erika owens
@erikaowens.com
tech, journalism, music, TV, wandering, biking, and laughing way too loudly.
newly based in sheffield, previously philadelphia
banner image is by https://www.instagram.com/harshadisfree/ via atlas obscura
newly based in sheffield, previously philadelphia
banner image is by https://www.instagram.com/harshadisfree/ via atlas obscura
Reposted by erika owens
NEW — With Border Patrol Cmdr Greg Bovino gone for now, Chicago immigration advocates and community organizers are taking this moment to reflect and strategize for future federal immigration enforcement actions.
“The violence is very real and it’s affected all of us.”
thetriibe.com/2025/11/chic...
“The violence is very real and it’s affected all of us.”
thetriibe.com/2025/11/chic...
Chicago is a model of resistance for cities battling federal immigration enforcement operations • The TRiiBE
Chicago has been resisting ICE and Border Patrol by building rapid response and mutual aid networks, and providing legal defense funding.
thetriibe.com
November 25, 2025 at 8:40 PM
NEW — With Border Patrol Cmdr Greg Bovino gone for now, Chicago immigration advocates and community organizers are taking this moment to reflect and strategize for future federal immigration enforcement actions.
“The violence is very real and it’s affected all of us.”
thetriibe.com/2025/11/chic...
“The violence is very real and it’s affected all of us.”
thetriibe.com/2025/11/chic...
excited about @sheffieldtransformed.org this weekend! i'm volunteering at this event! you can checkout the full schedule: docs.google.com/document/d/1...
November 25, 2025 at 7:20 PM
excited about @sheffieldtransformed.org this weekend! i'm volunteering at this event! you can checkout the full schedule: docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Reposted by erika owens
There was no way to know how many people died in Missouri prisons — until now.
Emerging on Bsky to share this latest installment in @themarshallproject.org's death-in-custody coverage + a few thoughts from my reporting on MO's flawed records system 🧵👇🏾
www.themarshallproject.org/2025/11/18/s...
Emerging on Bsky to share this latest installment in @themarshallproject.org's death-in-custody coverage + a few thoughts from my reporting on MO's flawed records system 🧵👇🏾
www.themarshallproject.org/2025/11/18/s...
There Was No Way to Know How Many People Died in Missouri Prisons — Until Now
For years, the state’s Department of Corrections cobbled together death records from multiple sources. New data reveals annual totals for the first time.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 21, 2025 at 4:13 PM
There was no way to know how many people died in Missouri prisons — until now.
Emerging on Bsky to share this latest installment in @themarshallproject.org's death-in-custody coverage + a few thoughts from my reporting on MO's flawed records system 🧵👇🏾
www.themarshallproject.org/2025/11/18/s...
Emerging on Bsky to share this latest installment in @themarshallproject.org's death-in-custody coverage + a few thoughts from my reporting on MO's flawed records system 🧵👇🏾
www.themarshallproject.org/2025/11/18/s...
the cruel, unsettling, harmful US/UK similarities show up in so many places.
grateful for the release of the trans news initiative this week to help make sense of journalism's role in how we got here transnewsinitiative.org
grateful for the release of the trans news initiative this week to help make sense of journalism's role in how we got here transnewsinitiative.org
November 20, 2025 at 5:20 PM
the cruel, unsettling, harmful US/UK similarities show up in so many places.
grateful for the release of the trans news initiative this week to help make sense of journalism's role in how we got here transnewsinitiative.org
grateful for the release of the trans news initiative this week to help make sense of journalism's role in how we got here transnewsinitiative.org
it's hard to put into words the heartbreak of what is happening in regards to immigration in both the US and the UK.
the just immense _cruelty_ being unleashed on people, families, communities.
the form of it differs, but the underlying heartlessness is the same. the willingness to scapegoat.
the just immense _cruelty_ being unleashed on people, families, communities.
the form of it differs, but the underlying heartlessness is the same. the willingness to scapegoat.
November 20, 2025 at 3:17 PM
it's hard to put into words the heartbreak of what is happening in regards to immigration in both the US and the UK.
the just immense _cruelty_ being unleashed on people, families, communities.
the form of it differs, but the underlying heartlessness is the same. the willingness to scapegoat.
the just immense _cruelty_ being unleashed on people, families, communities.
the form of it differs, but the underlying heartlessness is the same. the willingness to scapegoat.
Reposted by erika owens
Essential reporting from a @theflytrapmedia.com worker-owner at @prismreports.org (a great news org you should be supporting if you aren't already)!
