Just a Merciful Father
Plus: Ehrlichposting, pivot to Nevada, Syrian civil war, and more...
Journalism
Incoming FCC Chairman Brendan Carr's Beef With NewsGuard Is Legally Dubious and Empirically Shaky
The company, which says it takes an "apolitical approach" to rating news outlets, faces regulatory threats and a congressional probe because of its perceived bias against conservatives.
Cable News Is Over
What comes next will be more fragmented, more decentralized, and more authentic than the old legacy networks.
How Scientific American's Departing Editor Helped Degrade Science
When magazines like Scientific American are run by ideologues producing biased dreck, it only makes it more difficult to defend the institution of science itself.
Trump's Legal Complaints Against 2 News Outlets Reflect His Disregard for Freedom of the Press
The Republican presidential candidate argues that CBS and The Washington Post broke the law by covering the election in ways he did not like.
Citizen Journalism Is Under Attack. This Texas Woman Is Fighting to Save It.
After being arrested for doing journalism, Priscilla Villarreal has taken her fight to the courts.
Trump's Critics Keep Undermining Their Case by Lying About Stuff He Supposedly Said
Trump criticized Liz Cheney's interventionism. He did not say she should "go before a firing squad."
The Story About THC-Laced Halloween Candy Shifts From Malevolent Strangers to Careless Parents
The change in official warnings and news coverage reflects the dearth of evidence that malicious pranksters are trying to dose trick-or-treaters.
How the Feds Destroyed Backpage.com and Its Founders
By prosecuting the website's founders, the government chilled free speech online and ruined lives.
Trump Thinks News Outlets Should Lose Their Broadcast Licenses, Even When They Have None
Despite his cluelessness, the former president's inclination to punish constitutionally protected speech reflects his authoritarian disregard for civil liberties.
No, Trump Did Not Endorse a Military Assault on People 'Simply Because They Oppose His Candidacy'
The former president's authoritarian tendencies are alarming enough without inventing new outrages.
This Reporter Was Arrested for Asking Questions. The Supreme Court Just Revived Her Lawsuit.
Priscilla Villarreal's case is about whether certain reporters have more robust free speech rights than others.
Can Differences in 'Misinformation' Sharing Explain Political Disparities in Social Media Suspensions?
A new study finds that conservatives are especially likely to share information from sources that a "politically balanced" sample of Republicans and Democrats deemed untrustworthy.
CBS Needs a Safe Space for Tony Dokoupil's Critics
Despite the outrage from woke staffers, Ta-Nehisi Coates is hardly upset about the interview.
Oklahoma's Push for Bibles in Schools Comes With a Trump-Sized Price Tag
Ryan Walters' strict stipulations make it clear he’s steering Oklahoma schools to purchase Donald Trump’s Bibles at a hefty cost.
Ford Fischer: What's the Untold Story Behind 'Stop the Steal'?
Documentarian Ford Fischer discusses his experience covering the "Stop the Steal" movement, January 6, and what it all means for the future of journalism and democracy.
Citizen Journalist Barred From Press Conference Can Sue Texas Sheriff for Violating His Rights, Judge Rules
The decision is a reminder that independent reporters are still protected by the same First Amendment as journalists in legacy media.
More Vance Than Anyone Could Ever Need
Plus: Long live Eric Adams, Electoral College bias, and more...
The Libertarian Pioneer Who Wrote for America's Biggest Black Newspaper
To Rose Wilder Lane, African Americans' achievements were all the more amazing given their disadvantaged starting point.
Drones Face Supreme Court Showdown Over Free Speech Rights
State boards use outdated laws to target content creators, raising urgent questions about free speech in the digital age.
A Texas Reporter Was Arrested for Asking Questions. The State Says That's No Big Deal.
Opposing Priscilla Villarreal's petition for Supreme Court review, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton portrays basic journalism as "incitement."
Mike Pesca: How NPR Lost Its Way
Former NPR and Slate fixture Mike Pesca discusses media meltdowns, objectivity vs. moral clarity, and whether we are better or worse off now that media gatekeepers have less influence.
This Texas Woman Was Jailed for Her Journalism. Is She the Future of Media?
Priscilla Villarreal, known as "Lagordiloca," is suing law enforcement for violating her First Amendment rights. She is appealing to the Supreme Court.
Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gershkovich Released From Russian Captivity
Gershkovich was released Thursday in an elaborate prisoner swap involving two dozen prisoners from at least six countries.
The MTV News Archive Is Gone—and That's OK
I wrote for the .com culture site in its heyday. I don't mourn its disappearance.
Journalist Sues Cops Who Handcuffed Him for Photographing 'Cop City' Arrests
After police detained Benjamin Hendren, they urged construction workers to lie about him.
The Man Who Hated Rules
Hacktivist-journalist Barrett Brown sets out to settle scores in his new memoir.
If You Don't Trust Media Now, Wait Until It's Government-Funded
Subsidies for journalism will divorce reporters from the need to even try to win readers and viewers.
Detailing the 'Real Problem With Legal Weed,' a Critic Grossly Exaggerates the Prevalence of Pot Addiction
The Manhattan Institute's Charles Fain Lehman misleadingly equates a survey's measure of "cannabis use disorder" with "compulsive" consumption that causes "health and social problems."
Andy Mills: Quitting The New York Times and Making The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling
The podcasting pioneer discusses capturing the real J.K. Rowling, quitting The New York Times, and his new show Reflector.
Julian Assange's Freedom Came at a Steep Price
Assange's plea deal sets a threatening precedent for free speech and journalism.
Julian Assange, a Free Man
Plus: In defense of cigarettes, independent voters in the Hamptons, IRS data-privacy settlement, and more...
Reason Wins 7 Southern California Journalism Awards
First-place finishes include an investigative piece on egregious misconduct in federal prison, a documentary on homelessness, best magazine columnist, and more.
SCOTUS Makes It Easier for Victims of Retaliatory Arrests To Vindicate Their First Amendment Rights
The justices ruled that "objective evidence" of retaliation does not require "very specific comparator evidence."
President Biden Should Pardon D.M. Bennett
Issuing a posthumous pardon for Bennett would reaffirm our nation’s commitment to free expression and intellectual freedom.
The 'Bombshell' Secret Alito Recording Was Not a Bombshell
The justice's benign comments set off a lengthy news cycle and have been treated as a scandal by some in the media. Why?
Laurence Tribe Bizarrely Claims Trump Won the 2016 Election by Falsifying Business Records in 2017
That take on the former president's New York conviction echoes similarly puzzling claims by many people who should know better.
When a North Carolina Colonel Shot This Utility Worker, Journalists Suggested His Victim Was a Spy
The reaction to Ramzan Daraev’s death is an extreme example of anti-immigrant panic and national security paranoia.
News Publishers Try To Sic the Government on Google AI
A journalism industry trade group is asking the federal government to thwart a tech tool that could make news publishing less profitable.
These Strange Bedfellows Want SCOTUS To Remind the 5th Circuit That Journalism Is Not a Crime
An ideologically diverse mix of individuals and organizations supports a Texas journalist who was arrested for asking questions.
Rethinking the 5-Paragraph Essay in the Age of AI
Artificial intelligence writes a pretty good analysis of George Orwell's 1984.
This Journalist Was Arrested, Strip-Searched, and Jailed for Filming Police. Will He Get Justice?
Justin Pulliam's arrest and lawsuit once again demand we ask if "real" journalists are entitled to a different set of rights.
Super Size Me Was Not Groundbreaking Journalism
Morgan Spurlock's death and legacy are a reminder that skepticism is a necessary part of any balanced diet.
End the Assange Indictment Charade
As the U.K. High Court allows a new appeal for Julian Assange, pressure mounts on Joe Biden to drop charges. He should.
Israel Raids the Associated Press and Seizes Equipment Over War Coverage
There's no justification for cracking down on news organizations for reporting the news during war.
The New York Times Implausibly Blames 'Looser' Gun Laws for a Homicide Spike That Is Now Receding
Without providing any evidence, the paper says "loosened restrictions on firearms" contributed to gun violence in Columbus.
Review: Understanding AI Helps Separate the Sci From the Fi
Like it or not, AI is here to stay. In his newsletter, Timothy B. Lee helps explain what comes next.
Reason Is a Finalist for 14 Southern California Journalism Awards
Nominated stories include journalism on messy nutrition research, pickleball, government theft, homelessness, and more.
