Reason.com - Free Minds and Free Markets
Reason logo Reason logo
  • Latest
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
    • Crossword
  • Video
  • Podcasts
    • All Shows
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
    • The Soho Forum Debates
    • Just Asking Questions
    • The Best of Reason Magazine
    • Why We Can't Have Nice Things
  • Volokh
  • Newsletters
  • Donate
    • Donate Online
    • Donate Crypto
    • Ways To Give To Reason Foundation
    • Torchbearer Society
    • Planned Giving
  • Subscribe
    • Reason Plus Subscription
    • Print Subscription
    • Gift Subscriptions
    • Subscriber Support

Login Form

Create new account
Forgot password

Publishing

An orange and white crossword puzzle blank with the word Crossword in orange and the Reason logo | Lex Villena / Reason

Crossword

Seen and Obscene: Puzzle #77

Stella Zawistowski | 1.10.2025 8:00 AM

wayback | Illustration: Lex Villena; Transversospinales | Dreamstime.com

Internet

Courts Are Coming for Digital Libraries

A federal court recently said the Internet Archive is not protected by fair use doctrine.

C.J. Ciaramella | 11.10.2024 6:00 AM

Google AI graphic, with Gemini on a smartphone screen | 	Jonathan Raa/Sipa USA/Newscom

Artificial Intelligence

News Publishers Try To Sic the Government on Google AI

A journalism industry trade group is asking the federal government to thwart a tech tool that could make news publishing less profitable.

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 6.3.2024 11:49 AM

library books bathed in shadows | Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@bamin?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Pierre Bamin</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/tY7hL5Bu7Ic?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a>

Copyright

Internet Archive Loses Lawsuit Over National Emergency Library, Will Appeal

Plus: "Sensitivity readers" rewrite Agatha Christie, a Little Free Library battle, and more...

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 3.27.2023 9:30 AM

Growing Up Underground with Steven Heller | Lex Villena, Reason

Media

Steven Heller: Growing Up Underground

The legendary art director talks about the aesthetics of rebellion and his strange journey from Screw magazine to The New York Times.

Nick Gillespie | 11.23.2022 12:24 PM

features_Why-Ryan-Reynolds-Can-Use-Winnie-the-Pooh-To-Sell-You-a-Phone-Plan | Illustration: Winnie-the-Pooh; Dutton

Intellectual Property

Why Ryan Reynolds Can Use Winnie-the-Pooh To Sell You a Phone Plan

As pop culture icons enter the public domain, a strange new era of copyright begins.

Timothy Lee | 7.16.2022 7:00 AM

Brian Doherty is author of Dirty Pictures, a history of underground comic books. | Lex Villena, Reason

Culture

Brian Doherty: From MAD Magazine to Maus

A new history, Dirty Pictures, explores how underground comix revolutionized art and exploded censorship once and for all.

Nick Gillespie | 7.6.2022 4:10 PM

Substack-march-2021 | <em>Substack</em>

Social Media

Substack

The paid online newsletter service allows writers the opportunity to keep more of the fruits of their labors.

Katherine Mangu-Ward | 2.12.2021 6:30 AM

josh hawley | CNP/AdMedia/SIPA/Newscom

Culture War

'No Book Deals for Traitors'

Publishing in the post-Trump era is going to involve a lot of score-settling.

Kat Rosenfield | 1.21.2021 12:38 PM

Large image on homepages | Reason

Publishing

Reason Has Been Nominated for 10 'Maggie' Awards

Finalists include "What to Know Before You Pay for Sex" and a Reason documentary about San Francisco's insane housing regulations.

Mike Riggs | 3.12.2019 3:35 PM

Large image on homepages | Public Domain

Sex

The Backpage Scandal Isn't What You Think

How indie media entrepreneurs James Larkin and Michael Lacey became the targets of a federal witchhunt.

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 11.15.2018 6:00 AM

Large image on homepages | Feral House Facebook

Publishing

Adam Parfrey, RIP

The Feral House publisher exposes American minds to wide variety of fascinating and often disturbing culture.

Brian Doherty | 5.11.2018 3:25 PM

Large image on homepages

Censorship

'Sensitivity Readers' Are the New Thought Police, And They Threaten More Than Novelists

Nobody calls himself a censor anymore in the 21st century. We've got better words for it.

Nick Gillespie | 12.28.2017 10:15 AM

Large image for longform feature pages.

