James Temperton

Current Professional Overview

James Temperton serves as Deputy Managing Editor at The Logic, a Canadian digital media outlet focused on in-depth business and technology reporting. Based in Montréal, he maintains an active presence in investigative tech journalism with particular emphasis on corporate accountability and digital platform governance.

Career Trajectory and Reporting Evolution

• Early Career Foundations (2010-2015): Cut teeth at WIRED UK as podcast host and tech reporter, developing signature analytical style through emerging tech coverage
• Investigative Pivot (2016-2019): Transitioned to accountability reporting with exposés on social media moderation failures and AI ethics
• Leadership Phase (2020-Present): Assumed editorial leadership at The Logic while maintaining hands-on reporting of complex tech policy stories

"Platforms want us to believe content moderation is rocket science. It's not. It's resource allocation and political will." - From 2023 analysis of social media regulation

Signature Works and Impact

• "Shopify's Kanye West Controversy: Platform Accountability in the Creator Economy"
• This 2024 investigation revealed how Shopify instructed support staff to avoid commenting on its platform being used to sell Nazi-themed merchandise through Kanye West's account. Temperton's forensic examination of internal company memos exposed gaps in content moderation systems at major e-commerce platforms. The piece sparked parliamentary debates in Canada about platform liability frameworks.
• "Election Deniers' Tech Playbook" (WIRED Podcast)
• As lead host, Temperton dissected how disinformation networks weaponize hyperlocal social media tools to undermine electoral processes. His interview with election security experts created a framework for analyzing tech-enabled voter suppression tactics that multiple fact-checking organizations adopted as training material.
• "The Decentralized Social Media Experiment" Through first-person experimentation with Bluesky's AT protocol, Temperton documented the challenges of building ethical social platforms. This 2023 piece blended technical analysis with philosophical inquiry about digital public squares, cited in three academic papers on decentralized governance models.

Beat Analysis and Pitching Guidance

1. Platform Governance Strategies

Prioritize pitches about content moderation systems, algorithmic accountability measures, and cross-jurisdictional compliance frameworks. Temperton recently analyzed Shopify's crisis response protocols (2024) and Bluesky's decentralized model (2023), showing particular interest in operational decision-making processes over theoretical policy discussions.

2. Tech Workforce Dynamics

Seek stories about labor conditions in AI development teams, moderator mental health protocols, or engineer retention strategies. His reporting on Shopify's customer service protocols (2024) demonstrated methodical analysis of frontline worker experiences in tech organizations.

3. Decentralization Experiments

Propose case studies on blockchain applications beyond cryptocurrency, particularly in media distribution and identity verification systems. The Bluesky social protocol analysis (2023) established his focus on practical implementations rather than speculative use cases.

Awards and Industry Recognition

• Digital Public Square Fellowship (2023): Awarded by the Center for Internet and Society for advancing public understanding of decentralized social networks through rigorous technical reporting
• Canadian Association of Journalists Finalist (2024): Recognized in the Investigative category for exposing content moderation failures in e-commerce platforms
• MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellow (2021): Selected for intensive study of AI ethics and platform governance architectures