Nick Geidner

Did I see Astro Dobbs going in?!?!?

WBGU to end PBS affiliation due to federal funding cuts The Ohio station will be the fourth public media organization to sever ties with PBS.

sigh.

I think it pairs well with DeLillo’s White Noise.

Same. Of my comprehensive to do list, I have completed: submit FY27 budget.

And you can watch my film, The Library That Dolly Built, about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library on Kanopy! www.kanopy.com/video/11521109

Students at 'The Daily Beacon' have been closely following the firing of professor Tamar Shirinian YouTube video by WBIR Channel 10

Great to have WBIR, Knoxville’s NBC affiliate, cover the amazing journalism happening at The Daily Beacon, UT’s editorially independent student newspaper. m.youtube.com/watch?v=3U2z...

A job well done by Caden Dyer — who is also the editor-in-chief — and Olivia Lee.

Public records reveal behind-the-scenes details of Shirinian termination UT System President Randy Boyd referred to the days after Tamar Shirinian’s controversial termination as “a firestorm” in records recently acquired by The Daily Beacon.

Here is their report: www.utdailybeacon.com/campus_news/...

To that end, in my newsletter — in the “closing my tabs” bonus section for paid subscribers — I shouted out some college student journalists tonight:

www.lawdork.com/p/court-bloc...

Shouts into the void: There is more than 50 years of political comm and poli sci research addressing this topic! But yes, let’s do this new kind of polling. Ugh.

Hi all. A little clarification: the Purdue student journalists did OFFER to do this but "Unfortunately and understandably, the IDS declined the offer, fearing expulsion of its student leaders and more firings of its professional staff." They printed and delivered a statement of solidarity instead

That said, if you’re working multiple jobs simultaneously, have a side hustle, etc., I’d love to chat with you, especially if you’re an earlyish career worker. (Though this definitely doesn’t just impact young workers—it’s across the board.) DMs open, email rainesford.alexandra@gmail.com

Dropped a call out over on LinkedIn looking to talk to people about working multiple jobs and the response has been so overwhelming, we’d have to do a series to even come close to tackling it all. Which says a lot about cost of living, student loans, worries about layoffs, etc.

It's already time for a new SCOTUS term. Or, the summer that wasn't. A look back, a look ahead. And, for paid subscribers: Closing my tabs.

Will Chief Justice John Roberts and the Republican appointees end the notion of co-equal branches by raising the executive above all else in backing Trump’s unending desire for more power and fewer limits?

That is the question of this term, and Law Dork will be covering all of it.

Not only is WUOT an amazing news source for East Tennessee, it is also a training ground for student journalists in the University of Tennessee’s College of Communication and Information. Give today! Every dollar helps!

This sounds awesome! Congrats, Ashley!

In addition to the programs being dropped, UNL will cut administrative staff in:

* College of Business
* College of Engineering
* College of Fine and Performing Arts
* College of Journalism and Mass Communications

JOMC "fared poorly" on the metrics used.

journalism.unl.edu/news/deans-u...

The conversation he had with IT and HR before he started reporting this story must have been wild.

Medicare Will Require Prior Approval for Certain Procedures

What a cursed sentence (gift link)

“The A.I. companies selected to oversee the program would have a strong financial incentive to deny claims. Medicare plans to pay them a share of the savings generated from rejections.”

Hey y’all! Henry is selling popcorn for Boy Scouts again! Over 70% of all money raised comes back to support scouts locally in East Tennessee! If you’re interested, you can buy online or just make a donation! trails-end.com/store/scout/...

Chirp Chirp!

NEW YORK (AP) — Stephen Colbert tells studio audience CBS is canceling 'The Late Show,' to end in May 2026.

One last thing on this for the moment: Scorched Earth Conan was incredible TV for a few weeks, and Scorched Earth Conan's enemy was fucking Jay Leno. Scorched Earth Colbert should be really good TV.

On July 5, as floodwaters were starting to recede, FEMA received 3,027 calls from disaster survivors and answered 3,018, or roughly 99.7 percent, the documents show. Contractors with four call center companies answered the vast majority of the calls. That evening, however, Ms. Noem did not renew the contracts with the four companies and hundreds of contractors were fired, according to the documents and the person briefed on the matter. The next day, July 6, FEMA received 2,363 calls and answered 846, or roughly 35.8 percent, according to the documents. And on Monday, July 7, the agency fielded 16,419 calls and answered 2,613, or around 15.9 percent, the documents sho

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/11/c...

$118M in Tennessee K-12 funding is held up in Trump federal funding review • Tennessee Lookout Memphis-Shelby County Schools district officials say 100 teacher and staff positions could be cut if the Trump administration withholds funds.

$118M in Tennessee K-12 funding is held up in Trump federal funding review tennesseelookout.com/2025/07/09/1... @itsmelissabrown.bsky.social @tennesseelookout.com @chalkbeat.org

Awesome! Congrats to my former colleague Joy and the rest of your team!

An update from the NPPA Board of Directors, and emergency meeting planned for July 9. All members are invited to attend the virtual meeting.

The National Press Photographers Association says it has cashflow issues and is laying off staff. The NPPA is one of the most important organizations for a profession already under significant pressure.

nppa.org/news/797

A New Call for Pitches for a New Appalachian Era We continue to tell the stories of our region, with an eye toward deeply-reported modern-day stories of Appalachia’s challenges and triumphs. And if you’re a writer or journalist in the region, we wan...

Student & early career journalists in Appalachia, send pitches! We're looking for different kinds of stories—politics, labor, education, cultural trends, life + identity, and more! Rates start at $100 for opinion, $200-$400 for reporting & can increase based on scope. Pitch guide and form below:

Indiana public colleges cut almost 20% of degrees Public Indiana colleges and universities have eliminated 19 percent of their degree programs to meet requirements added to the state’s budget, according to the Commission for Higher Education.

So, here it is. Thanks to a new state law that was NEVER DEBATED, Indiana University has committed itself to abolishing majors in African-American/African Diaspora Studies: American Studies; Art History; French; Italian; Religious Studies etc. DOZENS of majors. www.ipm.org/news-section...

Prestige Podcast Company Pineapple Street Studios Shuts Down

This is a real bummer. So many talented folks at Pineapple Street Studios www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/a...