2023's Most Under-Covered Stories

So long, 2023! What fresh hell awaits us all in 2024?

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2023's Most Under-Covered Stories

In this calendar year's last episode of The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Peter Suderman select various under-covered stories from the past year across three categories: politics, science, and culture. So long, 2023!

01:45—Under-covered stories in politics

30:13—Under-covered stories in science

46:00—Under-covered stories in culture

Mentioned in this podcast:

"Introducing REASON," by Lanny Friedlander

"Congress Admits It Has a Debt Problem, but Will It Do Anything?" by J.D. Tuccille

"After Moody's Warning, Federal Officials Continue To Ignore Fiscal Reality," by Eric Boehm

"The Real Scandal in Washington Is the Government's Reckless Spending," by Veronique de Rugy

"Medicare's Fiscal Ruin," by Peter Suderman

"'Bidenomics' Is Failing Everyday Americans," by Veronique de Rugy

"We Are Out of Money," by Matt Welch

"The Myth of the Broke Millennial," by Jean Twenge

"3 Myths About American Decline," by Nick Gillespie

"Capitalism Made Us All Richer. So Why Are We Unhappy?" by Nick Gillespie

"It's Time to Discard Piketty's Inequality Statistics," by Phil W. Magness and Vincent J. Geloso

"George Will: Brace Yourself for Donald Trump & the Authoritarian Moment," by Todd Krainin, Nick Gillespie, and Matt Welch

"The Equity Mess," by Matt Welch

"The Future Is Florida," by Katherine Mangu-Ward

"The DeSantis-Newsom Debate Was Really a Debate About COVID," by Eric Boehm

The Best of Reason Magazine podcast

"Will AI Destroy Humanity?" by Gene Epstein

"Biden Issues 'A.I. Red Tape Wishlist,'" by Ronald Bailey

"Despite the Doomsday Narrative, Global Inequality Has Significantly Declined," by Veronique de Rugy

"U.S. Life Expectancy Increases for the First Time in 4 Years," by Ronald Bailey

"The Great COVID Rupture," by Matt Welch

"Old People Are Hot Now," by Sarah Rose Siskind

"Kevin Kelly: Excellent Advice for Living From the World's Leading Optimist," by Nick Gillespie

"Hollywood must change—but how?" Q&A with Rob Long by Nick Gillespie and Zach Weissmueller

"Is the world going to hell?" Q&A with Stefan Sagmeister by Nick Gillespie

Now Is Better, by Stefan Sagmeister

"'I didn't realize people still think socialism is a good idea.'" Q&A with Agnieszka Pilat by Nick Gillespie

"Living our best fake lives online," Q&A with Dave Cicirelli by Nick Gillespie

Send your questions to [e-mail]. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.

Audio production by Ian Keyser; assistant production by Hunt Beaty.

Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve

Comments

[Don't look at me!]

10% for the big guy didn’t get enough coverage.

[JesseAz]

Came in here to say this.

Reason has a long list of under covered stories as compared to over covered stories.

[Gaear Grimsrud]

Yeah the title seems ironic under the circumstances.

[Mother's Lament]

Have you heard about Florida?

[sarcasmic]

I know it. I mean, how dare they wait for facts before reporting? And the worst part is that they actually change their minds based upon available information.

They should be more like you and report conspiracy as fact, cherry pick information based upon the politics of the source and the furthering of the Trump narrative, and never ever change their minds about anything.

[Mother's Lament]

"I mean, how dare they wait for facts before reporting?"

Journalism and reporting is about investigating and researching. Not waiting for the administration to issue an official statement of the "facts".

There was shitloads of evidence that Hunter's laptop was real, Trump/Russia was ginned up by the Hillary campaign, Covid didn't come from a Chinese farmers market, the mRNA injections didn't stop infection or transmission, Biden had been selling influence, the FBI and CIA were illegally pressuring social media to censor people, and many, many more enormous stories that the establishment media (and Reason) sat on because they reflected poorly on the political establishment, rather than investigating.

If you think that journalists shouldn't investigate until the government gives official clearance then there's no hope for you.

[JesseAz]

What you call waiting for facts is you waiting for the narrative.

You constantly ignore facts until they are insurmountable such as with the censorship stories. Plenty of facts were known and you chose to ignore as it was counter to your narrative. This is true of most of the arguments you make.

They don't change their mind, see Sullum. They also ignore or downplay facts that have become insurmountable such as covid or censorship. And most commonly they refuse to acknowledge their past views as being mistakes.

You do the above as well. Always lying about facts and even your past statements and views. You still call those who were factual conspiracy theorists pretending no facts existed on numerous topics.

Youre just a useful idiot sarc.

And here.

sarcasmic 1 day ago
Flag Comment Mute User
I’m not the one who will cry when Trump is convicted. Nor will I cheer when Hunter is convicted.

You'll never live down your admission of your biases you claim don't exist. Get used to this quote.

