Stefanie Sirén-Heikel
@mssiren.bsky.social
Doctoral/Project Researcher 🕊️@helsinkiuni.bsky.social
Inter(dis)secting #journalism #AI #sociomateriality
Big picture, middle ground, grey area. Rev2. Views mine.
Inter(dis)secting #journalism #AI #sociomateriality
Big picture, middle ground, grey area. Rev2. Views mine.
Pinned
📚Libraries are just the best. Quite thrilled that the books by @bcmerchant.bsky.social, @emilymbender.bsky.social & @alexhanna.bsky.social, and @karenhao.bsky.social are available at the Helsinki city library, all three with a wait list! 👏🏻🙌🏼 @hel.fi @kirjastoseura.bsky.social
Reposted by Stefanie Sirén-Heikel
New paper on the fatal consequences of job loss using 🇫🇮 administrative data: "For every 100,000 displaced men, there are 1,100 additional deaths. 60% accrue to the displaced worker, 40% are due to excess spousal mortality.. no such dire consequences are observed after a woman’s job loss"
November 12, 2025 at 8:55 AM
New paper on the fatal consequences of job loss using 🇫🇮 administrative data: "For every 100,000 displaced men, there are 1,100 additional deaths. 60% accrue to the displaced worker, 40% are due to excess spousal mortality.. no such dire consequences are observed after a woman’s job loss"
Today is the annual tax day in Finland when media indulge in stories about who paid the most taxes. Commentators will go on saying that Finland has one of the highest tax rates globally, often without any explanation needed. It’s a bit more complicated than that. www.euronews.com/business/202...
Personal average tax rates in Europe: Increases and cuts in 2024
The tax burden on workers, composed of income tax and social security contributions, varies widely across Europe. In 2024, this burden changed significantly in some countries, with notable rises and f...
www.euronews.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:36 AM
Today is the annual tax day in Finland when media indulge in stories about who paid the most taxes. Commentators will go on saying that Finland has one of the highest tax rates globally, often without any explanation needed. It’s a bit more complicated than that. www.euronews.com/business/202...
Reposted by Stefanie Sirén-Heikel
✨ Audiences doubt the benefits of AI-generated imagery in news are worth the risks, new study finds.
@andrewdeck.bsky.social wrote an article on our latest study in @digitaljournalism.bsky.social 🙏
w Dina Strikovic
www.niemanlab.org/2025/11/audi... @aimediademlab.bsky.social @ddc-sdu.bsky.social
@andrewdeck.bsky.social wrote an article on our latest study in @digitaljournalism.bsky.social 🙏
w Dina Strikovic
www.niemanlab.org/2025/11/audi... @aimediademlab.bsky.social @ddc-sdu.bsky.social
Audiences doubt the benefits of AI-generated imagery in news are worth the risks, new study finds
What do readers really think of AI-generated images in their news? There has been substantial research on how audiences respond to AI-generated text, but far less dedicated research on image generator...
www.niemanlab.org
November 7, 2025 at 7:56 AM
✨ Audiences doubt the benefits of AI-generated imagery in news are worth the risks, new study finds.
@andrewdeck.bsky.social wrote an article on our latest study in @digitaljournalism.bsky.social 🙏
w Dina Strikovic
www.niemanlab.org/2025/11/audi... @aimediademlab.bsky.social @ddc-sdu.bsky.social
@andrewdeck.bsky.social wrote an article on our latest study in @digitaljournalism.bsky.social 🙏
w Dina Strikovic
www.niemanlab.org/2025/11/audi... @aimediademlab.bsky.social @ddc-sdu.bsky.social
Oh my, Finland is choosing AWS for parliamentary election data. Because it’s cheaper. Love to hear thoughts from @evgenymorozov.bsky.social @alexhanna.bsky.social @eff.org @meredithmeredith.bsky.social @zephoria.bsky.social etc etc. I mean we do like to trust things.
