Andrew Losowsky
@losowsky.com
Community, trust & safety, journalism, tea. Posts are ephemeral.
www.losowsky.com
www.losowsky.com
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Andrew Losowsky
@losowsky.com
· Sep 12
Impact Award - Online Journalism Awards
The Impact Award honors a trailblazing individual whose work in digital journalism and dedication to innovation exhibits a substantial impact on the industry, regardless of their tenure in…
awards.journalists.org
When I learned that I had been chosen for ONA’s Impact Award this year (awards.journalists.org/awards/impac...), for centering community voices, my first response was to think of at least a dozen others they could have also chosen.
TIL this is their annual tradition and I think it’s amazing
This week’s cover story: Our notes of gratitude to the community advocates, health care workers and others who make Nashville special.
Hey, Thanks: The Scene’s Letters of Appreciation 2025
Our notes of gratitude to the community advocates, health care workers and others who make Nashville special
www.nashvillescene.com
December 2, 2025 at 12:08 PM
TIL this is their annual tradition and I think it’s amazing
This sounds incredible
Here's a #Shedvent gift for you: it's the recipe for Guy's xocolatl spice powder, from VIANNE... www.joanne-harris.co.uk/news/decembe...
December in the Shed… | Joanne Harris
www.joanne-harris.co.uk
December 2, 2025 at 11:49 AM
This sounds incredible
KOSA is the anti-free Internet bill that will stifle speech, endanger LGBTA+ content online, and will not die
Congress is attempting to fast track KOSA and more than a dozen bills that would restrict internet access, censor speech and increase surveillance under the guise of protecting children.
Committee hearings begin tomorrow.
Committee hearings begin tomorrow.
Lawmakers to consider 19 bills for childproofing the internet
KOSA is back, along with more than a dozen other bills that will erode free speech and privacy in the name of protecting kids.
reason.com
December 2, 2025 at 11:47 AM
KOSA is the anti-free Internet bill that will stifle speech, endanger LGBTA+ content online, and will not die
Reposted by Andrew Losowsky
Just imagining how much better it would be if ALL news stories about vaccine-preventable illnesses were illustrated with pictures of people with the disease, not pictures of needle injections. If you must show something that people will find scary & unpleasant, make it the disease, not the cure.
I'm so tired of measles.
I'm also tired of people using needle shots on stories like this.
Show what measles looks like.
I'm also tired of people using needle shots on stories like this.
Show what measles looks like.
Gallatin Co. reports 2nd measles case, warns of exposure sites nbcmontana.com/news/local/g...
December 2, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Just imagining how much better it would be if ALL news stories about vaccine-preventable illnesses were illustrated with pictures of people with the disease, not pictures of needle injections. If you must show something that people will find scary & unpleasant, make it the disease, not the cure.
A thread for anyone who believes that AI can replace human moderators
December 2, 2025 at 3:39 AM
A thread for anyone who believes that AI can replace human moderators
Reposted by Andrew Losowsky
Every prompt to chatbot software is “generate me some text.” If it generated you some text, it performed its function correctly. It never lies, it never wants anything, it’s text generating software that generates text.
Not wanting to disappoint you so much that it lies is the last quality I want in a computer.
November 28, 2025 at 3:25 AM
Every prompt to chatbot software is “generate me some text.” If it generated you some text, it performed its function correctly. It never lies, it never wants anything, it’s text generating software that generates text.
Reposted by Andrew Losowsky
"There is no Substack or interactive website... We want people to hold it, touch it + seek it out... That physicality gives the work its value, adding presence to information, relationships + the neighborhood itself. This is active engagement with your neighborhood + your neighbors."
November 25, 2025 at 10:08 PM
"There is no Substack or interactive website... We want people to hold it, touch it + seek it out... That physicality gives the work its value, adding presence to information, relationships + the neighborhood itself. This is active engagement with your neighborhood + your neighbors."
Reposted by Andrew Losowsky
POLL: Does Microsoft understand consent?
- Yes
- Ask me again in three days
- Yes
- Ask me again in three days
November 14, 2025 at 1:11 PM
POLL: Does Microsoft understand consent?
- Yes
- Ask me again in three days
- Yes
- Ask me again in three days
Reposted by Andrew Losowsky
Help us send 2,000 books to readers who are incarcerated this winter through our Books Not Bars program
Books Not Bars 2025 Holiday Campaign
BOOKS NOT BARS FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Haymarket Books is committed to making our books available for free to people who are incarcerated.
