'No Allegations of Human Trafficking' and 'Women Could've Walked Out' In Florida Massage-Parlor Prostitution Stings
Authorities are walking back big claims about an international human-trafficking ring involving Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
Media
Spies in the Media
Journalists have long been used by governments, wittingly or not, to collect intel and spread disinformation.
FBI and CNN Turn Roger Stone Arrest Into a Media Event: Reason Roundup
Plus: a big (and bad) change to asylum policy, Arkansas upholds anti-BDS law, and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez fights Post Fact Checker on minimum wage
Covington, Concerts, and Colonscopies: Nick Gillespie Talks With Greg Gutfeld
Why did the media, including Gutfeld himself, side so quickly against the Covington Catholic schoolkids and how to avoid making the same mistakes over and over.
Can We Just Light Twitter on Fire After This Past Weekend?: Podcast
Covingtongate, Buzzfeed's bomb, Baby Hitler, Kamalamentum…maybe it's time to pull the plug.
Twitter Suspends User Who First Spread Covington Catholic Video: Reason Roundup
Plus: Kamala Harris officially enters the 2020 race and Google News may leave the E.U.
No, Gov. Cuomo, Journalists Shouldn't Be an Extra-Protected Class: Reason Roundup
Plus: Rand Paul has "never been prouder" of Trump, the Women's March clashes with the Park Service, and Vegas' first Stripper Parade & Expo is coming soon.
Private Companies and State Governments Fight for Local News
Facebook is the latest to announce its intentions to save local media.
When it Comes To Trump, the Bulwark's Charlie Sykes Is 'All Out of Fucks To Give': Podcast
Q&A about the rise of right-wing "grifters" such as Charlie Kirk, the death of The Weekly Standard, and the future of the American right.
The 'Fake News' Epidemic Was…Fake News
It's "important to be clear about how rare this behavior is on social platforms," researchers say.
If You Want to See the Future of Political Trolling—and Elections—Look to Alabama
A second covert campaign against Judge Roy Moore is revealed, suggesting that voters need to up their media-literacy game, and fast.
On the Internet, Nobody Knows You're a Bot
Less than 60 percent of online traffic is actually generated by humans. But is that really a problem?
The World Is Not Ending Because of Donald Trump. In Fact, It's Not Even Ending.
We will make it through the weekend, folks, but our problems will outlast the current president, alas.
Yes, Russian Trolls Tried To Influence the 2016 Election. No, They Didn't Win It for Trump.
Are we really going to shut down the internet because Hillary Clinton ran a bad campaign and blew an easy win?
Adam Conover of Adam Ruins Everything on Seeking Truth in the Post-Truth Era
The host of TruTV's hit show has lost some faith in the power of rational discourse. And he has some ideas for how to fix the problem.
Director Jason Reitman on The Front Runner, Gary Hart, and the Private Lives of Politicians
Reitman and his co-writers, Matt Bai and Jay Carson, on what their new film reveals about today's politics.
Federal Judge Rules Trump White House Must Return Jim Acosta's Press Pass
The case, which pits Trump against the network he loves to criticize, has raised First Amendment concerns.
Bob Woodward Is Right: The Press Is 'Emotionally Unhinged' About Trump
The legendary newsman calls for more reporting rather than more outrage or puffery.
Libertarian Filmmaker, Podcaster Kmele Foster Wants To Change the World: Podcast
So far, the world is kind of listening. Q&A with the co-host of The Fifth Column and co-founder of Freethink Media.
Reporters Become Participants in Tribal Political Warfare
Journalists, like other Americans, will have an easier time only when the struggle for control of government stops mattering so much.
CNN's Jim Acosta Was Rude, but He Did Not Assault a White House Intern
Trump vs. the media-good for Trump, and good for the media.
De Niro and Biden Latest Targets of Suspected Pipe Bombs: Reason Roundup
Some conservatives are calling it a political stunt cooked up by Democrats. Democrats blame Trump's rhetoric. Trump blames the media.
The Only Remarkable Thing About Beto O'Rourke Is How Much the Media Love Him
No, Beto O'Rourke isn't "shaking up" the Senate race in Texas.
Last Column From Khashoggi Warns About State-Spread Fake News. Americans Should Take Note: Reason Roundup
Plus: Rep. Amash moves to limit weapons sales to Saudis while evangelical leaders defend them.
Trump Seems More Skeptical of Elizabeth Warren's Ancestry Test Than of Saudi Innocence in Death of Jamal Khashoggi: Reason Roundup
Plus: HHS proposes new drug-ad disclosures.
Writer Stephen Elliott Sues Over 'Shitty Media Men' Spreadsheet: Reason Roundup
Plus: libertarian accounts purged from Facebook?
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.
The Confidence-Man
Friday A/V Club: Long before "fake news" was a cliché, Alan Abel was both inserting and exposing fakery in the news.
Newly Released Eric Holder Memo: Feds Can Use FISA to Spy on Journalists
And the guidelines for spying on journalists may be even looser under Trump.
Beware the Press's Self-Serving Calls to Regulate Social Media
Demands for government oversight hide opportunism amid rhetoric about safety.
Law & Order: Hate Crimes Is a Bad Idea Built on Worse Statistics
But if the show must exist, I have some ripped-from-the-headlines ideas for upcoming plots.
Trump Slams Anonymous Sources, Promotes Story Based on Anonymous Sources
A little consistency would be nice.
Trump Doesn't Like What People See When They Search 'Trump News'
Threatened regulations on "fake news" would be an attack on press freedom
Why the Press Conflates Prostitution with Sex Trafficking—and Why That's a Threat To Free Speech: Podcast
Elizabeth Nolan Brown exposes the flimsy case against the alt-weekly pioneers accused of facilitating sex trafficking through Backpage.com.
15 Times Trump Hit a 'Turning Point' Before Yesterday's Cohen Revelations
It's the beginning of the end, again.
Sarah Jeong Probably Doesn't Hate White People, But Mocking Them Is an Easy Way to Prove You're Woke
The left doesn't believe racism against white people is possible.
Meet Bari Weiss, the Conservative New York Times Columnist Who Is Pro-Choice: Podcast
She's pro-Israel, #NeverTrumper who has chronicled (and criticized) the "intellectual Dark Web." Prefabricated ideological boxes need not apply.
The Nation Apologies for Publishing an 'Ableist' Poem
"Caused harm to members of several communities"
Appeals Court Orders Broward County Sheriff to Release School Shooting Footage
Many believe the footage will show what sheriffs were doing outside during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre.
Florida Officials and Media Fight Over Parkland Shooting Footage
The media sues for video that may show what Broward County Sheriff's deputies were doing during the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Stormy Daniels Strips for Me and a Roomful of Journalists
...and reminds everyone that sometimes a strip show is just a strip show.
Trump Blasts Anonymous Sources, Was Himself One for Years
The president's "anonymous source schtick is complete BS," says Charles Gasparino.
Europe Delays Plan to Destroy the Internet With Terrible Copyright Enforcement Proposal
Lawmakers resist plan that would likely lead to widespread censorship of online media sharing.
