A large portion of Jezebel’s archive suddenly became inaccessible, including reporting and commentary on rape, abortion, politics, and pop culture. Former staffers found years of work missing; one circulating list named about 1,000 removed stories from Jezebel and its sister site Splinter, while the Washington Post initially reported a smaller figure. The writer found roughly 49 of her own pieces on the list, including investigative work and lighter stories, suggesting the removals were not limited to sensitive subjects. People familiar with Paste, which owns the sites, said publisher William Sagan had ordered deletions after an advertising company flagged headlines as unsuitable for brands. Sagan disputed that account, saying stories had not been deleted but sometimes moved to drafts for review or corrections, and maintained that Jezebel’s editorial policy had not changed.
Some missing stories returned the next day, but many lacked images and bylines; others remained offline. The episode raises concerns about publishers’ power to erase or obscure online work, the fragility of digital archives, and the effects on writers’ ability to be credited and found. It also unfolds as Jezebel’s staff and resources have dwindled since Paste bought it in 2023, with the site lacking an editor-in-chief. Former staffers argue that preserving the archive matters as journalism and cultural history, and that the publication may need new ownership and a different business model to survive.
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Distributed Proofreaders coordinates volunteers to turn scanned public-domain books into ebooks through multiple rounds of proofreading and formatting. Completed books are submitted to Project Gutenberg, and volunteers can contribute at their own pace in several ways. (pgdp.net)
Knowing 86% of an anime’s spoken words can still leave you understanding only 38% of its lines, because a single unfamiliar word can disrupt a whole sentence. Across eight shows, the number of words needed to follow half the lines varied widely, from about 400 for Serial Experiments Lain to 980 for Jujutsu Kaisen. (learnfromx.com)
Dustin Hoffman recalls feeling miscast and deeply insecure while filming “The Graduate,” despite director Mike Nichols choosing him for the lead. Living among the cast and crew, he felt alienated and unworthy, echoing his character Benjamin’s conflict with the older generation. (newyorker.com)
A 17-year-old in Japan spends up to two and a half hours applying makeup to feel confident, influenced by idealized beauty images on social media. She says pressure to match those standards has damaged her self-esteem and made her dissatisfied with her appearance. (mainichi.jp)
People are asked which hobbies they find most enjoyable and absorbing. They’re also invited to share an unexpected benefit a hobby has brought them. (news.ycombinator.com)
Jointter is a daily word puzzle where players find a hidden seven-letter word using every dot and green line, but no red lines. Players have five attempts, and puzzles get harder through the week. (jointter.com)
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