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Category: Journalism

Austin Chronicle: Trans Youth & Allies Rally Against ‘Abuse’ GuidelinesA group of activists stand near the Governor's Mansion in Texas with a sign showing the transgender flag, with the words "We will not die yet" at the center.
From a rally for trans youth at the Texas Governor's Mansion, March 2022. (Photo: Kit O'Connell)
March 12, 2022
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Austin Chronicle: Trans Youth & Allies Rally Against ‘Abuse’ Guidelines

Posted in Austin, Austin Chronicle, Journalism, and LGBTQIA

A crucial upcoming hearing, perhaps as early as March 11, could put the brakes on Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive for the state to investigate – as presumed child abuse – any gender ­affirming medical care provided to transgender youth. In the meantime, trans Austinites and allies are banding ­together to defend their human rights.

Transgender UT student Ash Terry organized a roughly  350-person protest March 1. After Abbott’s draconian directive inspired  an outpouring of support, she said she’s actually feeling more hopeful  for the future of trans kids in Texas than ever. “I was surprised at the  number of cis[gender] allies out there,” she said. “I was just really  staggered that there were so many, and a lot of people from out of town.  This whole experience has given me a lot of hope.”

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Austin Chronicle: Austin FC Fans Prove Y’all Means AllFans of Austin FC celebrate "Pride Night" with a pride flag and a "Y'all Means All" scarf held aloft by those among the crowd.
Austin FC fans turned an online controversy into an opportunity to help. (Flickr / Ralph Arveson, CC NC license)
February 24, 2022
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Austin Chronicle: Austin FC Fans Prove Y’all Means All

Posted in Austin, Austin Chronicle, and Journalism

On January 2 of this year, Chris Saldaña sent a tweet, tagging Austin’s mayor and police chief: “Happy New Year @Chief_Chacon, any update on @austintexasgov cleaning up this piece of property that belongs to the City of #Austin. It’s going on two months that you said it would be handled. This video is from today. Cars, trash, drugs, prostitution. Help us @MayorAdler.”

The linked video pans through an encampment used by unhoused people in a North Austin park near I-35 in the St. Johns neighborhood. A pile of trash bags and garbage gathered into a pile can be seen, and some tents, but not much else. (No people are visible.)

Saldaña, a journalist and communications professional, spent 2021 as an announcer for Austin FC, during the inaugural year of Austin’s Major League Soccer team. Things turned sour for him quickly after the tweet, which was met with a flood of disagreement (and, according to Saldaña, some threatening messages too). Many of the replies were from fans, who thought that his tweet was starkly at odds with the inclusive atmosphere they’ve tried to create at Austin FC games, where attendees may chant, “Y’all means all.”

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Elizabeth Holmes & The Meat-Grinder Of CapitalismElizabeth Holmes gestures while speaking at a conference. She's wearing her signature black turtleneck and her blonde hair is artfully dissheveled.
The Elizabeth Holmes verdict is an endorsement of capitalism's ever-growing death toll. (Flickr / Fortune Global Forum 2015, CC NC ND license)
January 16, 2022
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Elizabeth Holmes & The Meat-Grinder Of Capitalism

Posted in Creative Commons, and Journalism

Elizabeth Holmes’ guilty verdict chilled me in a way I didn’t expect until it happened.

The popular media suggested a guilty verdict might put the brakes on some of the worst behavior of the tech giants. And the jury found Holmes guilty earlier this month … of some of the accusations against her.

Out of the 11 counts against Holmes, the jury could only agree to a guilty verdict on 4 — all of them involving defrauding investors. On the rest, the jury either deadlocked or acquitted. That includes all the charges involving misleading doctors and patients with false testing results.

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Fact-checking Fascism: Axios Platforms Violent Biker Gang Over Veterans DayIn a heated confrontation, Proud Boys in their yellow uniforms confront a group facing away from the camera. One in a yellow Proud Boys mask points angrily at us.
A confrontation with Proud Boys in Wasington, D.C. (Geoff Livingston / Flickr, CC NC ND license)
November 11, 2021
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Fact-checking Fascism: Axios Platforms Violent Biker Gang Over Veterans Day

Posted in Creative Commons, Journalism, and Occupy Wall Street

Over 5 years since the election of Donald Trump and the rise of the powerful white supremacist movement he empowered, the mainstream media still struggles to fact-check fascists.

It always interests me which organizations get the benefit of the doubt from the mainstream media.

I (and many others) have written about how the mainstream media tends to take the words of police at face value. Reporters often use whatever language makes police seem blameless after violent interactions.

Just like cops, right-wing fascists frequently get platformed by reporters who fail to ask vital questions.

Which brings us to an article by Asher Price, an Austin reporter for Axios.

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