Thrilled to announce that I’ve joined the magazine that I’ve been fangirling over!
@newlinesmag
is one of my favorite new outlets — and in my mind, the future of international longform.
Editors / writers who are actually *from* the places they report on.
Step aside, NYT
Believe me or not
But I feel shame for just being a photographer who documents
I wish I could do more than just documenting and talking about it.
Be the one who stop this genocide
Just a week after a 68-year-old Sikh was beaten to death, an elderly Sikh man has been attacked again in a New York hate crime.
Last weekend three men assaulted Lakhvir Singh (50) whilst he was stopped in traffic in Manhattan in his
@Uber
, telling him "go back to your country".
1. I literally don’t even know who the
@nytimes
is for. Canceling my subscription, finally
If you want accurate coverage of Israel / Palestine + the Middle East at large, I recommend the following outlets:
Israeli officers have sodomized Palestinian prisoners to death at Sde Teiman desert concentration camp, after kidnapping them in Gaza
According to a leaked UN report, one prisoner said interrogators “made me sit on something like a hot metal stick and it felt like fire,” and
Eight children, one husband, hundreds of acres beneath the enormous skies of the American west – and millions of social media followers. I spent the day with "trad wife" Hannah Neeleman, or Ballerina Farm, to figure out what all the fuss was about
1. 🧵 Some legacy outlets truly don’t understand how they are overwhelmingly losing audience and trust — when unfiltered images from on-the-ground journalists are showing the world a very different story.
More than at any other time — I’m finally realizing that the world is simply divided into people that care about others, and those who don’t — but don’t want to be shamed for it
More than 1400 journalists have now signed this letter. I am one of them.
I know folks are worried about blacklisting.
As an American female journalist who was targeted and sexually assaulted in a conflict zone — I would be proud to be blacklisted by any media institution
If you feel nauseous even trying to work today, you’re not alone. We are social animals, and trying to fathom the mass extermination of children over coffee and emails is not normal
I think many GenZ folks are seeing, for the first time, the horrors of the American empire. Except — it’s being live-streamed straight to their phones. Media that denies what’s happening will simply lose them. There’s no going back from this.
I did this documentary on
@KillerMartinis
in 2020, when a cop shot her in the eye with a foam bullet. That “nonlethal” bullet has caused so much trauma to her frontal brain that she’s dying. I can’t stop crying
On May 30, journalist Linda Tirado was taking photographs of the Black Lives Matter protest in Minneapolis when she was shot and blinded by a foam bullet. She believes the police officer in one of her photos is responsible.
Motaz is 24. Bisan is 25.
These are the ages of the Palestinian journalists who have risked their lives to show the world what’s been happening on the ground — and now they’re afraid they will die. Shame on us.
The latest posts from Motaz, Bisan, Ismail Jood and more Palestinian journalists are heartbreaking. They have lost any hope of surviving.
They have done everything they could just to share what's happening with us while trying to survive a genocide. I have no words.
1. 🧵 Three years ago, when I reported on culture, I tried to humanize Palestinian voices by pitching video stories about Palestinian artists. All five pitches were rejected in a row
1. 🧵 So, I’m going to name and shame some journalism plagiarism — starting with work stolen from my current outlet,
@newlinesmag
In May 2021 — we ran a feature on Arab Divas.
@nytimes
ran a nearly identical piece in July, complete with the same photos
It’s really, really hard to teach journalism students about plagiarism when I’m seeing adult journalists (often at large pubs) blatantly stealing from smaller pubs. I’m keeping a list — thinking of naming and shaming
Journalists in Gaza are posting that they’re sure they’re going to die and I’m wondering why my colleagues in American journalism are silent. This is a stain on all of our collective consciences.
Hey
@columbiajourn
, alum here.
As a South Asian journalist— it is *not racist* to be strongly against Hindutva — the Hindu Nationalist movement that strongly resembles Zionism. (Kashmir is our Palestine.)
Conflating South Asians with Hindutva — however — is. Why doesn’t the
Columbia University will now mandate that all new students and faculty go through an orientation that states anti-Zionism is antisemitism.
The plan, which was not announced in any direct communications by Columbia, was revealed by an Israeli newspaper article. -
@theintercept
The attempt to silence the legendary writer Arundhati Roy from India must be condemned by all free speech advocates. She has done nothing wrong. She is an intellectual and moral giant.
Dear journalists, please remember that politicians and military personnel lie. Your job is to literally figure that out. Can’t believe that
@CNN
ran this “list of terrorists” without running it through an Arabic interpreter to confirm. It’s literally a calendar. Embarrassing
2.
@972mag
. A nonprofit newsroom owned + run by a group of Palestinian + Israeli journalists — you’ll see excellent investigative + on-the-ground reporting
Meet as journalist work frenemies. Be ruthlessly competitive. Drive your boss nuts until he makes you pair up as a reporting team. Fall in love. Leave for a new newsroom. Listen to the sound of your boss laughing for 15 minutes straight when he finds out
So the
@WSJ
— the same paper that called Dearborn “America’s Jihad capital” — just admitted that their evidence for claiming that UNRWA was linked to Hamas were pretty much based on vibes. This led to UNRWA’s defunding
The journalistic standards at play are nonexistent
🟡 SCOOP: In January, The Wall Street Journal made an explosive claim about UNRWA.