Journalism

The Death of the Alt-Weekly As Told By An Industry Lifer

Gustavo Arellano | 11.4.2017 7:00 AM

Large image on homepages | Tony Clark / Splash News/Newscom

Web & Blogs

Actors Guild Fights to Make Outing Entertainers' Ages a Crime

SAG-AFTRA and the State of California claim websites like IMDb have a proactive duty to help actors hide their ages from casting directors.

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 9.6.2017 9:25 AM

Large image on homepages | Thomas Hawk/Flickr

Publishing

First Amendment Lawyers Ask New Calif. Attorney General to Drop 'Abusive' Crusade Against Backpage and User-Info Dragnet

A subpoena calls for copies of all Backpage ads posted over several years, all billing records, and the identities of all of the website's users.

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 3.16.2017 8:15 AM

Large image on homepages | backpage.com

Sex Trafficking

Backpage Backed Into Corner Over Adult Ads. Is Government's Goal a Goodbye to Sex Trafficking, or Free Speech?

As Congress puts Backpage on trial, Section 230 is the big fish in this barrel of red herrings.

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 1.13.2017 7:15 AM

Large image on homepages | Abrams

Political Correctness

Outrage Over Children's Book Parody Will Simply Feed Culture War Further

The cure for bad speech is more speech. The cure for bad jokes is … maybe better jokes?

Scott Shackford | 12.6.2016 12:30 PM

Large image on homepages | Neydtstock | Dreamstime.com

Turkey

Publishing Charlie Hebdo Cover Lands Turkish Journalists in Prison

Just yesterday, Turkey's PM had promised to include the "principle of secularism" in new constitution.

Anthony Fisher | 4.28.2016 1:11 PM

Large image on homepages

Science

Stunning Rejection of Scientific Values of Transparency and Skepticism at New England Journal of Medicine

Outside researchers might "even use the data to try to disprove what the original investigators had posited."

Ronald Bailey | 1.22.2016 11:38 AM

Large image on homepages

Culture

Broken Science

What happens when cancer doctors, psychologists, and drug developers can't rely on each other's research?

Ronald Bailey | 1.19.2016 6:00 AM

Large image on homepages

Culture

Google Books' Scanning of Copyrighted Work Indeed Legal, Appeals Court Confirms

Likely outcome: better for scholars, readers, writers, even publishers.

Brian Doherty | 10.16.2015 2:04 PM

Large image on homepages

Politics

Thanks for the Mammaries, Playboy!

Venerable skin mag drops nudity in favor of "expanded coverage of liquor," PG-13 thrills.

Nick Gillespie | 10.13.2015 9:36 AM

Large image on homepages

Culture

Why Is the Authors Guild Supporting Publishers Against Amazon—And More Than It Supports Authors?

Because guilds don't like competition.

Brian Doherty | 7.31.2015 9:37 PM

Large image on homepages | Thomas Hawk/Flickr

Civil Liberties

Judge Grants Backpage.com Temporary Restraining Order Against Illinois Sheriff Tom Dart

"It appears that an oft-used tool for identifying lawbreakers will be lost if Backpage were to fold," writes federal judge.

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 7.25.2015 9:50 AM

Large image on homepages | dubnar/Flickr

Economics

Quartz Blasts Freelance Economy, Blames Evil Corporations, Doesn't Pay Writer

Atlantic Media pub runs unpaid work critiquing unpaid work.

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 6.9.2015 12:15 PM

Large image on homepages | Sen Kirk/Facebook

Policy

Sex-Trafficking Victims Hurt Most by Senator's Crusade Against Classified Ads

Closing sites like Backpage.com puts trafficking victims at even more risk.

Noah Berlatsky | 3.14.2015 10:00 AM

Large image on homepages | zandwacht/Flickr

Culture

Search Engines Trump Traditional Media as Most-Trusted by Millennials

In Google News we trust.

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 1.20.2015 11:25 AM

Large image on homepages

Heaven

No Proof of Heaven After All: Boy Recants Story

"I did not die. I did not go to Heaven," admits Alex Malarkey.

Ronald Bailey | 1.16.2015 12:38 PM

  • About
  • Browse Topics
  • Events
  • Staff
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Shop
  • Amazon
Reason Facebook@reason on XReason InstagramReason TikTokReason YoutubeApple PodcastsReason on FlipboardReason RSS

© 2025 Reason Foundation | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Take Reason's short survey for a chance to win $300
Take Reason's short survey for a chance to win $300
Take Reason's short survey for a chance to win $300