Rusty Foster Explained

Lawrence Calvin Foster III,[1] commonly known as Rusty Foster, is an American media critic and programmer. He has been described as "something of a Zelig-like figure in internet history, popping up in key roles at various stages in the web’s development."[2] He is the author of Today in Tabs, the founder of Kuro5hin, and the creator of Scoop, a collaborative media application used by several websites. He also helped develop Scripto, the screenwriting software company founded by Stephen Colbert.[3]

In 2013, his Facebook account was subject to a 'prank' reporting him dead, drawing the attention of a number of major news outlets.[4] [5] [6]

Since 2013, Foster has written occasionally for The New Yorker magazine, including on the Healthcare.gov debacle.[7]

Kuro5hin

See main article: Kuro5hin.

Kuro5hin (K5; read "corrosion") was a collaborative discussion website founded by Rusty Foster in 1999, having been inspired by Slashdot. Around 2005, its membership numbered in the tens of thousands. On May 1, 2016, the site was closed down permanently with all content taken offline.

Today in Tabs

Over the years, Foster has written an influential news media and Internet culture newsletter called Today in Tabs.[8] Its first iteration, which ran from 2013 to 2016, was syndicated on Fastcolabs and Newsweek and reached about 12,000 subscribers.[9] [10]

He restarted the newsletter in January 2021 on the Substack platform, with a Discord server for subscribers.[11] [12] [13] [14] In early 2024, Foster moved the newsletter to Beehiiv,[15] citing Substack's refusal to censor Nazis or extremist speech.

Personal life

Foster currently lives on Peaks Island with his wife and three children.

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://icrs.informe.org/nei-sos-icrs/ICRS?CorpSumm=20020711+F Search Corporate Names
  2. Web site: Kurutz . Steven . From a Tiny Island in Maine, He Serves Up Fresh Media Gossip . The New York Times . 17 April 2024.
  3. Kim . E. Tammy . How Scripto, the App That Stephen Colbert Helped Build, Became a Fixture of Late-Night Comedy News . 5 January 2022 . The New Yorker . 9 January 2018.
  4. Web site: Facebook could have a big problem on its hands with 'memorial page' vulnerability. The Verge. Hamburger. 2004-12-18. 2013-01-04.
  5. Web site: Dead on Facebook: Pranksters kill accounts with fake death reports. NBC News. Popkin. 2013-01-05. 2013-01-05.
  6. Web site: Rusty Foster isn't dead. Slashdot. Timoty. 2013-01-05. 2013-01-17.
  7. HEALTHCARE.GOV: IT COULD BE WORSE. Foster. The New Yorker. 2013-10-21. 2013-10-24.
  8. News: Bloomgarden-Smoke . Kara . Tweet Cheat: How Rusty Foster's Newsletter Became a New York Media Obsession . 5 January 2022 . The Observer . 10 July 2014.
  9. Web site: Hate-reading with Rusty Foster . 20 March 2014 . 28 December 2014 . Capital New York . Lynch . Matthew . https://web.archive.org/web/20140322180621/http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/media/2014/03/8542353/hate-reading-rusty-foster . 22 March 2014 . dead.
  10. Landsbaum . Claire . We're at Peak Newsletter, and I Feel Fine . 5 January 2022 . Vanity Fair . 11 July 2019.
  11. News: Broderick . Ryan . Today In Tabs' Rusty Foster On The Weirdly Hopeful Hellscape Of Media . 5 January 2022 . Garbage Day.
  12. News: Doll . Jen . Substackers are making serious money in the newsletter game . 5 January 2022 . Fortune . en.
  13. News: Sifton . Sam . Why You Should Follow the Recipe . The New York Times . 6 January 2021.
  14. News: Catucci . Nick . My Internet: Rusty Foster . Embedded . 8 October 2021.
  15. Web site: Foster . Rusty . February 3, 2024 . Tabs Migration Report .

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