Months later, the top editor overseeing standards privately made an admission: The paper didn’t know — and still doesn’t know — whether it was true,
@maxwelltani
reports.
This is how civilians are being mentally shattered in Gaza.
by Israel's own admission the majority of those they humiliate and strip down to their underwear in this fashion end up being released for having no association with Hamas.
Think about that.
As a woman of color, I’ve had both liberal and conservative friends, and ironically I sometimes find liberals more frustrating. Conservatives will admit to their biases and you can confront them directly. Liberals will secretly hold biases, and then gaslight you about it
2. 🧵 These legacies are also massively underestimating the media literacy of their readers — who are noting misleading headlines, framing, and use of passive voice in real time
Hi — I have a bombshell investigative piece I can’t report on because of a personal connection to one of the sources. It’s a very Vanity Fair Twin Flames-esque story about an internet wellness cult, women allegedly sexually assaulted under ketamine “therapy” — and forced labor
Yes, most journalists of color have seen this in the
@nytimes
. Unscientific, bigoted, and also just really awful writing. Curious to know how many editors signed off on this
Hello! PSA for any trolls sending me threatening messages due to my support for a free press. I am, in fact, a tech / investigative journalist — and can track your IP even if you’re anonymous. Please keep that in mind when you harass female journalists of color on the internet,
I was looking for coverage on Yazan al-Kafarneh — this ten-year-old boy with cerebral palsy who died today as a result of starvation. I’ve seen a range of ways it’s been covered:
@HuffPost
for example put the graphic images at the bottom, but did include them.
Hello — a fun note. If you email me threatening messages (to my personal) please note that I’m a tech journalist and no, you’re not anonymous. I can track your IP + report you for harassment.
(I also stand by what I said. The folks at
@AJEnglish
are excellent reporters — and
4.
@ajplus
. The younger, multimedia-focused arm of
@AJEnglish
— you’ve probably seen
@ajplus
videos on your social feed. Partly funded by the Government of Qatar (in the same way that the BBC is funded by the British taxpayer)
@ajplus
excels at platforming citizen journalists,
@972mag
3.
@newlinesmag
. Headquartered in DC, New Lines has become one of my favorite new outlets, in part because the editorial staff are actually deeply familiar (and often from) the regions they cover. The essays and reportage also offer smart, informed historical context — without
Some media tea: just found out that a former outlet I worked at isn’t just abandoning Palestine coverage — they’re abandoning Trans coverage, too. To placate advertisers.
3. 🧵 Among the stories I pitched was one about a Palestinian skateboarder who taught Palestinian kids to skateboard all over the bombed-out ruins of buildings in Gaza
I’m curious. Does the news industry:
1. Prevent Black reporters from reporting on BLM
2. Prevent women from reporting on
#metoo
3. Prevent Indigenous reporters from reporting on Standing Rock / etc
4. Prevent LGBTQ+ folks from reporting on LGBTQ+ issues
Why are Palestinian
I was working
@nytimes
on The Daily in May 2021 when Israel began another deadly bombing of Gaza
While recording the show, I pushed back, called out the wishy washy pro-Israeli slant. In response, an editor outright said “you shouldn’t work on this bc you’re Palestinian” 🧵
6. 🧵 Today I realized, with a heavy heart, that our WhatsApp group had gone cold. This amazing young Palestinian man who was so joyful, so skilled, so generous with his time — could be gone.
6.
@MiddleEastEye
. Headquartered in London, Middle East Eye relies on a network of foreign correspondents instead of “parachute” journalists. For this reason — they excel at smart, breaking news.
4. 🧵 I did everything I could to make this story happen — lining up interviews. Reporting on the weekends. At odd hours. Securing videographers in Gaza. I had to tell this story — it was so beautiful to see someone make art and joy out of so much destruction.
5.
@Mondoweiss
. Originally a blog started by journalist Philip Weiss, Mondoweiss gained traction in the progressive Jewish community. They excel at powerful op-Eds and commentary, shorter news pieces about American foreign policy, and the current struggle for Palestinian human
Do I have any media reporter friends? I’ve been able to oversee an unbelievable investigative podcast from a 19-year-old Indigenous student journalist — it’s the best thing I’ve edited all year. I would love for her to get some coverage
5. 🧵 Disproportionately firing reporters of color (many of whom are *the only link* to other communities) is also extremely, extremely unwise when you’re trying to build both audience and trust. Especially with the changing demographics of the U.S.
I’m really alarmed. More and more of my BIPOC colleagues in journalism are getting laid off — disproportionately to their white counterparts. We are already underrepresented in newsrooms, and this needs to become a National conversation. We cannot go backwards
10. 🧵 The burn-out that so many of us BIPOC reporters are feeling is rooted in disillusionment of western journalism itself — something that we’ve made countless sacrifices for. I don’t know how many of us will come back from this
@WriteandEnlight
It’s a fierce editorial debate — but many conflict photojournalists would disagree with you. We didn’t have the ability to censor images of the Mai L’ai massacre for ex — and those images changed the way we looked at the Vietnam War.
