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Luke Baumgarten

@lukebaumgarten.bsky.social
956 followers 267 following 226 posts

Writer & organizer. Building @rangemedia.co & Spokane Workers Cooperative. Support local news rangemedia.co

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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
When people tell me they "don't trust the media," I ask them to spend 20 minutes with any reporter or editor from any publication near them (just not anyone with "Chief" or "Executive" in the title) & they'll change their mind. Newsroom bosses need to be held accountable. Reporters need unleashed.
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
If you ever worry about the future of journalism, go find the bar that reporters and editors in your town hang out at. They'll be complaining about literally everything — including their bosses — but their passion and their depth of knowledge will convince you our civic life can be saved.
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
So yes: a journalism institution in Spokane in the middle of a crisis, and its health is key to our whole civic ecosystem. But *journalism itself*? Nah, journalism here is as strong as it's been in more than a decade. RANGE is growing like a weed. Axe the toxic leadership, and the S-R will, too.
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
That reporting appears to have led the Spokesman's (Rob-Curley-free) editorial team to update their own AI policy: www.rangemedia.co/spokesman-re...
rangemedia.co
After RANGE exposé, Spokesman-Review officially bans AI in guest columns
Spokesman will subject suspicious columns to an AI detector
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
We also published the beginning of an ongoing series on AI's impacts on our media, on politics and the public square. Alongside that, we also published a definitive (but subject to revision) AI policy that is transparent, so anyone who reads us can know, definitively, how we use robots.
rangemedia.co
Spokane AI Slop: *Contains Artificial Ingredients
Columns. Politics. Activism. Journalism. Your feeds are being invaded with AI-generated content, even at the local level.
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Sure seems like @spokanepd.bsky.social is asking the prosecutor to take a second look: "These new, and admittedly disturbing, texts by our members were immediately added to the administrative investigation and also shared with the County Prosecutor’s Office."
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
The Curley collab with @investigatewest.bsky.social is just one of three bombshell stories we published last week: 1 mo after prosecutors ruled the police killing of Josh Musselman justified, @aaronhedge.bsky.social found texts between officers that acknowledge he was unarmed and running away.
rangemedia.co
UPDATED: ‘I’m hoping we hit him at least once each lol’: SPD texts from 2024 killing show lack of probable cause
In messages, SPD officers hoped they inflicted maximum damage when they shot Joshua Musselman, mocked the police chief’s response to the killing.
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Journalism profs looking for bright spots in the media landscape & not just horror stories might turn their gaze downward, just slightly. While the boss might be fucking up a legacy institution in Spokane, a reporter-owned media outlet is thriving without interference. www.rangemedia.co
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Thanks for repubbing us, Dan.
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Also yikes that is the wrong Rob Curley I tagged. Sorry about that, brother.
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
One more thought: what @alexdugganreports.bsky.social did to stick up for her work and the editorial fire wall, then what Lindsey Treffry did to protect Alex, then what the photo team did to protect the first two … there aren’t words. It makes me emotional to contemplate the bonds this work forms.
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
The stories we weren't able to print are even worse.
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
It is also, though, a cautionary tale about the supposedly “visionary” men we let have near total control of our most vital civic institutions. A cautionary tale I hope to God the family and the Comma board take to heart.
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Why is it good news? For me this a labor justice story. The unionized staff and the blue-blood owner - usually at odds - partnered to expel a malignancy from the institution they both love when the malignancy became intolerable. It’s also a story of solidarity between institutions old & young.
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
If @brierdudley.bsky.social wants a good news story, he should write a column about two digital newsrooms (one a co-op!) of very different stripes partnering to publish pretty brutal revelations about supposed savior-of-newspapers @robcurley.bsky.social www.rangemedia.co/rob-curley-s...
rangemedia.co
How Rob Curley’s plan to make the Spokesman-Review ‘The People’s Paper’ ended in a newsroom revolt
Newsroom staffers tell InvestigateWest and RANGE that concerns about Curley’s leadership festered until his August suspension — weeks before the paper was set to transfer to his nonprofit
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Even if you aren't using AI, your writing buddy might be. Loving partners disclose when they've gotten in bed with Claude.
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RANGE Media @rangemedia.co · 01/10/2026
Mark your calendars for Friday, October 16 for our 3rd annual PolitiCrawl (yes, a politics-themed pub crawl)! Connect with elected leaders & candidates to learn more about upcoming policies that might impact you. RSVP for ticket info here: bit.ly/4juXnFJ
A red graph with text that says "3rd Annual Politicrawl". Poster text reads, "save the date October 16. A bar crawl celebrating political engagement & community empowerment this election season."
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
So what are Spokanites gonna do about it?
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
"To begin our journey through the Department of *WAR*, we were greeted by a veteran who had recently completed a 36-week off-broadway tour of Pirates of Penzance" www.facebook.com/share/v/1EzC...
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Alt-weeklies are back, baby.
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Ricardo Autobahn @ricardoautobahn.co.uk · 26/08/2026
The best tribute to Dolly Parton is that she regularly and repeatedly refused to have anything to do with Piers Morgan
Piers Morgan

@piersmorgan

Follow

:

RIP Dolly Parton.

