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Scott Gordon

Scott Gordon co-founded Tone Madison in 2014 has covered culture and politics in Madison since 2006 for publications including The A.V. Club, Dane101, and Isthmus, and has also covered policy, environmental issues, and public health for WisContext.

Profile pic by Rachal Duggan.

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Scott's Latest Articles

A photo shows a badger resting on the ground amid some rocks. The badger is facing the camera, with what appears to be a sad or defeated expression.
Are you witnessing anticipatory obedience?
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Microtones
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January 31, 2025

Searching for clarity as Wisconsin confronts a new round of fascist power grabs.

An illustration shows a chest-up portrait of Madison police chief Shon Barnes in a formal dress uniform. Behind him, against a green background, are images of a police body camera, the Madison Police Department seal, a card saying "fuck you I quit!" and Seattle's Space Needle landmark.
An interview with Shon Barnes, annotated
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Politics
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January 29, 2025

Madison's outgoing police chief harangued us about body cameras and... Boy Scouts?

A graphic shows the cover of the book "The Hivemind Swarmed" against an orange background.
Join us for a conversation with David Wolinsky about “The Hivemind Swarmed,” on March 6 at A Room of One’s Own
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Culture
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January 22, 2025

The oral history explores Gamergate and its implications far beyond gaming.

‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 1d Continuing our substantial coverage of the best Madison music of 2024 today with this second roundup of standout tracks... from Bell Monks to The Spine Stealers (and 13 others!): Tone Madison's favorite songs of 2024, pt. II The Madison songs that beat the odds and helped us get through the year. tonemadison.com ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 1d This week, we'll be looking back on the best Madison music of 2024. The coverage begins with part one of a two-part roundup of our favorite songs: Tone Madison's favorite songs of 2024, pt. I The Madison songs that beat the odds and helped us get through the year. tonemadison.com ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 2d UW-Madison history professor @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social collaborated with Bad Bunny to help listeners explore the historical and political context of the singer's new album. He spoke with @aliceraeherman.bsky.social about the project Bad Bunny teams up with Jorell Meléndez-Badillo to unpack Puerto Rican history The UW-Madison professor accompanies the singer's new album with rich political context. tonemadison.com ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 14d About 9.6k of you have been kind enough to follow us in the recent Bluesky boom. If each of you kicked in $15 per year, it'd fund our entire annual budget and then some. That's the power of lean, worker-owned media working hand-in-hand with readers. ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 14d We're at 84% of our year-end fundraising goal. McCoy is here to remind you that if you donate before 11:59 pm CST, your donation will be TRIPLED my matching funds. Reader donations keep our coverage of Madison strong, so please help us get to the finish line! tonemadison.com/donate Photo of a handsome tabby cat resting on a desk next to a keyboard ALT ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 14d We're at 90% of our year-end fundraising goal with six hours to go. Every dollar helps us afford the time and effort of reporting, writing, editing, and illustrating great journalism for Madison. Every bit truly makes a difference—and matching funds will triple your impact tonemadison.com/donate Support us – Tone Madison A message from Scott Gordon, publisher We’re here because readers in Madison value our work. It’s as simple as that. The more you help us out, the more we can focus on creating journalism that enriche... tonemadison.com ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 14d FLASH SALE For the final 10 hours of 2024, our new, 40-track fundraiser compilation ("10") will be $10 off, bringing it to... $10. This 50% discount will only last during this time, so act fast, and add 40 incredible tracks from local artists to your library. tonemadison.bandcamp.com/album/10 10, by Tone Madison 40 track album tonemadison.bandcamp.com Reposted by Tone Madison ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 14d We're at 84% of our year-end fundraising goal. McCoy is here to remind you that if you donate before 11:59 pm CST, your donation will be TRIPLED my matching funds. Reader donations keep our coverage of Madison strong, so please help us get to the finish line! tonemadison.com/donate Photo of a handsome tabby cat resting on a desk next to a keyboard ALT Reposted by Tone Madison ‪steven_mps‬ ‪@stevenmps.bsky.social‬ · 15d We could REALLY use your support as we close out this fundraising season over at Tone. We've published great pieces & I've worked hard to elevate my role as a writer, editor, photographer, events coordinator, & co-owner. Here's a thread of some 2024 highlights. Donate if you'd like to support us! ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 15d Time's almost up—and we're still about $5k shy of our year-end fundraising goal. Donate today, and your impact will be tripled by matching funds from NewsMatch and a group of generous local donors. Your support makes our work possible, and we want to deliver for you in 2025! tonemadison.com/donate Reposted by Tone Madison ‪Rachel DL‬ ‪@racheldl.bsky.social‬ · 15d One of my favorite things I've worked on!! Thank you to @tonemadison.bsky.social for letting me work on this comic! ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 15d In January, @racheldl.bsky.social used comics journalism to explore the fatal flaws in Madison's approach to affordable housing, and the impacts on people with disabilities: Madison’s (un)affordable and (in)accessible housing problem The hoops and hurdles to accessing affordable housing tonemadison.com ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 15d Time's almost up—and we're still about $5k shy of our year-end fundraising goal. Donate today, and your impact will be tripled by matching funds from NewsMatch and a group of generous local donors. Your support makes our work possible, and we want to deliver for you in 2025! tonemadison.com/donate ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 15d What do we do with the money our readers donate? Quite simply, the answer is in every single thing we publish. Let's look back at some highlights from 2024. ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 15d In January, @racheldl.bsky.social used comics journalism to explore the fatal flaws in Madison's approach to affordable housing, and the impacts on people with disabilities: Madison’s (un)affordable and (in)accessible housing problem The hoops and hurdles to accessing affordable housing tonemadison.com Reposted by Tone Madison ‪Scott Gordon‬ ‪@scottgordonwi.bsky.social‬ · 18d A very cool thing that's happening this year is that a lot more new donors are supporting us for the first time. NewsMatch gives us a bonus if we get 50 new donors during the year-end campaign. Right now we're at 45. If you're thinking about getting off the sidelines, now's the best time to do it! ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 18d We're down to the wire on our year-end fundraising campaign. Your donations through December 31 will be tripled by matching funds, and will power our fiercely independent coverage of culture and politics in Madison in 2025: tonemadison.com/donate/?utm_... ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 18d We're down to the wire on our year-end fundraising campaign. Your donations through December 31 will be tripled by matching funds, and will power our fiercely independent coverage of culture and politics in Madison in 2025: tonemadison.com/donate/?utm_... ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 19d There's still time to support fiercely independent, local journalism and have your contribution TRIPLED with matching funds. Here's why one reader believes Tone Madison is worth supporting: tonemadison.com/donate/ A block quote on an orange background that reads: "Tone Madison is the hyper-local, independent journalism every city deserves, but so few have. It's particularly rare these days to find media that's produced by people who are rooted in the place they're reporting on, while maintaining the necessary objectivity. Tone provides clear-eyed coverage of politics by contributors I respect, and reports on local culture with curiosity and enthusiasm. We are so fortunate to have Tone poking around in places other publications don't or won't, and they need our support to continue this vital work." Attributed to Jessica Gilkison, reader. ALT ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 22d No one covers Madison like we do—and it's all thanks to the support of our readers. Help us meet our year-end fundraising goal by December 31, and matching funds will TRIPLE your impact to power our journalism into 2025 tonemadison.com/donate/?utm_... A progress bar at 63% is set against an orange background, with the text: “Only on Tone Madison” stories. Only with your help. You power our vital culture and politics coverage. ALT Reposted by Tone Madison ‪renee 🪩‬ ‪@reverenddollars.bsky.social‬ · 25d Reply to dylan A commitment and dedication to terrorizing cities on isthmi Reposted by Tone Madison ‪Scott Gordon‬ ‪@scottgordonwi.bsky.social‬ · 25d Reader donations got us through our first 10 years as a very small, rather odd publication. Indeed, nothing else would have. Help us get the rest of the way to our goal? ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 25d We asked members of our community to tell us, in their words, why Tone Madison is worth supporting: tonemadison.com/articles/a-d... We're at about 60% of our year-end fundraising goal. Help us get there by the December 31 deadline, and matching funds will triple your impact! tonemadison.com/donate a bad attitude towards the status quo · unflinchingly honest about our shortcomings and opportunities for growth and change · sharp news analysis and tough commentary on local politics · owned by the people doing the journalism · a crucial source for understanding Madison · deeply thoughtful about the city's softest and weirdest parts · the hyper-local, independent journalism every city deserves, but so few have · fearless, honest, and at times hilarious · sets the tone for documenting the arts in Madison · publishes stories no other publications have the guts to run · fearless writers and editors who are not afraid to push the envelope · any city in the country would be lucky to have a Tone Madison covering its culture ALT ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 25d We asked members of our community to tell us, in their words, why Tone Madison is worth supporting: tonemadison.com/articles/a-d... We're at about 60% of our year-end fundraising goal. Help us get there by the December 31 deadline, and matching funds will triple your impact! tonemadison.com/donate a bad attitude towards the status quo · unflinchingly honest about our shortcomings and opportunities for growth and change · sharp news analysis and tough commentary on local politics · owned by the people doing the journalism · a crucial source for understanding Madison · deeply thoughtful about the city's softest and weirdest parts · the hyper-local, independent journalism every city deserves, but so few have · fearless, honest, and at times hilarious · sets the tone for documenting the arts in Madison · publishes stories no other publications have the guts to run · fearless writers and editors who are not afraid to push the envelope · any city in the country would be lucky to have a Tone Madison covering its culture ALT ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 25d What's Seattle getting? Here are a few things we've written about Chief Barnes over the past four years 🧵 ‪The Urbanist 🕊️‬ ‪@theurbanist.org‬ · 25d INBOX: “Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced the appointment of Shon Barnes as the next Chief of the Seattle Police Department (SPD), following a national search. Barnes has served as the Chief of Police for Madison, Wisconsin since 2021…” View full thread ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 25d Officers at MPD have continued to face misconduct allegations during Barnes' tenure. That includes officers implicated in domestic violence incidents, as @stinadale.bsky.social noted in 2022 Madison police are not learning their lesson Domestic violence and the city's latest budget find cops sticking to familiar, toxic patterns. tonemadison.com ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 25d In all fairness, Barnes did try to fire at least one officer who faced domestic violence allegations. The Madison Police and Fire Commission blocked that, as @wkow27news.bsky.social reported in May www.wkow.com/news/top-sto... Madison police chief's bid to fire accused sergeant blocked An attempt by Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes to fire a sergeant accused in an off-duty domestic incident was stymied by the Madison Police and Fire Commission. www.wkow.com ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 26d This month in "Small Bites," @jesseraub.bsky.social has one request: Pay more for your meat. Or, "buy your meat from a local meat store that has a direct relationship with the farms where the animals