I am easily found. shafer.writer@gmail.com
Washington, DC
- Tweets 83,334
- Following 869
- Followers 71,993
- Likes 14,979
Pinned Tweet
"The first duty of the press is to obtain the earliest and most correct intelligence of the events of the time, and instantly...
218
618
1,349
Jack Shafer retweeted
“So many Republican candidates in recent days have broken with Trump that it’s as if a secret memo went out announcing that the floodgates were officially open,” Susan B. Glasser writes. newyorker.com/news/letter-fr…
6
19
65
12,759
Jack Shafer retweeted
This comes as yet another week ends with no Pentagon news briefing.
The last one was held May 5, more than four months ago.
DOD's casualty tracker added 37 wounded troops to its Iran war tally this week -- 29 sailors and 8 Marines.
The sailors returned to duty. But what happened? When did it happen? Was there an undisclosed attack recently? The response from DOD so far is: 🤷♂️
washingtonpost.com/national-…
5
125
376
36,692
Jack Shafer retweeted
ai films always feel like watching dream logic made flesh
it has the familiar contours of a movie with none of the actual cohesion. a real uncanny valley reaction in my gut
It’s here. The first AI feature film to screen in theatres. The first AI feature film by a female filmmaker.
Not a collection of shorts. A feature film.
Not a studio. One woman with a laptop.
Not a paid PR campaign. An organic social movement.
I didn’t just make a film. We made history. Together.
Because I never for a second thought this was about me. It’s much much bigger than me.
The era of waiting for permission is over. I’m living proof. And that makes some people mad.
Because there are no gatekeepers where there are no gates.
BOSS (2026). Coming soon to a theatre near you.
4
7
73
7,720
Jack Shafer retweeted
NEW: Trump’s ballroom? Actually it’s a ‘military complex.’ Trump’s arch? Also a ‘military complex.’ That press ban? A national security move.
The president keeps cloaking pet projects in NatSec rationales — and judges are increasingly looking askance.
politico.com/news/2026/09/25…
34
301
817
41,331
Jack Shafer retweeted
It was investigative journalism. Not a reality show.
The actor plays TV host Chris Hansen in director Lance Oppenheim’s nightmarish, none-too-deep vision of the production of a seedy reality show. on.wsj.com/3Vdr3x9
3
1
11
3,932
Jack Shafer retweeted
Rest in Peace to my cousin Charlie, a literal world-class journalist and an all-around good guy
And thank you for a beautiful obit from Matt Schudel at The Washington Post
wapo.st/4hKa91Q
1
5
39
6,523
“The average newspaper, especially of the better sort, has the intelligence of a hillbilly evangelist, the courage of a rat, the fairness of a prohibitionist boob-jumper, the information of a high school janitor...and the honor of a police-station lawyer.”
― H.L. Mencken
3
3
22
10,201
Journalism is a profession whose business it is to explain to others what it personally does not understand. --Lord Northcliffe
7
6
30
5,098
Jack Shafer retweeted
If your press freedom ranking puts the UK above the US, then your press freedom ranking is a joke. Sorry.
Washington’s outsized global role means such erosions of norms and freedoms threaten the rule of law worldwide, a Stockholm-based think tank argued, while a Carnegie scholar warned, “a less democratic America is a less powerful America."
60
247
5,068
101,422
Jack Shafer retweeted
The FCC is a relic from the old days of public airwaves. It's time to get rid of it. (Me today at @NRO, link in comments.)
2
4
6
2,021
Jack Shafer retweeted
The battle over the Smithsonian has been cast as just another Trump blowup. But there's a deeper story to how it became a target, involving the American history museum's search for identity and the Smithsonian's 2020 turn, similar to academia.
My latest: propublica.org/article/how-s…
2
17
28
9,865
Jack Shafer retweeted
you should go to London, they basically sit next you in the pub and order a pint.
1
3
2,498
Jack Shafer retweeted
BREAKING: Judge Timothy Kelly (Trump/DC) orders White House to restore credentials to POLITICO/CNN/MSNOW reporters. Kelly 'skeptical' Trump's decision to revoke the passes had to do with national security, as DOJ said. Doc: documentcloud.org/documents/… Earlier: politico.com/news/2026/09/23…
9
57
150
18,212
Jack Shafer retweeted
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa judge dismisses President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against The Des Moines Register and pollster Ann Selzer apnews.com/article/trump-law…
2
31
95
11,310
Jack Shafer retweeted
Step 1: Host phone call with reporters and decline to put anyone on the record.
Step 2: Cite that engagement as an example of why anonymous quotes shouldn't be used in the media.
Step 3: ______?
SCOOP: Justifying its ban of Politico, the White House said the news outlet used anonymous quotes from a "senior administration official."
But those quotes were provided to Politico and other outlets by the White House during a background briefing.
washingtonpost.com/business/…
5
55
224
24,177
