In Case You Missed It: October 2016
Some of the best stuff on Medium, month by month
Countdown to Election Day
Political leaders laid out panoramic visions as the timer to the presidential election ran down to its last few ticks.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joe Dunford explained how the military factors into the upcoming presidential transition, and Secretary of Defense Ash Carter took stock of where the U.S. and its allies stand in the fight against ISIL. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Rick Stengel transcribed his remarks on the meaning of American citizenship from a naturalization ceremony for 125 new citizens from 51 countries. The Democrats published their party platform for 2016 and beyond.
In the wake of mounting controversy around Donald Trump’s infamous 2005 statements captured on video, Team #NeverTrump collected withdrawals of support from dozens of prominent Republican leaders, and former Apprentice editor Tamar Salibian set the record straight on what she did and didn’t experience observing Trump on set. Bernie Sanders listed four reasons he’s supporting Clinton over Trump, and DeRay Mckesson explained his endorsement of HRC.
Third-party candidates made their positions known in the month leading up to the election as well. Libertarian candidate Gov. Gary Johnson weighed in on Clinton and Trump’s approaches to Social Security, Green Party candidate Jill Stein explained why environmental programs are central to her vision for a healthy economy, and Independent running mates Evan McMullin and Mindy Finn posted hot takes from the final presidential debate.
In dispatches from the Clinton camp, Chelsea Clinton teamed up with Amy Poehler’s SmartGirls to speak directly to young woman about what’s at stake in this election and why voting is so important. Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager John Podesta addressed the newest developments with the FBI in her email controversy, and the Clinton Foundation asserted its integrity in light of criticisms and accusations leveled at its spending practices.
From the Oval Office, Vice President Biden shared his report to the president on The Cancer Moonshot initiative and Italy in US commemorated their state visit at the White House. Looking toward his legacy, Barack Obama took to The Economist’s Medium publication to discuss America’s economy in a global context.
BuzzFeed dove into the conversation, too, with editor-in-chief Ben Smith introducing BuzzFeed News’s Politics Issue on Medium.
Blazing trails in heels and cleats
Superstar voices from the worlds of sports and entertainment spoke to the world from Medium for the first time in October.
Amy Schumer made a passionate defense of her “Formation” homage to Beyonce, which received equally impassioned criticism from fans. Ben Stiller revealed his status as a cancer survivor for the first time, urging readers to get tested and benefit from an early diagnosis as he did. Lupita Nyong’o reminded us how much purchasing a movie ticket counts toward the effort to feature more narratives from people of color on the big screen.
Elsewhere in Hollywood, screenwriter (Love) ali waller made us laugh with her “open letter” to Scünci hair products, The View made us think about party culture in corporate America, and Amy Poehler’s SmartGirls network made its home on Medium — with a kickoff post from General Manager and Editor in Chief Maggie Chieffo about the community of sisterhood they look forward to cultivating here.
Veteran sports publications on Medium gave readers plenty to cheer for in October. The Cycle launched Season One, All Day, and Local Love — original series that follow professional athletes, musicians, and other top talent embarking on new challenges. The Players’ Tribune honored David Ortiz’s storied career on the eve of his retirement and followed new Warrior Kevin Durant as he explored his Bay Area digs. SportsPickle envisioned a new and improved life for itself and its readers, asking loyal visitors to help fund the endeavor.
Newcomers joined the Medium family, too: Howler, a quarterly soccer magazine, and peloton, which deals in the world of cycling. Elsewhere, The NBA Referees hosted a Q&A with Violet Palmer, the first female — and first openly gay — referee in the league’s history.
Bottom lines in business and tech
Meaningful exchanges about cultural reform in business, finance, and tech took center stage on Medium last month.