NEW: As immigration enforcement continues across North Carolina, communities are mobilizing--inside and outside formal organizing networks--to protect their neighbors:
North Carolina immigration raids expected to escalate
As the impacts of the raids quickly ripple outward from Charlotte, North Carolinians are mobilizing to stem enforcement operations in their communities
prismreports.org
November 19, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Essential reporting from a @theflytrapmedia.com worker-owner at @prismreports.org (a great news org you should be supporting if you aren't already)!
another year, another must-read annual report from @defector.com. come for the small, cooperative org insights (omg the whole feedback section!), stay for the ideas about business for the whole industry (yes, please, distributing fractional support).
defector.com/defector-ann...
defector.com/defector-ann...
Defector Annual Report, September 2024 – August 2025 | Defector
Published on November 19, 2025 Purpose of this report Defector celebrated our fifth birthday in September 2025. It is a great honor, and something of a burden, to be publishing a fifth Annual Report. ...
defector.com
November 20, 2025 at 11:47 AM
another year, another must-read annual report from @defector.com. come for the small, cooperative org insights (omg the whole feedback section!), stay for the ideas about business for the whole industry (yes, please, distributing fractional support).
defector.com/defector-ann...
defector.com/defector-ann...
Reposted by erika owens
Our team at @tinynewscollective.bsky.social is hiring for an important and special role as we move forward into the next phase of our development. I'm super excited to welcome a new person to our dream team. ❤️
📣 We're hiring! We are seeking our first-ever development director to help us sustain and grow the work we do to support early-stage news founders. It's a really exciting and important role for us. Please share widely!
www.tinynewsco.org/tiny-news-co...
www.tinynewsco.org/tiny-news-co...
Tiny News Collective to expand with the hire of a development director
TNC is hiring its first Development Director to build and sustain support for our mission- and member-driven work.
www.tinynewsco.org
November 19, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Our team at @tinynewscollective.bsky.social is hiring for an important and special role as we move forward into the next phase of our development. I'm super excited to welcome a new person to our dream team. ❤️
Reposted by erika owens
It was announced on October 16, 2025 that VIBE was "joining forces" with Rolling Stone. As a result, the majority of VIBE employees were laid off. If you have the means to give, this team could use the support! www.gofundme.com/f/support-vi...
Donate to Support VIBE Staff After Sudden Layoffs, organized by Mya Abraham
It was announced on October 16, 2025 that VIBE was "joining forces" with Rolling S… Mya Abraham needs your support for Support VIBE Staff After Sudden Layoffs
www.gofundme.com
November 14, 2025 at 6:02 PM
It was announced on October 16, 2025 that VIBE was "joining forces" with Rolling Stone. As a result, the majority of VIBE employees were laid off. If you have the means to give, this team could use the support! www.gofundme.com/f/support-vi...
are news organizations going to continue daily updates on the number of people who have lost health insurance when the ACA subsidies expire, like we've heard about every canceled flight?
November 10, 2025 at 12:05 PM
are news organizations going to continue daily updates on the number of people who have lost health insurance when the ACA subsidies expire, like we've heard about every canceled flight?
jessica was one of those people always making connections between ideas and people, and who was extraordinarily generous in sharing her network and resources.
a tremendous loss. an inspiring legacy to honor.
www.gofundme.com/f/honoring-j...
a tremendous loss. an inspiring legacy to honor.
www.gofundme.com/f/honoring-j...
Donate to Honoring Jessica Clark, organized by Jennifer Brandel
Jessica Clark was an extraordinary innovator who passed away unexpectedly in late October. Her… Jennifer Brandel needs your support for Honoring Jessica Clark
www.gofundme.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:51 AM
jessica was one of those people always making connections between ideas and people, and who was extraordinarily generous in sharing her network and resources.
a tremendous loss. an inspiring legacy to honor.
www.gofundme.com/f/honoring-j...
a tremendous loss. an inspiring legacy to honor.
www.gofundme.com/f/honoring-j...
Reposted by erika owens
absolutely brilliant and sweet article, perfect election morning read
watching the Mamdani campaign from afar during the primary, so many things were impressive, among them the incredible work his online video team was doing to spread the message in fun, creative, educational, invigorating ways that spoke to people
this is my story about how they did it
this is my story about how they did it
Selling Zohran | Defector
On a cool Sunday in November, a few days after Donald Trump’s re-election, Zohran Mamdani stood on a street corner in Jamaica, Queens, holding up a hastily drawn cardboard sign that read “DID YOU VOTE...
defector.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:00 PM
absolutely brilliant and sweet article, perfect election morning read
"Those who have leverage over the UAE, and therefore the RSF, but allow the violence to pass without urgent action or pressure have blood on their hands. The majority of El Fasher’s population is trapped in a killing field. Every minute counts."
