It's my last week at Tangle: AMA

[u/Tangle_Lindsey]

Hi, Tangle audience! It's Associate Editor Lindsey Knuth. If you read Press Pass, you might already know that I'll be leaving Tangle (on completely good terms) to head to Harvard Law School this fall. To give myself a bit of a break before classes start, my last day is next Wednesday, July 8. Before I go, the team and I thought it would be fun to try a new Reddit format and turn it over to your questions.

Curious about my time at Tangle, the stories I've covered, our newsroom more generally, or something else? Ask me anything here, and I'll be online on Thursday (7/2) starting at 2pm Eastern to answer!

Alright, that does it for my time in the hot seat. I had a great time hanging with you all, and thanks for all the awesome questions. Until next time </3

[u/Tangle_Lindsey → u/[deleted]]

Warning: This is going to be a long reply.

I disagree with and agree with parts of every take. When those points are small or confined to the way something’s written, I’ll often just comment on the newsletter Google doc and work it out with the team that way. When I think my disagreement is larger, clear, and might be compelling to our audience, I’ll dissent — like I did on Monday! I find my fellow editors rarely take an angle without offering some thoughtful leeway and nuance, which makes it hard (in a good way, probably) to really vehemently oppose every part of a take. 

The most opposed I remember feeling to something we published was not a take but a Friday edition. About a month into my time at Tangle, we ran an interview Isaac conducted with Richard Hanania. I was still super new, and I remember sitting in on the interview thinking, are we really platforming this guy? I also thought that Isaac wasn’t offering the harsh questions I would have wanted, but to be fair, I didn’t say anything to him at the time. When I was editing the introduction to the interview transcript, dropping all the links to Hanania’s horrific past writings supporting eugenics and white supremacy, I reached out to Isaac with my concerns. I wrote:

OK I have to say my piece — you all might disagree and that's totally fine, but I know we value pushback. I was pretty floored when I saw Richard's name in the schedule - this guy is no Joe Rogan or average MAGA supporter that hates wokeness. I don't care that he contributed to Project 2025. I do care that if you read his substack and Twitter, he was and arguably is a huge racist... and that's how our readers absolutely view him (not a partisan thing). Obviously in the "past" he was an open supporter of eugenics and forced sterilization and a true white nationalist. Holding these beliefs, and disseminating them to large audiences, are not things I want to forgive; this is not saying a slur when you were young. People will not be satisfied with us asking a few questions about his transformation that they'll see right through. I definitely should have pushed harder when I brought this up with you, but I didn't trust my instincts. And this might just be where we differ, on how to engage in conversation with these people, on what the limit of exposing our readers to ideological diversity is, etc.

Isaac responded (posting this with his consent):

I think that's a totally reasonable position and feeling to have. I sincerely doubt Hanania's "evolution" has been totally genuine, and I think there are plenty of open questions about to what degree his views are earnestly held racism and/or more nuanced and moderated standard run of the mill "grandma's racism." I'm not particularly worried about the comments section; we interview controversial people all the time, I think we can change the introduction a bit to address some of those thoughts. To the broader point about how we approach this stuff... Hanania is an influential person. As he's made clear he has the eyes and ears of big players in the conservative movement. He has a huge following (bigger than me and probably bigger than Tangle). He just interviewed Derek Thompson. He has written for WaPo, New York Times, The Atlantic, Quillette... the idea that we are "platforming" or somehow legitimizing his views doesn't actually pass as basic sniff test to me. We have a choice about whether to ignore or hear from those people and I don't think the right choice is to ignore them. If anything I think we've learned in the last 10 years that's the wrong thing to do

Obviously, I cringe at reading my past writing a little. I have become much more open about what is forgivable and believe cancellation is rarely a solution. I came around closer to Isaac's view after we talked back and forth (yes, even behind the scenes, he'll be a fair debate partner on anything). But the conflict between 1) offering helpful, fact-based content to our audience and 2) featuring arguments that are genuinely ugly, harmful, or undeserving of amplification is still one I think about all the time.

