6 ms·

Federal Government Detains International Student at Tufts

108 points by breadwinner 2y ago

breadwinner 2y ago
This student was ambushed and arrested... for the crime of being one of several authors of an opinion essay published last March in the Tufts student newspaper. The essay criticized university leaders for their response to demands that Tufts “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide” and divest itself from companies with ties to Israel.
raincom 2y ago
https://archive.is/JKLgw https://archive.is/JKLgw
breadwinner 2y ago
Her crime is expressing an opinion. I am no Hamas supporter, but writing an opinion essay supporting Hamas seems like it would be allowed by the 1st amendment, regardless of the immigration status of the opinion writer. In a statement to ABC News, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said: "Rumeysa Ozturk is a Turkish national and Tufts University graduate student, granted the privilege to be in this country on a visa. DHS and ICE investigations found Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans. A visa is a privilege not a right. Glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be terminated. This is commonsense security." https://abcnews.go.com/US/tufts-phd-student-visa-arrested-immigration-authorities/story?id=120176245 https://abcnews.go.com/US/tufts-phd-student-visa-arrested-im... UPDATE: Her essay didn't even support Hamas, here's the essay: https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2024/03/4ftk27sm6jkj https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2024/03/4ftk27sm6jkj
- acdha 2y ago
  Also, anything of this sort should go through the legal system first. She’s not Bin Laden, there’s no movie-plot bomb with a countdown timer, they should be expected to file charges and allow her to confront the evidence rather than abducting her with a bunch of masked officers who aren’t even in uniform.
  - AlecSchueler 2y ago
    As I understand it they point to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 for why it doesn't need to go through the courts and the Secretary of State has the authority to sign off on it unilateraly.
    - acdha 2y ago
      They still have to formally charge them and go through court cases to defend that determination. https://www.justsecurity.org/109012/legal-issues-deportation-palestinian-student-activists/ https://www.justsecurity.org/109012/legal-issues-deportation... > To prove that an LPR is deportable, the government must convene a “removal hearing” before an immigration judge. At that hearing, government attorneys must prove deportability by “clear and convincing” evidence. A number of provisions define the procedures for conducting removal hearings with some specificity. Under those rules, the government must afford LPRs (as well as others in removal proceedings) notice of the charges against them, a right to confront the evidence against them and present their own evidence in response, and a lawyer if they can afford one. … > While 237(a)(4)(C) itself makes the Secretary of State’s determination central to the question of deportability, no provision of immigration law grants the President, the Secretary of State, or anyone else unilateral authority to “revoke” LPRs of their status—by Executive Order or otherwise. They must follow the procedures described above.
  - cyberge99 2y ago
    The increasing use of masked officers is the scary part. I don’t see the need for it. I’m sure the antagonist will say, “it’s for the officers safety; to prevent retribution, etc”. My answer to that is simply that there’s no retribution if you’re not doing something wrong.
  - dkjaudyeqooe 2y ago
    Denying due process for these sorts of incidents is a hallmark of the current administration. Central to it is vilification of immigrants and false association with terrorists.
  - _DeadFred_ 2y ago
- defrost 2y ago
  Typically pro-Palestinian student activists in the US go to lengths to not support Hamas and generally have multiple statements to that end. To date, to the best of my searching, the DHS claims have not been backed up. In a statement to the Guardian, a DHS spokesperson said on Wednesday that Ozturk was “granted the privilege to be in this country on a visa” and, without supplying any proof, accused her of supporting Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza and led the attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, prompting a massive military response from Israel. ~ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/26/ice-agents-detain-tufts-university-graduate-student https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/26/ice-agents-d...
  - pinewurst 2y ago
    [flagged]
    - defrost 2y ago
      I say what I mean and prefer that others not strawman my comments. "Typically" does not mean "always". That's an understandable mistake on your part if english is your second or third language.
  - dragonwriter 2y ago
