Matt Collette
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making radio at @kqed forum • previously @today_explained @wnyc etc • he/him 🏳️🌈 • retweets are legally binding • not on here much anymore
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Articles by Matt Collette
What AI thinks about your company matters more than where it ranks
In February 2024, Gartner published a prediction that sent a wave of anxiety through the communications and marketing industry. By 2026, the research firm estimated, search-engine volume would decline by 25 per cent as consumers shifted their questions to Gen AI tools, chatbots, and virtual assistants. Warnings followed about the demise of traditional search, the disruption of Google's dominance, and the collapse of website traffic. Two years later, Gartner's predicted decline has not materialised.
SEQUENCR AI LAUNCHES STRATUM, BRINGING AI AGENTS TO COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING TEAMS
Stratum is an AI platform for communications and marketing, combining AI agents, domain-specific models and real-time data to empower users understand and act. Stratum is an AI platform for communications and marketing teams, combining AI agents, domain-specific models and real-time data to turn signals into action.
SFMOMA’s best piece is leaving this month. Don’t miss it
Listen, I know this sounds a little crazy, but the best piece of art at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a video installation, and it is closing at the end of the month. You do not want to miss it. I get why you might be skeptical. Usually, when I see a video installation in a museum, I stand near the back for a moment, taking in the overall vibe before — quickly — moving on. Rarely have I felt the urge to sit through more than a few minutes, let alone the whole thing.
The Trump-Musk Fallout + A DOGE Coder Speaks + ChefGPT
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This week, Kevin and Casey discuss the sudden breakdown between President Trump and Elon Musk, whose disagreements over the policy bill before Congress quickly erupted into an all-out feud. Then, an ex-DOGE coder explains what it was really like to work inside the Trump administration's cost-cutting arm. And finally, the former New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells explains why some chefs are turning to A.I. for inspiration.
By Kevin Roose, Casey Newton Verified, Whitney Jones Verified, Rachel Cohn, Matt Collette Verified, Chris Wood, Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Sophia Lanman, Rowan Niemisto
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The New York Times
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The A.I. Jobpocalypse, Building at Anthropic with Mike Krieger and Hard Fork Crimes Division
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This week, we dive into Kevin's recent column about how A.I. is affecting the job market for new graduates, and debate whether the job apocalypse is already here for entry-level work. Then Mike Krieger joins us to discuss the new Claude 4 model, the future of work and the online chatter over whether an A.I. system could blackmail you. And finally, it's time to open up the case files for another round of Hard Fork Crimes Division.
By Kevin Roose, Casey Newton Verified, Rachel Cohn, Whitney Jones Verified, Matt Collette Verified, Chris Wood, Dan Powell, Rowan Niemisto, Diane Wong
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The New York Times
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Ed Helms Answers Your Hard Questions
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The actor, comedian and author Ed Helms has a new book out about historical blunders. He swings by Hard Fork to tell us about it and answer your moral quandaries, ethical dilemmas and etiquette questions about technology: How do I tell my mom she can't post about her grandkids on Facebook? Am I being an A.I. hypocrite at work? And is it OK to troll the scammers who blow up my cellphone?
By Kevin Roose, Casey Newton Verified, Whitney Jones Verified, Rachel Cohn, Matt Collette Verified, Katie McMurran, Dan Powell, Marion Lozano
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The New York Times
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The Dangers of A.I. Flattery + Kevin Meets the Orb + Group Chat Chat Original
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This week we dig into the ways chatbots are starting to manipulate us, including ChatGPT's sycophantic update, Meta's digital companionship turn and a secret experiment run on Reddit users. Then Kevin reports back from the unveiling of a new eye-scanning orb. And finally, we're joined by PJ Vogt for a brand-new segment called Group Chat Chat. Tickets to "Hard Fork Live" on June 24 are sold out. You can join the wait list here to be alerted if additional tickets become available.