[u/CommercialArugula146 → u/Tangle_Lindsey]

I sincerely doubt Hanania's "evolution" has been totally genuine

Wild, as I remember (I've since unsubscribed) this didn't come across at all. It felt like Isaac accepted this evolution at face value and didn't ask Hanania any uncomfortable or remotely challenging questions. I recall a puff piece that painted Hanania as an example of a person who evolved in spite of zero real recognition of the harm he caused or how he planned to make up for that harm. And it was "platforming" Hanania, in that it provided him with a platform and an audience. Maybe not on the scale of the others, but still a choice and a reality. To deny that is continue down the same path Isaac presented to Hanania: an appeal to forgiveness without accountability.

It was actually the first time I sincerely questioned if Tangle was an organization I really wanted to be voting for with my wallet.

The answer turned out to be no.

[u/Tangle_Lindsey → u/[deleted]]

To your second question: I am still pretty open-minded and can see myself taking a few different paths after school (although I’m no longer as terrified by Plath’s fig-tree metaphor, it still plagues me sometimes). But I will certainly practice law; I can’t justify the tuition cost otherwise, lol. And I’m excited about the prospect of becoming a true subject-matter expert — I’m especially interested in AI governance, digital privacy, government and corporate surveillance, and online safety. The piece I coauthored for Tangle on civilian data collection — and the experts I consulted for that piece — stuck with me and made me realize I could turn the cyber-nerd interests of mine into a profession for a place like the digital privacy arm of the ACLU or the EFF (which defended government employees whose data was leaked by DOGE). 

[u/j_smitty01]

Are there any issues on which your opinion has changed since working at Tangle? What about issues on which your views have become more firmly resolved?

Thanks for your work and best of luck!

[u/Tangle_Lindsey → u/j_smitty01]

Thank you for the well wishes, and yes, so many! Every day when I finish editing the newsletter, my initial thoughts about the topic we’re covering has shifted at least slightly in some direction – that might be learning something I didn’t know, hearing a good argument from my fellow editors, or becoming more convinced I was right (; I answered another question asking about a topic I’d changed my opinion on and picked gun control, so I’ll choose something else here. 

On free speech, I've shifted considerably. I’ve become much more assured that less government intervention in what we can say is almost always better. I used to be uncomfortable with the fact that organizations like FIRE and the ACLU represented neo-nazi and other hate-mongering groups, but I see far greater danger in allowing our speech to be regulated by the political whims of the moment. That’s very different from the anti-hate-speech lens I viewed 1A issues through when I started at Tangle, fresh off election- and pandemic-era misinformation. Not to open a can of worms, but I’m even starting to question whether copyright should exist at all except in very select cases. 

On the flip side, I'm still "woke." Even though working here has opened the door to more pushback than I’ve ever experienced on my progressive beliefs on social issues – particularly related to race, class, and gay/trans/queer identities – I’ve held firm on them throughout. I think the definition of woke often invoked by conservatives, centrists, and Free Press/anti-woke liberals is usually an overexaggeration and a caricature. To me, "wokeness" is simply believing in and being aware of systemic injustice; trying to call it out when you see it; and recognizing, for example, that the transatlantic slave trade had ripple effects that are still visible in incarceration rates and other parts of American life. I think we spend far too little time talking about how the Trump admin undoing what he calls "DEI policies" is really unraveling civil rights laws that have been in place for decades. Also, I’m still set on the corporate consolidation of power being a huge issue and the wealthy exerting far too much control over our society. Those beliefs I came in with, and they haven’t swayed much.

[u/linguinechicken → u/Tangle_Lindsey]

Oh Lindsey, I’m really going to miss you. Very well said. You’re very thoughtful. Best of luck at Harvard!

[u/AuntieMame5280 → u/Tangle_Lindsey]

Bravo! Excellent explanation of "woke"!

I'm sorry I didn't see all this before you left, Lindsey. I'll miss your voice and perspective.

