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demi lawrence

@deminlawrence.bsky.social

980 followers 760 following 1.4K posts

journalist, writer, yapper, hoosier in portland, oregon. i laugh so i don't cry! weird little gay person who loves music and the truth, opinions are my own! she/they 🍥

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demi lawrence @deminlawrence.bsky.social · Aug 19

Journalists as a collective must take a stand to decide if a 200-word AI summary of a meeting you already attended and (assumedly) paid attention to, is worth destroying our planet and feeding into a craze that's directly tied to the destruction of democracy.

I say no.

www.cjr.org/analysis/i-t...

I Tested How Well AI Tools Work for Journalism

Some tools were sufficient for summarizing meetings. For research, the results were a disaster.

www.cjr.org

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demi lawrence @deminlawrence.bsky.social · 12h

words mean nothing in 2025❤️ we live in a post truth world😜

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Bruno J. Navarro @brunojnavarro.bsky.social · 12h

"The irony of irony is that Pentagon reporters are not having conversations about controlled information in the hallways,” said a member of the Pentagon Press Association speaking on condition of anonymity. “We’re doing it over (the encrypted app) Signal."

Reuters @reuters.com · 12h

Pentagon journalists vacate workspace as new restrictions take effect reut.rs/4ni9W5O

Pentagon journalists vacate workspace as new restrictions take effect

Dozens of journalists who cover the U.S. Defense Department vacated their offices in the Pentagon and returned their credentials on Wednesday as new restrictions on press access took effect.

reut.rs

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The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 12h

Downtown Portland has some new art at 5th and Washington🐸 👀

Click the link to read more about Portland's Protest Frog: www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...

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demi lawrence @deminlawrence.bsky.social · 12h

mic drop as fuck

demi lawrence @deminlawrence.bsky.social · 12h

like at the end of the day, why the hell do i care what a 23 y/o white guy with oodles of money says? yeah it pisses me off, but that is exactly what they want. my limited energy is sacred.

great story here from @bcmerchant.bsky.social (who is quickly becoming one of my fav AI writers!)

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demi lawrence @deminlawrence.bsky.social · 12h

"Why, exactly, did he do this? 'Nothing is sacred anymore, and everything is ironic,' as he told the Atlantic. AKA 'idk I’m trolling but it’s working because you’re writing about me.'"

AI FREAKS ARE MANUFACTURING OUTRAGE BECAUSE IT MAKES THEM $. STOP MAKING THEM MONEY, USE YOUR ATTENTION ELSEWHERE.

Brian Merchant @bcmerchant.bsky.social · 13h

-AI startup plasters STOP HIRING HUMANS posters around cities, gets $25m
-AI device startup launches obnoxious NYC subway campaign, gets weeks of coverage
-Startups by ex-OpenAI execs get $2b and $3b while refusing to discuss a product

AI profiteering is now indistinguishable from trolling

AI profiteering is now indistinguishable from trolling

And what that says about the state of the AI bubble

www.bloodinthemachine.com

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Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · 19h

This past weekend, I went to the World Gay Rodeo Finals in Reno, which celebrated 50 years of gay rodeo.

I grew up doing rodeo as a teen and felt like I'd never be able to go back because I came out as trans. This story felt like a homecoming.

For @nbcnews.com:

www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-...

Not their first gay rodeo: Celebrating 50 years of queer cowfolks

Contestants and line dancers traveled from across the country to the World Gay Rodeo Finals in Reno, Nevada, to celebrate a half-century of gay rodeo.

www.nbcnews.com

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ghostly gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 13h

Gutting NBC OUT is absolutely unconscionable.

Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 15h

NBC News has reportedly eliminated its NBC BLK, NBC Asian America, NBC Latino and NBC OUT teams

NBC News’ 150 Layoffs Gut Black, Latino, Asian American and LGBTQ+ Diversity Teams

The cuts affected teams across the NBC News operation and came as the network no longer needed to support two different news operations. MSNBC has begun growing its own newsroom, hiring swaths of tale...

www.thewrap.com

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demi lawrence @deminlawrence.bsky.social · 12h

in suburban Portland!

Alissa Azar @alissaazar.bsky.social · 13h

A group of far right assholes have showed up to protest at David Douglas high school after students allegedly pushed back at a formation of a turning point chapter. School is out & they are outnumbered by predominantly Black & Brown students roasting the fuck out of them.

Reposted by demi lawrence

Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 13h

UPDATE: Sources tell us that NSA staff are *also* included in being forced to watch Pete Hegseth's "Warrior" speech (that he already forced top military generals to listen to).

@swin24.bsky.social

Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 1d

NEW: Pentagon officials are forcing staff to watch Pete Hegseth's "Warrior" speech he forced generals to listen to.

Officials are even "testing" staff to see if they watched — and are threatening consequences if they lie about watching it or if they mock it, sources tell @swin24.bsky.social and I.

