Media
Simon Stålenhag’s Alternate Histories
Amazon’s Tales from the Loop has introduced a new audience to the speculative worlds of the Swedish artist, whose books depict worlds in which humanity has, in one way or another, run afoul of technology.
The Captive Photograph
Images seized from enslaved people are not private property to be owned, but ancestors to be cared for.
The News Is Dead, Long Live the News!
Public interest journalism may not be salvageable. But more than being saved, it needs to be radically rethought.
Polarization or Propaganda?
Two theories paint very different pictures of the sources of our democratic dysfunction. The debate won’t be settled by accusations of political convenience.
Why We Need Public Journalism
Quality news is essential for democracy. We must stage an intervention to save it.
Hydroxychloroquine and the Political Polarization of Science
How a drug became an object lesson in political tribalism.
Whose Liberalism?
With its elite decision-makers and opinion-formers, the Economist has exerted tremendous influence on popular liberal discourse for more than a century.
How Not to Do Activism
The calculus of power isn’t defined by hits or clicks or tweets. It is measured in relationships and meaningful reactions over time.
It’s No Secret Why Republicans Win
The right’s success is not a shadowy conspiracy; it has been achieved out in the open, largely through ordinary politics. Much of it can be countered the same way.
Selling Outrage
Yochai Benkler argues that the mainstream media is our best hope for tempering the radical right.
The Forgotten Baldwin
His book about the Atlanta child murders speaks best to the era of Black Lives Matter.
Get our newsletter
Vital reading on politics, ideas, and culture to your inbox
A political and literary forum, independent and nonprofit since 1975
Registered 501(c)(3) organization
Help Us Stay Paywall-Free
Become a Member