Anna Patton

Anna Patton

@annapatton.bsky.social

Writer/editor focusing on social enterprise, philanthropy, education. Solutions journalism trainer & doer. Philanthropic Studies MA graduate. Associate editor at Pioneers Post, Fellow at On Purpose. Margate, UK

867 followers847 following133 posts

Anna Patton
@annapatton.bsky.social

There's growing momentum behind the "new economy" field, but it remains seriously underfunded - and it's not clear if having many "different subcultures" will help it to succeed. My piece for @pioneerspost.bsky.social www.pioneerspost.com/news-views/2...

pioneerspost.comThe Editor's Post: New economy campaigners: is it time for you all to jump on the same bus?While there’s a strong sense that the current economic system is not working, there’s no consensus on what should replace it. Is this mix of perspectives a positive thing, or hindering progress? Anna ...
Anna Patton
@annapatton.bsky.social

"26 years ago the National Writers Union advocated for a $1/word pay rate. Since then, the cost of living in the United States has approximately doubled" Figures from the US (but very similar picture in the UK): objectivejournalism.org/2026/09/free... @objectivejournos.bsky.social

objectivejournalism.orgFreelance journalism rates have barely changed since 2000New data from the National Writers Union offers a glimpse into a bleak picture of decades-long wage stagnation in freelance journalism.
Anna Patton
@annapatton.bsky.social

Interesting: argues that politicians find it easy to cut aid budgets because they see "media stories that frame foreign aid as wasteful or bogged down in bureaucracy" - and wrongly assume that this is shaping public opinion @bondngo.bsky.social www.bond.org.uk/news/2026/09...

bond.org.ukPoliticians aren't listening to the public on aid. They're listening to the media. | BondNew research suggests politicians are mistaking critical media coverage about ODA for public opinion. Correcting this misconception could be a gamechanger, argues Professor Martin Scott and Dr Paul Cl...
Anna Patton
@annapatton.bsky.social

A while ago I wrote about EmpathyLab, an organisation helping kids to develop empathy through reading. As they told me: "We might think of reading as something that you do in isolation … actually, it’s something that really connects us to other people.” reasonstobecheerful.world/kids-learnin...

reasonstobecheerful.worldHow Kids Are Learning Empathy at SchoolChildren are naturally empathetic, but like a muscle, empathy can be strengthened — sometimes with help from books and films.
Anna Patton
@annapatton.bsky.social

One of the great things about this project is that stories are published in a special print newspaper - for many of our trainees, bringing those copies to their the teachers, children, support workers and local leaders is the best bit of the project.

Anna Patton
@annapatton.bsky.social

“When major publications all report on the same thing, it elevates a topic and it gets more attention. So we decided to do the same thing and swarm-report on housing.” Interesting approach to freelancing: www.niemanlab.org/2026/09/five... @coveringclimatenow.org @niemanlab.org

niemanlab.orgFive independent climate journalists are teaming up with a “pop-up newsroom”Going independent usually means losing the collaboration that comes from working in a newsroom. Journalists operating on their own don't have access to editors or colleagues to work through stories, u...
Anna Patton
@annapatton.bsky.social

"Democracy needs journalists to stand in solidarity with each other. Lobby journalists boycotted briefings after Boris Johnson’s aide banned ‘hostile’ reporters from attending. Number 10 relented. Where is the media boycott of Reform’s conference?"

Peter Geoghegan@petergeoghegan.bsky.social

"Democracy for Sale will continue scrutinising money and influence in our politics, wherever we find it. "Reform can stop us going to their conference. But Farage and his friends can’t stop our journalism." New by me, on being banned by Reform democracyforsale.substack.com/p/ive-been-b...

democracyforsale.substack.comI’ve been banned by Reform. But this isn’t really about me.My press accreditation for Reform’s conference was revoked. This should concern us all.
Anna Patton
@annapatton.bsky.social

Some thoughts on dignity vs charity, what we can learn from Seneca - and a really good example of how the same thing can feel very different, depending on the spirit with which it's given: howcanwehelp.blog/2026/08/30/i...

howcanwehelp.blogIt ain’t what you give, it’s the way that you give itMama to Mama is one of at least 400 baby banks in the UK – organisations that give equipment, clothes and other essentials, usually donated secondhand, to people struggling with money. They are inc…
Anna Patton
@annapatton.bsky.social