In an effort to support those inside who are dealing with the imm...
haymarketbooks.app.neoncrm.com
November 23, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Help us send 2,000 books to readers who are incarcerated this winter through our Books Not Bars program
Almost anyone would be susceptible to online radicalization in the right circumstances. Good thread as a reminder
It's not a framing exclusive to Wired, a lot of reporting in the area has the implicit assumption that only certain people are susceptible/only certain groups do the indoctrination, and a site removing those people/groups will make it Safe Forever because they got rid of the people who are Wrong
November 23, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Almost anyone would be susceptible to online radicalization in the right circumstances. Good thread as a reminder
I used to secretly buy this as a kid and hide it from my parents. It taught me the subversive power of print at an early age
OINK! (1986): Brilliantly subversive kid's comic which featured strips from Charlie Brooker, Tony Husband, Frank Sidebottom, and Marc 'Lard' Riley. Caused a proper stink at the time; WH Smith eventually moved it to the top shelf!
November 23, 2025 at 2:03 PM
I used to secretly buy this as a kid and hide it from my parents. It taught me the subversive power of print at an early age
Reposted by Andrew Losowsky
Huge amounts of the focus on misinformation/disinformation goes on the idea of things like “Russian bots” and “Russian influence ops”.
That’s the 1% bit of the iceberg. The 99% is people doing it to turn a profit, because it’s easy money. And the platforms largely ignore it because they get a cut.
That’s the 1% bit of the iceberg. The 99% is people doing it to turn a profit, because it’s easy money. And the platforms largely ignore it because they get a cut.
13k comments on one tweet is a massive payout. All of the tweets follow a certain formula, so the content is likely automated using AI technology (e.g., AI generated images and text). Basically running it as a money printing machine. But for those in the US, it translates to low simmering rage.
November 23, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Huge amounts of the focus on misinformation/disinformation goes on the idea of things like “Russian bots” and “Russian influence ops”.
That’s the 1% bit of the iceberg. The 99% is people doing it to turn a profit, because it’s easy money. And the platforms largely ignore it because they get a cut.
That’s the 1% bit of the iceberg. The 99% is people doing it to turn a profit, because it’s easy money. And the platforms largely ignore it because they get a cut.
Reposted by Andrew Losowsky
When pregnant woman boarded a subway car, 38% of the time someone offered her a seat. If someone dressed as Batman was also in the car it rose to 68%.
phys.org/news/2025-11...
phys.org/news/2025-11...
The Batman effect: The mere sight of the 'superhero' can make us more altruistic
If "Batman" appears on the scene, we immediately become more altruistic: in fact, research conducted by psychologists from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, shows that the sudden appear...
phys.org
November 21, 2025 at 4:34 PM
When pregnant woman boarded a subway car, 38% of the time someone offered her a seat. If someone dressed as Batman was also in the car it rose to 68%.
phys.org/news/2025-11...
phys.org/news/2025-11...
Reposted by Andrew Losowsky
COYOTE’s service journalism will always be free to read, including today’s guide to helping someone who might be overdosing.
Anyone can reverse an overdose, and we should all know how. Naloxone is a social intervention; while our public health systems are woefully inadequate, and the war on drugs continues unchecked, we can empower ourselves and one another to step up.
✍️: @nuala.bsky.social
📸: @estefancy.bsky.social
✍️: @nuala.bsky.social
📸: @estefancy.bsky.social
COYOTE First Aid Kit: How to Compassionately Respond to an Overdose
Naloxone, rescue breathing, and 911: Learn the do's, don'ts, and best practices for reversing an overdose.
www.coyotemedia.org
November 19, 2025 at 5:41 PM
COYOTE’s service journalism will always be free to read, including today’s guide to helping someone who might be overdosing.
Reposted by Andrew Losowsky
Happening tomorrow: Join the Lenfest Communities of Practice for 2 webinars ⬇️
1. Don’t let valuable audience research sit on the shelf! Ariel Zirulnick joins the Lenfest Audience Community at 2 p.m. EST / 11 a.m. PST to share how orgs can use audience data to inform product & editorial strategy:
1. Don’t let valuable audience research sit on the shelf! Ariel Zirulnick joins the Lenfest Audience Community at 2 p.m. EST / 11 a.m. PST to share how orgs can use audience data to inform product & editorial strategy:
Audience Community: Operationalizing audience insights
Ariel Zirulnick joins the Lenfest Audience Community on Nov. 20 to discuss using audience data to inform product and editorial strategy.
www.lenfestinstitute.org
November 19, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Happening tomorrow: Join the Lenfest Communities of Practice for 2 webinars ⬇️
1. Don’t let valuable audience research sit on the shelf! Ariel Zirulnick joins the Lenfest Audience Community at 2 p.m. EST / 11 a.m. PST to share how orgs can use audience data to inform product & editorial strategy:
1. Don’t let valuable audience research sit on the shelf! Ariel Zirulnick joins the Lenfest Audience Community at 2 p.m. EST / 11 a.m. PST to share how orgs can use audience data to inform product & editorial strategy:
Reposted by Andrew Losowsky
man we should bring back the pamphlet
Hey historians 🗃️: Do you know of presses that publish short books (around 30K words / 90 pages plus notes)? I have been working on an article project that could easily turn into an great micro-history of that length, but I'm not sure it would make it to the usual full 60-90K words...
