The Bizarre Truth Behind the Biggest Pro-Trump Facebook Hoaxes
I tracked down the Romanian creator of one of the most ubiquitous disinformation sites during the 2016 presidential election.
Tess Townsend
Welcome to my journalism portfolio!
Bylines: Sac Bee, Sac News & Review, Water Deeply, NY Magazine, NYT, Vox, Inc., elsewhere
Former journalist | Pronouns: she/they | Profile image by @cybersoybean
Read my work
These are some of my favorite bylines. Explore the drop-down menu under the "Clips" tab in the menu to view additional work grouped by theme or beat. You can also visit the Search page to browse articles by publication, date, and other criteria. Ghostwriting clips and references available upon request.
Sacramento council ignored climate activists. Will they listen now that California is burning?
This opinion column calls on the City of Sacramento to declare a climate emergency.
The Pro-Antitrust Congressman From Monopoly-Friendly Silicon Valley
In a 2017 profile of Rep. Ro Khanna for New York Magazine's Intelligencer vertical, I explored the Silicon Valley congressman's positions on antitrust issues.
Vacationing green: Can individual choices help save the planet? Or is the system too rigged?
A personal essay about the challenges and ironies of trying to vacation sustainably.
Controversy Rages Over 'Pro-Slavery' Tech Speaker Curtis Yarvin
This 2016 piece looks at the controversy surrounding a tech conference's decision to invite an avowed white supremacist to speak.
Get Married, Save Thousands on Tuition
My scoop from 2011 on students getting married in order to qualify for larger financial aid packages.
Silicon Valley’s rank and file prepare to fight Trump
I wrote about a 2017 "secret meeting" of tech employees trying to organize in anticipation of actions by the Trump administration.
Why Emergency Drought Assistance Will Be Needed in California for Years
This piece explains some of the lasting impacts of drought in California.
Why Political Ads Are Regulated but Fake News on Facebook Isn't
While some fake-news websites are just chasing profits, it's clear a subset of them have been doing something more akin to content marketing, using made-up headlines as a form of persuasion. The phenomenon raises uncomfortable legal questions for Facebook, the venue of choice for fake-news purveyors. The social network has proven to be a zone where campaign finance rules are difficult if not nearly impossible to enforce, at least from outside.
Nevertheless, the sites described by The Intercept
40 tenants got eviction notices at Sacramento apartment complex. Here’s who is responsible
I searched court documents to find the identities of individuals responsible for evicting 40 largely low-income tenants from a local apartment building.
Can dilapidated Seaside be salvaged?
The structures have sat vacant for the better part of two decades. Vacant, that is, except for a few bats and other things that squeak and live in the dark.
Google’s Allo app can reveal to your friends what you’ve searched
Google’s mobile messaging app Allo can reveal your Google search history to people you message, which could have big privacy implications. The behavior appears to be a glitch.
I noticed the problem in a conversation with a friend, in which I was testing the app. Allo includes Google Assistant, the company’s latest version of its virtual assistant software ...
