Was Charging Sarah Palin With Complicity in Mass Murder an Honest Mistake?
The former vice presidential candidate's revived defamation suit against The New York Times highlights the hazards of us-versus-them thinking.
Media Criticism
No, Texas Did Not Respond to El Paso Shooting by Passing Lenient Gun Laws
It's foolish for media outlets to imply that laws which were signed in May and June were passed in relation to the tragic shooting in El Paso.
Free Speech on the Internet Continues to Confuse Everyone
Plus: 8chan called before Congress, data privacy bill hits a snag, and more...
The Dismissal of Nicholas Sandmann's Lawsuit Shows There's a Difference Between Unfair Press Coverage and Libel
While the teenager has a legitimate beef about coverage of his encounter with Native American activist Nathan Phillips, that doesn't mean he has a legal cause of action.
Another Way Fentanyl Phobia Can Be Deadly: It Undermines Good Samaritan Laws
Irrational fear of incidental contact with opioids can lead to criminal charges that make overdose bystanders less likely to call 911.
The Erica Thomas Incident Wasn't National News, But That Never Stops Our Outrage-Hungry Media
A trivial encounter between two irate grocery shoppers becomes a viral story, then a hate hoax.
The Washington Post 's Simplistic Assumption That More Opioid Prescriptions Mean More Drug Overdoses Is Demonstrably Wrong
The causes of opioid-related deaths are more complicated than "too many pain pills."
Relax, the Dominican Republic Hasn't Become Less Safe for Americans
Misleading media coverage took an immediate toll on the island's important tourism industry.
If Cops Don't Die From Incidental Fentanyl Exposure, a Drug Treatment Specialist Warns, They 'Could Become Addicted to It Instantly'
Such scaremongering poses a potentially deadly threat.
Watch the Media Manufacture a Dumb Story About Bernie Sanders and Sexism
No, Sanders didn't say Warren is surging just because she's a woman.
That Story About Kids Growing Horns Because of Smartphones Is Fake News
Researchers made no effort to link the two.
Reminder To All the News Outlets Hiring Rahm Emanuel: He's Awful
Emanuel was a habitual violator of Illinois' public records laws and shielded the police from public scrutiny whenever he could.
Press Parrots Police Talking Points on Arrest of Alleged Drug Dealers' Bird
It's fair to take the cops' account with a grain of salt.
Julian Assange Is a Better Journalist Than Many of His Media Critics
Journalism is at risk not just from government but from media types who see their jobs as protecting the powerful from embarrassment.
The Percentage of Americans Who Understand That Vaping Is Less Dangerous Than Smoking Continues to Fall
Years of mealy-mouthed, misleading, and mendacious statements by activists, government officials, and journalists have taken a toll on the truth.
Florida Cases Restoke Chinese Conspiracy Fears
Yujing Zhang, Cindy Yang, and prostitution busts at Chinese spas have planted the seeds for new conspiratorial corruption narratives to bloom.
Media Must Drop the Political Shenanigans and Get Back to Scrutinizing the Powerful
Covering stories is too important to abandon for brazen partisan pandering-or wishful thinking.
Knock It Off, Lazy News Outlets. 'Momo' Isn't Telling Kids To Hurt Themselves.
When absurd ghost stories are passed off as actual journalism
This Is the World From Which Trump Emerged
A&E's Trump Dynasty explores the president's family and business history but doesn't do justice to the corrupt New York culture surrounding it.
Jussie Smollett Reminds Us That Some Hate Crimes Are Hoaxes—and the Statistics Are a Mess
As the investigation turns on the Empire star, it's important not to confuse "reality" with "narrative."
Journalists Criticize CNN for Planning Journalism About Howard Schultz
Town hall pilloried because Schultz is undeclared, uninformed, unelectable...and because he might become the next-or help the current-Donald Trump.
The Media Wildly Mischaracterized That Video of Covington Catholic Students Confronting a Native American Veteran
Journalists who uncritically accepted Nathan Phillips' story got this completely wrong.
Trump's Favorite 'Prayer Rug' Immigrant Story Seems Like Fake News and Shoddy Journalism
The Washington Examiner story relies on a single, anonymous source who has no evidence to support her claims. It serves only to confirm existing biases.