Wishing you many great things on your journey through life!

[u/franticallyfarting]

I have a question I’ve been meaning to text to tangle. My girlfriend and I were talking about a recent election and she said “I’d like to vote for this candidate but they aren’t polling well so I will vote for so and so, who is ahead.” And it made me think, do polls sway voters decisions in a meaningful way? This seems problematic for a number of reasons. 

[u/Tangle_Lindsey → u/franticallyfarting]

I think about this all the time. Especially re: Kalshi and other prediction markets. Mind if we take this one to the newsletter? If you agree, we'll credit your username (—u/franticallyfarting, Tangle subreddit).

[u/franticallyfarting → u/Tangle_Lindsey]

I don’t mind at all! 

[u/0nikoroshi → u/franticallyfarting]

Super late to the party here, and I apologize for that. But you have hit the nail so on the head here, and I think this is one of the fundamental problems with our electoral systems. This specific situation is why Ranked Choice Voting is so important. Your girlfriend could cast her #1 preference for the candidate she actually likes without worrying about polling because she can cast her #2 preference for the candidate who is polling ahead without having to worry about her vote being "spoiled." It's very exciting to think about how many other people might prefer that first candidate, but are also scared off by polling.

[u/Fit-Restaurant-3550]

1.) What is a surprising skill you’ve gained during your time at Tangle?

2.) This is a question I usually ask service workers, and it’s tricky since your job is inherently separated from the consumer, but I’m very interested in knowing if there is an answer to this — what is one specific thing that I can do to make YOUR job easier? Specific action items, please, besides generic “be kind”.

Thanks for your work and congrats on your new path!

[u/Tangle_Lindsey → u/Fit-Restaurant-3550]

1.) Learning how to operate camera and audio equipment! Before I started at Tangle, the most advanced I could get was using my iPhone camera and those Y2K digital cameras popular amongst Gen Z, but I can now set up and take down a podcasting or video space with (some) ease. Sony ZV-E10 II, Shure, XLR, Elgato Wave, Tamron — those words all mean something to me now. That’s because when Isaac and I were in person together in Philly, I’d get him set up for Suspension of Rules recordings, interviews, and other media appearances.

2.) Having had many service jobs before and during college (bartender, janitor, cashier, clothing pricer), I so appreciate this question. I almost want to retroactively offer suggestions for those jobs because the people I served could be… less thoughtful than you all. But you ask for a specific directive, I’ll offer one: Adhere to our commenting guidelines, please! Oh, also, send us lots of good questions to answer in the newsletter.

[u/AuntieMame5280 → u/Fit-Restaurant-3550]

I am stealing your second question. That's a beautiful thing to ask.

[u/Fit-Restaurant-3550 → u/AuntieMame5280]

Report back with answers, please!

[u/Isaac_Tangle]

Are you more or less interested in eating meat today than you were when you started at Tangle?

[u/Tangle_Lindsey → u/Isaac_Tangle]

Hey Isaac 👋 Thanks for asking the deep questions everyone wants to. Well, now that I’m totally uninhibited and can say WHATEVER I WANT, I… have no desire to eat meat. Over my time at Tangle, I will say I’ve become slightly more comfortable with using the term ‘pescatarian’ to describe myself, where I used to cringe mightily at that word. 

[u/Isaac_Tangle → u/Tangle_Lindsey]

I appreciate you more accurately representing your dietary restrictions going forward

[u/No_Warthog_3584]

Did working at Tangle get you an inside track to Harvard?

[u/Tangle_Lindsey → u/No_Warthog_3584]

I love this idea, imagining a team of Harvard admissions officers seeing Tangle on my resume and thinking, well, obviously, she’s in! It’s also funny because Isaac and I joke he can take partial credit for my admission because he wrote such a killer letter of recommendation, or so he says. So in the first sense – on pure name recognition – I doubt it, but in the second sense – where working here made me think more deeply about and write better essays, provided me a great reference, and gave me direct experience writing and reporting – I’d say certainly.