November 19, 2025 at 3:48 AM
man we should bring back the pamphlet
Reposted by Andrew Losowsky
Chicago has had one 9/11 worth of people disappeared since the attacks began in September. Los Angeles has had two 9/11s since June.
November 18, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Chicago has had one 9/11 worth of people disappeared since the attacks began in September. Los Angeles has had two 9/11s since June.
Reposted by Andrew Losowsky
Over 20,000 students stayed home from school Monday in Charlotte amid ICE raids, representing 15% of enrollment
The district is nearly one-third Hispanic, per WBTV
www.wbtv.com/2025/11/18/n...
The district is nearly one-third Hispanic, per WBTV
www.wbtv.com/2025/11/18/n...
Nearly 21,000 Charlotte-Mecklenburg students absent from school on Monday, officials say
Officials did not make it clear if the absences were connected to the on-going immigration operation in the city.
www.wbtv.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Over 20,000 students stayed home from school Monday in Charlotte amid ICE raids, representing 15% of enrollment
The district is nearly one-third Hispanic, per WBTV
www.wbtv.com/2025/11/18/n...
The district is nearly one-third Hispanic, per WBTV
www.wbtv.com/2025/11/18/n...
Reposted by Andrew Losowsky
Your Data Will Be Used Against You.
www.theverge.com/2024/9/24/24...
www.theverge.com/2024/9/24/24...
Don’t ever hand your phone to the cops
Even if you’ve got nothing to hide.
www.theverge.com
November 13, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Your Data Will Be Used Against You.
www.theverge.com/2024/9/24/24...
www.theverge.com/2024/9/24/24...
Reposted by Andrew Losowsky
Thomson Reuters, has a Foundation, focuses on press freedom, funds research, runs a ‘Trust’ conference …and also uses a data brokerage business that helps ICE boost its surveillance capabilities
The Reuters company is also one of the nation’s largest data brokers and they’re yet another corporation exploiting America’s lack of data privacy laws to power ICE surveillance.
This App Lets ICE Track Vehicles and Owners Across the Country
Material viewed by 404 Media shows data giant Thomson Reuters enriches license plate data with marriage, voter, and ownership records. The tool can predict where a car may be in the future.
www.404media.co
November 17, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Thomson Reuters, has a Foundation, focuses on press freedom, funds research, runs a ‘Trust’ conference …and also uses a data brokerage business that helps ICE boost its surveillance capabilities
Reposted by Andrew Losowsky
those of us laid off from Teen Vogue were really fortunate to complete our fundraising goal — the laid-off staffers at VIBE deserve the same support, as Black media outlets and journalists continue to be targeted and discriminated against in “austerity” measures
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 15, 2025 at 4:38 PM
those of us laid off from Teen Vogue were really fortunate to complete our fundraising goal — the laid-off staffers at VIBE deserve the same support, as Black media outlets and journalists continue to be targeted and discriminated against in “austerity” measures
I learned so much from Alice’s writing and her spirit 💔
“Don’t let the bastards grind you down. I love you all.”
November 15, 2025 at 4:02 PM
I learned so much from Alice’s writing and her spirit 💔
Rahaeli is always an essential read every time a moderation controversy occurs. Anyone who thinks it would be easy to create and enforce moderation policies has never worked in the field
There is a very good reason why the thing I say most consistently about situations like this is "the violent rhetoric policy is my least favorite policy to write and enforce, and the policy that creates the most upheaval among the userbase when it is applied"!
"bluesky will suspend you for anything vaguely resembling a death threat" is maybe the single most consistent moderation policy they have I don't know why anyone is surprised by this one
yes, even if it's a reference to song lyrics
yes, even if it's a reference to song lyrics
November 15, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Rahaeli is always an essential read every time a moderation controversy occurs. Anyone who thinks it would be easy to create and enforce moderation policies has never worked in the field
Reposted by Andrew Losowsky
hey folks, if you want to be on a platform where there are so many people that all your friends are on here, you’re going to have to understand that moderation needs to happen at a scale that it doesn’t care about the context of johnny cash’s catalog
The account owner of @sarahkendzior.bsky.social was suspended for 72 hours for expressing a desire to shoot the author of an article. The post, made 11/10, stated: "I want to shoot the author of this article just to watch him die." 1/2
November 12, 2025 at 7:50 PM
hey folks, if you want to be on a platform where there are so many people that all your friends are on here, you’re going to have to understand that moderation needs to happen at a scale that it doesn’t care about the context of johnny cash’s catalog
Reposted by Andrew Losowsky
I think this is very helpful to know!
We can’t do it currently cause of infra limitations. Ie each notification is a manual email right now and can’t include screenshots etc… that’s shifting to a new system. Hopefully in the new year. Until then users can write in and we send them back the text of their infraction for individual posts.
November 11, 2025 at 5:41 PM
I think this is very helpful to know!