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Mia Sato

Mia Sato

Features Writer, The Verge

Features Writer, The Verge

    More From Mia Sato

    Mia Sato
    Mia Sato
    Taylor Swift Nazi discourse was fueled by ‘inauthentic’ activity.

    A report by Gudea, which tracks online conversations, describes how accusations of white supremacy and Nazism spread following Swift’s album release this fall. According to the report, just 3.77 percent of users accounted for more than a quarter of the conversation; it also found overlap between the users driving the Swift discourse and users active in an “astroturf campaign attacking Blake Lively.” Naturally, the inauthentic discourse then prompted real backlash and responses, making it an even bigger discussion.

    You are not immune to shopaganda

    Behind every influencer is an army of the influenced. These are the stories of credit card debt and piles of mass-produced clutter.

    Mia Sato
    Mia Sato
    Mia Sato
    Sabrina Carpenter has ratioed the White House.

    After the Trump administration used Carpenter’s song “Juno” in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) propaganda video, the pop star responded, calling it “evil and disgusting.” The White House account has since deleted the post — but they’ve picked this fight with musicians before.

    Sabrina Carpenter’s tweet reading: “this video is evil and disgusting. do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.” The original post from The White House has been deleted.
    Pantone’s ‘Cloud Dancer’ color party is a recession indicator

    ‘Discrete white hue.’

    Mia Sato
    One week at the Luigi Mangione media circus

    Frog costumes, Luigi hats, and the press frenzy at the viral murder trial.

    Mia Sato
    Mia Sato
    Mia Sato
    Some Luigi Mangione exhibits will be released after all.

    Earlier this week, the judge overseeing the New York state case against Mangione said he would seal all exhibits, including police body camera footage of the arrest. Mangione’s defense argues releasing the exhibits could be prejudicial — but Judge Gregory Carro just told us that some exhibits will be released soon. Journalists made a push for releasing the exhibits earlier this week, with one reporter even getting removed from court.

    Mia Sato
    Mia Sato
    Police say they recovered a “check list” from Luigi Mangione.

    In court Thursday during evidence suppression hearings, prosecutors showed a hand-written note that police say they found among Mangione’s possessions. It was only briefly shown and hard to make out, but one day’s tasks included buying USBs and a digital camera from Best Buy. Journalist Lorena O’Neil reports one section of the note may have referenced archiving social media pages, which were scrutinized by the public after Mangione’s arrest.

    Mia Sato
    Mia Sato
    “We don’t wear masks” in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

    We’re listening to testimony from one of the responding officers who arrested Luigi Mangione in a Pennsylvania McDonalds. The officer testified that Mangione’s medical face mask made him stand out as the person who was reported as being suspicious.

    “We don’t wear masks” in the city, officer Joseph Detwiler told the court. “We have antibodies.” This elicited an audible reaction from the audience.

    Mia Sato
    Mia Sato
    Day 2 of Luigi Mangione suppression hearings.

    We’re back in New York court this morning for pre-trial hearings on whether key evidence in the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting case will be barred from being shown to jurors — that includes items like a firearm and notebook recovered when Mangione was arrested. As I left the courthouse last night, some Mangione supporters were already “in line” to try to get inside on Tuesday. They camped out across the street in tents overnight.