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What I’m Reading - July 23, 2023

Also announcing a new posting schedule and facelift to my Substack site

Katie Harbath

Jul 23, 2023

Apologies for the delayed Sunday newsletter. It. Has. Been. A. Week! Four weeks actually. I have loved seeing all of the people that I have, but I am exhausted. I’m going to need some major solitude soon to recover.

We also had some excitement out at the bay. My friends’ family was visiting with their four kids. Last year I taught them to fish, and they wanted to try again this year. I had one of the poles in the water when we noticed we had a bite. But it wasn’t just any ol’ fish. It was a RAY!!!!! It took three of us 45 minutes to reel this guy close enough. We wanted to cut the line as close as we could. We got it this close to the dock when the line finally broke.

I had no idea there were so many rays in the Chesapeake. We saw a ton off of the dock each night. Based on some internet searches, they are mating.

Announcing some Anchor Change updates

I’ve wanted to take this newsletter to the next level for a while now. Make it more professional, think about a set posting schedule, make it easier to dig into the archives, create an audio version, and more. I knew I wanted some help on that and was lucky enough to run across

Writers at Work with Sarah Fay

via Substack Notes. I set up a 30-minute call with her this past week, and she gave me much practical advice.

I’m going to meet with her some more, but here’s where I’m starting:

A revamped Substack home page: If you go to
Anchor Change with Katie Harbath
you will now see posts organized by the following topics (I’m still working my way through them all, so give me a bit):
1. Elections/Politics
2. Career Advice
3. Trust & Safety
4. International
5. What I'm Reading
6. Lifestyle
New posting schedule: Let’s be honest - these newsletters are LONG when I do my longer form pieces, plus the What I’m Reading and the calendar. So, starting today, I’m going to break those three up. Here’s what you can expect:
1. Wednesdays: Deeply reported analyses of the most pressing issues in tech and international and domestic politics
2. Thursdays: Taking the Long View, a roundup of upcoming world events that should be on everyone's radar, and a few you might otherwise miss
3. Sundays: What I'm Reading, a list of the week's must-reads from around the internet
Audio version: Some colleagues at the Integrity Institute told me about Wondercraft AI this week, and I’ve been blown away. They took just a 60-second clip of me talking to then created an AI version of me. I then pasted in my newsletter last Wednesday about leadership, and it generated an audio version of the said newsletter. You can listen to that one and follow it on Spotify and Apple at the moment. I would love your thoughts on whether I should keep doing the AI-generated version or if you prefer that I read it.
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I’m also still working on a more in-depth podcast. More on that soon. I’ve settled on a name and am working on logo design (because I love a good logo) and mapping out the first episodes.

Thank you so much for being readers and being so supportive.

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What I’m Reading

This past week Rachel Orey and myself published a blog post on the Bipartisan Policy website about the impact the Louisiana judge’s order to the government to stop engaging with social media companies on protected speech might have on election officials. While the Fifth Circuit has put a stay on that order, the chilling effects remain a concern:

The order only applies to named federal officials and agencies, but as the 2024 presidential election campaign season gets underway, it is likely to have a chilling effect on election administrators’ ability to work with partners to monitor and elevate authoritative election information. The order risks fueling a culture in which government contact with social media companies is seen as inherently risky in a predatory legal environment and curbing collaborative, cross-sector efforts to promote accurate election information.

Some other stories of interest: