On Elections and Gender, Fox Hosts and New York Times Critics Gave Up on Persuasion
Erasing sincere disagreement doesn't make it go away.
Media Criticism
Rupert Murdoch Called Trump's Stolen-Election Fantasy 'Really Crazy Stuff.' Fox News Promoted It Anyway.
Hosts and producers privately called Trump lawyer Sidney Powell's claims "complete bs," "insane," and "unbelievably offensive."
'Patient Zero' Is Not Hate Speech
Reason talks with the transgender historian who used the term to describe a revolutionary gender-affirming treatment for teens.
980 New York Times Contributors Want To Sacrifice Free Inquiry to Ideology
In an open letter, they condemned the paper's coverage of trans issues. But their note is more about what questions journalists are not allowed to ask.
The Perils of Trying To Curtail Hazily Defined 'Disinformation'
A government-supported organization's controversial ratings of online news sources illustrate the challenge of deciding what qualifies as disinformation.
U.S. State Department Funds a Disinformation Index That Warns Advertisers To Avoid Reason
Reason is listed among the "ten riskiest online news outlets" by a government-funded disinfo tracker.
The New York Times Warns That Freedom of Speech 'Threatens Public Health' and 'Democracy Itself'
The paper is unfazed by First Amendment objections to the Biden administration's crusade against "misinformation" on social media.
Getting Trump Was More Important to Some Journalists Than Getting the Story Right
The botched pursuit of the Russiagate story illustrates how the media shed credibility.
Hulu's 1619 Project Docuseries Peddles False History
The first episode paints an enslaver, plantation master, and Royalist autocrat as a leading and even celebrated agent of emancipation.
Twitter Files: Employees Knew the Media's Favorite Russian Bots List Was Fake
"I think we need to just call this out on the bullshit it is."
That Time We Tried To Make Sense of a Statistic in a New York Times Story on Deepfakes
Deepfakes aren't nearly as dangerous as the tried-and-true technique of saying something misleading with the imprimatur of authority.
No, the World Is Not Heading Toward 'Mass Extinction'
Despite an apocalyptic media narrative, the modern era has brought much longer lives and the greatest decline in poverty ever.
Actually, the CCP Is the Worst Co-Parent Imaginable
An op-ed in The New York Times tries to make the case that the Chinese Communist Party is a worthy partner in raising children.
Davos Elites Warn That Disinformation Is an Existential Threat to Their Influence
At the World Economic Forum, Brian Stelter and panelists discuss why everything is Facebook's fault.
No, Recycling Will Not Save the Environment
Despite what you may have heard, many "recyclables" sent to recycling plants are never recycled at all.
Police Killed 1,183 People in 2022. Despite a Viral Claim, That's Not a 'Record High.'
Any unjustified killing by the government demands public attention. But fatal shootings by police used to be much more common.
Lockdowns Had Little Impact on COVID-19
Data show Florida and New York had similar death numbers despite vastly different approaches.
Ignoring the Anti-McCarthy Faction's Avowed Goals, The New York Times Sees Only 'Chaos and Confusion'
The paper attributes the fight over the election of the next House speaker to "anti-establishment fervor" and a lust for "personal power."
60 Minutes Promotes Paul Ehrlich's Failed Doomsaying One More Time
The Population Bomber has never been right, but is never in doubt that the world is coming to its end.
Why Take Responsibility When You Can Blame Somebody Else?
The year’s highlights in buck passing feature petulant politicians, brazen bureaucrats, careless cops, loony lawyers, and junky journalists.
Stop Spazzing Out About 'Spaz'
Social media, streaming, and a new era of digital self-censorship
Don't Let Police, Media Mislead You About Fentanyl Exposure Overdoses
Another officer claims to have been laid out just by being close to the drug. That’s not how it works.
Are We Entering an Era of #MeToo Reckoning?
The movement's net caught a lot of men like writer Junot Diaz—ordinary jerks rather than formidable serial predators.
