Justin Monticello was a senior producer at Reason.
COVID-19 Exposed the Truth About the CDC
The agency will never be controlled by fact-driven experts shielded from politics.
Justin Monticello
Latest from Justin Monticello
Do Studies Show Gun Control Works? No.
Out of 27,900 research publications on gun laws, only 123 tested their effects rigorously.
The Cuban Heavy Metal Band That Joined the Communist Regime
The members of Zeus fought for the freedom to be frikis. Then they joined the Castro government's official Agency of Rock.
George Hotz: From Self-Driving Cars to Robots That Cook and Clean
The visionary hacker on how he plans to "solve A.I." and why he thinks this will be a "decade of decentralization."
The Deeply Flawed Studies Behind the Eviction Moratoriums
The government and media relied on studies plagued by shoddy statistics to make the case for blocking evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Does National Debt Still Matter? America's Greatest Gamble
Fiscal hawks have been sounding the alarm about rising debt levels for decades, but their nightmare scenario of runaway inflation hasn't come to pass. How do we know if this time is different?
How the U.S. Covered Up the Murder of Journalist Jamal Khashoggi
Oscar-winning filmmaker Bryan Fogel fought Saudi censorship to make his new documentary, The Dissident.
Are These Vulgarity-Spouting Birds a Threat to Democracy?
Aaron Reynolds is just trying to make people laugh, but his content may have been flagged on Instagram for interfering with the election.
The Inmates Are Running Venezuela's Prisons. They've Created Autonomous Micro-Dictatorships.
The documentary La Causa is a raw look into these self-organized societies, complete with taxes, courts, and a strict "thug code.”
Joe Biden's Disastrous Record of Using 'Bold Federal Action' To Solve America's Problems
It's unclear what Biden will ultimately be able to accomplish as president, but he has been trying to bring transformative change since the 1970s.
How Will Reason Staffers Vote in 2020?
A survey of presidential preferences and regrets
Does Google Secretly Manipulate Us To Vote for Democrats? The Evidence Is Flimsy.
Republicans have seized on the dubious claims of a psychologist who thinks Big Tech is shifting millions of votes to the left.
Let Volunteers Expose Themselves to COVID-19 To Speed Up a Vaccine
"Economists are accustomed to thinking about tradeoffs," says economist and Nobel laureate Alvin Roth. "It appears that at least in some parts of the ethics community, they are not."
Democratic Convention Recap: Biden and Harris Vow To Make Government Even Bigger
We suffered through it so you didn't have to.
Kamala Harris: Drug Warrior, Vice Cop, Draconian Prosecutor
Biden picked a V.P. candidate whose record on police and criminal justice reform is as terrible as his own.
Joe Biden Wants To Reform the Criminal Justice System He Helped Create
The presidential candidate deserves praise for retreating from his tough-on-crime stance. But let's not forget that his policies contributed to mass incarceration and the police misconduct that people are protesting today.
Joe Biden's 'Bold' Thinking Shredded Civil Liberties and Destroyed Lives
On crime, drugs, immigration, and foreign policy, his 44-year policy record is a cautionary tale of bipartisanship in response to perceived crises.
How Fashion Designers Are Thwarting Facial Recognition Surveillance
Privacy activists say we should be alarmed by the rise of automated facial recognition surveillance. Transhumanist Zoltan Istvan says it's time to embrace the end of privacy as we know it.
Snorkel Respirators, 3D-Printed Masks, and Other Grassroots Efforts To Fight COVID-19
People around the world are working together in unprecedented ways to help their neighbors and produce critical medical supplies.
Impossible Foods: Capitalism Is the Most Powerful Lever To Fight Climate Change
Impossible Foods says that animal agriculture is a leading cause of climate change. Instead of trying to pass laws to ban meat, it's providing tasty, plant-based alternatives.
George Hotz: Fully Self-Driving Cars Are a 'Scam' and Silicon Valley 'Needs To Die'
The hacking wunderkind thinks Big Tech's approach won't work. He built a $999 autonomous driving system that runs on a smartphone.
