Latest hyper-fixation: I’m making my nephew an “I Spy” alphabet book collaged with fancy stickers — “A” is for apples, acorns, ants, artichokes, angels, anemones, art, “admit one,” and so on. 🎨
Olivia Messer
@oliviamesser.bsky.social
Journalist. Created @thebarbedwire.com. Words in Rolling Stone, Marie Claire, Slate, The Daily Beast, Texas Monthly etc. My debut novel “Something’s Wrong With The Girls“ will be published by Rare Bird. Wanna work together? oliviamesser@protonmail.com
Demanding to examine a child's genitals for them to play sports is fucking insane
Gillian Branstetter@gbbranstetter.bsky.social · 2d agoAn initiative on the ballot in Washington state in November would require all athletes seeking to play girl's sports from kindergarten to high school to undergo "genetic screening, a testosterone-levels test, or an examination of their reproductive anatomy" before they can play
this weekend, gossiping at the pool with a high ponytail and other girly things 💅
I can't stress enough what a crisis this is. Trump's own intelligence agencies concluded that Iran attacked Minnesota's critical infrastructure and Trump is saying that it's Minnesota's own fault and denying it was Iran. The federal government won't defend blue states in a literal war.
U.S. Sees Iran as Likely Behind Cyberattack on Minnesota Water Systems (Gift Article)
Investigators cautioned that the assessment was preliminary. There were no indications that any water supply had been rendered unsafe to drink.
nytimes.com
No professional accomplishment has ever made me happier than this. theonion.com/translator-o...
Translator Of Original ‘Minions’ Epic Poem Slams ‘Sexless, Bloodless’ Film Adaptation
PHILADELPHIA—In a 4,500-word essay published in Harper’s Magazine, Emily Wilson, known for her popular translation of the Minions epic poem, blasted the latest film Thursday as a “sexless, bloodless” ...
theonion.com
two black blazers stand before me, but only one can be in my new headshots
43% of women surveyed said they experienced unwelcome sexual advances or harassment from a colleague or editor (6% of men). I don’t think most of our industry understands how much impact this has on newsgathering. A predator makes editorial decisions like a predator. www.ire.org/2026/07/30/f...
Female investigative journalists still face sexual harassment and bias, new study finds
By Katrina Michalak, Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, Arizona State University Erin Orr was at the inception of her journalism career in the 1990s, working the business and real estate beat...
ire.org
Bryan Johnson, who turned his body into a longevity lab, spent millions on anti-aging experiments and infamously used his teenage son’s plasma in so-called “blood boy” transfusions. Now he’s revealed he’s been diagnosed with chronic autoimmune gastritis. www.dailystar.co.uk/news/us-news...
Based on my inbox, the number of AI companies that want to spend their money on buying credibility through “collaborations” with journalists’ feels... high!
God this is awful
Olivia Messer@oliviamesser.bsky.social · last wk.I’m going to be sick. Even the photo they chose — I painted in that exact spot during a concert one of my summers. From the 1970s to the 2010s, which includes the three years I attended. When my friends were there. Back to when some of their *parents* were campers. www.mlive.com/news/2026/07...
I fear I will never unhear the sound of my parents’ dachshund Princess Diana crunching on a dragonfly and eating its wings
A federal judge has thrown out the FBI director’s lawsuit against a blogger who called him a “googly-eyed Kremlin bitch.” trib.al/ouHgmYA
Kash Patel Loses Lawsuit Against Man Who Called Him “Googly-Eyed” Chud
A federal judge has thrown out the FBI director’s lawsuit against a blogger who called him a “googly-eyed Kremlin bitch.”
trib.al
I may or may not go see these summer movies but I am very glad they all exist as a vehicle to engage us in witnessing the fruits of zendaya and law roach’s creative partnership
Law Roach Asks Store Associate If She Has Tom Holland In Different Size https://theonion.com/law-roach-asks-store-associate-if-she-has-tom-holland-in-different-size/
House-sitting for my parents, and suddenly feeling really conspiratorial about my origin story *computer, ENHANCE*
“In addition to former staff members, counselors, visiting artists and faculty, the report addresses alleged assaults committed by Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein has previously been reported to have met his first victim, a 13-year-old girl, while he and Ghislaine Maxwell visited the camp in 1994.”