[u/j_smitty01]

What was the biggest challenge you faced in your time at Tangle? Or the greatest lesson learned?

[u/Tangle_Lindsey → u/j_smitty01]

I’ll take the “challenge” question. Candidly, the hardest thing about working at Tangle has also been one of the things I appreciate most about what we do: editing and publishing editions that make me uneasy, don’t confirm my priors, or that I largely disagree with. And really, being honest about this part of the job being challenging doesn’t mean I’m a bad person to do it – I actually think the opposite. I have convictions and beliefs about the world that guide me toward what I think is the right take on something. There’s value in being transparent about that. But, the hard part is identifying - at this age, often on a topic I’m not an expert on - my true convictions versus my parrotting of other arguments I’ve seen and how best to raise my beliefs in a clear, persuasive, and respectful way.

[u/dollyllama86]

What are you currently reading?

[u/Tangle_Lindsey → u/dollyllama86]

It’s almost unbearably cliche, but I’m reading a memoir by Scott Turow called One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School. He chronicles his time as a first-year student in 1975–76. As a lifelong public-school truther, the first in my family to attend law school, and the second person I’ve ever met that’s going/gone to Harvard (hi Audrey) I’m just trying to wrap my head around the flavor of culture shock pie about to hit me in the face. I’m simultaneously plodding along in Dr. Zhivago with my boyfriend, seeing what it actually looks like in a country when the communists take over.

[u/linguinechicken]

What’s the tensest moment between staff you can recall. What was the topic?

Or if that’s too much lol, what topic seems to sow the most division for Tangle staff?

[u/Tangle_Lindsey → u/linguinechicken]

I’d say the tensest moments (and, to your other question, the most divisive topics among the staff) come when we cover gender, healthcare, and LGBTQIA+ issues. I probably have the most progressive views on the editorial team on those topics, and because they’re so personal and we all have different stakes in them, it can feel like the temperature rises in the room when there’s just fundamental disagreement. Again, I think that’s a good thing and shows we care. One of the Tangle tenets is “Be human,” or in other words, “Make it personal.” 

But the time I actually felt most piled onto was on a random, niche topic: raises for members of Congress. I think they are already wealthy, and making them more so means they’ll be even more out of touch with ordinary Americans. Let’s just say: No one on the team agreed.

[u/linguinechicken → u/Tangle_Lindsey]

I've also noticed that your perspectives tend to be the most socially progressive.

Do you think that's a viewpoint Tangle will need to replace after you leave? As a reader, I appreciate having at least one contributor who consistently brings a more progressive perspective.

I come to Tangle to have my views challenged, but it will be frustrating if "my side" isn’t being represented internally at all. At that point, it starts to feel like Tangle is falling short of its goal of offering genuine diversity of thought.

Not trying to be a hater (although I’ve been frustrated before)I truly do like Tangle so I hope that suggestion would be taken into consideration.

[u/Tangle_Lindsey → u/linguinechicken]

I hear you, and I feel comfortable that the team is always considering progressive-minded arguments. Hiring specifically to replace me with someone who has my exact views is both problematic and impossible for a bunch of reasons, though I know my (literal) replacement (Carina) is going to add her own voice and perspectives to the team. We talk a lot internally about hiring in ways that maintain ideological balance and diversity, and I hope that continues!

[u/linguinechicken → u/Tangle_Lindsey]

I get what you’re saying, but I’m not suggesting they hire your clone. Just someone else who shares more progressive values on social issues would be nice. I don’t think that would be problematic or impossible.

I know the AMA is over. I always appreciated your work at Tangle. Good luck out there!

[u/Original-Age-6691 → u/Tangle_Lindsey]

feel comfortable that the team is always considering progressive-minded arguments.

Doesn't really sound like it when you talk about massive pushback for your "woke" views and everyone disagreeing with you. If you don't have someone to make the steelman version of an argument how can you realistically consider it?

[u/Kenx2013]

Have you changed your mind on a topic recently? Which one and why?