are raised." tonemadison.com/articles/sma... Reposted by Tone Madison ‪Grant‬ ‪@nothingunfinished.bsky.social‬ · 26d an (even more) unusual year in film for Tone Madison, but still one of note as we have intentionally and incidentally assessed the decade's continuing surge of changes to the publishing landscape. grateful to all my colleagues, friends, and freelancers who've chimed in 🎞️✍️🙏 ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 1mo Our film section editor @nothingunfinished.bsky.social takes stock of the successes of Tone's 2024 year in film-related coverage. Core staff and contributors across the greater Madison area came through time and again to create meaningful dialogue. tonemadison.com/articles/cen... An arts gallery space is packed with people for a digital screening on a projection screen at the front of the room. The crowd all faces forward at the animated blue and white images on the screen. The far side of the galleries behind the attendees is mood-lit in a neon green. ALT An empty movie theater lobby is illuminated by fluorescent lights above TV screens that list the eight movies currently playing at the venue. Against the left wall is a promotional banner for "Joker: Folie À Deux" that is illuminated around the edges by blue lights. ALT ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 27d It's time for Tone Madison's annual Venmo Bingo. Help us fill up this card—Venmo a donation to @tonemsn, and we'll mark off the spaces as we go! All of your contributions will be TRIPLED with funds from the national NewsMatch initiative and a group of generous local donors. ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 27d The Alders who engaged in bizarre and pitiful dissembling about the censure of Charles Myadze are unfit for public office, writes @scottgordonwi.bsky.social We've witnessed a true test of the quality of Madison Alders The Charles Myadze controversy has revealed how low some Common Council members will go. tonemadison.com ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 28d Kevin Price, killed by Fitchburg police in August, deserves better than the muddled narrative officials and some media outlets have presented tonemadison.com/articles/fit... Fitchburg police killed my friend. Don't let them control his story Kevin Price deserves better than the muddled narrative officials and some media outlets have presented. tonemadison.com ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 29d In his first piece for us, David Boffa studies the incredible scope and scale of Richard Mosse's new 74-minute film, BROKEN SPECTRE. This experimental environmental exhibition is showing in Madison Museum of Contemporary Art's second-floor gallery through mid-February 2025. "Broken Spectre" reframes the Amazon as an urgent, revisionist Western Richard Mosse's experimental environmental film is showing in MMoCA's main second-floor gallery through mid-February 2025. tonemadison.com Reposted by Tone Madison ‪Scott Gordon‬ ‪@scottgordonwi.bsky.social‬ · 1mo “A bad attitude towards the status quo” is not something we’re gonna live down anytime soon. We’ve passed the 50 percent mark in our fundraising drive and have two weeks to hit the rest of our goal—please us maintain our bad attitude tonemadison.com/donate/ Support us – Tone Madison A message from Scott Gordon, publisher We’re here because readers in Madison value our work. It’s as simple as that. The more you help us out, the more we can focus on creating journalism that enriche... tonemadison.com ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 1mo We have reached 40% of our fundraising goal for 2025! During this month's NewsMatch campaign, new donations are being matched up to $1,000 per individual and up to $36,000 in total. Here's why journalist-turned-City-spokesperson Dylan Brogan thinks Tone Madison is worth supporting. A quote that reads: Tone Madison combines a bad attitude towards the status quo with an obsessive adherence to thoroughness and journalistic ethics. That's produced a local news outlet that meaningfully contributes to the ongoing public tussle that defines Madison politics and culture. We are lucky our community has a media organization so committed to dogged reporting and sharp analysis, and they do it with flair. ALT A quote that reads: That's worthy of your financial support. Not to mention, they give it all to their writers and are terrible at business stuff, folks. Give Tone Madison a couple of bucks for their trouble. A city with less independent media, what's that going to cost ya?" The quote is attributed to Dylan Brogan, former Madison journalist who turned to the dark side. An editor's note at the bottom responding to the statement that Tone is bad at business says "No we're not! That's not true!" ALT ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 1mo If we get 50 new donors (at any amount!) we'll receive a $1,000 bonus from NewsMatch. That will go toward paying our writers, artists, and editors. We are halfway there, but have until December 31! Here's why one of our contributors, @millbot.bsky.social thinks Tone Madison is worth supporting. Quote that reads: Tone Madison is the local media outlet that Madison both needs and deserves: unflinchingly honest about our shortcomings and opportunities for growth and change, lovingly engaged in and supportive of what makes our community special, and always willing to dig in and do the hard work that few others are doing." ALT Quote that reads: "In a time when quality local journalism is more threatened than ever, it's imperative that we put our money where our hearts are. I'm grateful that Tone exists and would that to continue to be the case—and that takes love AND money!" Attributed to Emily Mills, writer and musician. ALT ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 1mo Are you disturbed about Madison police wrestling an elderly Black man to the ground in front of customers at a Willy Street diner? Because that happened, on November 21 at Willaby’s Cafe You would think we would care A violent arrest on Willy Street and our unconscionable blind spots. tonemadison.com ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 1mo In this week's "From the archives," revisit Ben Munson's classic Microtones column on the great butter fire of 1991 From the archives: Butter where butter shouldn't be As Tone Madison's 10th anniversary approaches, we look back at some highlights from the past decade. tonemadison.com Home Search Notifications Chat Feeds Lists Profile Settings New Post Search Following Discover Popular With Friends More feeds Trending Commanders Feedback • Privacy • Terms • Help A graphic shows 20 album covers arranged in four rows against a purple background. A graphic shows 20 album covers arranged in four rows against a purple background.
Tone Madison’s favorite records of 2024
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Music
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January 15, 2025

