@whitneybauck
Award-winning freelance journalist reporting @ the Guardian, Grist, WaPo, Bloomberg, etc Particularly interested in solutions-focused reporting on climate, grassroots movements and fungi https://whitneybauck.substack.com/
This is FASCINATING. I feel like the closest thing we have in the US is like, Dungeons and Dragons/escape rooms/immersive theater? None of which really get close to this? www.sixthtone.com/news/1018252
Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu graces the cover of Teen Vogue.
“Art not only provides crucial information, but sometimes it also can point to alternative futures. I think that’s one role that artists have, the critical role of imagining otherwise.”
I wrote about labor-focused artist Tabitha Arnold for @us.theguardian.com: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Kafka understood that an even greater indignity than being turned into a giant insect was still being required to go to work afterward.
With protesters calling for an eviction moratorium at Minneapolis City Hall this morning (to quote the banners): “We fought ICE to keep our neighbors here”; “now we’re fighting to keep ‘em in their homes.”
So you get out your Fascism for Dummies book for the 15 things you do, and we tried to include as many of them as we could in the most artful way possible. How were we supposed to know that this clown car in Washington was going to basically use the same book that we used? So I don't think it's prescience so much as the sad familiarity of fascism and the karaoke menu of things that you go through to do it. You could list them from the show, or you could list them from the newspaper.
Tony Gilroy, creator of Andor, wasn’t allowed to use the word “fascism” during press junkets in 2025.
Interesting interview in The Hollywood Reporter.
www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-featur...
The push is being led by Twin Cities Tenants, which is pledging to withhold rent starting March 1.
A rent strike of that size would be the largest such action in a century & would trigger a roughly $15M economic disruption, according to the group.
#strike
Winning CCNow awards has been such an encouragement to me — and encouragement is something I know any journalist on this beat could use right now. Give it a shot; apply!
(And here's my winning story from last year, if you want to take a peek) www.theguardian.com/environment/...
He didn’t get deep into the details but he did mention they used at least some public funding [in the UK] to make this and man, what a great argument in favor of public funding of the arts.
Would love my taxes in the US to go toward more art, less militarization, pls
A photo of the inside of a theater. On the screen is the movie poster for “My Father’s Shadow.” Sitting in front of it are two men, one of whom is director Akinola Davies Jr.
Saw “My Father’s Shadow” with a talkback featuring director Akinola Davies Jr. afterward and was pretty floored. What a stunner of a film—hard to believe this is his first (!) as a director.
Holy moly: Seattle’s millionaire tax, passed last year, is expected to bring in $115 million in its 1st year, way more than the $50 million anticipated.
The funds will go to the city’s new social housing developer publicola.com/2026/02/11/t...
(Is NY Gov Hochul paying attention?)
"Fungal gummies’ core sell might be toward our impulse to domesticate wild things, to tame the untameable for personal profit." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/m...?
the US coal mining industry employees ~50k people. For some perspective, The Gap has about 82,000 employees
This update on the coal situation in IL brought to you by @climatecabinet.org which is worth a follow, especially if you want to stay in the loop about these kinds of climate wins that are too often missed
Since that story came out, the councilmembers voted to stop negotatiations w/ the coal-supporting agency entirely. This is the kind of climate story that won't make front page news but CAN make a big difference in actual emissions.
There are wins still happening, even now, if we know where to look
Climate win: In Naperville, IL, which gets its power in part from a coal plant that's one of the top 10 climate polluters in the country, city councilmembers just voted to stop negotiations w/ the agency keeping them hooked on coal.
I first wrote about this here: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
I reflexively flinched at this title but glad I clicked and read it - there are a whole bunch of good criticisms in here and I have probably been complicit in at least a few of these problems in my time
making a list of american institutions that are meeting this moment, and so far I've got burning man and paleontology down here... guess we're rebuilding society around the study of dinosaur bones and doing drugs in the desert
what we're cutting:
health care
food stamps
preschool
environmental protections
international aid
scientific research
what we're buying:
I will eventually shut up about this but Bad Bunny’s use of the power lines is an outstanding example of how to communicate about climate and energy issues. Not about who is the smartest nerd in the room and spewing numbers but about people’s actual lives. Genius.
Bad Bunny is telling the world that the people in Puerto Rico are American citizens and deserve reliable and resilient electricity and infrastructure investment from the U.S. government.
Join your local mycological society. Like birding, but for mushrooms
Ooooooh this looks good you always have the best book recs
Abigail Spanberger this afternoon ordered that all state agencies leave ICE's 287(g) program. This means that the state police (and some other agencies) will no longer be empowered to detain and arrest people for ICE. boltsmag.org/virginia-spa...
the Barbara Kruger mural the chase is happening in front of reads:
"WHO IS BEYOND THE LAW? WHO IS BOUGHT AND SOLD? WHO IS FREE TO CHOOSE? WHO DOES THE TIME? WHO FOLLOWS ORDERS? WHO SALUTES LONGEST? WHO PRAYS LOUDEST? WHO DIES FIRST? WHO LAUGHS LAST?"
Climate reporters are some of the kindest, most selfless, and most hardworking people around.
We need MORE of their work, not less. I'm grateful to everyone who has read and subscribed to support any kind of climate coverage over the years, ours or another newsroom's. Thanks for not turning away.
On a colorful blurry background: Saturday March 14 1:30pm ET. From Research to Draft with Jaime Green. Learn new strategies for organizing, processing, and writing from research so you’re free to be more productive and creative as you write. jaimegreen.net/classes
On a colorful blurry background: “This class was packed with useful info, and I especially appreciated the focus on reducing stress / developing processes to create ease as I think we all need that in these extremely overwhelming times!” From Research to Draft 3/14/26 jaimegreen.net/classes
On a colorful blurry background: “This class was so helpful–plenty of practical tips about how to organize my research, but also conceptual guidance about how to approach the research process, then synthesize it on behalf of my project.” From Research to Draft: 3/14/26 jaimegreen.net/classes
On a colorful blurry background: “I really appreciate how you break down the mechanics of research and writing, validate what’s hard about them and why, and offer practical suggestions while recognizing that different things will work for different people.” From Research to Draft: 3/14/26 jaimegreen.net/classes
Hey writers! March 14 I'm bringing back From Research to Draft, where we'll talk strategies for organizing and writing from research that will make you a happier and better writer. Early bird pricing through 2/8! jaimegreen.net/classes
This is climate action. It’s still happening, even as climate seems to be fading from the national discourse
you’ll miss us when we’re gone
journalists are workers who deserve to be paid fairly for our labor and I think that far too few consumers of media recognize or even care about this fact