By Kevin Roose, Casey Newton Verified, Whitney Jones Verified, Rachel Cohn, Matt Collette Verified, Chris Wood, Dan Powell, Elisheba Ittoop, Rowan Niemisto, Diane Wong
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The New York Times
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Is Google Breaking Up? + Seasteading Is Back + Tool Time Original
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This week, with big developments in two antitrust cases against Google, we discuss how the company may be forced to change its business. Then we're joined by the journalist Mark Yarm to discuss his recent visit to an underwater home for his article about techno-utopians who want to colonize the ocean. And finally, it's tool time! We'll tell you about our latest experiments with ChatGPT's o3, Casey's newest journaling practice and Kevin's continued battle to get to inbox zero.
By Kevin Roose, Casey Newton Verified, Rachel Cohn, Whitney Jones Verified, Matt Collette Verified, Alyssa Moxley, Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Sophia Lanman, Rowan Niemisto
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The New York Times
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Meta on Trial + Is A.I. a 'Normal' Technology? + HatGPT Original
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This week Meta is on trial, in a landmark case over whether it illegally snuffed out competition when it acquired Instagram and WhatsApp. We discuss some of the most surprising revelations from old email messages made public as evidence in the case, and explain why we think the F.T.C.'s argument has gotten weaker in the years since the lawsuit was filed.
By Kevin Roose, Casey Newton Verified, Whitney Jones Verified, Rachel Cohn, Matt Collette Verified, Katie McMurran, Dan Powell, Elisheba Ittoop, Marion Lozano, Rowan Niemisto
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The New York Times
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Six Ways Comms Pros Can Use Generative AI to Personalize Engagement
In 2014, marketing strategist Mark Schaefer introduced the concept of “Content Shock,” predicting a tipping point where the supply of content would vastly exceed human capacity to consume it. Schaefer’s prediction was remarkably prescient. In the decade since his blog post, content creation has skyrocketed, with Instagram uploads surging from 70 million daily in 2014 to 1.3 billion in 2024.
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This week, we dig into the group chat that's rocking the Trump administration and talk about why turning to Signal to plan military operations probably isn't a great idea. Then, we're joined by the podcaster Dwarkesh Patel to discuss his new book "The Scaling Era," and whether he's still optimistic about the broad benefits of A.I. And finally, a couple weeks ago we asked whether A.I. was making you dumber. Now we hear your takes.
By Kevin Roose, Casey Newton Verified, Rachel Cohn, Whitney Jones Verified, Matt Collette Verified, Alyssa Moxley, Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Diane Wong
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The New York Times
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A case for immigration optimism?
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments.
A case for immigration optimism?
President Joe Biden this week signed an executive order that would cap the number of asylum seekers able to enter the United States at the southern border. It’s arguably the most restrictive border policy he’s taken as president — one that puts him more in line with former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies — and would reshape America’s asylum system if allowed to take effect.
Why police are solving fewer crimes, explained by a police chief - Vox.com
In 2020, after the police-involved killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, millions of Americans took to the streets for months to demand police reform. Almost three and a half years later, a report of national crime data, compiled and published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as part of the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, indicates that police departments nationwide have changed — for the worse. The data says cops are solving fewer crimes today than they did then.
Why the growth of Web3 shows the importance of trust
By Matt Collette Over the last few weeks, Edelman Canada’s head of digital Matt Collette dove into the tactics brands can use to build an arsenal of zero & first party data, compete in a new era of privacy, as well as forecast the changing relationship between brands and consumers. Today, he looks at why trust is the critical foundation to retention and loyalty for brands. Last week marked a momentous occasion for the Web3 ecosystem.
We aren’t in an advertising recession. It’s an advertising reset.
Over the coming weeks, Edelman Canada’s head of digital, Matt Collette, will be diving into tactics that can help brands build an arsenal of zero- and first-party data to help them compete in a new era of privacy, as well as forecast the future and the changing relationship between brands and consumers. Today, he looks at why brands need to prioritize customer engagement and retention to drive growth above all else. You can read part one here.