A selection of 20 highlights from a widely varied year of Madison music.

a bad attitude towards the status quo · unflinchingly honest about our shortcomings and opportunities for growth and change · sharp news analysis and tough commentary on local politics · owned by the people doing the journalism · a crucial source for understanding Madison · deeply thoughtful about the city's softest and weirdest parts · the hyper-local, independent journalism every city deserves, but so few have · fearless, honest, and at times hilarious · sets the tone for documenting the arts in Madison · publishes stories no other publications have the guts to run · fearless writers and editors who are not afraid to push the envelope · any city in the country would be lucky to have a Tone Madison covering its culture
A dozen reasons to support Tone Madison’s year-end fundraiser
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Misc
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December 20, 2024

Testimonials from readers, contributors, and fellow journalists.

A screenshot from a video feed of a Madison Common Council meeting shows a large meeting chamber from the back, with various people sitting at desks arranged in a semicircle and facing a raised platform on which the Mayor and City Attorney sit. A chyron on the bottom reads "Item 92: Censuring Alder Charles Myadze for conduct unbecoming of an alder."
We’ve witnessed a true test of the quality of Madison Alders
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Politics
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December 18, 2024

The Charles Myadze controversy has revealed how low some Common Council members will go.

Three stills from a video show police officers arresting a man in the doorway of a restaurant. In the first two stills, the man is on the ground in the doorway with officers straddling him and handcuffing him. In the third still, officers surround the man as they stand on a sidewalk outside, with police cars in the background.
You would think we would care
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Microtones
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December 13, 2024

A violent arrest on Willy Street and our unconscionable blind spots.

An illustration shows a paper folder flying out of a filing cabinet. The folder has butterfly antennae and is marked with the Tone Madison logo. A card on the filing cabinet drawer reads "archive."
Behold, Tone Madison’s December 2024 print edition
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Print
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December 6, 2024

We made a zine to commemorate our 10th anniversary.

An abstract painting on a white canvas shows two shapes with dismayed faces, one of them in a box labeled "POLICE" and emitting a red speech bubble that surrounds the other figure. Around it are black and red smudges and an email icon.
Between the lines, MPD’s body-cam study is kinda about redaction fees
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Act 253
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December 4, 2024

A report estimates the cost of processing footage, but who will pay it?

A photo shows a male police officer in patrol uniform, wearing a green mesh vest that reads "MADISON POLICE," standing outside a door and holding it open. Visible on his shirtfront are a body camera and various weapons and devices.
Madison’s police body-camera report didn’t disclose a researcher’s connection to Axon
By &
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Politics
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November 26, 2024

The researcher serves on an advisory council for a leading body-cam vendor.