I've been laid off at the @TexasObserver today. The publication no longer has a digital editor or social media manager (I was both), and has also fired its editor-in-chief and laid off another member of the editor team.
If you have leads please send them my way. And please consider joining my Patreon to support my continued writing. https://patreon.com/kitoconnell
Gayle Reaves and Gabriel Arana, the two other team members let go from @TexasObserver are also excellent journos who deserve your support. Thanks everyone who is boosting this thread and just sending in your well wishes. I'm heartbroken but I'll make it.
I have moved my 'work' account off of the @TexasObserver server to @oconnell.
My followers should be moved over automatically.
I'm continuing this account as my personal account and will continue to ramble about lefty politics, video games, enby life and general shitposting here.
I'm extremely proud of the work I did @TexasObserver, including running the social media campaign which helped save the publication, expanding onto Mastodon where we received 10,000s of followers, along with several other new social networks, all while writing stories that got award nominations. I helped bring our traffic out of a death spiral too.
I believe my upcoming @TexasObserver long COVID story may be some of the finest writing of my career, but I broke and reported so many important stories and I'm grateful I had the opportunity. I'm sad for the future of a once great publication.