[Public Entelectual]

like :

'Really Crazy Stuff.' That was Rupert Murdoch's private description of Giuliani's baroque conspiracy theory, which Fox News nevertheless helped promote.' ?

[Mother's Lament]

Except Giuliani's theory wasn't at all baroque and nevertrumper Rupert Murdoch was more than eager to smash it even if he had to bankrupt his insurance company.

[Public Entelectual]

Tell that to the appellate court judge.

What would have happened back in Roy Cohen's day if the mayor wrote a New York Post op-ed claiming the roulette wheels were crooked at the Trump Taj Mahal?

[Bill Falcon]

The Frankfurt school of cultural marxism taking over most federal agencies, NGO's, the Media and Big Tech. Seems like that is a big story Reason refuses to cover (from the transvestite driven sexual mutilation of mentally ill kids to targeting catholics to actual bolshie racists getting approved by the commies in the senate by droves) to the foreign grifter rip off of Trotsky (Zelinsky) by the neocons. A lot to cover Reason..been an interesting year but abortion and open borders right?

[Mother's Lament]

"10% for the big guy"

They also danced around the Twitter files.

Koch-brand political journalism is all about deciding which facts libertarian magazines shouldn't talk about because they might reflect badly on the Washington establishment.

[InsaneTrollLogic]

And somehow they managed to miss Joe Biden, the Democrats, and their authoritarianism. George Will got a case of TDS years ago and became a NeverTrumper nutcase.

[JesseAz]

Has sarc told you about George Wills book on tape? Couldn't stop raving about it.

[sarcasmic]

Will didn't change. He's still a conservative. The GOP however has become a cult of personality that requires constant purity tests, all of which involve genuflecting to Trump. Y'all prove it every day in these comments. Worship Trump or face the wrath of the trolls.

[Mother's Lament]

"The GOP however has become a cult of personality that requires constant purity tests, all of which involve genuflecting to Trump."

Give us an example of an actual "purity test".

"Worship Trump or face the wrath of the trolls."

You are the troll, drunky. You deliberately post shit that you know isn't true to get a rise out of people here all the time.

[sarcasmic]

Give us an example of an actual “purity test”.

Oh please. The use of terms like "Never Trumpers" to describe anyone who doesn't kiss the ring, branding anyone who criticizes him a RINO, and jettisoning conservative principles for the whims of one man.

You are the troll, drunky. You deliberately post shit that you know isn’t true to get a rise out of people here all the time.

Yeah, sure. What happens in these comments when a new person shows up and says something remotely libertarian? You know what happens. Y'all jump on the guy and verbally beat them until they leave. Anyone who doesn't bend the knee is heckled as a leftist. It's stupid. Really, really stupid.

[Mother's Lament]

Oh please. The use of terms like “Never Trumpers” to describe anyone who doesn’t kiss the ring, branding anyone who criticizes him a RINO, and jettisoning conservative principles for the whims of one man.

Yeah, no example there. Do you understand what an example is.

[JesseAz]

The irony being sarc uses forever trumpers and Trump cultists non stop, even implying it above.

He justifies state abuse because he hates a man and anyone who doesn't hate him as well.

Just a raging hypocrite.

[sarcasmic]

As far as me drinking goes, watch drunk sarc respond to you all night. Starting now.

[Mother's Lament]

You couldn't stay sober for a whole month.
What a failure.

[Bill Falcon]

Will is a neocon not a serious conservative. Serious conservatives like David Stockman have been against most of the "Bush" neocon crap from NAFTA to Federal Deficits to bailouts to adding govt agencies and of course the Irving Kristol Wars..Will is just a DC 3x5 card type of guy. Def not a conservative. Trump isn't either and honestly the GOP isn't.

[Rev Arthur L kuckland]

They dropped the ball on their flordia coverage.

[Á àß äẞç ãþÇđ âÞ¢Đæ ǎB€Ðëf ảhf]

It was undercapitalized.

[Nazi-Chipping Warlock]

Ding ding ding! The number one champion of under covered stories.

[Gaear Grimsrud]

I'll admit I'm mostly ignorant on this kerfuffle but it's got a nasty Nuland stink on it.
https://eestieest.com/the-west-isnt-content-with-vucics-many-concessions-and-wants-full-control-over-serbia/

[JeremyR]

Voter fraud is okay when authoritarian Western hating regimes do it?

Not sure how that's Libertarian

[Chumby]

Not enough orangemanbad and abortion stories here at Reason.

[InsaneTrollLogic]

IOW, need moar Sullum and ENB.

[Public Entelectual]

Orange State worse.
DeSantis is a pulpless pipless version of bad orange man

[Mother's Lament]

"Orangestatemanbad!"

Completely expected.

[MWAocdoc]

You all seem to be underreporting Reason's reporting. Why do you all continue to come here, read the articles, and then dis Reason? I occasionally criticize some specific point in the articles, but overall this is the ONLY source I trust as a starting point for issues and events.