"Dolly Parton has been saving us her entire career... she understands that money is something you do rather than something you have" (also: her reading charity has gifted *300 million* books to kids over the years) www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... #philanthropy

theguardian.comDolly Parton helped fund a Covid vaccine. This isn't the first time she's saved us | Jessa CrispinThe singer grew up in incredible poverty. She understands that money is something you do, rather than something you have
Anna Patton
@annapatton.bsky.social

“All children deserve the right to play, don’t they? Regardless of their background, to have a youth club just up the road is vital.” Why heatwaves are adding responsibilities and costs onto youth workers - and stopping kids from staying active. theisleofthanetnews.com/2026/08/10/b...

theisleofthanetnews.comBroadstairs youth club tackles heatwave with adapted sessions and ‘sun policy’By Anna Patton When a group of Broadstairs mums set up a youth club 20 years ago, they soon realised they’d underestimated the demand. “The day we opened, we had 120 children turn up – and it was s…

Anna Patton reposted

Patrick Galey
@patrickgaley.bsky.social

Hey Internet, I'm looking for a favour: - Anyone who is or knows doctors or healthworkers who operate in the UK and would like to talk about their experiences working during heatwaves... please DM me Thank you in advance!

Anna Patton
@annapatton.bsky.social

This is so depressing

Press Gazette@pressgazette.co.uk

Bauer Media’s monthly Take a Break-branded fiction magazine is pausing commissions as it introduces AI tools to help produce more content in-house. Pangram finds short stories in the title credited to the in-house team are 100% AI generated pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/m...

pressgazette.co.ukTake a Break fiction magazine pauses commissions and starts using AITake a Break Fiction Feast, owned by Bauer Media, has paused commissions and is introducing the use of AI tools in stories.

Anna Patton reposted

Nick Ames
@nickames82.bsky.social

Special report from Port Arthur, Texas. It is one of the saddest, most desolate places I have ever visited. It is also where Aramco, FIFA's major worldwide partner and an inescapable presence at the World Cup, owns the largest oil refinery in the US. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

theguardian.com‘This is a hellhole’: Aramco makes its presence hurt in the shadow of the World CupThe oil giant’s sponsorship deal with Fifa has featured prominently at matches in Houston. But 100 miles away in another Texas city, residents say the firm’s refinery is exposing them to poisonous gas...

Anna Patton reposted

Centre for Sustainable Energy
@cse.org.uk

#CommunityEnergy initiatives will play a vital role in our future energy system, but access to funding can be a challenge. We're sharing our top tips and resources on how to fund your projects: 💰 Grants 📢 Crowdfunding 💸 Raising shares 🏦 Institutional investment Find out more 👇 #UpTheEnergy

bit.lyFunding a community energy project - Centre for Sustainable EnergyLooking for funding for your community energy project? There's lots of grants and funding schemes available for new and existing projects.

Anna Patton reposted

Patrick Galey
@patrickgaley.bsky.social

1,300 people are known to have died during Europe's window shattering heatwave These are just the ones we know of so far, directly attributable to the excess heat. The true figure will take months to reveal. The fossil fuel industry has blood on its hands www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.ukEurope's heatwave 'linked to 1,300 deaths' as more records brokenWHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that Europe is not prepared for high temperatures.
Anna Patton
@annapatton.bsky.social

"If we continue to allow the fossil fuel industry to profitably poison us to death, this will be the coolest summer for the rest of our lives" coveringclimatenow.org/from-us-stor... @coveringclimatenow.org @patrickgaley.bsky.social

coveringclimatenow.org“The Coolest Summer for the Rest of Our Lives” — Covering Climate NowFifty years ago, the recent deadly heatwave that shattered temperature records across Europe would have been “virtually impossible.” That’s according to a new scientific study by the nonprofit, World ...

Anna Patton reposted

Joshua Benton
@joshuabenton.com

New by me —> Now we're getting AI fake news complaining about how AI fake news is the death of real news! How a fake news site splits its energy between (a) the imagined closure of real US newspapers and (b) Chinese-friendly takes on Taiwan www.niemanlab.org/2026/07/now-...

niemanlab.orgNow we’re getting AI fake news complaining about how AI fake news is the death of real newsDid 47 Alabama newspapers die on a single day and no one noticed? (Hint: No, they didn't.)
Anna Patton
@annapatton.bsky.social

Good tips here for those pitching opinion pieces generally, not just to Devex:

Devex@devex.com

How to submit an opinion article to Devex? The goal of our opinion section is to publish thought leadership that drives global progress. Devex Editor @honestypern.bsky.social lays out everything you need to get published on our platform.

