Nuala Bishari

Nuala Bishari

@nuala.bsky.social

Oakland-based journalist. Horse girl. Femme. Cofounder of @coyotemedia.org It’s pronounced “noo-lah” nuala@coyotemedia.org

2.4K followers1K following365 posts

Nuala Bishari
@nuala.bsky.social

If you’re grossed out by AI and data centers piss you off, you could sign up for a membership with coyotemedia.org, an outlet owned by actual human journalists! Support indie media so you don’t end up getting your news from AI slop

Nuala Bishari@nuala.bsky.social

How about the irony of a story I wrote for @coyotemedia.org — with my own two hands!! — getting scraped by AI and vomited up on Hoodline, the now zombified neighborhood news site where I had my first journalism job (it was real in 2014). And no, the journalist here, “Eileen Vargas” does not exist 🤖

hoodline.comOakland Heron Rookery Threatened by Housing ProjectOakland's official bird could lose its biggest rookery to a housing project at 12th and Harrison.
Nuala Bishari
@nuala.bsky.social

How about the irony of a story I wrote for @coyotemedia.org — with my own two hands!! — getting scraped by AI and vomited up on Hoodline, the now zombified neighborhood news site where I had my first journalism job (it was real in 2014). And no, the journalist here, “Eileen Vargas” does not exist 🤖

hoodline.comOakland Heron Rookery Threatened by Housing ProjectOakland's official bird could lose its biggest rookery to a housing project at 12th and Harrison.

Nuala Bishari reposted

COYOTE
@coyotemedia.org

Reporter Paul C. Kelly Campos sat down with the co-founder of Península 360 Press, a Spanish-language news outlet. In addition to a website, it has a mobile radio cabin, collaborates with local theater groups, and one of its most beloved reporters is... a puppet. www.coyotemedia.org/peninsula-36...

coyotemedia.orgThe Peninsula’s Only Spanish-Language News Outlet Meets Latinx Readers Where They Are. Sometimes With PuppetsIn Redwood City, an indie Spanish-language news outlet is informing the public with face-to-face conversations and a puppet named Ramiro.
Nuala Bishari
@nuala.bsky.social

Things I don’t do because I’m scared of men harassing me: get gas after dark. Use headphones while I run. Wear short dresses. Honk at cars that cut me off. Smile at groups of dudes. Leave my door unlocked when I’m home alone. Truth: my day-to-day life hasn’t changed at all since MeToo. Now what?

coyotemedia.orgText Me When You Get HomeNearly a decade since the MeToo movement began, women’s daily lives are still shaped by efforts to avoid assault and harassment. How do we move forward?

Nuala Bishari reposted

Emma Silvers
@emmaruthless.bsky.social

I can’t stop laughing about this nothing screams “we are not at all salty about multiple award-winning journalists quitting their jobs at this paper to start a new thing” like not even naming a single one of them

Nuala Bishari@nuala.bsky.social

“a group of journalists left their legacy media outlets to build the Coyote Media Collective” says the SF Chronicle lol the legacy outlet was YOU 😂

sfchronicle.comOakland’s new media scene has a socialist point of view — and an open barThe East Bay’s literary publications are trying to be “the opposite of Nextdoor.”
Nuala Bishari
@nuala.bsky.social

Very glad ORB and the Bay Area Current got some press — so well deserved!! And just hilarious this was the only mention of us 😂 Too scared to interview the 3 ex Chronicle writers, perhaps?

Nuala Bishari
@nuala.bsky.social

This entire article places the blame on unhoused folks for fires in a park — without a SINGLE piece of evidence. None! Just hearsay and bs quotes like this. I can’t tell if I’m madder about the anti-homeless rhetoric or the lazy reporting (and the fact this got published)

Nuala Bishari reposted

Emma Silvers
@emmaruthless.bsky.social

are there bigger problems in the world? yes does it feel good to funnel your rage & fear about those problems into something stupid and wonky for months at a time? also yes

COYOTE@coyotemedia.org

It’s Disneyland inspired by Dante’s Inferno, and also you’re required to traverse the grounds in a blindfold to reserve a picnic table for a birthday party. www.coyotemedia.org/san-francisc...

coyotemedia.orgSan Francisco’s Parks Are Incredible. Why Is the Rec and Park Website So Bad?One frustrated parent’s journey into the heart of darkness that is municipal web design.
Nuala Bishari
@nuala.bsky.social

This was such a magical experience ✨ What does it mean when people choose to help a struggling species, instead of look the other way? Read some good news for a change!

COYOTE@coyotemedia.org

Black-crowned night herons are Oakland's official bird but they often fall or are pushed onto the streets or sidewalk below. They break legs, or toes, or wings — and if they’re lucky, end up at International Bird Rescue. @nuala.bsky.social shares what she experienced at a recent heron release.

coyotemedia.orgFree as a Bird: Rehabilitated Night Herons Released in OaklandThe black-crowned night herons arrived at a rescue with broken toes, injured wings, or damaged legs. After weeks of rehab, they were released into the wild.

Nuala Bishari reposted

COYOTE
@coyotemedia.org

Coyotes are having a cultural moment. We named our newsroom after them, and artist @wolfchirp.bsky.social wrote a book, "Trickster at the End of a World", about being obsessed with them. So naturally, @cecilialei.bsky.social had to chat with Helen about it. www.coyotemedia.org/helen-shewol...

coyotemedia.orgWhy Coyotes Have Sunk Their Fangs into This AuthorCoyotes have become a Bay Area icon. In ‘Trickster at the End of a World,’ author and artist Helen Shewolfe Tseng shares what they could teach us.
Nuala Bishari
@nuala.bsky.social

This story brought back so many memories! I visited this shop weekly in the mid-2010s, mostly to buy film and cameras from Glass Key — but also for records. Dick was such a light, so funny, and I spent more $ there than I'd like to admit. Read the piece to find out who else is taking it over ;)

COYOTE@coyotemedia.org

“I can’t imagine how hard it would be to grow up as a gay kid in the ’50s,” says Jon Blunck, one of the shop’s new owners. “So he created his fantasy world and it turned into Rooky Ricardo’s Records, and he invited us all along.” www.coyotemedia.org/dick-vivan-k...

coyotemedia.orgDick Vivian Knew the Right Record Could Change Your LifeThe beloved owner of Rooky Ricardo’s Records died in July at 78. But the Haight St. shop’s new owners — and Vivian’s countless musical disciples — say his legacy lives on.

Nuala Bishari reposted

Annalee Newitz
@annaleen.bsky.social

I have long wanted to write for the excellent Bay Area publishing collective COYOTE...and they let me write something that honestly no other publication would. All hail independent media!!

Reo Eveleth@reveleth.com

Early on @coyotemedia.org made a list of dream bylines we'd LOVE to have on the site and @annaleen.bsky.social was one of the first on it for me. So stoked to see this piece about ~~speculative transit~~ and big dreams for the Bay Area. www.coyotemedia.org/funding-bay-...

coyotemedia.orgA Modest Proposal for Funding Transit Instead of AIIn the ’60s, the Bay Area almost got a high-speed train from Marin to San Jose. What could happen if we dreamed big again?
Nuala Bishari
@nuala.bsky.social

I love this list 👇

Reo Eveleth@reveleth.com

A few stories that I think exemplify what @coyotemedia.org is all about: 1. @emmaruthless.bsky.social rumination on what the hell we're supposed to do about the Civic Joy fund, which both funds a ton of stuff, and is run by evil people www.coyotemedia.org/how-could-yo...

coyotemedia.org‘How Could You Be Against Joy?’: Bay Area Artists Are Turning on the Civic Joy FundA private initiative founded by the mayor and backed by a crypto billionaire is increasingly shaping San Francisco’s arts scene. Musicians are asking questions — and some are calling for a boycott.
Nuala Bishari
@nuala.bsky.social

Fun fact: While reporting this story I helped RESCUE A NIGHT HERON. Their name is Fred and you have to read the piece to find out what happened 👀

Reo Eveleth@reveleth.com

Really interesting piece by @nuala.bsky.social about the battle for a lot in Oakland. It's a perfect spot for housing, and the planned building seems actually good and will be truly (!!) affordable (!!). It's also going to destroy the homes of a bunch of herons. www.coyotemedia.org/herons-or-ho...

coyotemedia.orgHerons or Housing: The Battle Over a Vacant LotA large affordable housing development is slated for downtown Oakland. It could displace hundreds of black-crowned night herons, the city’s official bird.
Nuala Bishari
@nuala.bsky.social

In which the brilliant funny @emmaruthless.bsky.social writes about how Meta’s AI created a “music festival turned funhouse of failed medical experiments.”

COYOTE@coyotemedia.org

Notably, the Westones are a racially diverse band. Each AI-generated person in Meta’s ad suggestions — again, with the implication that the image would “perform” better and lead to more conversions — appeared to be white. www.coyotemedia.org/meta-ai-has-...

coyotemedia.orgMeta AI Has Some Super Normal Ideas for Improving Your Band PhotosSure, Facebook will promote your upcoming show. But have you considered using a random AI-generated white lady instead of your band?
Nuala Bishari
@nuala.bsky.social

In which I am a hypocrite, and write about prepping water for an emergency while only having 7 stale gallons for a family of 3 humans and 3 animals. One up me!

COYOTE@coyotemedia.org

If you, like us, instantly feel overwhelmed by the idea of prepping for a disaster, then break it down step by step. It's cheap and easy to store water. Here's how.

coyotemedia.orgFirst Aid Kit: How To Store Water for an EmergencyThe most important item to store for a disaster is also the cheapest.
Nuala Bishari
@nuala.bsky.social

Horrifying how much certain SF supervisors are critically scrutinized by their peers, but there’s crickets when this shit happens

COYOTE@coyotemedia.org

Last Sunday, San Francisco District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey relaxed after what was, for most, a fun-packed SF Pride by repeatedly prompting xAI chatbot Grok to provide justifications for the killings of civilians in Gaza by Israeli forces. www.coyotemedia.org/s-f-lawmaker...

coyotemedia.orgS.F. Lawmaker Asks Chatbot About 'Suicidally Motivated Civilians' in GazaA San Francisco supervisor finds an eager listener in xAI's Grok.

Nuala Bishari reposted

Reo Eveleth
@reveleth.com

Hey Bay Area folks, just a reminder that I curate the @coyotemedia.org calendar and am always looking for interesting stuff. What are you all up to this week? Do you know of cool things going on? Send them my way! calendar@coyotemedia.org <3

Nuala Bishari reposted

COYOTE
@coyotemedia.org

The Bay Area Book Fest is coming back to Berkeley this weekend. These are @nuala.bsky.social and @rahawahaile.bsky.social's picks for events you gotta check out: Zine making! The sounds of Oakland! Hauntings!! www.coyotemedia.org/bay-area-boo...

coyotemedia.orgWhat to Catch at the Bay Area Book Festival This WeekendLearn how to narrate an audiobook or make a zine, or dive into discussions around the politics of sideshow noise and the power of hauntings.