'I'm Totally Uncancelable': Megyn Kelly Speaks Out on Left-Wing and Right-Wing Media Bias
The journalist has taken a great deal of flack—from both sides.
Did Sam Bankman-Fried's Millions Buy the Media's Loyalty?
The mainstream coverage of SBF and FTX is more than a little blasé.
The Election Betting Markets Fell Short. They're Still the Most Flexible Predictor.
People with money on the line try harder than pundits to be right, and they adjust quickly when they've made a mistake.
U.S. Voters Are 'Vulnerable' to 'Foreign Manipulation,' No Matter How Inept, The New York Times Warns
Journalists who sound the alarm about Russian propaganda are unfazed by the lack of evidence that it has a meaningful impact.
The Lincoln Project Demonstrates How Anti-Trump Fixation Can Lead to Lousy Policy
Reflexive opposition to the 45th president was terrible for Covid policy and basic ethics.
Josh Hammer's Dangerous Misunderstanding of Liberalism
An interview between President Joe Biden and social media star Dylan Mulvaney offer a lesson in mutual forbearance.
Live With The Fifth Column's Kmele Foster
Join the livestream and ask questions by following the social media links below.
Undeterred by Pushback, Cops and Journalists Are Still Warning Parents About THC-Laced Halloween Candy
The unsubstantiated threat that strangers with cannabis candy allegedly pose to trick-or-treaters is an urban legend that never dies.
Biden and Journalists Agree: Republicans Would Deliberately 'Crash' the Economy
But…does that make any sense?
This Election Day, Listen to the Betting Market Instead of Pundit Predictions
Over time, betting has been a better predictor than polls, pundits, statistical models, and everything else.
U.S. Headlines Expressing Anger, Fear, Disgust, and Sadness Increased Hugely Since 2000
Meanwhile more and more Americans say that they are avoiding news coverage.
'Pro-Democracy' Journalism's Problem With the Facts
Influential media critic Margaret Sullivan demonstrates the perils of letting narrative get ahead of verification.
The Press Idolizes Politicians. Instead, It Needs To Hold Them Accountable.
Newspapers deserve a great deal of credit for the expansion of freedom over the past 200 years. But the media have lost credibility.
The Paranoid Style in Gun Control Politics
Bloomberg's "The Trace" fabricates a conspiracy about amicus brief writers who adhere to Supreme Court Rules
We Told You Why and How California's High-Speed Rail Wouldn't Work. You Chose Not To Listen.
The New York Times newsroom illustrates what happens when you listen to the New York Times editorial board.
Should Tucker Carlson Have Protected Ye From Himself?
Plus: Supreme Court won't consider right of fetus to bring lawsuit, Biden's bid to reclassify gig workers, and more...
Undeterred by Past Failures, the Press Goes All in on 'Rainbow Fentanyl' Panic
Even though no one's trying to give your kid rainbow fentanyl this Halloween, it hasn't stopped journalists from repeating the myth.
Here's What the Media Get Wrong About Hurricanes
No, a big storm does not require big government.
Teenage Girl Killed in Police Shootout With Her Dad in California Desert
Media outlets repeated police speculation that she might have been involved, but investigators now say she was likely unarmed.
No, That Isn't 'Rainbow Fentanyl' in Your Kid's Candy Stash
"I'm skeptical that [dealers] would try to target children where there is not an existing market," says Sally Satel.
Ken Burns, Lynn Novick: How Closed Borders Helped Facilitate the Holocaust
A new PBS series underscores the long, deadly shadow cast by xenophobia, antisemitism, and restrictive immigration laws.
What Happens When Reporters Are Barred From the Story
Their articles do not, in fact, get more accurate.
How Closed Borders Helped Facilitate the Holocaust
A new PBS series by Ken Burns argues xenophobia, the Great Depression, incredulity toward the media, and State Department antisemitism combined to keep Jewish refugees out of America.
Hiring Formerly Incarcerated People Is Good, Actually
Some conservative media outlets and politicians lambast the practice. But if you care about public safety, that opposition doesn't make sense.