Michelle Jaworski
@michejaw.bsky.social
Reporter/Editor/Critic for hire | Bylines: Roger Ebert, Fansplaining, Go Mag, Daily Beast, Reactor Mag, Daily Dot | Member OAFFC | she/her | michellejaworski.com
I just think that movie sweaters are really neat: https://knitflicks.beehiiv.com
I just think that movie sweaters are really neat: https://knitflicks.beehiiv.com
Pinned
Michelle Jaworski
@michejaw.bsky.social
· Jun 17
I wrote about the past 15 years: One part self-reflection on a property that took over my life (not always for the better), one part view on the deterioration of entertainment journalism, and one part on shitty algorithms amplifying the worst parts of outrage culture fansplaining.com/how-i-learne...
Reposted by Michelle Jaworski
Journalism has been so shredded that the New York Times, one of the last stable major outlets, employs 5% of all US journalists. Yes, that's right. Five percent. Just that one publication.
With fewer publications covering events, our leading outlets can distort reality. While Agenda Setting is decades-old, with fewer local angles on national events, bigger orgs can, at best, tell us what to think about; at worst, put their thumbs on the scales. joshsternberg.com/2026/09/11/j...
Journalism layoffs are bad for democracy
Last week, USA Today, one of the largest media companies in the nation, laid off an unreported amount of staffers across its network of publications.On Thursday, McClatchy, owner of The Miami Heral…
joshsternberg.com
September 11, 2026 at 8:02 PM
Journalism has been so shredded that the New York Times, one of the last stable major outlets, employs 5% of all US journalists. Yes, that's right. Five percent. Just that one publication.
Reposted by Michelle Jaworski
In 2020/2021, I was working on a feature about fans who reverse-engineered knitted garments. Then Bernie wore mittens at the Inauguration and the NYT beat me to the punch.
That piece had nothing to do with mine and the two shared exactly one source. I linked to it anyway because I’m not a dick.
That piece had nothing to do with mine and the two shared exactly one source. I linked to it anyway because I’m not a dick.
On July 8th, we published a piece on AI in Heated Rivalry fic fandom. On July 30th, the New York Times ran a piece on the same subject. We weren't surprised—because we knew a Times reporter had read our coverage.
A tale of two fandom articles, part of a longstanding dynamic in the media industry:
A tale of two fandom articles, part of a longstanding dynamic in the media industry:
Lessons From a Heated Media Rivalry
How we learned that the New York Times has a Fansplaining account.
fansplaining.com
August 26, 2026 at 7:59 PM
In 2020/2021, I was working on a feature about fans who reverse-engineered knitted garments. Then Bernie wore mittens at the Inauguration and the NYT beat me to the punch.
That piece had nothing to do with mine and the two shared exactly one source. I linked to it anyway because I’m not a dick.
That piece had nothing to do with mine and the two shared exactly one source. I linked to it anyway because I’m not a dick.
Reposted by Michelle Jaworski
Anyone who AIs Dolly Parton for any reason is going to hell
August 25, 2026 at 11:12 PM
Anyone who AIs Dolly Parton for any reason is going to hell
Reposted by Michelle Jaworski
Wrote about the proposed Paramount-WBD merger and why it is bad across the board.
"A market ceases to function when competition disappears. And it’s disappearing," contends writer Mike Schur in a guest column for The Hollywood Reporter
Mike Schur: The Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger Is Existential for Writers
Let’s begin with a statement of fact: mega mergers in Hollywood are bad for writers. They’re also bad for actors and directors, for production designers and caterers, for carpenters and Teamsters and electricians and set decorators. They are bad for consumers, who get fewer choices in entertainment controlled by fewer bosses with narrower worldviews. Mergers are bad for local businesses, who lose paying customers from disappearing productions. They are bad for high level TV and film executives, and entry-level assistants, and everyone in between.
bit.ly
August 24, 2026 at 4:10 PM
Wrote about the proposed Paramount-WBD merger and why it is bad across the board.
Reposted by Michelle Jaworski
Hate to break it to all the bots, but there is no longer such a thing as "mainstream media" in the US. There are some good journalists and editors approaching total burnout, a large ring of freelancers trying to hang on, and a larger group who are either unemployed or now in other professions.
August 22, 2026 at 1:18 PM
Hate to break it to all the bots, but there is no longer such a thing as "mainstream media" in the US. There are some good journalists and editors approaching total burnout, a large ring of freelancers trying to hang on, and a larger group who are either unemployed or now in other professions.
Reposted by Michelle Jaworski
Absolutely enormous respect to whoever understood that the necessary follow-up to “what if Reacher faced a larger man” is “what if Reacher held a tiny kitten”
August 14, 2026 at 3:54 PM
Absolutely enormous respect to whoever understood that the necessary follow-up to “what if Reacher faced a larger man” is “what if Reacher held a tiny kitten”
Reposted by Michelle Jaworski
The push for Harry Potter the TV show is going to be completely enormous—they're debuting it on fucking Christmas—and it is the responsibility of TV critics to contextualize this as rewarding the world's most transphobic billionaire (which is saying something) in everything we write about it.