Olivia Messer@oliviamesser.bsky.social · last wk.I’m going to be sick. Even the photo they chose — I painted in that exact spot during a concert one of my summers. From the 1970s to the 2010s, which includes the three years I attended. When my friends were there. Back to when some of their *parents* were campers. www.mlive.com/news/2026/07...
The Interlochen investigation is effectively still open for people to report their experiences. Link to report here. www.interlochen.org/sites/defaul...
interlochen.org
Olivia Messer@oliviamesser.bsky.social · last wk.Elizabeth Sanghavi, a former federal civil rights attorney, and her team spent hundreds of hours speaking with academy and camp alumni. She is available through October 2026 to receive additional reports at elizabeth@sanghavilawoffice.com or 617-505-3010
Interlochen is a beautiful, essential institution where I've had the privilege of spending a summer as a young bucko. this investigation is even more horrifying than I could have imagined
Olivia Messer@oliviamesser.bsky.social · last wk.I’m going to be sick. Even the photo they chose — I painted in that exact spot during a concert one of my summers. From the 1970s to the 2010s, which includes the three years I attended. When my friends were there. Back to when some of their *parents* were campers. www.mlive.com/news/2026/07...
I’m going to be sick. Even the photo they chose — I painted in that exact spot during a concert one of my summers. From the 1970s to the 2010s, which includes the three years I attended. When my friends were there. Back to when some of their *parents* were campers. www.mlive.com/news/2026/07...
Epstein, 46 others linked to decades of sex assaults at Interlochen, over 70 victims
An investigative report two years in the making was released Tuesday, July 28, detailing decades of sexual abuse at Interlochen Center for the Arts by staff, trustees, visiting artists and Jeffrey Eps...
mlive.com
114 names worth of contact info sorted out into my investigative spreadsheet, so just.... 463 to go
I always feel this more at the beginning of investigations, but so much of journalism requires ignoring the persistent drumbeat of “but what if they hurt my feelings 🥺” on everything from source outreach to being edited and distributing your stories on social media
Puss In Boots Shrek
ALT: Puss In Boots Shrek
static.klipy.com
Media and culture are downstream from politics, despite the opposite claim often made by right-wing reactionaries. Political losses ripple down through the funding ecosystem to news outlets and other organizations that were aligned with the party that took those losses. MAGA understands this.
Columbia Journalism Review@columjournreview.bsky.social · last wk.@oliviamesser.bsky.social, The Barbed Wire's editor in chief, describes the unforeseen impact of the 2024 Democratic election loss on progressive funding for independent journalism. Listen to her conversation with Kicker host @greenwell.bsky.social. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
@oliviamesser.bsky.social, The Barbed Wire's editor in chief, describes the unforeseen impact of the 2024 Democratic election loss on progressive funding for independent journalism. Listen to her conversation with Kicker host @greenwell.bsky.social. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
Instead of saying "women slept their way to the top" we need to say "men withhold promotions until they receive sexual favors" because that is the truth not the other way around
this is the part of the journalism movie when there’s a montage so we can effectively fast forward
Olivia Messer@oliviamesser.bsky.social · 2w agothe beginnings of investigations are so fun!!!!!!!!
these facial expressions? botox could never
Columbia Journalism Review@columjournreview.bsky.social · 2w agoWhat really happened at The Barbed Wire? @oliviamesser.bsky.social, the editor in chief, was admirably candid about what worked at the startup and what didn't. Listen to her conversation with Kicker host @greenwell.bsky.social. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
so apocalyptic I caught myself double checking that the NYT hadn’t accidentally fallen for AI
Dan Saltzstein@dansaltzstein.bsky.social · 2w agoThis photo from southwest France omg