    > To date, to the best of my searching, the DHS claims have not been backed up. The entire reason for adopting a system with no procedural safeguards is so that claims don't have to be backed up by anything, just as in the case of the completely bogus invocation of the Alien Enemies Act (the pro-Palestine campus activist deportations use a different pretext for denying any process, but the net effect is the same.)
- fzeroracer 2y ago
  [flagged]
- asimeqi 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - asimeqi 2y ago
    I see some very "tolerant" people are downvoting. You support the girl's right to support Hamas, but don't even want to hear from people who think differently.
    - defrost 2y ago
      See: UPDATE: Her essay didn't even support Hamas, here's the essay: https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2024/03/4ftk27sm6jkj People are rightfully skeptical of the claims made by DHS and ICE. I suspect you've received downvotes for taking their statements at face value without seeking supporting evidence.
      - asimeqi 2y ago
        [flagged]
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
  - invalidname 2y ago
    [flagged]
    - asimeqi 2y ago
      [flagged]
- locopati 2y ago
  Not sure why we'd believe whatever this administration accuses someone of. They have very little connection with truth and a lot of connection with unconstitutional and fascist behaviors. They have not earned trust or good faith. They're testing the waters with green card holders now, but it's certain they'll eventually try this with citizens if they can get away with this (see both Project 2025 and their ongoing anti-trans policies).
  - breadwinner 2y ago
    > it's certain they'll eventually try this with citizens if they can See: https://x.com/StephenM/status/1712094935820780029?lang=en https://x.com/StephenM/status/1712094935820780029?lang=en
breadwinner 2y ago
Here's her essay: https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2024/03/4ftk27sm6jkj https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2024/03/4ftk27sm6jkj The op-ed criticizes Tufts University’s dismissal of three resolutions passed by the Tufts Community Union Senate, which demand the university recognize alleged genocide in Palestine, divest from companies tied to Israel, and disclose its investments. No support for Hamas that I can see.
- Cyphase 2y ago
  https://web.archive.org/web/20240402224205/https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2024/03/4ftk27sm6jkj https://web.archive.org/web/20240402224205/https://www.tufts...
  - BLKNSLVR 2y ago
    Another alternative: https://archive.is/ieOFj https://archive.is/ieOFj
ggm 2y ago
I am interested in the mechanistic approach which would drive the interventions by the feds. * are people suggesting targets? who would that be? is this organized online somewhere? * is there a 'u-tip' number people can dial anonymously? * is this based on some metric over feed analysis, and smart tools so there's a threshold test in software and a priority list which is run as a join over immigration status? I'm not asking people to break OPSEC, this is in the spirit of "how exactly did Hollerith cards help the bad people do the information processing" of past times.
- breadwinner 2y ago
  Stephen Miller is credited with shaping Trump's immigration policies and known for his hardline stance on immigration. I suspect he has staff dedicated to identifying people to target.
- BLKNSLVR 2y ago
  are people suggesting targets? who would that be? is this organized online somewhere? Betar US: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/25/what-is-betar-us-the-group-pushing-to-deport-pro-palestinian-students https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/25/what-is-betar-us-th... I've read at least one other article a week or two ago that I'm sure mentioned a different group, but can't recall it well enough, could well have been Betar US as well.
  - esafak 2y ago
    https://canarymission.org/individual/Rumeysa_Ozturk https://canarymission.org/individual/Rumeysa_Ozturk
    - BLKNSLVR 2y ago
      Canary Mission, that was the narc group mentioned in the other article. Thank you.
- ggm 2y ago
  I should add, posting to HN very probably now adds to a net-negative score coming in through USCBP. Thats sad.
Kim_Bruning 2y ago
see also * https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43485577 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43485577 * https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43487465 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43487465
drweevil 2y ago
I gave 10 years of my life to this country in military service. This is not what I was defending. This is so wrong and gross. And dangerous.
- esseph 2y ago
  8 years in horrible places. I second this.
bediger4000 2y ago
Given the amount of firearms in the USA and stand your ground laws, it seems like being a masked, unidentified kidnapper would be dangerous.
- bananapub 2y ago
  apparently not! all those americans who insisted they needed their guns to repel government tyranny have gone oddly silent now the government is going all 1933.
apical_dendrite 2y ago
