Journalists: @sciline.org will host a briefing with two experts from the University of California tomorrow (Wednesday, Feb. 4) on assessing the impact federal immigration enforcement activities are having on local communities. Register here: www.sciline.org/social-scien...
Journalists: Covering this week's ACIP decision on hepatitis B vaccines? SciLine will hold a media briefing tomorrow with two experts to answer your questions, former CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky & Dr. Angela Ulrich of the University of Minnesota. Register here: www.sciline.org/vaccine/newb...
New, from me: Why it's urgent that journalists understand the science behind vaccines and the roots of disinformation about them. www.sciline.org/learn/vaccin... Pleased to offer a new Vaccine Reporting Toolkit from @sciline.org as critical public health decisions are made this week.
More accolades for "40 Acres and a Lie," an investigation our team at the Center for Public Integrity invested more than 2 years on: An Online News Association award and national Edward R. Murrow Award.
awards.journalists.org/winners/2025/
revealnews.org/press/reveal...
My latest on the Health Sec who promised to figure out what causes autism and the autism research that's been stopped along the way www.propublica.org/article/rfk-...
Journalists: Sign up for a @sciline.org briefing tomorrow (Aug. 21) with three scientific experts on the Trump administration's move to repeal the legal and scientific foundation for regulation of greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. www.sciline.org/climate/epa-...
Four unvaccinated Kentuckians have contracted the highly contagious measles, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) announced Friday.
via @kentuckylantern.com
www.newsfromthestates.com/article/kent...
Health groups are mobilizing behind the scenes to preserve access for vaccines as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. works to upend the nation’s decades-old vaccine system, according to public health experts.
Today marks the third anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
What's happened since?
A record number of women have been prosecuted. Pregnancy loss is now considered extremely suspicious, even when it has nothing to do with abortion.
We're hiring! SciLine is seeking a bilingual Engagement Manager to help expand the reach of the organization’s programs to new and emerging audiences. For more information and to apply: recruiting.ultipro.com/AME1123ASEM/...
@aaas.org
SciLine seeks U.S.-based freelance reporters familiar with scientific research.
—pieces that guide journalists in using scientific evidence in local reporting
—500-1,500 word stories
—$0.50-$1/word, depending on the type of story
More details here: www.sciline.org/interest-in-...
WEDNESDAY Briefing! Covering this week's CDC ACIP meeting? Add science to your story by attending our media briefing on childhood vaccines, their schedules, hesitancy, and how exemptions impact public health. On-the-record Q&A included! bit.ly/440Ofk8
Come work with me!
Fuerza responds to scenes where alleged ICE enforcement is reported. If officers are indeed with ICE, they hit record and spread the word. They also speak directly with those being detained.
They are part of a growing scrappy network of volunteers protecting neighbors from ICE. bit.ly/4lgke5N
I’m at #IRE25 this week. Come see me at our @sciline.org table to talk about how we can help with free tools and support in accessing scientific research and expertise.
These stories are about the victims not the reporters, but I spent months watching Betsy Morais report this, and I can only marvel at how many obstacles she had to overcome, how much trauma she absorbed, and how unwavering she remained in telling this the right way. www.cjr.org/feature-2/we...
Many of my friends expressed support for Wes Lowery when American University fired him. I was so upset to see that but I understood that few knew just how bad a person he is. Please read this. You will see.
www.cjr.org/feature-2/we...
NEW: Women across the country are victims of what’s called coerced debt—and it is ridiculously hard to crack down on.
For @motherjones.com, I spent a year+ looking at what happens when an abuser buries someone in debt as a form of domestic violence.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
I'm at the Collaborative Journalism Summit in Denver today and tomorrow. Hit me up to talk about how @realsciline.bsky.social can help your organization meet this moment with scientific evidence and expertise as misinformation spreads about vaccines, climate disasters, health and wellness and more.
I know how naive this sounds but I actually thought the moral panic over free speech at universities would mean that leftist speech would be protected when the far right gained power and tried to clamp down.
Accountability journalism has never been more important. At @19thnews.org , we are working to keep the most accurate record possible of this moment, in service of women and LGBTQ+ people. Support our nonprofit newsroom with a donation today.
the19th.donorsupport.co/page/smd2025...
"Virtually all NIH-funded training programs aimed at attracting underrepresented groups to science are now gone. 'I’m concerned that these events are very likely to affect who decides to stay in science and we will lose important and necessary scientific talent'"
www.science.org/content/arti...
![April 24, 2025
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. AKA Wikipedia
P.O. Box 98204
Washington, DC 20090-8204
VIA EMAIL: business@wikimedia.org
legal@wikimedia.org
To Whom it May Concern,
As the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, I regularly receive requests for
information, clarification, and official comment. I regard such inquiries with the seriousness they
warrant and respond appropriately through formal correspondence, such as this letter.
It has come to my attention that Wikipedia, which operates via its fiscal sponsor, the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., is engaging in a series of activities that could violate its obligations under
Section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. As a nonprofit corporation, which is
incorporated in the District of Columbia, the Wikimedia Foundation is subject to specific legal
obligations and fiduciary duties consistent with its tax-exempt status. In addition, the public is
entitled to rely on a reasonable expectation of neutrality, transparency, and accountability in its
operations and publications.
In its 2023 IRS Form 990, the Wikimedia Foundation describes its mission as, “empower[ing]
and engag[ing] people around the world to collect and develop educational content under a free
license or in the public domain and to disseminate it effectively and globally. . . [.]”
As you know, Section 501(c)(3) requires that organizations receiving tax-exempt status operate
exclusively for “religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational
purposes. . . [.]” It has come to my attention that the Wikimedia Foundation, through its wholly
owned subsidiary Wikipedia, is allowing foreign actors to manipulate information and spread](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:d52g57qhdyydkmwtuueco57q/bafkreihhp6g5zmurxfppfewzghbtoq53pwkxgjs4tmknvts3fz2jtxntsi@jpeg)
April 24, 2025 Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. AKA Wikipedia P.O. Box 98204 Washington, DC 20090-8204 VIA EMAIL: business@wikimedia.org legal@wikimedia.org To Whom it May Concern, As the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, I regularly receive requests for information, clarification, and official comment. I regard such inquiries with the seriousness they warrant and respond appropriately through formal correspondence, such as this letter. It has come to my attention that Wikipedia, which operates via its fiscal sponsor, the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., is engaging in a series of activities that could violate its obligations under Section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. As a nonprofit corporation, which is incorporated in the District of Columbia, the Wikimedia Foundation is subject to specific legal obligations and fiduciary duties consistent with its tax-exempt status. In addition, the public is entitled to rely on a reasonable expectation of neutrality, transparency, and accountability in its operations and publications. In its 2023 IRS Form 990, the Wikimedia Foundation describes its mission as, “empower[ing] and engag[ing] people around the world to collect and develop educational content under a free license or in the public domain and to disseminate it effectively and globally. . . [.]” As you know, Section 501(c)(3) requires that organizations receiving tax-exempt status operate exclusively for “religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes. . . [.]” It has come to my attention that the Wikimedia Foundation, through its wholly owned subsidiary Wikipedia, is allowing foreign actors to manipulate information and spread
propaganda to the American public. Wikipedia is permitting information manipulation on its platform, including the rewriting of key, historical events and biographical information of current and previous American leaders, as well as other matters implicating the national security and the interests of the United States. Masking propaganda that influences public opinion under the guise of providing informational material is antithetical to Wikimedia’s “educational” mission. In addition, Wikipedia’s operations are directed by its board that is composed primarily of foreign nationals, subverting the interests of American taxpayers. Again, educational content is directionally neutral; but information received by my Office demonstrates that Wikipedia’s informational management policies benefit foreign powers. Moreover, we are aware that search engines such as Google have agreed to prioritize Wikipedia results due to the relationship that Wikipedia has established with these tech platforms. If the content contained in Wikipedia articles is biased, unreliable, or sourced by entities who wish to do harm to the United States, search engine prioritization of Wikipedia will only amplify propaganda to a larger American audience. Lastly, it has come to our attention that generative AI platforms receive Wikipedia data to train large-language models. This data is now consumed by masses of Americans and American teachers on a daily basis. If the data provided is manipulated, particularly by foreign actors and entities, Wikipedia’s relationship with generative AI platforms have the potential to launder information on behalf of foreign actors. In light of these concerns, my Office seeks information pertaining to Wikimedia’s compliance with the laws governing its tax-exempt status. To assist with our investigation of this matter, I request the following documents and information, covering the time period of January 1, 2021 to the present, as soon as possible but no later than May 15, 2…