In tech, The Backchannel Team’s Jessi Hempel shared her readership’s suggestions for Melinda Gates, answering the latter’s call for advice from the community to get more women into tech (to which Melinda responded with gratitude and agreement). In finance, the New York Fed set up shop on Medium with a publication and pair of posts from Federal Reserve President William C. Dudley and Bank of England Deputy Governor Minouche Shafik. Ex-Wall Streeter Sallie Krawcheck asked whether money, and personal investing in particular, will constitute the next wave of feminism, garnering responses from freada kapor klein, Melinda Gates, and many others. AOL co-founder Steve Case crowdsourced edits from readers to the forthcoming paperback edition of his book, The Third Wave.
Influencers addressed challenging realities head-on. Ellen Pao cut ties with Y Combinator due to its continued connection to Peter Thiel. Former Fab.com CEO Jason Goldberg responded to a Bloomberg article with lessons learned from the “epic failure” detailed therein, garnering responses from Steven Levy, among many others. Hank Green wrote about why education is such a confounding problem to solve.
Organizations and their leaders wrote about significant strides in their businesses. Dating app Hinge went public with a software update that eliminates the infamous “swiping” practice from both their interface and their philosophy as a company, and Viv co-founder and CEO Dag Kittlaus announced its acquisition by Samsung.
Companies marked milestones on Medium. The North Face celebrated its 50-year anniversary with a look back at its history of environmental exploration and responsibility. Uber Under the Hood put forth a vision for urban on-demand aviation. GIPHY published its 2016 “State of the Gif” report, and Vine fired the shot heard ’round the internet that it was discontinuing its mobile app.
First-time Medium users introduced themselves to the Mediumsphere: Andreessen Horowitz entrepreneur-in-residence tristan walker showed off a Black Enterprise cover of him and friend Ryan Leslie; advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy kicked off its Medium presence with an announcement of their new leadership structure; and CNN Money launched its business news blog, CNN MoneyStream.
Media moments
Writers put pen to digital paper in October to share news, opinions, and personal stories.
In the book world, sarah knight announced her upcoming book — Get Your Sh*t Together! — with a cover reveal, and Emily Gould marked five years of Emily Books with a bittersweet announcement about the close of its subscription service. Neil Gaiman responded to Electric Literature’s Carmen Maria Machado and her post criticizing Gaiman’s blurb for Ruth Franklin’s biography of Shirley Jackson.
Discussions about mental health rose to the fore: John Green spoke to NerdCon about the dangers behind romanticizing a false link between creativity and mental illness, and Anxy Magazine launched a publication with contributions about personal experiences with anxiety and mental health. And on another personal note, founding editor of Lucky Kim France chronicled her divorce through the story of her dream home that wasn’t.
Journalists gave readers looks behind the scenes. Starlee Kine revealed the cause behind the abrupt end of her acclaimed podcast, Mystery Show, garnering dozens of responses from fans looking to help revive the series. Bloomberg Businessweek editor Brad Wieners detailed actions he took toward purchasing carbon offsets to make up for the CO2 emissions caused by his most recent reporting trips. Sara Rathod of Mother Jones told the backstory behind sending a reporter to embed with a California militia group. Arizona Republic publisher Mi-Ai Parrish responded to threats received after the publication’s first ever endorsement of a Democrat. And in the art world, MoMA’s Paul Galloway enthusiastically announced the addition of the original set of 176 emoji to the MoMA collection.
Galvanizing the globe
Leaders in the social impact space explored the big ideas behind their businesses.
Planned Parenthood Chief Medical Officer Dr. Raegan looked back at the organization’s 100-year history, and forward to how they’ll continue to fight for their vision in the future. Ubuntu Education Fund founder Jacob Lief argued that nonprofits should start thinking — and spending — more like for-profit corporations. American Jewish World Service president and CEO Robert Bank submitted questions about human rights to moderators Martha Raddatz and Anderson Cooper in advance of the second presidential debate. DoSomething.org’s TMI Strategy consultancy published its 2016 Research Report on young people and civic participation.
From Boston, Ahmed Abdalrazag, a refugee and doctor who works with Doctors Without Borders, shared the story of his own war-zone escape in hopes of increasing empathy and understanding among non-refugees worldwide. Slightly southward, the City of New York memorialized the second annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebration with a collection of photographs from the event.