Anna Patton
@annapatton.bsky.social

"During the time he was homeless, he was largely ignored or treated with hostility... The employees [at the host companies] were the first people who actually had conversations with him" Love this by @michaelahaas.bsky.social @reasonstobecheerful.world reasonstobecheerful.world/offices-home...

reasonstobecheerful.worldFrench Companies Are Inviting Homeless People to Sleep in Their OfficesMost workplaces sit empty every night. Across France, companies are opening theirs up to people experiencing homelessness.
Anna Patton
@annapatton.bsky.social

I visited Windmill Community Gardens, which is giving people confidence to grow food themselves - and selling 75 organic veg bags each week theisleofthanetnews.com/2026/05/29/m... @islethanetnews.bsky.social #greatbiggreenweek

theisleofthanetnews.comMargate charity opening its gardens to the community during Great Big Green WeekBy Anna Patton When Joe Ball checks the wildlife camera at Windmill Community Gardens, he never quite knows what he will find. The lead grower at the Margate charity’s market garden says dragonflie…
Anna Patton
@annapatton.bsky.social

Karen knows how it feels to ask for help. First, “the body blow” of accepting that you’re struggling. Then, “making yourself lesser” when you approach someone who knows or has more than you do. "I know from bitter experience that it is a huge thing to knock on the door". My story for @bigissue.com:

Big Issue@bigissue.com

Keren Badenoch and her daughter Jessica Taylor created Trusted Money Confidence, a peer-to-peer support programme which helps people to take control of their finances

bigissue.comI know how hard it is to seek debt advice – so I'm helping others
Anna Patton
@annapatton.bsky.social

"People believe individuals seeking asylum account for 33% of immigration, when in reality it is about 9%. They also believe people travelling to the UK for study account for 24% of immigration, when it is in fact just over half." www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m... @britishfuture.bsky.social

theguardian.comVoters across parties believe UK net migration is rising despite sharp dropStudy, published as latest migration figures are released, shows incorrect perceptions driving immigration debate
Anna Patton
@annapatton.bsky.social

'Alex quit their virtual assistant job in late 2025, saying they couldn’t handle the “mind-numbing” workload anymore. “It’s all AI comments by fake people answered with fake replies by other fake people... like none of this is real.”' restofworld.org/2026/virtual... @restofworld.org

restofworld.orgThe Filipino virtual assistants behind LinkedIn’s “thought leadership” content millFor $7 an hour, virtual assistants use AI tools to write LinkedIn posts and comments on behalf of Western executives.
Anna Patton
@annapatton.bsky.social

“We’re in, historically, a very deprived area with very poor access to nature... I think it’s immensely important that that resource that is owned and managed by the community, rather than restricted for people" By me for @islethanetnews.bsky.social theisleofthanetnews.com/2026/05/15/h...

theisleofthanetnews.comHow Margate volunteers transformed ‘moonscape’ into ‘wildlife haven’By Anna Patton A community woodland in Margate is set to hit 1,600 volunteering hours this year – double the hours it recorded just three years ago. That’s despite a nationwide volunteer shortage, …

Anna Patton reposted

HOPE not hate
@hopenothate.org.uk

Tommy Robinson is marching through London again today. He presents himself as a patriot, a journalist, and a victim of the establishment. But in reality he is a serial criminal with a rap sheet two decades long. Here’s the record he’d rather you didn’t read. 🧵

Anna Patton
@annapatton.bsky.social

Richard Gere on feeling "deeply ashamed" of what his country has done, and why his new film offers “a corrective of who we really are as human beings" - my piece from the Skoll World Forum: www.pioneerspost.com/news-views/2... @skollfoundation.bsky.social @pioneerspost.bsky.social

pioneerspost.comThe Editor's Post: Richard Gere brings star power to Skoll World ForumThe Hollywood actor and practising Buddhist on the purpose of life – and why his new project aims to counter “a very dark time”: Anna Patton reports from the Skoll World Forum in Oxford, England.
Anna Patton
@annapatton.bsky.social

Tom calls this "the ripple effect". But you could call it "elevation", as @jonathanhaidt.bsky.social defines it: a warm, uplifting feeling, sparked by seeing unexpected good­ness or courage, that makes you want to help others: greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item... @greatergoodedu.bsky.social

greatergood.berkeley.eduWired to be InspiredEver feel a thrill when you see someone act with courage or compassion? Psychologist Jonathan Haidt calls that feeling “elevation,” and his studies of it may provide a key to understanding what inspir...