August 11, 2026 at 11:36 PM
The push for Harry Potter the TV show is going to be completely enormous—they're debuting it on fucking Christmas—and it is the responsibility of TV critics to contextualize this as rewarding the world's most transphobic billionaire (which is saying something) in everything we write about it.
Reposted by Michelle Jaworski
insane how there isn’t a single industry where being good at your job does anything for you
variety.com/2026/film/ne...
variety.com/2026/film/ne...
Pixar Bears Brunt of Disney Studio Layoffs as Company Axes Several Hundred Staffers
Pixar Animation Studios, despite riding high on the success of summer blockbuster "Toy Story 5," was hit particularly hard in a wave of corporatewide layoffs at Disney.
variety.com
July 21, 2026 at 7:48 PM
insane how there isn’t a single industry where being good at your job does anything for you
variety.com/2026/film/ne...
variety.com/2026/film/ne...
Reposted by Michelle Jaworski
Our now-un-paywalled MSG stories are here:
www.wired.com/story/madiso...
www.wired.com/story/madiso...
www.wired.com/story/madiso...
www.wired.com/story/madiso...
July 17, 2026 at 10:01 PM
Our now-un-paywalled MSG stories are here:
www.wired.com/story/madiso...
www.wired.com/story/madiso...
www.wired.com/story/madiso...
www.wired.com/story/madiso...
Reposted by Michelle Jaworski
this is where your money goes when you buy harry potter stuff. rowling isn’t shy about it.
amnesty wrote an even-handed report that laid out what anti-rights groups do; rowling uses her billions & clout to suppress it.
when you give rowling money; she spends it on stealing people’s human rights.
amnesty wrote an even-handed report that laid out what anti-rights groups do; rowling uses her billions & clout to suppress it.
when you give rowling money; she spends it on stealing people’s human rights.
July 13, 2026 at 9:00 PM
this is where your money goes when you buy harry potter stuff. rowling isn’t shy about it.
amnesty wrote an even-handed report that laid out what anti-rights groups do; rowling uses her billions & clout to suppress it.
when you give rowling money; she spends it on stealing people’s human rights.
amnesty wrote an even-handed report that laid out what anti-rights groups do; rowling uses her billions & clout to suppress it.
when you give rowling money; she spends it on stealing people’s human rights.
Reposted by Michelle Jaworski
it's very cool that i (and many many of my talented friends) had to leave journalism in order to consistently pay my rent and now it's full of people who actually hate writing
Marie Claire actually left a prompt from an AI in one of their recent articles.
While there’s still some great journalists and publications left, this is utterly shocking. No wonder I’m trying to pivot.
While there’s still some great journalists and publications left, this is utterly shocking. No wonder I’m trying to pivot.
July 9, 2026 at 3:05 PM
it's very cool that i (and many many of my talented friends) had to leave journalism in order to consistently pay my rent and now it's full of people who actually hate writing
Reposted by Michelle Jaworski
Fansplaining is officially open for pitches! 🥳 Please read our guide to get a sense of what we're looking for, and if you have any questions we haven't answered here, feel free to get in touch! [email protected]
Write for Us
Fansplaining, the publication by, for, and about fandom, is excited to expand our freelancer pool and open to pitches.
fansplaining.com
July 8, 2026 at 1:38 PM
Fansplaining is officially open for pitches! 🥳 Please read our guide to get a sense of what we're looking for, and if you have any questions we haven't answered here, feel free to get in touch! [email protected]
Reposted by Michelle Jaworski
PSA
If you do NOT want your Instagram posts to be AI fodder, do this:
-open Instagram
- tap your profile
- tap the three lines in the top-right
- scroll down to “Sharing and reuse”
-turn that sh*t off (screenshot below)
If you do NOT want your Instagram posts to be AI fodder, do this:
-open Instagram
- tap your profile
- tap the three lines in the top-right
- scroll down to “Sharing and reuse”
-turn that sh*t off (screenshot below)
July 8, 2026 at 12:20 AM
PSA
If you do NOT want your Instagram posts to be AI fodder, do this:
-open Instagram
- tap your profile
- tap the three lines in the top-right
- scroll down to “Sharing and reuse”
-turn that sh*t off (screenshot below)
If you do NOT want your Instagram posts to be AI fodder, do this:
-open Instagram
- tap your profile
- tap the three lines in the top-right
- scroll down to “Sharing and reuse”
-turn that sh*t off (screenshot below)
Reposted by Michelle Jaworski
they just want George R.R. Martin to finish Game of Thrones
Prisoners at a jail in Eastern North Carolina overpowered staff and have seized control of the facility, authorities said www.wral.com/news/state/b...
