1. 🧵 “I thought you were one of us.”

“I’m not. My parents work in Hollywood, but we’re middle-class.”

That’s how one of my friendships — with another journalist from Columbia journalism — ended several years ago. 2. 🧵 Before I tell you why that’s important, I want to rewind.

I’ll preface this: My family isn’t rich, but I grew up around some of the wealthiest people in the U.S. my entire life.

I was at lunch with a friend in Brooklyn, and she brought up the ICC’s ruling — genocide. Two people immediately came up to us, interrupted, and publicly admonished us for using “the incorrect G-word.”

My friend immediately shot back …

https://twitter.com/rrrrnessa/status/1894119494852759683

“Actually,” she said, “I have a Master’s in Middle East studies. My family is from Egypt. I’m very educated.”

The two people, now irate, pushed further.

“It is not a genocide, that is propaganda and you have been misinformed.”

Unbelievable

Germany is the entire reason the ICC was created to begin with

Imagine being on the wrong side of history twice

https://twitter.com/ragipsoylu/status/1859913219764293800

Obviously I should also mention Namibia 🇳🇦

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

https://twitter.com/TulikaBose_/status/1833535224732651687

2. 🧵 On November 9th, 2021 — we ran a feature about how Agatha Christie did some real-life archaeology in Egypt. It wasn’t long before @smithsonian ripped this article, too — in February of the next year.

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: 2. @972mag. A nonprofit newsroom owned + run by a group of Palestinian + Israeli journalists — you’ll see excellent investigative + on-the-ground reporting

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:

https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1804183266888425765

1. One of the most important things that sets good chai apart — (which translates to tea) is using fresh, whole spices. (If you want to be lazy, you can also get a masala chai spice mix from your local Indian store.) There are many different variations across South Asia. Here’s mine:

1. 2-3 cardamom pods, crushed (sub 1/2 teaspoon ground)
2. 1 cinnamon stick, smashed (sub 1/2 teaspoon ground)
3. 4 cloves, smashed (sub 1/4 teaspoon, ground)
4. 2 teaspoons grated ginger (fresh is best)

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 I know a group of women who are willing to go on the record, there’s a police report, and a possible lawsuit pending. More than anything — it digs into the idea of influencer as “therapist” and why this can be so dangerous

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 A lot of liberals do not like LGBTQ+ / BIPOC folks! They just pretend to

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.

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

Netanyahu’s current genocidal campaign against Palestinians has also emboldened the Hindu far-right in India, and here. Those of us who are South Asian / have a Hindu background have a responsibility to stop dehumanizing rhetoric against Muslims *in our own communities* as well

https://twitter.com/madhusree1984/status/1754201617988018353

Critics have also noted the similarities in the way both Modi and Netanyahu have attacked the Muslim minority

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 2. 🧵 I don’t know if any of those stories on their own would have made a difference, but I had access to a platform with millions of followers.

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 that would judge me for speaking up about the killing and targeting of my journalism colleagues and their families — and an assault on our free press.
Full stop.

Sign the letter here:




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

The only reason that I am alive today is because my Grandfather made a single choice — a choice not to get on a boat to see our land in Bangladesh during Partition one last time. Everyone in the boat was slaughtered. And hatred consumed my family, for a long time.

As a BIPOC journalist, one thing I’m constantly asked is “how do you find your stories?” I want to take some time to answer that in this 🧵 According to Pew, journalists still rank news organizations the lowest in terms of racial and ethnic diversity. That means that sourcing in those communities often falls to reporters of color:

pewresearch.org/journalism/202…

Proud to say I work at a pub which is conducting evidence-based health reporting on Trans rights. This is not a “both sides” issue — and false equivalence hurts those that need help the most.

https://twitter.com/sciam/status/1653775493550813184

That being said — the pile-on on this article has led to people attempting to report our article as misinformation.

As an editor and a New Yorker — I simply cannot believe how the @nytimes handled this story. This man did not just “die.” He was killed.

https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1653483258825388032

I’m going to point out this section. This is an attempt to normalize vigilantism. In journalism — every choice of quote matters.

Absolutely sickened that a man with a mental health condition was murdered in broad daylight on an NYC subway because he was hungry — and people did nothing. Ashamed to be a New Yorker today. I’m not going to share the article — but the way the @nypost wrote about the incident was horrifying.

I love journalism, and journalists. But I’m burned out from the media industry itself. There are too many talented, driven journalists who made major sacrifices being punished for the actions of a few executives.