[JesseAz]

You should trust no single source as truth, including Reason. You've been in the comments here, you've seen how much relevant information they consistently choose to leave out. It is a weird trust.

As far as why people come here, the discussions in the threads are often better than the subjects and writings by the authors.

Your post comes across as a strange appeal to authority which many if the current writers actually lack. Bailey is pretty ignorant on science. Sullum is biased on legal matters. Fiona has no concept of arguments even amongst libertarians for open borders. Etc etc.

[Ersatz]

how the heck did your comment get in ahead of mine?? mine is 2 min earlier than yours... at least according to my browser

[Mother's Lament]

Mine too. Weird.

[Ersatz]

i just came up with a theory on this...

JesseAz actually had the earlier post but then tried the edit... which made me think i had posted earlier since his wasnt there yet for me.... it was in edit.
then he posts his edit [which of course lately isnt showing up.. at least for me - still]

so his original time stamp rules and his comment gets in first.

this theory would require confirmation of the quick edit assumption by Jesse of course.

[CE]

Must have borrowed the comment time machine from Fist.

[Chumby]

Jesse has a higher social credit score.

[JesseAz]

I made ENB a sandwich.

[Ersatz]

I would say its one of the few sources i trust as a starting point for comments that more honestly bring out information about the issues and events and subsequent analysis

[CE]

Because Reason is the biggest platform for libertarian coverage of major stories, but some of their editorial decisions make libertarians cringe. That, and they are one of the few sites with a wide-open comments section.

[(Impeach Robert L. Peters) Weigel's Cock Ring]

The Reason staff wishes like hell that they could do away with the wide open comments section entirely.

But they can't because they know damn well that of they did, their site visits would pretty much completely disappear and drop down to almost zero.

They aren't TOTAL idiots; they know just like all the rest of us know that the comments are just about the only reason why any of are even still coming here at all.

[Bill Falcon]

Zero Hedge and the Libertarian Institute do a better job.

Many of us come here to see how CATO and the DC Cosmo crowd will be attacking real libertarians. Keep your eye on the folks who are pretending to be your friends.

[Timmy000]

My choice for an under covered story is the FL AG's CID letter indicating the start of an antitrust investigation into how the CFP selected teams for the college football playoffs. The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 granted antitrust immunity to the NFL over ruling a district court decision finding the NFL's negotiating television broadcasting rights violated antitrust laws.

[CE]

I don't think there was enough reporting on that lady on the flight in Texas who identified a person who wasn't real, and then the airline and the government tried to cover it up.

[Love to be Wrong]

Nick Gillespie is about 500% Nick Gillespie in this one. Was he high on something? He just can't allow anyone to talk without getting his own take or Dad joke in first.

[learwerts]

The "2023's Most Under-Covered Stories" is a breath of fresh air in an era dominated by headlines. It's a reminder that beyond the mainstream narratives, untold stories are waiting to be discovered.
For more educational blogs: https://cypresscollege-bookstore.com/category/education/

[transparenthands]

Let me telling you another under covered story by Transparent Hands Foundation.
Afnan’s Journey to Joy: A Tale of Hope and Healing
In the heartwarming town of Kasur, a beacon of hope and resilience emerged in the form of 2-year-old Muhammad Afnan. His journey, laden with unique challenges, became a testament to the power of medical expertise and community support.

On the 28th of November 2023, Muhammad Afnan embarked on the path to healing as he was admitted to Ittefaq Hospital in Lahore. The compassionate care of Dr. Asim Khan, a distinguished surgeon renowned for his expertise, played a pivotal role in the intricate operation that followed on the 29th of November 2023. The procedure, involving a Median-Sternotomy, a Single Patch pericardial patch to address the primum Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), and a delicate Mitral Valve (MV) repair with the closure of the cleft in the Anterior Mitral Leaflet (AML), aimed to restore the vibrancy to Afnan’s young heart.

Under the surgery unfolded seamlessly, addressing the complexities of Afnan’s condition with precision and care. A mere five days later, on the 3rd of December 2023, his condition deemed satisfactory by the medical team. The success of the surgery not only relieved Afnan and his family but also illuminated a path towards a healthier and more vibrant future.

This tale of triumph wouldn’t have been possible without the unwavering support of the Pakistan Children’s Heart Foundation (PCHF) and the compassionate donors associated with Transparent Hands. Their collective generosity made it possible for Muhammad Afnan to receive the critical medical care needed, showcasing the transformative impact of community-driven philanthropy.

Muhammad Afnan’s family extends heartfelt gratitude to PCHF and Transparent Hands donors, acknowledging the profound impact of their selfless contributions. This success story stands as a testament to the strength of compassion, collaboration, and the remarkable transformations that occur when hearts unite to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those in need.
Story Link: https://www.transparenthands.org/success-stories/muhammad-afnans-journey-to-joy-a-tale-of-hope-and-healing/