Tämän pitäisi olla laitonta. T. pilvipalveluntarjoaja ja datakeskusoperaattori yle.fi/a/74-20191502
Seuraavat eduskuntavaalit pyörivät amerikkalaisen Amazonin palvelimilla – äänet annetaan edelleen paperilla
Ensimmäistä kertaa vaaleissa ehdokas- ja äänestäjätiedot sekä tuloslaskenta siirtyvät Suomen rajojen ulkopuolelle. Tutkija ei käyttäisi pilvipalvelua kansallisen turvallisuuden asioissa.
yle.fi
November 6, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Oh my, Finland is choosing AWS for parliamentary election data. Because it’s cheaper. Love to hear thoughts from @evgenymorozov.bsky.social @alexhanna.bsky.social @eff.org @meredithmeredith.bsky.social @zephoria.bsky.social etc etc. I mean we do like to trust things.
Tänään oli @yle.naamio.social aamussa keskustelua tekoälyn hyödyistä elinsiirroissa. Jos sellaiseen lähdetään, on opittava miten ei pidä tehdä. Esimerkkinä Iso-Britannian karut kokemukset. www.normaltech.ai/p/does-the-u...
Does the UK’s liver transplant matching algorithm systematically exclude younger patients?
Seemingly minor technical decisions can have life-or-death effects
www.normaltech.ai
November 6, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Tänään oli @yle.naamio.social aamussa keskustelua tekoälyn hyödyistä elinsiirroissa. Jos sellaiseen lähdetään, on opittava miten ei pidä tehdä. Esimerkkinä Iso-Britannian karut kokemukset. www.normaltech.ai/p/does-the-u...
Read this thread today 👇🏼
If you use any form of automation, verify verify verify. You can’t not do your job.
If you use any form of automation, verify verify verify. You can’t not do your job.
#AISlop #journalism
The Norwegian news agency published a story about a security report from Telenor, one of the largest telecommunications companies in the Nordics. But the story was full of mistakes, such as incorrectly describing threats and using the wrong name for the security director.
The Norwegian news agency published a story about a security report from Telenor, one of the largest telecommunications companies in the Nordics. But the story was full of mistakes, such as incorrectly describing threats and using the wrong name for the security director.
November 5, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Read this thread today 👇🏼
If you use any form of automation, verify verify verify. You can’t not do your job.
If you use any form of automation, verify verify verify. You can’t not do your job.
Reposted by Stefanie Sirén-Heikel
NEW: Common Crawl, the massive archiver of the web, has gotten cozy with AI companies and is providing paywalled articles for training data. They’re also lying to publishers who have asked for material to be removed. “The robots are people too,” CC’s exec director told us when we asked about this.
The Nonprofit Feeding the Entire Internet to AI Companies
Common Crawl claims to provide a public benefit, but it lies to publishers about its activities.
www.theatlantic.com
November 4, 2025 at 12:15 PM
NEW: Common Crawl, the massive archiver of the web, has gotten cozy with AI companies and is providing paywalled articles for training data. They’re also lying to publishers who have asked for material to be removed. “The robots are people too,” CC’s exec director told us when we asked about this.
Reposted by Stefanie Sirén-Heikel
Some context on Will’s post: Mitchell and Pistilli were being mass blocked not because they were “pro-AI” (they are fairly critical) but because they were falsely *labeled* as pro-AI by lazy blocklist creators. Opt out all you want — I do! But be careful about who/what you trust to filter for you.
Blocking hatemongers is one thing but this trend of using mass block lists to avoid hearing from people who might or might not hold points of view you expect to disagree with is unhealthy imo and hurts the platform.
Bluesky was better off with folks like Margaret Mitchell and Giada Pistilli on it.
Bluesky was better off with folks like Margaret Mitchell and Giada Pistilli on it.
November 4, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Some context on Will’s post: Mitchell and Pistilli were being mass blocked not because they were “pro-AI” (they are fairly critical) but because they were falsely *labeled* as pro-AI by lazy blocklist creators. Opt out all you want — I do! But be careful about who/what you trust to filter for you.