The Pentagon Is Ordering Staff to Watch Hegseth’s ‘MAGA Garbage’ Speech… Or Else

Defense Department sources tell Zeteo that staff have been warned that if they don’t watch or read the speech, or if they speak negatively of it, they could face severe consequences.

zeteo.com

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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 13h

Weird story: Around 6 am PT today residents of a Eugene, OR apartment complex were awoken by several unmarked cars with flashing lights and two flash bangs. A witness said agents were speaking in Spanish and demanded people come out of an apartment with their hands up. Turns out the agents were FBI.

FBI conducts raid at the Woodland Creek Apartments in Eugene

The FBI confirmed agents conducted a "court-authorized law enforcement activity" in the 1300 block of Quaker Street on Oct. 15.

www.registerguard.com

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Maggie Tokuda-Hall @maggietokudahall.bsky.social · 13h

I just think AI is so exciting bc it's a machine that you can get wrong answers from, that yields environmental devastation, and is being forced on all of us

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WIRED @wired.com · 15h

Seems like a good time to share this too...

Turning on a VPN, using a privacy-focused mobile browser, and adding an ad blocker can all help reduce the location data you leak during mobile browsing.

I Tried Breaking the Best VPNs. Here Are the 5 That Survived

Every VPN says it’s the best, but only some of them are telling the truth.

www.wired.com

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 14h

last i checked these young republicans were like 25 years old. but this is a classic case of infantilization to diminish the significance of the offense. www.yahoo.com/news/article...

Vance downplays group chat messages: ‘Kids do stupid things, especially young boys.’

The vice president called the texts "edgy, offensive jokes."

www.yahoo.com

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Steven W. Thrasher is finishing The Overseer Class @thrasherxy.bsky.social · 14h

J school deans are the enemy of the free press bsky.app/profile/jess...

Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 15h

UPDATE: Following the firing of the director of the student newspaper, Indiana University has now cut the print edition of the newspaper entirely.

www.idsnews.com/article/2025...

Indiana University cuts IDS print entirely, hours after firing student media director
By IDS staff
Oct 15, 2025 1:23 pm · Updated Oct 15, 2025 1:23 pm

IU previously directed the Indiana Daily Student to stop printing news coverage in our newspaper. Upon pushback, the university fully cut print, including our special editions. The IDS was not involved in the decision.

Media School Dean David Tolchinsky sent the order to IDS leadership in an email responding to its appeal that the school not censor the newspaper. And the dean attributed the decision to “the campus.” He has not yet responded to a message for clarification.

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demi lawrence @deminlawrence.bsky.social · 14h

like y'all have no idea how refreshing it is to see white women be DIRECT and LOUD in their opposition to fascism

demi lawrence @deminlawrence.bsky.social · 14h

i am obsessed with the I've Had It ladies

Reposted by demi lawrence

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 16h

white reactionaries disenfranchising black voters to secure political power? that’s a jim crow. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/15/u...

The Supreme Court Case That Could Hand the House to Republicans

www.nytimes.com

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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 15h

A 3,000-pound, 17-foot-long "DEMOCRACY" ice sculpture is melting away on the National Mall today, a statement from activists and artists on the weakened state of American democracy under the Trump administration.
www.huffpost.com/entry/democr...

A 3,000-Pound Ice Sculpture Of 1 Word Is Melting In Front Of The U.S. Capitol

“It's time for all of us to resist, speak up and save our democracy before it's too late,” artist Marshall Reese said of his 17-by-5-foot installation.

www.huffpost.com

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Tessa Duvall @tessaduvall.bsky.social · 15h

Because she's a nepo baby married to one of the world's most famous pop stars with access to a sophisticated PR machine, all of which results in an onslaught of flattering coverage, including this?

The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 15h

Hailey Bieber joined a growing class of beauty supermoguls this year when her brand Rhode sold to Elf Cosmetics for $1 billion. She’s just getting started.. 🔗 on.wsj.com/3KRFFNu

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Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 15h

NBC News has reportedly eliminated its NBC BLK, NBC Asian America, NBC Latino and NBC OUT teams

NBC News’ 150 Layoffs Gut Black, Latino, Asian American and LGBTQ+ Diversity Teams

www.thewrap.com

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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 15h

Photos by Anthony Vazquez at the Chicago Sun-Times.

chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

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Katelyn Boo-urns @katelynburns.com · 15h

These ladies will cook you faster than my deep fryer if you're ill prepared

Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 1d

You really have to watch the whole thing. Booker clearly had no idea he was going to be asked real questions.

The Anti-Cult Club

YouTube video by I've Had It

youtu.be

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demi lawrence @deminlawrence.bsky.social · 16h

We cannot save this industry without investing in the next generation. I NEED to see more folks up in arms about this!

demi lawrence @deminlawrence.bsky.social · 16h

What I am trying to get at is censorship in college newsrooms is RAMPANT and this is a major blow to the IDS' independence. An amazing paper that I always considered superior to my own college paper is now in jeopardy of being censored and stripped for parts.