Xeni Jardin | |
|---|---|
 Jardin in 2017 | |
| Born | Jennifer Hamm (1970-08-05)August 5, 1970 (age 54) Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, digital media commentator, weblogger, co-editor, technology news commentator |
| Parent(s) | Monica Rumsey Glenn B. Hamm Jr[1] |
Xeni Jardin (/ˈʃɛniʒɑːrˈdæ̃/; bornJennifer Hamm, August 5, 1970) is an Americanweblogger, digital media commentator,[2] and tech culture journalist.[3] She is known as a former co-editor of the collaborative weblogBoing Boing, a former contributor toWired Magazine andWired News, and a former correspondent for theNational Public Radio showDay to Day. She has also worked as a guest technology news commentator for television networks such asPBS NewsHour,CNN,Fox News,MSNBC andABC.
Jardin was born inRichmond, Virginia, on August 5, 1970. Her father, artistGlenn B. Hamm Jr., died in August 1980 ofALS. She left home at age 14, but remained in school in Richmond.[1] Her brother, Carl M. Hamm, retained their family name, and is a Richmond, Virginia-based disc jockey, who performs under the stage name "DJ Carl Hamm" (formerly, "DJ Carlito").[4]
Jardin previously stated that she preferred the name "Xeni Jardin" over hergiven name.[1] "Xeni" is short for "Xeniflores,"[5] while "jardin" is the Spanish and French word for "garden".[1] In May 2021, Jardin stated that she had been given this name by someone who had abused her,[6] and she was now moving back to using her legal name.[6]
Prior to becoming ajournalist, she was siteeditor fortravel agency Traveltrust,[7] then Supervisor of Enterprise WebTechnology forLatham & Watkins[8] before working at Quaartz, an internet calendaring startup.[9]
Her career as ajournalist began in 1999 when she was associated withJason Calacanis'sSilicon Alley Reporter, first as a contributing editor, and later as Vice President ofSilicon Alley's parent company,Rising Tide Studios. In 2001 she became a freelance writer forWired and other magazines, and in 2002 she began contributing toBoing Boing afterMark Frauenfelder met her at a party and invited her to be a co-editor.[1] Jardin has writtenop-ed pieces forThe New York Times[10] and theLos Angeles Times.[11] She has been the main source of an article inThe Age talking about the cultural relevance of Wikipedia articles,[2] and the source for aNew York Times article discussingBoing Boing's part in the creation of theFlying Spaghetti Monsterinternet meme.[12]
Jardin is also involved in television and radio work. In 2003, she began contributing the "Xeni Tech" segment forNPR's showDay to Day,[13] and has appeared as a guest on theNewsHour with Jim Lehrer to discussThe Washington Post's decision to remove their comments section (a stepBoing Boing had also taken).[14] She has made appearances onCNN,Fox News,MSNBC andABC World News Tonight,[1] and was featured on theBBC Radio 5 showPods and Blogs discussing her work atBoing Boing.[15] Jardin was the host and executive producer of theWebby recognized Boing Boing Video series.[16] Boing Boing Video (originally branded as Boing Boing TV) was initially offered exclusively onVirgin America flights in 2007.[17] Alongside technology and culture, Jardin has been covering the aftermath and atrocities that resulted from theGuatemalan Civil War since 2007.[18]
In 2008, Jardin was the executive producer of the web seriesSPAMasterpiece Theater.[19] Each episode features a dramatization ofemail spam, while the later episodes featured dramatic readings of email spam by humoristJohn Hodgman. In the third episode "Love Song of Kseniya," Jardin reads her own email spam.[20]
A June 2008 controversy over Jardin's deleting from public view all posts and links associated with sex bloggerViolet Blue in the wake of a falling-out led to discussions[among whom?] aboutjournalism ethics and standards andmedia transparency.[21][22][23]
On December 1, 2011, she live-blogged her first mammogram, which returned a positive diagnosis of breast cancer.[24] Since her treatment and recovery she has become an outspoken advocate for theAffordable Care Act.[25]
In 2012, Jardin became one of the initial supporters of theFreedom of the Press Foundation.[26] In December 2016, after a dispute withJulian Assange regarding the supposed relations betweenWikiLeaks and the Trump campaign, she resigned from its board, citing health reasons.[27]
In 2019, Jardin replied "Homie what set you from" on Twitter, after claiming thatNancy Pelosi was "gangsta checkin'"Donald Trump and that only people from Los Angeles would understand.[28] This, and her tweets claiming thatJeffrey Epstein andGhislaine Maxwell were both gay,[29] garnered a decent amount of media backlash.
In February 2021, Jardin leftBoing Boing.[30]