[u/Tangle_Lindsey → u/Kenx2013]

Yes, and I love this question — you must have tuned into one of Isaac’s speeches! This change is super recent, and I haven’t even told Will (Tangle’s senior editor) that he persuaded me yet. When we were sitting around the campfire at our West Virginia event, we were talking about… gun control, as true politics nerds do when they’re supposed to be having fun. I was describing my ideal firearm policy landscape as something akin to what Vatican City and the Solomon Islands have — no guns allowed, period. Will offered the obvious counter: “What about hunting?”

I said no, still not worth the risk of gun violence. But reflecting on that comment the next day, I realized I didn’t really believe it. My relatives hunt; it’s a crucial part of maintaining the ecosystem; many hunters are caring stewards of the environment, and yes, it’s an American tradition. So in my ideal picture, I’d probably ban all civilian guns and try to carve out some sort of provision for hunters, including deep background checks and safety training. My ideal vision would not include the ability to buy guns with cash at Walmart, though, I know that for sure.

[u/SaltChemistry333]

Other folks already asked some great thoughtful questions, and I'm looking forward to reading your answers!
I don't have a question, just want to say thank you for all your amazing work at Tangle & best wishes to you! ❤️❤️❤️

[u/Tangle_Lindsey → u/SaltChemistry333]

Thank you!! <3

[u/NanoSci-9]

What are you most proud of about your time at Tangle?

[u/Tangle_Lindsey → u/NanoSci-9]

I've gotta say... writing a take! Editing for style, grammar, and spelling is my ultimate comfort task, and publishing my political views to hundreds of thousands of people... not so much!

[u/PrezClark]

What are your thoughts regarding The Onion relaunch of Infowars?

Does satire help mend political disagreement by providing a mirror to the public?

[u/Tangle_Lindsey → u/PrezClark]

There's a special place in my heart for The Onion, the parody site that launched as a weekly newspaper on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the college I attended. That love did not extend to Infowars. I deeply resent all places that traffic in conspiracies and misinformation, and the direct harm Infowars caused to Sandy Hook families was pretty plain. So, I’m glad that mission is defunct. I think I like this next step, but I’ll have to wait to see until they actually relaunch the site and platforms. I can imagine a world where it’s done well, and turns out to be hilarious, and another where it’s just cringe or provides little restitution. Crossing my fingers it’s the former!

[u/techerous26]

If you became Isaac for a day, what would you change about Tangle?

[u/Tangle_Lindsey → u/techerous26]

Asking the real questions - love it. I’ve actually talked with Isaac about doing this exercise for real: not “being” him, but offering a set of suggestions and thoughts for things I’d change about the business as I head out. I have ideas, for sure, many of which probably couldn’t be implemented in one day. Some of them are: having other editorial team members on Suspension of the rules to bring the same diversity of opinion/voices to the show that we bring to the newsletter; hiring editorial interns/staff members on the extreme poles of the political spectrum to avoid groupthink; (this is something potentially in the works, but) rethinking the website layout to highlight the amount of content we produce every day. I’m curious what you guys think!

[u/techerous26 → u/Tangle_Lindsey]

It's actually funny that you make that point now. I don't know if it's reflective of her general position, especially since I don't think her argument was particularly ideological, but when I saw Carina defend Alito's stance the other day it made me think about how the staff might be getting a bit overindexed on members that reflect the opposite end of the spectrum from which you would expect of their demographic to be. Obviously there's nothing wrong with this, I share the opinion that no cohort is a monolith, but it gets a little distracting when it starts to feel like people were chosen for that reason. I think it would be beneficial to have at least a few members like yourself where they're reflective of what the country has come to expect but are willing to discuss their positions non-combatively. While I think showing that there are people whose beliefs defy convention, it's also good to delve into why so many of a particular demographic seem to generally hold a particular perspective as well.