June 29, 2026 at 5:15 PM
they just want George R.R. Martin to finish Game of Thrones
Reposted by Michelle Jaworski
A "podcast" that is taped and released as video and features famous people is just a talk show that doesn't have to abide by union rules.
I resent the video-fication of podcasting. That's just a TV show. Podcasts aren't supposed to be for hot people. They have everything else
June 23, 2026 at 9:48 PM
A "podcast" that is taped and released as video and features famous people is just a talk show that doesn't have to abide by union rules.
Reposted by Michelle Jaworski
Reporting live from New York
Lenin Rises: Must Crush Capitalism!
Alt: Lenin Rises: Must Crush Capitalism!
static.klipy.com
June 24, 2026 at 4:12 AM
Reporting live from New York
Reposted by Michelle Jaworski
Another opportunity to post this hilarious semiotic analysis of this phenomenon: velvetshark.com/ai-company-l...
June 23, 2026 at 6:20 PM
Another opportunity to post this hilarious semiotic analysis of this phenomenon: velvetshark.com/ai-company-l...
June 19, 2026 at 10:57 PM
Reposted by Michelle Jaworski
"What started as a hobby and became a job soon turned into a life raft I quietly resented." For House of the Dragons' return, @michejaw.bsky.social takes us on a bittersweet nostalgia trip through a truly wild decade for geek media in today's @fansplaining.bsky.social longread.
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Dragons
Recovering from the Game of Thrones content mines.
fansplaining.com
June 17, 2026 at 7:46 PM
"What started as a hobby and became a job soon turned into a life raft I quietly resented." For House of the Dragons' return, @michejaw.bsky.social takes us on a bittersweet nostalgia trip through a truly wild decade for geek media in today's @fansplaining.bsky.social longread.
Reposted by Michelle Jaworski
Loved this piece by @michejaw.bsky.social. All culture critics how risky it can be to cover stuff you love—there's no surer way to suck all the fun out of it—but with Game of Thrones, outlets' endless desire for ~content never ceased. I'm so glad she was able to find her way back to enjoying it!
Our latest is live! ⚔️ @michejaw.bsky.social writes about her years spent deep in the GoT content mines. The grind of covering these shows and their fandoms destroyed her own fannish love for the franchise—until she finally stepped back and became a viewer again.
Read or listen to an audio version:
Read or listen to an audio version:
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Dragons
Recovering from the Game of Thrones content mines.
fansplaining.com
June 17, 2026 at 6:50 PM
Loved this piece by @michejaw.bsky.social. All culture critics how risky it can be to cover stuff you love—there's no surer way to suck all the fun out of it—but with Game of Thrones, outlets' endless desire for ~content never ceased. I'm so glad she was able to find her way back to enjoying it!
I went to Jersey for a week and came back to, no joke, a dozen political flyers.
One for Schlossberg. One for Conway. Three pro-Bores; one anti-Bores from that AI PAC. Six for Lasher (two of which include notes from Nadler and Bloomberg).
I need this primary to be over yesterday
One for Schlossberg. One for Conway. Three pro-Bores; one anti-Bores from that AI PAC. Six for Lasher (two of which include notes from Nadler and Bloomberg).
I need this primary to be over yesterday
June 18, 2026 at 3:06 AM
I went to Jersey for a week and came back to, no joke, a dozen political flyers.
One for Schlossberg. One for Conway. Three pro-Bores; one anti-Bores from that AI PAC. Six for Lasher (two of which include notes from Nadler and Bloomberg).
I need this primary to be over yesterday
One for Schlossberg. One for Conway. Three pro-Bores; one anti-Bores from that AI PAC. Six for Lasher (two of which include notes from Nadler and Bloomberg).
I need this primary to be over yesterday
Reposted by Michelle Jaworski
I wrote about the past 15 years: One part self-reflection on a property that took over my life (not always for the better), one part view on the deterioration of entertainment journalism, and one part on shitty algorithms amplifying the worst parts of outrage culture fansplaining.com/how-i-learne...
June 17, 2026 at 5:02 PM
I wrote about the past 15 years: One part self-reflection on a property that took over my life (not always for the better), one part view on the deterioration of entertainment journalism, and one part on shitty algorithms amplifying the worst parts of outrage culture fansplaining.com/how-i-learne...
I wrote about the past 15 years: One part self-reflection on a property that took over my life (not always for the better), one part view on the deterioration of entertainment journalism, and one part on shitty algorithms amplifying the worst parts of outrage culture fansplaining.com/how-i-learne...
June 17, 2026 at 5:02 PM
I wrote about the past 15 years: One part self-reflection on a property that took over my life (not always for the better), one part view on the deterioration of entertainment journalism, and one part on shitty algorithms amplifying the worst parts of outrage culture fansplaining.com/how-i-learne...