I see these arrests and removals of international students as part of a plot by the Trump administration to attack the elite universities, and the other institutions that they see as opposing them (law firms, government agencies, the media, etc). Universities depend on international students and federal grants. Scare away the foreign students and threaten the grant funding, and the universities will bend to the administration's will. This is not about antisemitism. If the Gaza war had not happened, they would have found another excuse (trans issues for instance). What they are after is power.
- Rastonbury 2y ago
  Using government agents to arrest students for having an opposing opinion seems pretty fascist to me, I guess this is what America has become
- dragonwriter 2y ago
  > I see these arrests and removals of international students as part of a plot by the Trump administration to attack the elite universities This is obviously the case; it's not even the leading edge that hints that further attacks might come; the attacks on the institutions directly started at around the same time as the immigration actions: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/20/universities-trump-administration https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/20/universities... > This is not about antisemitism. No, its about fascist corporatism and the drive to have all institutions, whether notionally "public" or "private", in society aligned with and directed by the will of the leader. > If the Gaza war had not happened, they would have found another excuse (trans issues for instance). Even with the Gaza pretexts being used for part of the campaign to bring universities in line, trans issues are also being used in that campaign; its not either/or.
_kava 2y ago
To those flagging all these articles because of "not relevant" or "repetitive", please consider how these are affecting thousands or ten of thousands of real humans in the US, most of them are in tech. They are absolutely relevant to many people. Maybe you believe these actions are far removed from you and thus irrelevant, but have some empathy to those affected and don't try to close your eyes at least? Also, these are as "repetitive" as OAI releasing GPT x.x. Escalation of the same event, but everytime there is something new and worthy of discussion being pushed. So if you don't like these news, ignore them. But don't use "HN rules" as the excuse.
- kccoder 2y ago
  > but have some empathy If more people had empathy the collection of sociopaths currently in charge wouldn't be.
snehk 2y ago
[flagged]
- Gud 2y ago
  And? What’s your point here? I live in a different country than where I am from. I’m no longer allowed to have an opinion on how I wish the world should be, out of fear I might anger the wrong assholes in power? This has nothing to do with intelligence. It has something to do with backbone. What Israel is doing in Gaza is wrong and Netanyahu should be tried for his crimes. Should I be deported now?
  - snehk 2y ago
    [flagged]
- mcphage 2y ago
  > if they're not citizens - they're merely guests in a country If kidnapping by masked thugs is acceptable treatment in your mind for guests, then I am never setting foot anywhere near you. > Supposedly intelligent university students who have drifted away so far from reality that they don't see that. It's crazy Yes, there has been some serious drifting away from reality here.
- Hizonner 2y ago
  How about this: US Citizens have the right to expect that the government will respect everybody's rights to free speech and due process in their country, as supposedly guaranteed by the people they employ having sworn allegiance to their Constitution, which they are now treating like toilet paper?
leftcenterright 2y ago
Why has this been flagged? People being detained for writing op-eds is definitely not just politics or irrelevant.
- pas 2y ago
  it is politics of the highest order (in the original sense affairs of the city(zenry)) that said asking why this has been flagged is probably futile, people flag things they don't want to see, don't want to interact with it, so it's unlikely to get a representative cross-section of them to explain "why?"
- dkjaudyeqooe 2y ago
  Because HN has become much like X, with an aggressive pro Trump element abusing the system. People claim it's because its due to "irrelevant politics" but HN is probably 70% off topic subjects, tangentially connected to tech, etc. But no one is flagging these other off topic posts. I can also see it in any comment I make which doesn't conform to right wing dogma getting voted up in the EU time zone, then getting voted down in the US timezone.
- itsdrewmiller 2y ago
  >Off-Topic: Most stories about politics, or crime, or sports, or celebrities, unless they're evidence of some interesting new phenomenon. Videos of pratfalls or disasters, or cute animal pictures. If they'd cover it on TV news, it's probably off-topic. This was covered extensively in mainstream media.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]