Skimming @niemanlab.org predictions for 2025, and what strikes me is the idea that people want to be active. We see this in pedagogy too, that we should activate. Students often hate it, bc it’s cognitively heavy! Sometimes we just want to sit by the 🔥and listen. www.niemanlab.org/2024/12/ai-t...
AI turns news into a conversation
"The future of news is moving beyond the written word. With AI at its core, it's conversational, spoken, interactive, responsive, and deeply personal — the very essence of meaningful human communicati...
www.niemanlab.org
November 4, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Skimming @niemanlab.org predictions for 2025, and what strikes me is the idea that people want to be active. We see this in pedagogy too, that we should activate. Students often hate it, bc it’s cognitively heavy! Sometimes we just want to sit by the 🔥and listen. www.niemanlab.org/2024/12/ai-t...
More books for the wicked! This one flew under my radar for too long.
Here is our review on Daily Kos: www.dailykos.com/stories/2024...
Written by Mark Graham (@geoplace.bsky.social), James Muldoon (@jamesmuldoon.bsky.social) and Callum Cant, it details the lives of low-wage workers, mostly women, in places like Kenya, India and the Philippines....
Written by Mark Graham (@geoplace.bsky.social), James Muldoon (@jamesmuldoon.bsky.social) and Callum Cant, it details the lives of low-wage workers, mostly women, in places like Kenya, India and the Philippines....
Nonfiction Views: The global sweatshop behind AI, plus this week's notable new nonfiction
In recent months, there has been a steady stream of books published about Artificial Intelligence, or A.I. I tend not to select these books to feature, even though I consider the issue fascinating ...
www.dailykos.com
November 4, 2025 at 9:31 AM
More books for the wicked! This one flew under my radar for too long.
Reposted by Stefanie Sirén-Heikel
Authors’ class action suit against OpenAI moves forward www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
Authors’ Class Action Lawsuit Against OpenAI Moves Ahead
A New York judge dismissed an attempt by OpenAI to throw out a class action lawsuit that consolidates suits from a number of authors charging the company with copyright infringement.
www.publishersweekly.com
October 29, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Authors’ class action suit against OpenAI moves forward www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
Reposted by Stefanie Sirén-Heikel
“In a study of some 20,000 election-related posts in the Netherlands, researchers [..] found that over 400 posts were AI-generated. The party of far-right leader Geert Wilders, the Party for Freedom (PVV), came out on top in its use of AI.” www.politico.eu/article/elec...
The week that AI deepfakes hit Europe’s elections – POLITICO
Dutch and Irish elections show voters now have to worry if the political content they consume is real.
www.politico.eu
October 31, 2025 at 7:35 AM
“In a study of some 20,000 election-related posts in the Netherlands, researchers [..] found that over 400 posts were AI-generated. The party of far-right leader Geert Wilders, the Party for Freedom (PVV), came out on top in its use of AI.” www.politico.eu/article/elec...
Rakas media, muistutuksena taas, auton alle ei jäädä. Autot ajavat päälle. www.voice.fi/ilmiot/a-240...
Alaikäinen tyttö jäi auton alle Espoossa
Henkilöauton kuljettajaa epäillään muun muassa törkeästä liikenneturvallisuuden vaarantamisesta ja törkeästä vammantuottamuksesta.
www.voice.fi
October 30, 2025 at 7:20 AM
Rakas media, muistutuksena taas, auton alle ei jäädä. Autot ajavat päälle. www.voice.fi/ilmiot/a-240...
Reposted by Stefanie Sirén-Heikel
This is sounding more and more like the Council of Nicea who meet behind closed doors and poke the chatbot until it says it feels something.
arstechnica.com/information-...
arstechnica.com/information-...
