The Washington Post Says Democracy Demands Less Freedom of Speech
The paper worries that "social media companies are receding from their role as watchdogs against political misinformation."
Journalism
Tucker Carlson's Sycophantic Interview With Trump Illustrates the Advantages of Skipping the Debates
It's no mystery why the former president preferred a forum in which his record and positions would face no serious challenge.
A Netflix Drama Reinforces Pernicious Misconceptions About Pain Treatment
Painkiller reflects an indiscriminate anti-opioid bias that has caused needless suffering.
Owner of Kansas Newspaper Dies Amid 'Shock and Grief' After Police Raid
Plus: New Zealand libertarianism, Barbie economics, and more...
Backpage Founder, Alt-Weekly Entrepreneur, and Free Speech Warrior James Larkin Has Died
Larkin, 74, took his own life on Monday, just a little over a week before he was slated to stand trial for his role in running the web-classifieds platform Backpage.
Who Is Protected As a Journalist? Everybody, Suggests Court Ruling.
Journalism is an activity shielded by the First Amendment, not a special class or profession.
Texas A&M's Treatment of Journalism Director Raises Academic Freedom Concerns
Political appointees should have no role in faculty hiring decisions.
Elite Journalists Love Big Brother
Prominent reporters and powerful officials know each other, share attitudes, and trust each other.
Review: Ithaka Chronicles the Fight To Save Julian Assange
"If he goes down, so will journalism," Assange's father John Shipton says in the documentary.
Chris Licht Ouster Shows How Cable News Has Become a Cope
The journalistic crusade against "bothsidesism" is an unsubtle attempt at enforcing political orthodoxy.
Kat Timpf: Make America Funny Again!
The You Can't Joke About That author says that free speech and dark humor can bring a fragmented country together.
Should Libertarians Be Noncombatants in the Pride Wars?
Plus: A listener question considers the pros and cons of the libertarian focus on political processes rather than political results.
The New York Times Thinks Preempting Local Control Is Bad—When Republicans Do It
The paper's editorial board is happy to endorse the centralization of decision making when it supports their liberal policy preferences.
California Lawmakers Want To Make Tech Companies Subsidize News Media
Plus: Debt ceiling deal passes House, Congress wants to childproof the internet, lactation consultant licensing law is unconstitutional, and more...
Jesse Singal: How To Stay Honest While Doing Journalism
The Blocked & Reported cohost talks about cancel culture, activism vs. truth, and why he quit Twitter.
I Worked for Hodding Carter III at a Small-Town Mississippi Newspaper
He didn't pay much, we fought a lot, and he was one of the best bosses I ever had.
Reason Is a Finalist in 9 Categories at the Southern California Journalism Awards
From COVID censorship to sex work and Afghani refugees, Reason's coverage is recognized by the Los Angeles Press Club.
Coverage of Alabama Town's Predatory Fines and Seizures Earns Journalists a Pulitzer
The Brookside Police Department’s shakedown of travelers became a national news story and prompted federal lawsuits.
Judge Dismisses Trump Lawsuit Against The New York Times
Plus: Senate Judiciary Committee considers the EARN IT Act, the FTC has A.I. in its crosshairs, and more...
'Stand Your Ground' Laws Are Back in the News, but It's Not Clear Why
The duty to retreat from public confrontations has nothing to do with the cases cited in recent stories about seemingly unjustified shootings.
What Does Tucker Carlson's Sudden Schism With Fox News Mean?
Plus: Should committed libertarians be opposed to pro-natalist policies?
The Death of BuzzFeed News Was a Facebook Murder-Suicide
Online media companies got exactly what they said they wanted.
Review: Endangered Documentary Exaggerates Threats to U.S. Journalists
The HBO movie muddies important distinctions.
Democrats Threaten Matt Taibbi With Jail Time Over Twitter Files Testimony
Weaponization of the federal government, indeed
The Fox/Dominion Settlement Highlights the Importance of Discovery in Proving 'Actual Malice'
Critics argue that excessively strict pleading standards prevent plaintiffs with meritorious defamation claims from obtaining the evidence they need to support them.
In a $788 Million Defamation Settlement, Fox News Admits That It Spread False Claims About Election Fraud
"The truth matters," says Dominion Voting Systems, and "lies have consequences."