108 points by breadwinner 2y ago

This student was ambushed and arrested... for the crime of being one of several authors of an opinion essay published last March in the Tufts student newspaper. The essay criticized university leaders for their response to demands that Tufts “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide” and divest itself from companies with ties to Israel.

raincom 2y ago

https://archive.is/JKLgw https://archive.is/JKLgw

breadwinner 2y ago

Her crime is expressing an opinion. I am no Hamas supporter, but writing an opinion essay supporting Hamas seems like it would be allowed by the 1st amendment, regardless of the immigration status of the opinion writer. In a statement to ABC News, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said: "Rumeysa Ozturk is a Turkish national and Tufts University graduate student, granted the privilege to be in this country on a visa. DHS and ICE investigations found Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans. A visa is a privilege not a right. Glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be terminated. This is commonsense security." https://abcnews.go.com/US/tufts-phd-student-visa-arrested-immigration-authorities/story?id=120176245 https://abcnews.go.com/US/tufts-phd-student-visa-arrested-im... UPDATE: Her essay didn't even support Hamas, here's the essay: https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2024/03/4ftk27sm6jkj https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2024/03/4ftk27sm6jkj

acdha 2y ago
Also, anything of this sort should go through the legal system first. She’s not Bin Laden, there’s no movie-plot bomb with a countdown timer, they should be expected to file charges and allow her to confront the evidence rather than abducting her with a bunch of masked officers who aren’t even in uniform.
- AlecSchueler 2y ago
  As I understand it they point to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 for why it doesn't need to go through the courts and the Secretary of State has the authority to sign off on it unilateraly.
  - acdha 2y ago
    They still have to formally charge them and go through court cases to defend that determination. https://www.justsecurity.org/109012/legal-issues-deportation-palestinian-student-activists/ https://www.justsecurity.org/109012/legal-issues-deportation... > To prove that an LPR is deportable, the government must convene a “removal hearing” before an immigration judge. At that hearing, government attorneys must prove deportability by “clear and convincing” evidence. A number of provisions define the procedures for conducting removal hearings with some specificity. Under those rules, the government must afford LPRs (as well as others in removal proceedings) notice of the charges against them, a right to confront the evidence against them and present their own evidence in response, and a lawyer if they can afford one. … > While 237(a)(4)(C) itself makes the Secretary of State’s determination central to the question of deportability, no provision of immigration law grants the President, the Secretary of State, or anyone else unilateral authority to “revoke” LPRs of their status—by Executive Order or otherwise. They must follow the procedures described above.
- cyberge99 2y ago
  The increasing use of masked officers is the scary part. I don’t see the need for it. I’m sure the antagonist will say, “it’s for the officers safety; to prevent retribution, etc”. My answer to that is simply that there’s no retribution if you’re not doing something wrong.
- dkjaudyeqooe 2y ago
  Denying due process for these sorts of incidents is a hallmark of the current administration. Central to it is vilification of immigrants and false association with terrorists.
- _DeadFred_ 2y ago
defrost 2y ago
Typically pro-Palestinian student activists in the US go to lengths to not support Hamas and generally have multiple statements to that end. To date, to the best of my searching, the DHS claims have not been backed up. In a statement to the Guardian, a DHS spokesperson said on Wednesday that Ozturk was “granted the privilege to be in this country on a visa” and, without supplying any proof, accused her of supporting Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza and led the attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, prompting a massive military response from Israel. ~ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/26/ice-agents-detain-tufts-university-graduate-student https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/26/ice-agents-d...
- pinewurst 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - defrost 2y ago
    I say what I mean and prefer that others not strawman my comments. "Typically" does not mean "always". That's an understandable mistake on your part if english is your second or third language.
- dragonwriter 2y ago
  > To date, to the best of my searching, the DHS claims have not been backed up. The entire reason for adopting a system with no procedural safeguards is so that claims don't have to be backed up by anything, just as in the case of the completely bogus invocation of the Alien Enemies Act (the pro-Palestine campus activist deportations use a different pretext for denying any process, but the net effect is the same.)
fzeroracer 2y ago
[flagged]
asimeqi 2y ago
[flagged]
- asimeqi 2y ago
  I see some very "tolerant" people are downvoting. You support the girl's right to support Hamas, but don't even want to hear from people who think differently.
  - defrost 2y ago
    See: UPDATE: Her essay didn't even support Hamas, here's the essay: https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2024/03/4ftk27sm6jkj People are rightfully skeptical of the claims made by DHS and ICE. I suspect you've received downvotes for taking their statements at face value without seeking supporting evidence.
    - asimeqi 2y ago
      [flagged]
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
- invalidname 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - asimeqi 2y ago
    [flagged]
locopati 2y ago
Not sure why we'd believe whatever this administration accuses someone of. They have very little connection with truth and a lot of connection with unconstitutional and fascist behaviors. They have not earned trust or good faith. They're testing the waters with green card holders now, but it's certain they'll eventually try this with citizens if they can get away with this (see both Project 2025 and their ongoing anti-trans policies).
- breadwinner 2y ago
  > it's certain they'll eventually try this with citizens if they can See: https://x.com/StephenM/status/1712094935820780029?lang=en https://x.com/StephenM/status/1712094935820780029?lang=en