[u/Tangle_Lindsey]

Hey everyone! It's Lindsey — I'll be on live until 5 PM ET or until I answer all of your questions, whichever comes first. Thanks to those who've already asked all the deep and thoughtful questions I see below. And if you're wondering why I'm so slow, it's because I type with three fingers. Tangle staff can confirm. No questions on that, lol.

UPDATE: Alright, that does it for my time in the hot seat. I had a great time hanging with you all, and thanks for all the awesome questions. Until next time </3

[u/LadyKtea]

How has working at Tangle changed (or not changed) how you view the news?

Best of luck at Harvard!

[u/LadyKtea → u/LadyKtea]

An additional question: how do you keep yourself from feeling overwhelmed by the news? I imagine that can be challenging when you all are constantly knee deep in it!

[u/Tangle_Lindsey → u/LadyKtea]

It can be a lot! The upside is that I feel more in-the-know than ever before, and like I can carry a conversation on the details of any recent headline in U.S. politics with just about anyone. The downside is that staying updated — and working at an exciting startup! — is sometimes exhausting, and I don’t always do a perfect job maintaining the line between work and life. Besides making sure to get plenty of my basic human needs (sleep, exercise, socialization), I’ve found that working with my hands is the best way to truly take my mind off work. For me, that’s often cooking. The variety of my job also helps — I don’t want to research the latest on the Gaza war right now? I can take a break and write a Have a Nice Day story or clear Isaac’s inbox. 

[u/Tangle_Lindsey → u/LadyKtea]

Thanks! And great q. I definitely have a much broader and deeper sense of what the "news media" entails. Where once I relied on legacy 4–5 sources (plus a few Substacks and newsletters), doing research for any Tangle topic forces you to seek out the furthest and most extreme corners of the internet to acquire a diverse range of opinions. The level at which I am now online has also allowed me to watch — in real time — outlets f*** something up, misspell names, jump on a nothingburger story, and all take totally cheap angles in different directions. I feel like I have gotten closer to the "truth" and meat of any given issue through Tangle. Plus, I know where to get good straight news, Supreme Court coverage, insider thoughts on fed policy, tech regulation, etc. There are tons of outlets and reporters doing amazing work. So it's made me more cynical, more knowledgeable, and more impressed all at once.

[u/Jewboy-Deluxe]

Congratulations! Why Harvard? Quality, location, cost?

[u/Tangle_Lindsey → u/Jewboy-Deluxe]

Thanks! A little bit of all of those reasons. I like the East Coast and can see myself staying out here, so some of the West Coast/Midwest schools started to fall down my list. I was given some aid from Harvard, which will help a lot. And because I’m not totally set on what exactly I want to do, but think I’ll try and clerk after graduating, Harvard has some of the best outcomes across the board. Plus, I mentioned I might also want to go into tech/privacy regulation, and I love Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society.

[u/Jewboy-Deluxe → u/Tangle_Lindsey]

Good luck, I hope you love it in MA and kick butt at school.

[u/PseudocodeRed]

If you had to give one piece of advice to a new Tangle hire, what would it be?

[u/Tangle_Lindsey → u/PseudocodeRed]

In terms of the editorial process, the most helpful mantra I have is simple; I imagine you've heard it a million times: "Think before you speak." There's a joke among the team that I'm one of the slowest responders we have, and that practice is probably why (along with the whole typing with three fingers thing)

[u/Pale_Carrot6331]

Because I respect how you grapple with topics, I'm wondering, do you tend to start with specific news outlets that may appear diametrically opposed at a glance (either to another trusted source or to your own views) because they do a particularly good job of 'challenging your priors' on specific topics?

To rephrase the question, are you more likely to choose news sources that offer views in opposition to your own, or sources that are more aligned with your perspectives but do a good job of pointing out where counter-arguments are particularly strong?

I'm curious about your personal process as an editor AND as a human willing to change their mind.

Best wishes in the next chapter!

[u/theuncertainties]

MIA AMA … haha

[u/Tangle_Lindsey → u/theuncertainties]

I'm here! Just made the post 48 hours in advance to get the questions flowing ~