Expert panel will determine AGI arrival in new Microsoft-OpenAI agreement
New deal extends Microsoft IP rights until 2032 or until AGI arrives.
arstechnica.com
October 29, 2025 at 5:19 AM
This is sounding more and more like the Council of Nicea who meet behind closed doors and poke the chatbot until it says it feels something.
arstechnica.com/information-...
arstechnica.com/information-...
Reposted by Stefanie Sirén-Heikel
I'm not sending Wired clicks; obvious hit piece is obvious.
Expert, qualified critics of AI goonery:
@timnitgebru.bsky.social
@emilymbender.bsky.social
@abeba.bsky.social
@baldurbjarnason.com
@irisvanrooij.bsky.social
@olivia.science
@wolvendamien.bsky.social
You should follow them. Learn!
Expert, qualified critics of AI goonery:
@timnitgebru.bsky.social
@emilymbender.bsky.social
@abeba.bsky.social
@baldurbjarnason.com
@irisvanrooij.bsky.social
@olivia.science
@wolvendamien.bsky.social
You should follow them. Learn!
October 28, 2025 at 7:05 AM
I'm not sending Wired clicks; obvious hit piece is obvious.
Expert, qualified critics of AI goonery:
@timnitgebru.bsky.social
@emilymbender.bsky.social
@abeba.bsky.social
@baldurbjarnason.com
@irisvanrooij.bsky.social
@olivia.science
@wolvendamien.bsky.social
You should follow them. Learn!
Expert, qualified critics of AI goonery:
@timnitgebru.bsky.social
@emilymbender.bsky.social
@abeba.bsky.social
@baldurbjarnason.com
@irisvanrooij.bsky.social
@olivia.science
@wolvendamien.bsky.social
You should follow them. Learn!
Reposted by Stefanie Sirén-Heikel
✨ New publication: 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬' 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐀𝐈 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐯𝐬. 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭.
Especially relevant after yesterday's news of AI-generated images in political campaigns 👇
Together with Dina Strikovic (@ascor.bsky.social, @aimediademlab.bsky.social) 🧵
Especially relevant after yesterday's news of AI-generated images in political campaigns 👇
Together with Dina Strikovic (@ascor.bsky.social, @aimediademlab.bsky.social) 🧵
October 28, 2025 at 8:10 AM
✨ New publication: 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬' 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐀𝐈 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐯𝐬. 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭.
Especially relevant after yesterday's news of AI-generated images in political campaigns 👇
Together with Dina Strikovic (@ascor.bsky.social, @aimediademlab.bsky.social) 🧵
Especially relevant after yesterday's news of AI-generated images in political campaigns 👇
Together with Dina Strikovic (@ascor.bsky.social, @aimediademlab.bsky.social) 🧵
Reposted by Stefanie Sirén-Heikel
The question isn’t "why does Signal use AWS?" It’s to look at the infrastructural requirements of any global, real-time, mass comms platform and ask how it is that we got to a place where there’s no realistic alternative to AWS and the other hyperscalers. 3/
October 27, 2025 at 10:38 AM
The question isn’t "why does Signal use AWS?" It’s to look at the infrastructural requirements of any global, real-time, mass comms platform and ask how it is that we got to a place where there’s no realistic alternative to AWS and the other hyperscalers. 3/
Reposted by Stefanie Sirén-Heikel
Today's wikipedia page (their traffic is down due to people using LLM chatbots boo) is the history of paper, because your Sunday scaries might require an absorbing distraction.
Fun fact: US letter size is related to Dutch papermakers having a 44" arm span.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History...
Fun fact: US letter size is related to Dutch papermakers having a 44" arm span.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History...
History of paper - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
October 27, 2025 at 5:11 AM
Today's wikipedia page (their traffic is down due to people using LLM chatbots boo) is the history of paper, because your Sunday scaries might require an absorbing distraction.
Fun fact: US letter size is related to Dutch papermakers having a 44" arm span.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History...
Fun fact: US letter size is related to Dutch papermakers having a 44" arm span.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History...