breadwinner 2y ago

Here's her essay: https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2024/03/4ftk27sm6jkj https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2024/03/4ftk27sm6jkj The op-ed criticizes Tufts University’s dismissal of three resolutions passed by the Tufts Community Union Senate, which demand the university recognize alleged genocide in Palestine, divest from companies tied to Israel, and disclose its investments. No support for Hamas that I can see.

Cyphase 2y ago
https://web.archive.org/web/20240402224205/https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2024/03/4ftk27sm6jkj https://web.archive.org/web/20240402224205/https://www.tufts...
- BLKNSLVR 2y ago
  Another alternative: https://archive.is/ieOFj https://archive.is/ieOFj

ggm 2y ago

I am interested in the mechanistic approach which would drive the interventions by the feds. * are people suggesting targets? who would that be? is this organized online somewhere? * is there a 'u-tip' number people can dial anonymously? * is this based on some metric over feed analysis, and smart tools so there's a threshold test in software and a priority list which is run as a join over immigration status? I'm not asking people to break OPSEC, this is in the spirit of "how exactly did Hollerith cards help the bad people do the information processing" of past times.

breadwinner 2y ago
Stephen Miller is credited with shaping Trump's immigration policies and known for his hardline stance on immigration. I suspect he has staff dedicated to identifying people to target.
BLKNSLVR 2y ago
are people suggesting targets? who would that be? is this organized online somewhere? Betar US: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/25/what-is-betar-us-the-group-pushing-to-deport-pro-palestinian-students https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/25/what-is-betar-us-th... I've read at least one other article a week or two ago that I'm sure mentioned a different group, but can't recall it well enough, could well have been Betar US as well.
- esafak 2y ago
  https://canarymission.org/individual/Rumeysa_Ozturk https://canarymission.org/individual/Rumeysa_Ozturk
  - BLKNSLVR 2y ago
    Canary Mission, that was the narc group mentioned in the other article. Thank you.
ggm 2y ago
I should add, posting to HN very probably now adds to a net-negative score coming in through USCBP. Thats sad.

Kim_Bruning 2y ago

see also * https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43485577 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43485577 * https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43487465 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43487465

drweevil 2y ago

I gave 10 years of my life to this country in military service. This is not what I was defending. This is so wrong and gross. And dangerous.

esseph 2y ago
8 years in horrible places. I second this.

bediger4000 2y ago

Given the amount of firearms in the USA and stand your ground laws, it seems like being a masked, unidentified kidnapper would be dangerous.

bananapub 2y ago
apparently not! all those americans who insisted they needed their guns to repel government tyranny have gone oddly silent now the government is going all 1933.

apical_dendrite 2y ago

I see these arrests and removals of international students as part of a plot by the Trump administration to attack the elite universities, and the other institutions that they see as opposing them (law firms, government agencies, the media, etc). Universities depend on international students and federal grants. Scare away the foreign students and threaten the grant funding, and the universities will bend to the administration's will. This is not about antisemitism. If the Gaza war had not happened, they would have found another excuse (trans issues for instance). What they are after is power.

