stuff
i am always trying to grow and hold myself accountable. for that reason, i reserve a place on my website to point out bad things i did that i'm working to learn from. i am always receptive to feedback as well.
using problematic sources in my articles
-as the articles i write age, i occasionally learn about sources i've interviewed who have harassed or abused others or have committed other unsavory acts. while these individuals make up a small fraction of the sources i've quoted, i know that i have upset people in the past by unknowingly relying on them, and it pains me to think that i could unintentionally open the wounds of victims of abuse with my writing. i typically can't rewrite past works, but if you run into such a case, please let me know and i can see whether any corrective action can be taken. my personal mission is always to raise the voices and celebrate the expertise of minoritized individuals where i am able. additionally, i now try to block and sever ties with the offenders if possible, rather than just continue following them for journalistic reasons.
rapping
-in college, some of my friends and i made comedy rap videos. i've since figured out that being a white rapper is already culturally appropriative, and these "comedy rap" videos ultimately relied on black stereotypes and misogyny for a joke. my appearing in these raps alone likely created an unwelcoming atmosphere for my peers. worse, some of my lyrics were offensive, like mouthing the n-word or a line that began with "get a bitch drunk." i don't expect a reprieve, but i regret and apologize for my behavior. i have since worked to learn about why this was problematic and spend more time thinking about the potential impact of jokes before telling them in public.
articles not up to personal standards
-i maintain a personal list of articles that i wrote at gizmodo that i don't think meet my own personal standards due to shoddy reporting or writing, including several where i got some pretty major facts wrong and one where i made a personal healthcare claim that hadn't been verified by a medical professional. in each case, i've performed a personal review of what went wrong, what i should have done, and tried to change my reporting and writing process to avoid making similar errors in the future.
using problematic sources in my articles
-as the articles i write age, i occasionally learn about sources i've interviewed who have harassed or abused others or have committed other unsavory acts. while these individuals make up a small fraction of the sources i've quoted, i know that i have upset people in the past by unknowingly relying on them, and it pains me to think that i could unintentionally open the wounds of victims of abuse with my writing. i typically can't rewrite past works, but if you run into such a case, please let me know and i can see whether any corrective action can be taken. my personal mission is always to raise the voices and celebrate the expertise of minoritized individuals where i am able. additionally, i now try to block and sever ties with the offenders if possible, rather than just continue following them for journalistic reasons.
rapping
-in college, some of my friends and i made comedy rap videos. i've since figured out that being a white rapper is already culturally appropriative, and these "comedy rap" videos ultimately relied on black stereotypes and misogyny for a joke. my appearing in these raps alone likely created an unwelcoming atmosphere for my peers. worse, some of my lyrics were offensive, like mouthing the n-word or a line that began with "get a bitch drunk." i don't expect a reprieve, but i regret and apologize for my behavior. i have since worked to learn about why this was problematic and spend more time thinking about the potential impact of jokes before telling them in public.
articles not up to personal standards
-i maintain a personal list of articles that i wrote at gizmodo that i don't think meet my own personal standards due to shoddy reporting or writing, including several where i got some pretty major facts wrong and one where i made a personal healthcare claim that hadn't been verified by a medical professional. in each case, i've performed a personal review of what went wrong, what i should have done, and tried to change my reporting and writing process to avoid making similar errors in the future.