Never met her, never interviewed her (despite decades of unrequited requests) but thought she was utterly fabulous in every way.
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Unscheduled Offworld Activation @nerdsherpa.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Another good day to watch John McTiernan’s masterpiece, The Hunt For Red October
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magpie TRICKS @magpie.tips · 26/08/2026
"what a week, huh?" / "lemon it's Wednesday" meme
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Dave Itzkoff @ditzkoff.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
He changed so many lives and made so many people comfortable with who they are. I hope he knew that.
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Smart of you to reproduce like amoeba
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RANGE Media @rangemedia.co · 19/08/2026
After weeks of relentless criticism from constituents accusing county officials of secrecy, the Spokane County Board of Commissioners reversed course on data center development Tuesday, unanimously approving a four-month pause on new permits for the centers:
rangemedia.co
Spokane County approves four-month data center pause
After public criticism, county commissioners unanimously approve a short moratorium on data center development.
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RANGE Media @rangemedia.co · 07/08/2026
Some are blaming the severity of the wildfires partly on parched lawns. But Spokane Fire Department spokesperson Justin De Ruyter said that's not true. In fact, there is a landscaping choice that makes a house dramatically more vulnerable to fire risks: arborvitae.
rangemedia.co
The landscaping that burns down neighborhoods
Your water-restricted lawn is fine, but some popular plants are fire bombs waiting to happen.
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
My parents and half my family have evacuated, more waiting to hear. Today I’ve gotten offers of shelter from southwest of Spokane to Sandpoint, and that’s just the friends who have been texting. This is a standup fucking community when it wants to be. We show up for our people.
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RANGE Media @rangemedia.co · 28/07/2026
Candidate Survivor: Spokane's Spiciest Candidate Survivor is happening July 30 at Overbluff Cellars, hosted by RANGE (us!) and our friends at the WA Bus Education Fund, in partnership with KSPS PBS and Hogwash Whiskey Den. Get your tickets now at the link below!
tickettailor.com
Select tickets – Candidate Survivor: Spokane's Spiciest Candidate Forum – Overbluff Cellars, Washington Cracker Building
Candidate Survivor: Spokane's Spiciest Candidate Forum – Overbluff Cellars, Washington Cracker Building, Thu Jul 30, 2026 - For the last few months, we’ve been cooking up something hot…a candidate forum for those who like their local politics with a bit of spice. With the primaries nearing and election season in full swing, we are so excited to invite you to join worker-owned news outlet RANGE Media and Wash...
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Come. Get. Some.
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RANGE Media @rangemedia.co · 22/07/2026
Did you know we have one-stop shop on our website for all things Spokane elections? Well, we do! Click the link below for our comprehensive election coverage + voting resources:
rangemedia.co
Spokane Election 2026 – RANGE Media
Welcome to RANGE’s one-stop shop for Washington election stuff. Here you’ll find resources for voting, links to voters guides and our coverage on it all. We’ll be updating this page with more of our c...
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RANGE Media @rangemedia.co · 08/07/2026
‘People are risking their lives to do it the right way.’ Spokane’s Haitian community is crisis-planning after Supreme Court decision allowed the Trump administration to strip Temporary Protected Status from Haitians, Syrians:
rangemedia.co
Spokane Haitian community responds to TPS court decision.
Spokane’s Haitian community is crisis-planning after Supreme Court decision allowed the Trump administration to strip Temporary Protected Status from Haitians, Syrians.
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
We’ve been talking a lot about adding a little more alt-weekly swag and I think this nails it. Great work @merrywanderer.bsky.social
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
I just saw Taylor Swift hop around hugging Mariska Hartigay. What a time to be alive.
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
We are committed to getting more nickels.
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RANGE Media @rangemedia.co · 30/05/2026
This week has been A LOT and we're all processing a lot of emotions right now. So we wanna know: what music are you listening to to get through it? We're making a playlist, so put ur faves 👇
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Ted McCormick @tedmccormick.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Just got a survey from my university asking how I use AI in research, wanting details on barriers to use as well as burdens that AI has reduced for me. Not one question about barriers or burdens that the use of AI has created. So the unstated position is that it must be good. This is advertorial.
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
The eastern district of Washington is a federal jurisdiction. It covers everything east of the cascades. Jurors are pulled from that pool.
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RANGE Media @rangemedia.co · 28/05/2026
The attorneys for the defense have said they plan to appeal the verdict, but before that they will ask the judge to overturn it in a Rule 29 hearing in five weeks.
rangemedia.co
BREAKING: Jury finds Spokane 3 protesters guilty of federal conspiracy charges
The defendants could face up to six years in federal prison and/or $250,000 in fines. They are expected to appeal the verdict.
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
The Jury was mostly comprised of people who aren’t from Spokane
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Almost the whole @rangemedia.co team was down at the press conference afterward. What I saw, personally: a lot of tears, a lot of anger, an overwhelming resolve to keep fighting.
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Recap of the end of oral arguments. Verdict likely tomorrow.
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Damn. Well said
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
No verdict tonight.
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
And now, we wait.
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
This is a fascinating development.
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
We are so back. Heard scuttlebutt from lawyer friends all weekend wondering if the defense will ask and if the judge would grant summary judgment. Not many folks think the Feds made their case.
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
Who wants to help change the world?
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
I continue to be so proud of this team. It can be scary turning a lens on any government, especially this current federal government. Truth, diligence and moral clarity still mean something, and have a powerful way of leveling even the most slanted playing field.
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Luke Baumgarten @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Most people were supportive of our decision, but I got a sense that some weren't. Like maybe we were high on our own supply. What could Erin know that other reporters didn't know — that perhaps even Defense attorneys and prosecutors didn't know? Turns out, a lot:
rangemedia.co
Trial of the Spokane 3, Day 5: ICE agent will be called back in to court to testify about Twitter account
The content of that account, which RANGE reported on exclusively yesterday, is so bad even the prosecution said, “They are horrendous, there’s no other way to put it.”
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