newsroom organizers learned from the years-long strike at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The importance of coordination, how digital news consumption patterns limit the effectiveness of public shame, and more.
065
Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
3 unusual things about this story: *it's a nonprofit investigative news site we're talking about *high-profile media execs/journalists on the board *1 of the journalists who reported was fired less than a day after letter sent to board by @andrewdeck.bsky.social
niemanlab.org
Florida nonprofit news reporters ask board to investigate their editor’s AI use
Suncoast Searchlight’s four reporters told the board their editor-in-chief was using AI editing tools and inserting hallucinations into drafts. The next day, one of the reporters was fired.
081