Reporter Detained in Russia Faces Arduous Path to Freedom
Evan Gershkovich was arrested in Russia last month on espionage charges. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in a penal colony.
Fox News Starts Its Dominion Defamation Trial With Several Strikes Against It
Pretrial rulings recognized the falsity of the election-fraud claims that the outlet aired and rejected three of its defenses.
Massive Leak of Ukraine Intelligence Documents Angers U.S. Allies
Plus: Evan Gershkovich charged with espionage in Russia, the DOJ appeals a Texas judge's abortion ruling, and more...
Elon Musk Throttles Substack, Clashing With Twitter Files' Matt Taibbi
Plus: Dueling court decisions on an abortion drug, an update from Riley Gaines, and more...
Britain's 'Lockdown Files' Reveal the Sordid Thinking Behind Pandemic Policy
Eye-opening insights into the messy motivations behind restrictive COVID-19 responses.
Yes, There Are Libertarians During Bank Runs
Plus: The editors recommend the best books for sparking interest in free market principles.
Democrats Deride the Twitter Files Reporters as 'So-Called Journalists'
Members of Congress showed their true colors at a Thursday hearing.
Tucker Carlson Describes the Capitol Riot as 'Mostly Peaceful Chaos.' Is He Wrong?
Video footage and arrest data indicate that most of the Trump supporters who invaded the building did not commit violent crimes.
Conservatives Who Want To Weaken Defamation Standards May Regret Opening That Can of Worms
Contrary to the Supreme Court's First Amendment precedents, Donald Trump thinks harsh criticism of the president should be actionable.
Ousted Fox News Politics Editor on Dominion Lawsuit Revelations: 'It Feels Really Good To Be Vindicated'
In an interview, Chris Stirewalt contends that Fox is "not…willing to suffer the consequences of being a news organization."
Fox's Excuses Reinforce Dominion's Defamation Case
Although Rupert Murdoch admits that Lou Dobbs and other hosts "endorsed" the "stolen election" narrative, Fox's lawyers insist that is not true.
Global Disinformation Index, Inform Thyself
Time and time again, so-called disinformation watchdogs fail their own tests—the lab leak is just the latest example.
Ron DeSantis Wants To Rewrite Defamation Law
"The bill is an aggressive and blatantly unconstitutional attempt to rewrite defamation law in a manner that protects the powerful from criticism by journalists and the public," said one attorney.
Lou Dobbs Is the Main Obstacle to Fox's Defamation Defense
The Fox Business host stood out as a champion of the baroque conspiracy theory that implicated Dominion Voting Systems in election fraud.
Rupert Murdoch Called Trump's Stolen-Election Fantasy 'Really Crazy Stuff.' Fox News Promoted It Anyway.
Hosts and producers privately called Trump lawyer Sidney Powell's claims "complete bs," "insane," and "unbelievably offensive."
'Patient Zero' Is Not Hate Speech
Reason talks with the transgender historian who used the term to describe a revolutionary gender-affirming treatment for teens.
980 New York Times Contributors Want To Sacrifice Free Inquiry to Ideology
In an open letter, they condemned the paper's coverage of trans issues. But their note is more about what questions journalists are not allowed to ask.
The Perils of Trying To Curtail Hazily Defined 'Disinformation'
A government-supported organization's controversial ratings of online news sources illustrate the challenge of deciding what qualifies as disinformation.
U.S. State Department Funds a Disinformation Index That Warns Advertisers To Avoid Reason
Reason is listed among the "ten riskiest online news outlets" by a government-funded disinfo tracker.
Getting Trump Was More Important to Some Journalists Than Getting the Story Right
The botched pursuit of the Russiagate story illustrates how the media shed credibility.
That Time We Tried To Make Sense of a Statistic in a New York Times Story on Deepfakes
Deepfakes aren't nearly as dangerous as the tried-and-true technique of saying something misleading with the imprimatur of authority.
She Was Jailed for Basic Journalism. A Federal Court Isn't Sure if That's Unconstitutional.
Priscilla Villarreal's case will be heard again tomorrow at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. She has attracted some unlikely supporters.