5. What policy does the Foundation have in place to ensure that content submissions, editorial decisions, and article revisions reflect a broad spectrum of viewpoints, including those that may be in tension with the views of major financial or institutional backers? 6. What is the Foundation’s official process for addressing credible allegations that editors or contributors have materially misled readers, engaged in bad-faith edits, or otherwise manipulated content in ways that undermine Wikipedia’s commitment to neutrality? Similarly, what is the Foundation’s official process for auditing or evaluating the actions, activities, and voting patterns of editors, admins, and committees, including the Arbitration Committee, in order to ensure the Foundation’s policies and the policies of its projects are enforced? Detail all instances in which these processes have been utilized in the last six years. 7. Does the Foundation maintain a public, formally adopted policy explicitly prohibiting hateful content and conduct by editors? If so, what enforcement mechanisms are in place to ensure compliance and accountability, and which namespaces and content on the platform do these mechanisms apply to? Further, how does the Foundation ensure that sources used in writing content on Wikipedia and elsewhere do not violate its policies, including but not limited to those against discrimination? 8. Given growing public concerns regarding the large-scale manipulation of particular categories of content by ideologically motivated editors, what safeguards exist to detect and prevent undue influence by individuals or coordinated networks who use editorial or administrative authority to systematically distort content? Provide details regarding actions taken by the Foundation using these safeguards over the last six years. Additionally, detail any changes over time to these safeguards. 9. In view of public criticisms, including those expressed by Wikipedia Co-Founder Dr. Lawrence M. Sanger, r…
effects of that content on search results and data already used to train LLMs? What measures does the Foundation take to ensure that these companies, as well as the broader public, understand misinformation, bias, and other problems across its projects, including Wikipedia? I look forward to your cooperation with my letter of inquiry after request. Thank you in advance for your assistance. Please respond by May 15, 2025. Should you have further questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to call my office or schedule a time to meet in person. All the best. Edward R. Martin, Jr. United States Attorney for the District of Columbia
New Ed Martin letter—this time to Wikipedia about its tax-exempt status. In it, he asks about topics including its editorial practices, editor anonymity, "hateful content and conduct by editors," and content used to train LLMs. www.thefp.com/p/trump-pros...
Letter: drive.google.com/file/d/1ocNy...
Applications are being accepted for our editorial and marketing internships through May 15, 2025. If you have an interest in science communications or non-profit marketing, send us your cover letter and resume through the portal link below.
That's the sound of prison officials in Texas running screaming into an emergency meeting.
Spoke to incoming National Trust for Local News CEO Tom Wiley, board chair Keith Mestrich, and journalists who've worked with Wiley in the past.
He's seen as an experienced news exec and a "revenue guy" — but a sincere and well-liked one. www.niemanlab.org/2025/04/the-...
This is great news for experiments in local journalism sustainability, and specifically for journalism in my home state of Maine. Tom Wiley is one of the best bosses I've worked for. www.niemanlab.org/2025/04/the-...
We have two paid internships at SciLine this summer, for students interested in helping journalists access and understand scientific research and expertise.
Editorial internship: bit.ly/3EbukoF
Marketing internship: bit.ly/42eimUj
@realsciline.bsky.social
So happy to see "40 Acres and a Lie," our last big project at the Center for Public Integrity and a wonderful collaboration with our friends at @revealnews.org, be recognized with a National Magazine Award for best podcast. www.motherjones.com/press-releas...
The U.S. National Park Service restored its original webpage on the history of the Underground Railroad after it was met with backlash for deleting a prominently featured photo of abolitionist and women’s suffragist Harriet Tubman, as well as segments of text describing the horrors of slavery.