Blood spilled in Sudan can be seen from space. Nobody can feign ignorance about what’s going on | Nesrine Malik
Blood spilled in Sudan can be seen from space. Nobody can feign ignorance about what’s going on | Nesrine Malik
The massacres carried out by the RSF in El Fasher, Darfur, with the support of its UAE sponsors, will only stop when the international community acts, says Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik
www.theguardian.com
November 3, 2025 at 9:55 PM
"Those who have leverage over the UAE, and therefore the RSF, but allow the violence to pass without urgent action or pressure have blood on their hands. The majority of El Fasher’s population is trapped in a killing field. Every minute counts."
Reposted by erika owens
We’re helping make the local-news ecosystem work better for everyone. Our new website shows how we connect funders with trusted publishers, and the new Poynter op-ed shows why that coordination matters.
Learn more → thepivotfund.org
Read the op-ed → shorturl.at/W6lbk
#localnews #philanthropy
Learn more → thepivotfund.org
Read the op-ed → shorturl.at/W6lbk
#localnews #philanthropy
The Pivot Fund: Shifting Power Through Equitable Journalism Funding
The Pivot Fund empowers independent, community-rooted news outlets serving under-resourced urban and rural areas. We provide funding and support that strengthen local news and build a more inclusive, ...
thepivotfund.org
November 3, 2025 at 5:06 PM
We’re helping make the local-news ecosystem work better for everyone. Our new website shows how we connect funders with trusted publishers, and the new Poynter op-ed shows why that coordination matters.
Learn more → thepivotfund.org
Read the op-ed → shorturl.at/W6lbk
#localnews #philanthropy
Learn more → thepivotfund.org
Read the op-ed → shorturl.at/W6lbk
#localnews #philanthropy
a beacon of great cultural writing and important feminist reporting! sign up!
GOOD MORNING EVERYONE!! Today is the last day of our Flytrap subscription drive. The goal for today is 159 subscriptions! THIS IS THE LAST CALL FOR THE 15% OFF DISCOUNT: the-flytrap.ghost.io/chomp
The Flytrap
Feminist cultural criticism against the algorithm
the-flytrap.ghost.io
November 3, 2025 at 1:40 PM
a beacon of great cultural writing and important feminist reporting! sign up!
sorry to be missing the first ever #NPASummit, but excited to follow all the updates. congrats, @newsproduct.org team!
October 23, 2025 at 2:50 PM
sorry to be missing the first ever #NPASummit, but excited to follow all the updates. congrats, @newsproduct.org team!
Reposted by erika owens
I love the graphic below so much!
Gonna brag a lil - I came up with the idea of a Pac-Man shaped flytrap and our fabulous @theflytrapmedia.com artist Rommy Torrico ran with it, coming up with this whole retro 8-bit visual campaign. Isn’t it awesome?
Please renew or subscribe!
Gonna brag a lil - I came up with the idea of a Pac-Man shaped flytrap and our fabulous @theflytrapmedia.com artist Rommy Torrico ran with it, coming up with this whole retro 8-bit visual campaign. Isn’t it awesome?
Please renew or subscribe!
A reminder that your $$ will go towards paying for NEW feminist journalism and also reprinting Bitch Media classics! Isn't it a bargain? Get the deal at the link:
the-flytrap.ghost.io/feminist
the-flytrap.ghost.io/feminist
October 22, 2025 at 4:09 PM
I love the graphic below so much!
Gonna brag a lil - I came up with the idea of a Pac-Man shaped flytrap and our fabulous @theflytrapmedia.com artist Rommy Torrico ran with it, coming up with this whole retro 8-bit visual campaign. Isn’t it awesome?
Please renew or subscribe!
Gonna brag a lil - I came up with the idea of a Pac-Man shaped flytrap and our fabulous @theflytrapmedia.com artist Rommy Torrico ran with it, coming up with this whole retro 8-bit visual campaign. Isn’t it awesome?
Please renew or subscribe!
are any platforms making it easy for journalists to make portfolio sites these days? maybe even something like 1password's free for journalists tier? would love if it's open source and free or cheaper than $10/mo.
October 9, 2025 at 5:04 PM
are any platforms making it easy for journalists to make portfolio sites these days? maybe even something like 1password's free for journalists tier? would love if it's open source and free or cheaper than $10/mo.
Reposted by erika owens
it’s challenging being a Black-owned newsroom during this time of anti-DEI and political attacks, but we persevere. that’s what our ancestors did.
if you can, consider making a contribution — big or small — to fuel our reporting on Chicago.
if you know a $$$ person in your life, spread the word.
if you can, consider making a contribution — big or small — to fuel our reporting on Chicago.
if you know a $$$ person in your life, spread the word.
We’re so thankful to everyone who is spreading the word about our work at The TRiiBE.
