Olivia Messer

@oliviamesser.bsky.social

Investigative journalist. Words in Rolling Stone, Marie Claire, Slate, The Daily Beast, Texas Monthly etc. My debut novel “Something’s Wrong With The Girls“ will be published by Rare Bird. Wanna work together? [email protected]

@oliviamesser.bsky.social Pinned

♥️🗞️goodbye for now to @thebarbedwire.com — it’s been an honor, and any newsroom would be stupid not to hire @carakelly.bsky.social @briangaar.bsky.social @iamleslierangel.bsky.social and @candibolden.bsky.social

THE BARBED WIRE Date: May 29, 2026 From: Editor in Chief, Olivia Messer Subject: Goodbye for Now Hello dear readers, June 1 would have been my two-year anniversary as an employee of The Barbed Wire. In that time, we've pitched, researched, reported, written, edited, built, published, emailed, and socialed more than 725 stories. We previously shared that our financial runway was measured in weeks, not months. Unfortunately, as of this Friday, we've hit the end of the road for full-time staff, including myself. We told The Barbed Wire team and halted freelance spending a few months ago, yet we still held out hope that our outstanding committed pledges, project proposals, investor presentations, and grant applications would convert. You all know it's a turbulent time for our industry — more so for independent outlets that rely on reader support (and aren't owned by billionaires). I consider myself the world's greatest living expert on what we should have done differently and when we should have done it — but frankly, I'll need some time before I can articulate those thoughts. I am stepping down, but Brian Gaar will continue writing the Wild Texas newsletter on a freelance basis, and thanks to the generosity of KIND Clinic, which funds our queer Texas vertical, Kit O'Connell will continue to write stories in the coming months, as showcased in their Big & Bright newsletter. We had many more plans, including events, myriad investigations, frothy podcasts, and verticals. So if you're interested in making a home for any of those, or for acquisition more broadly, contact me (olivia(@thebarbedwire.com) or our CEO, David Cohen (david@thebarbedwire.com). This also means that my talented, full-time team of swiss-army-knife journalists will be looking for opportunities. If you're in the industry, I urge you to get connected to: Our managing editor, Cara Kelly, whose reporting has uncovered institutional sexual harassment and violence in massage schools, ride-share companies, and …Our deputy managing editor, Leslie Rangel, is a first generation daughter of Mexican and Guatemalan immigrants whose award-winning journalism is focused on issues of health, mental wellness, race, gender and social justice. She wrote our two most-read stories of all time at The Barbed Wire, the latter of which was on the front page of Apple News as the day's no. 4 top story, in addition to having demonstrable real-world impact. Leslie was previously morning anchor for the Good Day Austin morning news show. She has also worked at KAN in Austin, was founding evening anchor at KWKT in Waco, reported for KFOR in Oklahoma City and KFDM in Beaumont, Texas. Follow her on Threads and Instagram. Our senior editor Brian Gaar writes our clever, thoughtful newsletter, which maintains a far-above-industry-average open rate — even as it has grown in size. In many ways, Brian has been "the voice of The Barbed Wire." He cemented that position with quick-turn, hilarious, and deeply sentimental stories that our loyal readers routinely shower in praise. He is a longtime Texas journalist who has written for the Austin American-Statesman, The Waco Tribune-Herald, Texas Monthly, and many other publications. He was also a writer and producer at the beloved Austin production company, Rooster Teeth. Follow Brian on Bluesky and Instagram. Our social media manager, Candi Bolden, is a marvel at short-form video. Candi is based in Dallas-Fort Worth and has previously run social media accounts for The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. As part of her journalism career, she worked the Republican National Convention for CNN, covered swatting threats in Wichita, Kansas, and photographed 2020 unrest in Fort Worth, Texas. Follow her on Bluesky or Instagram. (Friendly reminder that previous The Barbed Wire employees have gone on to full-time journalism positions at Politico, The Seattle Times, and Community Impact - Dallas, as well as a communications role at the fitness app Strava.) I'll be looking for work t…
@citizensforethics.orgReposted by @oliviamesser.bsky.social

DHS issued a press release with a quote from ICE Deputy Director Charles Wall attacking congressional candidate Janelle Stelson. This appears to have no other purpose than to cast aspersions on Stelson—violating the Hatch Act.

@zoetillman.bsky.socialReposted by @oliviamesser.bsky.social

NEW: A US trade judge approved class-action status for a legal fight over $166B+ in refunds for President Trump’s global tariffs, finding that it was necessary to make sure tens of thousands of importers, esp. small businesses, aren't shut out of getting money back
buff.ly/Q1faoU8

@oliviamesser.bsky.social

Yeah I asked myself if there was any amount of money that would sway me, and I was devastated to find that no... actually there isn’t. Unfortunately, I’m idk Ned Stark or something

@oliviamesser.bsky.social

Did I like getting a $500 check in the mail? Yes. Will I cash it? Yes. Does it feel like a bribe from the president, especially considering the weird letter it comes with blaming democrats for health insurance or whatever? Yes. Will I vote the same way anyway? Uh yeah, obviously.

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