John McQuaid
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johnmcquaid.bsky.social
John McQuaid
@johnmcquaid.bsky.social
620 followers 510 following 690 posts
Journalist, author (Tasty, on science of flavor; Path of Destruction, on Katrina); currently PhD candidate at UMD Philip Merrill College of Journalism studying media coverage/public debates over AI risk.
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Reposted by John McQuaid
mattdpearce.com
Nuzzi vs. Lizza vs. the group chat
mattdpearce.substack.com/p/the-ecstas...
We don't dwell much on karma as a literal concept anymore. But in a democracy - in theory - media does have a correctional function. I use that word in the penal sense. When egos get too big, the lies too great, the betrayals too much to bear, media does its Big Brother act and starts applying countervailing pressure to restore things to an equilibrium. It's just that in the old days, media was magazines and newspapers; today, it's all of us who make content. Lizza's disgustingly detailed second chapter, paywalled, marked the first time I saw a lot of people maliciously infringing on an independent substacker's copyright on a mass scale via samizdat Google docs and pdfs to deny the author his expected dollars. The main characters here may be gripped incurably by mania and self-delusion and revenge, but the rest of us don't have to be. Maybe some sort of balance is coming back to bear, via pulverizing recoil.
November 24, 2025 at 3:19 PM
johnmcquaid.bsky.social
Subtext of this story by @kashhill.bsky.social and @jenvalentino.bsky.social is that while OpenAI makes technology with many effects on human psychology/behavior, decision-makers know little about these subjects/risks – until something goes wrong, forcing a response
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/t...
What OpenAI Did When ChatGPT Users Lost Touch With Reality
www.nytimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Reposted by John McQuaid
jacobharr.is
I mean, maybe as an external entity but a lot of people still in agencies and some indication that the National Design Studio is just there to provide similar cover

Judge for yourself at dogetrack.info
November 23, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Reposted by John McQuaid
tressiemcphd.bsky.social
Someone is going to have the write the thing about how “vibe” has become a substitute for meaningful theory in a world where the theory is so clear — grift and power — but we collectively refuse if because it isn’t sophisticated enough to generate make work for empiricists.
November 22, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Reposted by John McQuaid
alexanderfurnas.com
And yet elite mainstream discourse seems to be hyperfixated on how the left flank of the Democratic Party alienates people
lilymasonphd.bsky.social Lily Mason @lilymasonphd.bsky.social · 5d
Not the point of @gelliottmorris.com piece, but look at this divide among Republicans on social issues. Half of them look like normal people and the other half are way out of step with the rest of the country. There’s a bit of a mirror on the left but much smaller.
November 20, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Reposted by John McQuaid
willbunch.bsky.social
You know what media is NOT bending the knee in the Trump era? College journalists! The Harvard Crimson's brutal takedown of the lecherous ex-prez Larry Summers is just the latest example of students showing a failing 'grown-up' media how it's done

My new column www.inquirer.com/columnists/a...
College journalism exposes the rot of ‘grown-ups’ | Will Bunch Newsletter
Plus a history lesson on the real ‘Charlotte’s Web,’ and fascism,
www.inquirer.com
November 18, 2025 at 4:51 PM
johnmcquaid.bsky.social
What's striking about this account of the sandwich-throwing guy's jury deliberations is that while the source and most other jurors were clearly anti-Trump and the incident farcical and overblown, they weighed the charge and what happened seriously
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
But the biggest sticking point was whether Dunn had caused bodily harm. At one point, the jury sent a note, asking how “injury” is different from “bodily harm.” “The definition of injury isn’t just bodily harm—it’s offensive touch—and we struggled with that because we all said we’d be offended if a sandwich hit us, but then this agent was standing with about 14 other agents on the corner of 14th and U, all kitted out,” the juror told me.
November 12, 2025 at 8:02 PM
johnmcquaid.bsky.social
This piece (and the show) also say something about the whole idea of accountability journalism in the "time of no consequences" – the journalist (or truthstorian) gives up on his cherished exposé (which was more complex than he thought anyway) yet is still able to achieve a form of justice
kvanaren.bsky.social Kathryn VanArendonk @kvanaren.bsky.social · 15d
wrote an essay about the lowdown, and how it can be hard to think about drama at a time when there never seem to be consequences for bad guys, and how the lowdown offers us a way out