This moment demands more revolutionary voices in journalism. Support independent, Black-owned journalism today.
Make a monetary contribution: buy.stripe.com/00w14n5ZRbhk...
This moment demands more revolutionary voices in journalism. Support independent, Black-owned journalism today.
Make a monetary contribution: buy.stripe.com/00w14n5ZRbhk...
October 5, 2025 at 5:25 PM
it’s challenging being a Black-owned newsroom during this time of anti-DEI and political attacks, but we persevere. that’s what our ancestors did.
if you can, consider making a contribution — big or small — to fuel our reporting on Chicago.
if you know a $$$ person in your life, spread the word.
if you can, consider making a contribution — big or small — to fuel our reporting on Chicago.
if you know a $$$ person in your life, spread the word.
Reposted by erika owens
What happens when AI and surveillance tech is used? Bosses monitor workers, landlords exploit tenants and SEPTA polices riders. Philly needs oversight and transparency! 📅 Mark your calendar for October 15 at 10am and turn out to demand accountability at the hearing on AI and surveillance.
September 23, 2025 at 7:54 PM
What happens when AI and surveillance tech is used? Bosses monitor workers, landlords exploit tenants and SEPTA polices riders. Philly needs oversight and transparency! 📅 Mark your calendar for October 15 at 10am and turn out to demand accountability at the hearing on AI and surveillance.
Reposted by erika owens
Along with the amazing Brechner Center, MuckRock is co-organizing the 2nd annual Sunshine Fest (March 16-17, 2026 in DC) and we’re looking for some great topics, panels and speakers. Deadline to submit ideas is today! ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management
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ufl.qualtrics.com
September 22, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Along with the amazing Brechner Center, MuckRock is co-organizing the 2nd annual Sunshine Fest (March 16-17, 2026 in DC) and we’re looking for some great topics, panels and speakers. Deadline to submit ideas is today! ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
Reposted by erika owens
Good morning! It's Flytrap Tuesday and we have an amazing photoessay on rural feminists in Argentina--and their struggles with the current right-wing, libertarian government: the-flytrap.ghost.io/rural-femini...
Under Milei, Rural Feminists Fight for Rights and Resources
A feminist community radio station in Argentina has changed rural women's lives, but right-wing government threatens its existence.
the-flytrap.ghost.io
September 16, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Good morning! It's Flytrap Tuesday and we have an amazing photoessay on rural feminists in Argentina--and their struggles with the current right-wing, libertarian government: the-flytrap.ghost.io/rural-femini...
additional OJA congrats to @losowsky.com! so grateful to you and @blackamazon.bsky.social for your research and leadership on what commenting can (and should!) mean in news. have loved following the ways you link communities throughout your work and life!
awards.journalists.org/entries/andr...
awards.journalists.org/entries/andr...
Andrew Losowsky - Online Journalism Awards
Read More
awards.journalists.org
September 10, 2025 at 10:37 AM
additional OJA congrats to @losowsky.com! so grateful to you and @blackamazon.bsky.social for your research and leadership on what commenting can (and should!) mean in news. have loved following the ways you link communities throughout your work and life!
awards.journalists.org/entries/andr...
awards.journalists.org/entries/andr...
sorry to be missing celebrating in person this week but MAJOR CONGRATULATIONS to @webjournalist.bsky.social. you've shaped my experience of journalism from ONA to #wjchat. thank you for your leadership and tireless work for journalism to live up to its values.
journalists.org/profiles/rob...
journalists.org/profiles/rob...
Robert Hernandez – ONA Community Profile
Digital Journalism Professor at USC Annenberg focusing on emerging tech. Creator of JOVRNALISM™️ which is an award-winning, student org that producing immersive, journalism experiences. (@webjournalis...
journalists.org
September 10, 2025 at 10:25 AM
sorry to be missing celebrating in person this week but MAJOR CONGRATULATIONS to @webjournalist.bsky.social. you've shaped my experience of journalism from ONA to #wjchat. thank you for your leadership and tireless work for journalism to live up to its values.
journalists.org/profiles/rob...
journalists.org/profiles/rob...
updated COVID boosters are available now in the UK, privately. (NHS vaccines for vulnerable groups begin October 1)
source: called local pharmacy and the person who answered said they aren't even allowed to use the old boosters anymore
source: called local pharmacy and the person who answered said they aren't even allowed to use the old boosters anymore
September 10, 2025 at 9:35 AM
updated COVID boosters are available now in the UK, privately. (NHS vaccines for vulnerable groups begin October 1)
source: called local pharmacy and the person who answered said they aren't even allowed to use the old boosters anymore
source: called local pharmacy and the person who answered said they aren't even allowed to use the old boosters anymore