The media flywheel is dead. Have you pivoted yet?
Over the coming weeks, Edelman Canada’s head of digital, Matt Collette, will be diving into tactics that can help brands build an arsenal of zero- and first-party data to help them compete in a new era of privacy, as well as forecast the future and the changing relationship between brands and consumers. Today, he looks at how we got here, and why zero- and first-party data should be priority number one for relationship-focused marketers.
Stillwater is based on Amanda Knox’s story. She wishes someone had asked her to tell it.
The new movie Stillwater stars Matt Damon as an American father trying to exonerate his daughter, who’s been charged in Europe with the murder of another young woman. Director and co-writer Tom McCarthy told Vanity Fair his film was directly inspired by the story of Amanda Knox, an American college student imprisoned for eight years in Italy over a murder of which she was ultimately exonerated. But Knox had no role in making the film.
Who Has Profited Most From the Trump Presidency?
the swamp 7:00 A.M. Fifty-one insiders who profited off the presidency. Reporting by Andrea Bernstein, Matt Collette, Meg Cramer, Peter Elkind, Charlotte Klein, Ilya Marritz, Katherine Sullivan, and James D. Walsh The president and his entourage leaving the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., in July. During his presidency, the hotel hosted foreign dignitaries and CEOs seeking to curry favor. Photo: Oliver Contreras/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock/Copyright (c) 2020 Shutterstock.
How the Rich and Powerful Profit From Crises Like Coronavirus — ProPublica
Stay up to date with email updates about WNYC and ProPublica’s investigations into the president’s business practices. Listen to the Episode The “Trump, Inc.” podcast has long explored how people have tried to benefit through their proximity to the Oval Office. Our podcast with WNYC is going to continue digging into that as the Trump administration is tasked with rolling out more than $2 trillion in bailout money. We spoke to two people this week to help us understand the stakes.
Reporting Recipe: How to Identify Suspicious Campaign Finance Records — ProPublica
Stay up to date with email updates about WNYC and ProPublica’s investigations into the president’s business practices. Following politics is about following the money. It’s increasingly a shortcut to influence, access and power — and it’s a key focus at “Trump, Inc.” This week we trace the story of Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, two men who’ve emerged as central characters in the Ukraine pressure campaign that led to President Donald Trump’s impeachment.
mcollette (Matt Collette) on Keybase
What the heck is Keybase? Keybase is an open source app Keybase comes with everything you need to manage your identity, create secure chats, and share files privately. It's free. It's fun too. Over 100,000 people have joined Keybase so far to prove their identities, and it's growing rapidly.
Toni Morrison: ‘goodness’ more powerful than violence, hate
/ News @ Northeastern Homepage Toni Morrison: ‘goodness’ more powerful than violence, hate 0% Up Next World-renowned novelist Toni Morrison said that brutal violence against African-Americans was so commonplace throughout much of the 20th century that it was almost casual how it came to shape their lives in that era. “Each is a story of humiliation, of degradation, and—very often—of blood,” said Morrison, a Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author.
Gentlemen, Preschool Is Calling
Glenn Peters knew he would be in the minority when he started training to teach preschool as part of New York City's rollout of universal pre-K, the largest such initiative in the country. But he didn't realize just how rare men are in the profession until he attended a resume-building workshop for aspiring pre-K teachers. "They couldn't find the bathroom code for the men's bathroom, so I actually had to go to the women's room while someone stood guard outside the bathroom," Peters says.
Cover Exclusive: Casey Cott Is More Than Your Gay Best Friend
It’s a dark, foggy night in a forest on the outskirts of Riverdale and Kevin Keller is cruising. Chiseled men wander through the woods on the hunt for anonymous, small-town sex. Just as Keller’s sex life seems poised to move from The CW into premium cable territory, he hears gunshots and quickly comes across a gruesome crime scene. “It was full-on Carrie,” Keller tells his classmates the next day at school. “Midge covered in Moose’s blood.
unconferencing - LGBT radio
Hey! We thought Third Coast would be a great time for us queer people in public radio (and oh god, there are sooo many of us) to hang out and get to know one another. So let's try this unconferencing thing? Who's in?