7. 🧵 If content creators are beating legacy outlets — maybe let’s note that a) creators are younger b) more likely to be diverse and c) most importantly — more trusted, especially by GenZ
I have a friend who is being disciplined in her newsroom for pushing for human rights coverage right now. She’s one of the best reporters I’ve ever met. I would love to help her find a new place to write. DM me
My DM’s are currently full of journalists of color telling me about how they’ve been plagiarized, and full of white journalists who don’t agree with my definition of plagiarism
11. 🧵 The point of human rights / justice reporting is to humanize those who have been dehumanized. Not being able to do that feels like the biggest betrayal imaginable
7. 🧵 I left this particular place after this experience, and ironically after winning a human rights reporting award. Which didn’t feel right to accept
8. 🧵 That newsroom has since changed course. I’m thinking that it’s possible that maybe those of us that fought for change (and were all WOC reporters by the way) had something to do with it. But it’s too late.
7.
@PalStudies
is a publisher of three academic journals — the Journal of Palestine Studies, Jerusalem Quarterly, and Majallat Al-Diraset. Highly recommend for academic sourcing and accurate historical context.
It says so much that the writers being forced out of the NYT for signing a letter are Black and Trans. That literally tells you everything you need to know
In their first broadcast interview since being forced out of
@NYTmag
for signing an open letter condemning Israel's siege on Gaza, award-winning writers
@jazzedloon
and
@jamiekeiles
speak out about their decisions to leave the publication.
10. 🧵 I’m tired of seeing misinformation, poor framing, killed stories, lazy reporting, and unfair working conditions for young and diverse reporters who could help save our industry. We can do better than this.
Hello! As a public service, does anyone want the recipe for *real* chai — not the gross Starbucks version?
For everyone who needs a fix, here’s my recipe from Nepal, with notes:
Being a journalist means being critical of U.S. foreign policy. It means standing up for the free press everywhere in the world. Without it, democracy crumbles
8. 🧵 Truth, trust, and fair reporting is literally the journalism business model. Remember. It’s a business. If we can’t deliver on that — we have in fact hit market failure.
9. 🧵 I write this as a plea to journalism outlets, to management. Think about how your coverage is going to be perceived *five years from now.* Think shout your staff, especially your younger and more diverse staff. *Listen to them.* It’s called futureproofing.
It’s really, really hard to teach journalism students about plagiarism when I’m seeing adult journalists (often at large pubs) blatantly stealing from smaller pubs. I’m keeping a list — thinking of naming and shaming
The biggest difference between now and then: we have technology, we have phones, and we can see US-sponsored violence in real time. The cognitive dissonance that we feel from seeing the difference between US media’s sanitized language and the graphic images on our phones may
56 years ago today was the My Lai massacre, which was the mass murder of hundreds of unarmed civilians in South Vietnam by US forces. Women and children were gang-raped before being mutilated. It was initially reported by the US military as a "day-long battle" against Communists.
One of the best-written, most searing firsthand accounts I’ve read in a Western news outlet about the unspeakable horrors in a Gazan hospital, written by two American trauma surgeons:
@mperlmuttermd
and
@FerozeSidhwa
These trauma surgeons thought they’d seen the worst of the worst. But nothing they’d experienced prepared them for the horrors they found in Gaza, as civilians and children suffer under Israel’s bombing campaign.
Two weeks inside a Gaza hospital👇
@HuffPost
@MiddleEastEye
I’m seeing that
@reuters
has also written about children starving in Gaza, although I don’t see any mentions of Yazan. This is the thumb chosen:
8. 🧵 But when white publications *fire their writers and journalists of color* and then blatantly steal stories and ideas from publications that have staff of color — something starts to feel very wrong
From my journo group chats: there’s about to be an exodus of BIPOC journalists leaving legacy white publications for up-and-coming pubs that are focusing on underserved communities. These pubs are disrupters, and have managed to become profitable through a hard paywall.
Just like not all Hindu students identify with Hindutva, (and in fact that conflation is likely to make Hindu students less safe) I can imagine that not all Jewish students were consulted about this either. Religious communities are not monoliths
I was also told, by many journalism professors— that speaking out about being an assault survivor could prevent me from being hired. I graduated the year Kim Wall was hacked into pieces. I did not stay silent then. And I will not stay silent now.
For everyone who forgets what our job is as journalists: it’s literally to spill tea, not to be liked.
Don’t stop telling the truth. It’s our one job.
And please — stop calling journalism “content.” It’s not.
YUP.
Key point — “when their racism is challenged.”
I’ve grown up in liberal white academic spaces my whole life (I’m also half-white) and — I’ve learned that white liberal folks are more afraid of *appearing* racist than *being* racist
Key point— when was the last time
White academics see themselves as better than corporate types, partly because they see themselves as liberal/left. It means they are more vicious when their racism is challenged. A racialised person who speak up is comprehensively isolated and punished (speaking from experience)