Does Tucker Carlson Get Anything Right About Libertarians?: Podcast
What conservatives against "market fundamentalism" can tell you about libertarians without power
Condemning Extreme Rhetoric, NYT Columnist Says Conservative Pundits Incite Murder
Jim Rutenberg's indictment of "the Incitement Industry" charges right-wing provocateurs with complicity in violence.
Neither 'Capacity' Nor 'Power' Distinguishes 'Assault Weapons' From Other Firearms
The New York Times continues to push the myth that there is something uniquely deadly about the guns Dianne Feinstein wants to ban.
Are We in a New Era of Political Violence?: Podcast
Are we all just living through Elon Musk's dystopian simulation?
Authenticity and Truth in the #MeToo Era
You'll never know for sure what's in someone else's heart. But forgiveness can be as much about what we owe ourselves as what someone else deserves.
Rep. Devin Nunes Sends Out 38-Page Mailer Knocking Local Newspaper
The congressman does not have a good relationship with his local paper.
Are Teachers Really 'Not Paid for the Work [They] Do'? Time Says Yes, Reality Begs To Differ
Actually, the average salary for public-school teachers is close to the median income for U.S. households.
Who's Ready for an Obama Lecture About Trump?: Podcast
Critiquing an ex-president's warnings about anti-media rhetoric, non-voting, and unelected bureaucrats
Stop Whining About Not Being 'Allowed' to Criticize John McCain
Your unfettered expression is only one click away, and the late senator himself engaged in ritual self-criticism, Matt Welch argues on Bloggingheads.
The Funeral Etiquette of Empire: Podcast
What the reaction to John McCain's death tells us about the values of Washington's political class
Elizabeth Warren's Corporate Buttinskyism Is the Future Liberals Want: Podcast
What could go wrong with federalizing the corporate charter process and putting bureaucrats in charge of long-term business thinking?
The Factual and Rhetorical Silliness of Family Separation Whataboutism
People who supported Trump's policy justified it by falsely claiming that today's critics never cared about Obama's detention facilities.
Why Does the Press Routinely Misidentify Prostitution as 'Sex Trafficking'?: Podcast
Reason's Elizabeth Nolan Brown on libertarian feminism, how to encrypt your email, and more
Nan Goldin's Misleading OxyContin Story Feeds the Myth of 'Highly Addictive' Pain Pills
Like most people who become addicted to prescription opioids, the famous photographer had a history of substance abuse.
Richard Nixon Probably Would Not Have Been Saved by Fox News
The 37th president used the then-stronger tools of media regulation to manipulate the far more centralized 1970s news industry in ways that Donald Trump can only fantasize about.
Jake Tapper on The Hellfire Club, Donald Trump's Big Lies, and D.C.'s 'Bullshit Waterfall'
The CNN host and best-selling novelist comes clean about his politics, why Hillary Clinton lost, and how his training in alternative media gives him a leg up.
The Liberal Media's Answer to Ideological Diversity Concerns: Ban Conservatives, Hire Socialists
When Kevin Williamson isn't welcome but Joseph Stalin is
Don't Blame Self-Driving Cars for Accidents Caused by Humans
The Arizona crash was caused by two human drivers, at least one of whom ran a red light. The car was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Let's See More Michelle Wolf-Style Nastiness in Political Journalism
Wolf's White House-focused hostility was a hell of a lot healthier than the smug chumminess that usually prevails at the annual journalist gathering.
Joy Reid Blames Mystery Hackers for the Anti-Gay Stuff on Her Old Blog
The MSNBC host kind of sucked on gay issues 10 years ago. So did most Democratic moderates.
How The Simpsons Fights Fake News: Podcast
Journalism prof Michael Socolow has three simple rules to up your social-media literacy.
The New York Times Suggests Opioids Should Be Reserved for Terminal Patients
An editorial calling for further restrictions on pain pills grossly exaggerates their dangers.
S.C. Bill Would Make It a Crime to Let Teenagers Drink Red Bull
A state legislator says energy drinks pose a deadly threat to minors.
How to Sniff Out Fake News
You don't need (and definitely do not want) the government to serve as a lie detector.