Bringing Fred Rogers Forward
When Fred Rogers wanted to teach children something new, he rarely had to travel far. In the TV show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (1968-2001), aimed at children ages two to five, life lessons were never more than a few blocks away. Trips to schools and factories taught about things like education and industry. Through letters and packages, mailman Mr. McFeeley brought the outside world to Mr. Rogers’s living room. A fantasy realm—with kings, queens, and tigers—could be reached by a trolley.
The city is trying new methods. This one could actually work.
Yani Lopez, of Harlem, wanted her daughter Kiami to go to a good kindergarten—one with art classes, foreign languages, and a diverse student body. Instead, Kiami was assigned last year to a neighborhood school with limited resources, no art classes, and a student body that was almost exclusively black and Hispanic.
The Great Common Core Textbook Swindle
Only one in eight Common Core-aligned textbooks actually meet Common Core standards—and none by textbook giants Pearson or Houghton Mifflin Harcourt—but they were repackaged and sold to public schools anyway, at taxpayers’ expense. Cheryl Schafer was a veteran math teacher by the time Common Core arrived in New York back in 2010. It was apparent to her almost immediately that teachers didn’t have the materials they needed to teach to the new national standards.
Local Efforts Underway to Integrate NYC Schools Start Small
Segregation in the New York City public schools is nothing new but an influential study and a decade of using the system's current model for school choice have spurred efforts, official and unofficial, to change it. The City Council made its move when it passed the School Diversity Accountability Act, which Mayor Bill de Blasio signed into law this month. It requires the Department of Education to provide demographic data on schools and detail the steps it plans to improve diversity.
Should teachers friend students on Facebook?
Should teachers accept Facebook friend requests from their students? Should they interact with them on Twitter? That's the big topic in the latest Ask a Teacher, Slate’s education podcast with the Teacher Project at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. In the last episode of the show this school year, host Matt Collette chats with:
Do you teach to the test?
Are standardized tests harming the integrity of teaching? That's the big issue in the latest episode of Ask a Teacher, Slate’s education podcast with the Teacher Project at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Do teachers actually teach to the test?
How should teachers be evaluated?
Welcome to the latest installment of Ask a Teacher, Slate’s education podcast with the Teacher Project at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. In this episode, host Matt Collette asks three working teachers to answer questions submitted by listeners, including “If you were to design a system for evaluating teacher performance, what would it look like?”
What do you do when a kid’s question stumps you?
Welcome to the latest installment of Ask a Teacher, Slate’s education podcast with the Theater Project at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. In this episode, host Matt Collette asks three working teachers to answer questions submitted by listeners, including “How do teachers respond when they don’t know the answer to a student’s question?”
Why so much homework?
My Heart Is Still Disgusted by My Father. Should I Reconcile With Him for My Son’s Sake? Dear Prudence calls in on The Gist to counsel a letter writer.
The moment I wanted to quit.
Welcome to the latest installment of Ask a Teacher, Slate’s education podcast with the Theater Project at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. In this episode, host Matt Collette asks three working teachers to answer questions submitted by listeners, including a big one: “Name a moment that made you want to quit teaching—then explain why you didn’t.” Got a question for our teachers? Ask it here.
How to avoid burnout.
We need to create policies for the families we have, not the families we wish we had.
“What’s the best and worst advice you received as a teacher?”
Listen to Episode 1 of Ask a Teacher: Welcome to Ask a Teacher, Slate’s new education podcast presented with the Teacher Project at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. In this week’s episode, host Matt Collette asks three teachers questions submitted by Slate readers, including, “What is the best and worst advice you were given as a new teacher?” Want to submit a question to Ask a Teacher? Here’s how to do it.