www.vulture.com/article/the-...
Drama in a Time of No Consequences
The Lowdown finds hope in a world where most crimes go unpunished.
www.vulture.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Reposted by John McQuaid
jedidiahcarlson.com
bro are you fucking kidding me
quote from the Economist article which says "[study authors] are now looking at whether AI facial analysis can give lenders useful clues about a person’s propensity to repay loans. For people without access to credit, that could be a blessing."
November 6, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Reposted by John McQuaid
trbrtc.bsky.social
Tomorrow's frontpage
Front page of The New York Times, dated Wednesday, November 5, 2025. The headline reads: “Mamdani Is Elected Mayor, Capping Ascent.” Sub-headline: “First Muslim to Lead the City — A Triumph for Progressives.” Large central photo shows Zohra Mamdani smiling and walking outside among supporters and press, with cameras and phones pointed toward him. He is wearing a white shirt, black blazer, and campaign button, holding papers and waving. A crowd surrounds him, some taking pictures. Caption beneath: “New York City — Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday. The Democratic mayoral nominee defeated Andrew M. Cuomo and other candidates.” On the left bottom corner, another photo shows Mikie Sherrill hugging a supporter in New Jersey after winning a governor’s race. On the right bottom corner, a photo of Abigail Spanberger clapping on stage in Virginia after her gubernatorial win. Article text highlights Mamdani’s historic election as New York City's first Muslim mayor, his progressive platform, strong support from immigrant and working-class communities, and comparisons with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, whom he defeated. Mentions national implications, turnout from South Asian and Muslim voters, his housing and social safety net policies, and broader Democratic wins nationwide. Weather and NYT slogan appear at the top; price listed as $4.00.
November 5, 2025 at 3:51 AM
johnmcquaid.bsky.social
Say what you will about the collapse of local newspapers, when they focus on an issue with this level of consistency that means it is resonating locally
carlquintanilla.bsky.social Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 24d
SNAP assistance makes Page One in Boston ..

.. Chattanooga ..

.. Palm Beach ..

.. Asbury Park, NJ.
November 1, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Reposted by John McQuaid
katie-drummond.bsky.social
Nancy Mace what’s up girl?

Insane scoop from @jakelahut.writes.news

www.wired.com/story/nancy-...
Nancy Mace Curses, Berates Confused Cops in Airport Meltdown: Police Report
At an airport in South Carolina on Thursday, representative Nancy Mace called police officers “fucking incompetent” and berated them repeatedly, according to an incident report.
www.wired.com
October 31, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Reposted by John McQuaid
semafor.com
“I’m Bill DeBlasio. I’ve always been Bill DeBlasio,” DeBlasio said in an interview conducted through his Ring doorbell on Long Island.

“I never once said I was the mayor. He never addressed me as the mayor. So I just gave him my opinion.”
British newspaper spoke to the wrong DeBlasio, not an ‘imposter’
How a Long Island vintner, with the help of ChatGPT, prompted a transatlantic journalistic debacle.
www.semafor.com
October 30, 2025 at 2:32 AM
Reposted by John McQuaid
bgrueskin.bsky.social
This colossal Times of London/de Blasio screwup gets more amazing at every turn.

Scoop via @maxtani.bsky.social

www.semafor.com/article/10/2...
Three people familiar with the situation told Semafor that Hurley reached out to an email address the reporter believed belonged to the former mayor of New York. It's unclear where he got the address, or who it actually belongs to. In a state nent shared with outlets including Semafor, a News UK spokesperson blamed the debacle on whoever that email address belongs to, saying the paper had "apologised to Bill de Biasio and removed the article immediately after discovering that our reporter had been misled by an individual falsely claiming to be the former New York mayor." Part of the push came from the top. As the New York mayor's race approaches, The Times of London has accelerated its push for more, and largely hostile, coverage of Mamdani. That campaign has been driven internally by Margi Conklin, a New York Post veteran who was most recently managing editor at The Free Press, and who assigned the de Blasio piece, per two people with knowledge of the situation.
October 30, 2025 at 1:26 AM
johnmcquaid.bsky.social
Enjoyed "A House of Dynamite" but the premise (spoiler) that the president must decide whether/how to retaliate before the actual nuclear strike, lacking any useful info, is just wrong and seems a serious problem for a film aggressively touting its own realism/credibility
www.npr.org/2025/10/24/n...
The president would have a choice the film never discusses As the clock ticks down, the U.S. president faces an impossible decision about how to respond to what looks like it will be a direct nuclear blow to Chicago. His aide carrying the football (Jonah Hauer-King), recommends a forceful counterstrike — the "well done" option, as he describes it. But in fact, the president would probably be advised to ride out the attack, Lewis said. U.S. forces are capable of launching their missiles "on warning" before an attacker's missiles arrive, but the country's nuclear doctrine actually emphasizes what's known as a "second strike" capability. That would allow it to strike back even if it were hit with a nuclear attack much larger than the one in the movie. Moreover, in the film, the U.S. is unsure who fired the warhead, so is no clear adversary to hit back at. "It made no sense to me," Lewis said. In a real-world scenario, it is more likely the president and his commanders would wait to see what happened to Chicago. (One possibility raised by several experts NPR spoke to was that the entire launch was a false alarm or spoofed as part of a cyberattack.)
October 29, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Reposted by John McQuaid
vituperativeerb.bsky.social
Has anyone actually written something on the apparently inability of the reactionary mind to grasp the basic themes and even overt text of Tolkien?