Universities need independence, and that means independent funding for basic research. Companies are reluctant to produce research critical of their own products. Important 🧵
1. We ( @jbakcoleman.bsky.social, @cailinmeister.bsky.social, @jevinwest.bsky.social, and I) have a new preprint up on the arXiv.
There we explore how social media companies and other online information technology firms are able to manipulate scientific research about the effects of their products.
There we explore how social media companies and other online information technology firms are able to manipulate scientific research about the effects of their products.
October 24, 2025 at 5:30 AM
Universities need independence, and that means independent funding for basic research. Companies are reluctant to produce research critical of their own products. Important 🧵
Reposted by Stefanie Sirén-Heikel
I just received an email informing us about safety measures to take when traveling. Five years ago, I would not have imagined seeing these countries named together:
"Countries classified as high risk in terms of knowledge security are: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and the United States."
"Countries classified as high risk in terms of knowledge security are: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and the United States."
October 23, 2025 at 8:56 AM
I just received an email informing us about safety measures to take when traveling. Five years ago, I would not have imagined seeing these countries named together:
"Countries classified as high risk in terms of knowledge security are: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and the United States."
"Countries classified as high risk in terms of knowledge security are: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and the United States."
Just a kind reminder. It can turn Miss Minutes on you.
As seen in the release notes of ChatGPT Atlas. Cool cool cool
October 22, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Just a kind reminder. It can turn Miss Minutes on you.
It’s crucial that people are given the knowledge that they *have to verify* all information they get from assistants. This can be a boon for journalism, if harnessed the right way.
22 news organizations, including BBC, just released damning research on AI assistants' news accuracy.
Results: across 4 LLMS, 45% of responses contained
at least one significant issue of any type. Sourcing is the single
biggest cause of significant issues (31%) 🤐🤐
www.ebu.ch/Report/MIS-B...
Results: across 4 LLMS, 45% of responses contained
at least one significant issue of any type. Sourcing is the single
biggest cause of significant issues (31%) 🤐🤐
www.ebu.ch/Report/MIS-B...
October 22, 2025 at 5:45 AM
It’s crucial that people are given the knowledge that they *have to verify* all information they get from assistants. This can be a boon for journalism, if harnessed the right way.
Here it is, with compliments from the @hulib.bsky.social. 💎let’s see!
October 21, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Here it is, with compliments from the @hulib.bsky.social. 💎let’s see!
This is such idiocy I don’t even know where to start. When there is information vacuum, it will be filled with all sorts of random misinfo. Kids deserve knowledge on the functioning of their bodies. If the govt won’t allow it, we need NGOs providing reliable, accessible knowledge in Italian.
Italia kieltää kokonaan seksuaalikasvatuksen yläasteella. Lukiossakin opetusta voi saada vain vanhempien erillisellä luvalla.
Jälleen yksi esimerkki siitä, millaiseen pimeyteen eurooppalainen valtio voi vajota, kun äänestää äärioikeiston valtaan.
Jälleen yksi esimerkki siitä, millaiseen pimeyteen eurooppalainen valtio voi vajota, kun äänestää äärioikeiston valtaan.
Italy moves to restrict sex education amid growing feminicide outrage | Euractiv
Italy is one of the few EU countries without compulsory sex education
www.euractiv.com
October 20, 2025 at 7:42 AM
This is such idiocy I don’t even know where to start. When there is information vacuum, it will be filled with all sorts of random misinfo. Kids deserve knowledge on the functioning of their bodies. If the govt won’t allow it, we need NGOs providing reliable, accessible knowledge in Italian.
Reposted by Stefanie Sirén-Heikel
So much of what's on display at the Vienna City Museum doesn't read like it's history.
If you have been paying attention... "Never again" is happening again. #NoKings
If you have been paying attention... "Never again" is happening again. #NoKings
October 19, 2025 at 4:09 PM
So much of what's on display at the Vienna City Museum doesn't read like it's history.
If you have been paying attention... "Never again" is happening again. #NoKings
If you have been paying attention... "Never again" is happening again. #NoKings