Why Schools Are Ditching A’s, B’s, and C’s for Greens, Yellows, and Reds
Schooled When Shane was in elementary school, he could go months without advancing a reading level. And even though his mom, Carrie Shepherd, considered herself an involved parent, she sometimes wouldn’t know that her son, who has dyslexia, had stalled until she saw Shane’s latest report card. “You wonder, ‘What could I as a parent have done had I known?’ ” she says. Since Shane started middle school this fall, however, that hasn’t been a problem.
Why schools are ditching letter grades for a new model.
When Shane was in elementary school, he could go months without advancing a reading level. And even though his mom, Carrie Shepherd, considered herself an involved parent, she sometimes wouldn’t know that her son, who has dyslexia, had stalled until she saw Shane’s latest report card. “You wonder, ‘What could I as a parent have done had I known?’ ” she says. Since Shane started middle school this fall, however, that hasn’t been a problem.
Colletter #25: Screenshots
I didn't really consume all that much media this week—things have been super busy in these parts. So I don't have a ton more to share here, but that's why I employ an intern., take it away: Symbolia , a digitalmagazine, is shutting down , and it's a bit of a bummer. I actually have a lot of reservations about comic journalism, which is a bit surprising seeing as I'm a journalist and a cartoonist (albeit one who hasn't updated his webcomic in forever).
Junior high teachers have really, really hard jobs.
“I Wish You Could Have Been With Me in the Pressroom at the Supreme Court” Here are Dahlia Lithwick’s favorite reads from Slate this week, from “choreplay” to the GOP’s letter to Iran.
Meet the Teachers Crazy Enough to Teach Middle School
Meet the Teachers Crazy Enough to Teach Middle School It turns out middle school teachers disliked middle school as much as the rest of us. “It’s just an awkward and difficult time,” said Peter Schmitt, a middle school math teacher at Lower Manhattan Community School. “I would not want to do it again.” But if these teachers hated middle school, why did they ever return?
How constant change demoralizes teachers.
Reforms come and go so quickly at Intermediate School 61 in Queens. First there was the push for smaller schools that began in 2003. Then a mind-boggling data system was introduced in 2007. The implementation of Common Core began in 2012, a process on track to continue through at least 2022. A new teacher evaluation system debuted in 2013.
Colletter by Matt Collette
A weekly nonstop nonsense cruise to your inboxes from Matt Collette. Interesting links and half-formed thoughts from that nerdy friend of yours.
Can too many snow days widen the achievement gap?
Boston English teacher Becca Harbeson has been trying so hard to keep her 10th graders engaged in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet this winter that she’s resorted to text messaging them about the play. The city’s public schools have had eight snow days so far this school year, nearly all of them in the past few weeks.
Colletter #17: Big Block of Garbage Day
Yes, the problem with the NFL is deflated footballs. That’s the one. It’s not the complicated stuff we have chosen to forget because we ran out of energy as the league stalled and stalled until the clock ran out. It’s not the commissioner who ignored a domestic violence crisis, then hired the same company that negotiated the league’s latest TV deal to conduct an “independent investigation” to absolve the NFL and commissioner of any wrongdoing.
Why Obama barely mentioned K-12 education in his speech.
With ambitious child care and community college proposals, President Obama had plenty to say about education for our youngest and older students in last night’s State of the Union address. But he barely mentioned K-12 education.
Ivy League Grads Can't Pass the New GED
A corporation privatized the GED, made it four times more expensive, and made it almost impossible to pass. Trust me. The number of people who passed the GED—the high school equivalency test long seen as a “good enough diploma”—plummeted this year. About 86,500 people passed the new test in 2014, compared with 540,535 in 2013. The GED administered in 2014 was dramatically tougher than its previous iteration, which had been in use since 2002.
Ivy League Grads Can’t Pass the New GED
The number of people who passed the GED—the high school equivalency test long seen as a “good enough diploma”—plummeted this year. About 86,500 people passed the new test in 2014, compared with 540,535 in 2013. The GED administered in 2014 was dramatically tougher than its previous iteration, which had been in use since 2002.
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