Rastonbury 2y ago
Using government agents to arrest students for having an opposing opinion seems pretty fascist to me, I guess this is what America has become
dragonwriter 2y ago
> I see these arrests and removals of international students as part of a plot by the Trump administration to attack the elite universities This is obviously the case; it's not even the leading edge that hints that further attacks might come; the attacks on the institutions directly started at around the same time as the immigration actions: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/20/universities-trump-administration https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/20/universities... > This is not about antisemitism. No, its about fascist corporatism and the drive to have all institutions, whether notionally "public" or "private", in society aligned with and directed by the will of the leader. > If the Gaza war had not happened, they would have found another excuse (trans issues for instance). Even with the Gaza pretexts being used for part of the campaign to bring universities in line, trans issues are also being used in that campaign; its not either/or.

_kava 2y ago

To those flagging all these articles because of "not relevant" or "repetitive", please consider how these are affecting thousands or ten of thousands of real humans in the US, most of them are in tech. They are absolutely relevant to many people. Maybe you believe these actions are far removed from you and thus irrelevant, but have some empathy to those affected and don't try to close your eyes at least? Also, these are as "repetitive" as OAI releasing GPT x.x. Escalation of the same event, but everytime there is something new and worthy of discussion being pushed. So if you don't like these news, ignore them. But don't use "HN rules" as the excuse.

kccoder 2y ago
> but have some empathy If more people had empathy the collection of sociopaths currently in charge wouldn't be.

snehk 2y ago

[flagged]

Gud 2y ago
And? What’s your point here? I live in a different country than where I am from. I’m no longer allowed to have an opinion on how I wish the world should be, out of fear I might anger the wrong assholes in power? This has nothing to do with intelligence. It has something to do with backbone. What Israel is doing in Gaza is wrong and Netanyahu should be tried for his crimes. Should I be deported now?
- snehk 2y ago
  [flagged]
mcphage 2y ago
> if they're not citizens - they're merely guests in a country If kidnapping by masked thugs is acceptable treatment in your mind for guests, then I am never setting foot anywhere near you. > Supposedly intelligent university students who have drifted away so far from reality that they don't see that. It's crazy Yes, there has been some serious drifting away from reality here.
Hizonner 2y ago
How about this: US Citizens have the right to expect that the government will respect everybody's rights to free speech and due process in their country, as supposedly guaranteed by the people they employ having sworn allegiance to their Constitution, which they are now treating like toilet paper?

leftcenterright 2y ago

Why has this been flagged? People being detained for writing op-eds is definitely not just politics or irrelevant.

pas 2y ago
it is politics of the highest order (in the original sense affairs of the city(zenry)) that said asking why this has been flagged is probably futile, people flag things they don't want to see, don't want to interact with it, so it's unlikely to get a representative cross-section of them to explain "why?"
dkjaudyeqooe 2y ago
Because HN has become much like X, with an aggressive pro Trump element abusing the system. People claim it's because its due to "irrelevant politics" but HN is probably 70% off topic subjects, tangentially connected to tech, etc. But no one is flagging these other off topic posts. I can also see it in any comment I make which doesn't conform to right wing dogma getting voted up in the EU time zone, then getting voted down in the US timezone.
itsdrewmiller 2y ago
>Off-Topic: Most stories about politics, or crime, or sports, or celebrities, unless they're evidence of some interesting new phenomenon. Videos of pratfalls or disasters, or cute animal pictures. If they'd cover it on TV news, it's probably off-topic. This was covered extensively in mainstream media.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]