California Killed 1.2 Million Birds To Stop a Virus. Pet Owners Say They Were Terrorized.
The euthanasia campaign may be necessary to prevent the spread of the Newcastle disease, but bird owners say that it's being carried out in a cruel manner.
How Vaping 'Might Just Save Your Life!'
In the panic to ban and regulate electronic cigarettes, media and politicians are ignoring the benefits of vaping.
Should the Government Regulate Deepfakes? We Asked People on Venice Beach
Deepfakes don't pose a novel threat, and they have many exciting applications that would be stymied by legal restrictions.
'One Child Nation' Exposes the Tragic Consequences of Chinese Population Control
Documentary filmmaker Nanfu Wang on the horrors of China’s one-child policy
Why Bernie Sanders' Communist Misadventures Still Matter
Sanders no longer favors government takeover of "the major means of production." But his four-decade quest for political revolution continues.
Denver Mushroom Decriminalization Appears to Have Passed [UPDATED]
"Whether you're using this plant for a medical reason, or a spiritual reason, or a recreational reason, you should not be going to jail or losing your children for it."
Kamala Harris Hopes You'll Forget Her Record as a Drug Warrior and Draconian Prosecutor
The senator and presidential hopeful went to bat for dirty prosecutors, opposed marijuana legalization, and championed policies that endanger sex workers.
This Insane Battle To Block a New Apartment Building Explains Why San Francisco and Other Cities Are So Expensive
Bob Tillman has spent nearly 5 years and $1.4 million trying to convert his laundromat into new housing.
Joshua Browder Is Building You a Robot Lawyer
The Stanford-trained wunderkind would like to see robot lawyers replace humans, doing all manner of legal work for (virtually) free.
Meet the Robot Lawyer Fighting Fines, Fees, and Red Tape
DoNotPay is launching a "denial of service attack on the legal system to make it better."
Rep. Thomas Massie on Shakedowns, Cronyism—and Why He's Sticking With the GOP
"I didn't come to Washington to make friends."
Owen Wilson Got Fat! And More Fake News That Shouldn't Be Regulated
We headed to the Venice Beach boardwalk to test the bullshit detectors of passersby.
'Warlords Will Take Over' and Other Lines Libertarians Are Tired of Hearing
We asked the attendees at PorcFest 2018.
Theranos, Elizabeth Holmes, and the Cult of Silicon Valley
In Bad Blood, Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou explains why Silicon Valley's mystique makes suckers out of billionaires.
Should We Build the Wall? We Asked Trump Supporters.
The wall might turn out "big" and "beautiful." But how much will it cost, and what will it do?
This Hacker Is Making a Driverless Car in His Garage
George Hotz wants to remake everything from your car to your phone, cheaper and faster than Google or Tesla.
Balaji Srinivasan: Technology Will Lead to a Borderless World
The Silicon Valley entrepreneur says cryptocurrencies, virtual reality, and mobile devices are helping individuals escape failed institutions.
Is It OK To Punch a Nazi? We Asked Berkeley Students
A year after fiery political protests erupted on campus, we visited to find out when students think it's OK to respond to words with violence.
Matt Taibbi on Misogyny, the Left vs. Free Speech, and the Killing of Eric Garner
"I'm just sort of accidental collateral damage to a larger thing that's going on."
What Is Hate Speech? We Asked College Students
Should the U.S. join other countries in regulating certain speech? Can people even agree on what 'hate speech' is?
How Open-Access Journals Are Transforming Science
Academic publishers are "still acting as if the internet doesn't exist," says Michael Eisen, co-founder of the Public Library of Science.
How Open-Access Journals Are Transforming Science
Academic publishers are "still acting as if the internet doesn't exist," says Michael Eisen, co-founder of the Public Library of Science.
Egyptian Dissident Cynthia Farahat: The Middle East Is Hungry for Free Markets and Free Speech
She started the first secular, pro-market party in Egypt. Then the government sent the secret police after her.