Like at some point Gandalf turns directly to camera and says “the Men of Gondor sure are insufficient to this task, we need the hobbits to do it”
polphilpod.bsky.social Toby Buckle @polphilpod.bsky.social · 27d
this is an overtly fascist narrative - even the misreading of myth & literature is on brand
October 29, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Reposted by John McQuaid
joshuabenton.com
New by me —>

Remember "Gulf of America"? Nine months later, news outlets have stuck to that other name everyone calls it

www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/nine...
Nine months later, that body of water down south is still the “Gulf of Mexico” to news outlets
Since the start of summer, "Gulf of America" has been losing what little popularity it had in newsrooms.
www.niemanlab.org
October 27, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Reposted by John McQuaid
clarajeffery.bsky.social
Trump is underwater on everything. And massively so on a lot things:
Chart showing Trump is under water on all issues Reuters/Ipsos polled on
October 26, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Reposted by John McQuaid
hypervisible.blacksky.app
It’s cool how they run with this story and headline with just a tiny bit buried deep in the article:

“All of Palisade’s scenarios were run in contrived test environments that critics say are far-removed from real-use cases.”
AI models may be developing their own ‘survival drive’, researchers say
Like 2001: A Space Odyssey’s HAL 9000, some AIs seem to resist being turned off and will even sabotage shutdown
www.theguardian.com
October 25, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Reposted by John McQuaid
walterolson.bsky.social
The basic situation of Trump petitioning for $230 million from, in effect, himself (given his idea that the U.S. Department of Justice acts as a mere extension of presidential will) of course must ring a bell for Gilbert and Sullivan fans. /1
George Grossmith playing the Lord Chancellor in Gilbert and Sullivan's Iolanthe, by "Jack" (Society, 1882)
October 22, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Reposted by John McQuaid
edeggans.bsky.social
My Substack post on the controversy at Indiana University's student newspaper, the Indiana Daily Student, where editors say school administrators are trying to censor their coverage - providing the entirely wrong example in a crucial moment for journalism. https://loom.ly/Flf8vBQ
Teaching the wrong lessons at Indiana University's Media School
How a conflict over publishing the Indiana Daily Student made this alum feel as if administrators turned their back on student journalists
open.substack.com
October 20, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Reposted by John McQuaid
joshuabenton.com
Leon Black being, for my fellow news industry nerds, the man who financed Gannett's merger with GateHouse Media, creating by far the largest U.S. newspaper chain.
davidenrich.bsky.social David Enrich @davidenrich.bsky.social · Oct 18
NEW: We obtained a trove of emails detailing Jeffrey Epstein’s relationship with the Wall Street billionaire Leon Black. The messages show Epstein demanding tens of millions of dollars from Black, insulting his children and advising on a settlement with a woman. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/b...
Money, Women and Taxes: Jeffrey Epstein’s Fiery Friendship with a Wall Street Titan
www.nytimes.com
October 19, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Reposted by John McQuaid
brianstelter.bsky.social
I scrolled through the @1stforall.bsky.social's gallery of print front pages for local coverage of "No Kings" protests. Here are some of the standout papers, starting with the Daily Sentinel of Grand Junction, Colorado:
October 19, 2025 at 2:28 PM
johnmcquaid.bsky.social
The scene near #NoKingsDC, National Gallery of Art
October 18, 2025 at 6:41 PM
johnmcquaid.bsky.social
#NoKingsDC
October 18, 2025 at 6:28 PM