Conor Friedersdorf

Conor Friedersdorf is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where he focuses on politics and national affairs. He lives in Venice, California, and is the founding editor of The Best of Journalism, a newsletter devoted to exceptional nonfiction.

At the Height of the L.A. Riots, NBC News Cut Away for 'The Cosby Show'

At the Height of the L.A. Riots, NBC News Cut Away for 'The Cosby Show'

Crazy as it sounds, they made the right call! More »

Reports of Congressional Drone Oversight Are Greatly Exaggerated

Reports of Congressional Drone Oversight Are Greatly Exaggerated

Thanks in part to misleading statements from Dianne Feinstein, Americans get the false impression that Congress can do its job. More »

Mayor Bloomberg's Parallel Disdain for the NRA and the ACLU

Mayor Bloomberg's Parallel Disdain for the NRA and the ACLU

He casts both organizations as "extremist," and his disdain for them makes sense, given his belief system. More »

The Silliness of a 51-Year-Old Being Cowed by Talk-Radio Hosts

The Silliness of a 51-Year-Old Being Cowed by Talk-Radio Hosts

Frank Luntz wanted to criticize Rush Limbaugh, but he didn't want anyone to know. More »

Mexico Is Ready to End Failed Drug-War Policies—Why Isn't the U.S.?

Mexico Is Ready to End Failed Drug-War Policies—Why Isn't the U.S.?

When the U.S. and Mexico collaborated against the cartels, violence increased and drugs kept flowing. Mexico wants to change course. Why don't we? More »

When He Talks Abortion, President Obama Pretends to Be a Libertarian

When He Talks Abortion, President Obama Pretends to Be a Libertarian

He's always supported "the right to choose." But when he tells women only they should make decisions about their health, he's contradicting himself. More »

12 Uncommon Suggestions for Amending the Constitution

12 Uncommon Suggestions for Amending the Constitution

Atlantic readers offer ideas including a tricameral legislature, a ban on incarcerating nonviolent criminals, and declassifying all information after 20 years. More »

Former State Department Official: Team Bush Knew Many at Gitmo Were Innocent

Former State Department Official: Team Bush Knew Many at Gitmo Were Innocent

Don't reassess W.'s legacy without remembering the grave charges levied against him. More »

George W. Bush Didn't Keep Americans Safe Before or After 9/11

George W. Bush Didn't Keep Americans Safe Before or After 9/11

There were other terrorist attacks perpetrated on American soil, and thousands of Americans killed in the war of choice he incompetently waged. More »

Proving a Conservative Caricature of Boston Bombing Coverage Wrong

Proving a Conservative Caricature of Boston Bombing Coverage Wrong

Every major news organization in America has reported on and acknowledged ties to radical Islamist beliefs. More »

Mayor Bloomberg Is a Surveillance-State Extremist, Not a Pragmatic Centrist

Mayor Bloomberg Is a Surveillance-State Extremist, Not a Pragmatic Centrist

He talks as if 9/11 and the Boston marathon bombing justify cameras everywhere. But they wouldn't have stopped either attack. More »

What Would You Add to the Bill of Rights?

What Would You Add to the Bill of Rights?

An informal survey suggests a desire for greater privacy protections is present among some liberals, conservatives and libertarians. More »

This Yemeni Man Loves America, Hates al-Qaeda, and Says Drone Strikes Make Them Stronger

This Yemeni Man Loves America, Hates al-Qaeda, and Says Drone Strikes Make Them Stronger

Farea al-Muslimi, a 22-year-old, described the time a Hellfire missile hit his home village in testimony before a U.S. Senate committee. More »

Was the Marathon Bombing Terrorism? A Defense of Agnostics

Was the Marathon Bombing Terrorism? A Defense of Agnostics

The perpetrators attempted a mass murder. But did they have a political aim? There's no harm in waiting for definitive proof. More »

After Boston: Don't Get Fooled Again by the 'War on Terror' Hawks

After Boston: Don't Get Fooled Again by the 'War on Terror' Hawks

Yes, of course terrorism is real. But that doesn't mean the hawkish approach to counterterrorism hasn't been discredited. More »

What Happened Overnight in Watertown: 1 Suspect Dead, Another On the Run

What Happened Overnight in Watertown: 1 Suspect Dead, Another On the Run

The manhunt for two fugitives wanted in the Boston marathon bombing takes a deadly turn. More »

Falsely Accused in Boston: 3 Examples and What They Should Teach Us

Falsely Accused in Boston: 3 Examples and What They Should Teach Us

Innocent Muslim Americans and those mistaken for them are particularly vulnerable in the aftermath of a terrorist attack. More »

It's Surprisingly Hard to Report a Shady Abortion Provider Like Kermit Gosnell

It's Surprisingly Hard to Report a Shady Abortion Provider Like Kermit Gosnell

The Pennsylvania Department of Health doesn't make it impossible to report a "horror clinic" on its website, but it isn't easy either. More »

Why the Media Treats Right-Wing and Islamist Terrorism Differently

Why the Media Treats Right-Wing and Islamist Terrorism Differently

Racial and ethnic minorities are often made scapegoats. The press ought to be attuned to that. More »

Remember When Torture Was Only Going to Be Used to Stop Ticking Nukes?

Remember When Torture Was Only Going to Be Used to Stop Ticking Nukes?

That fantastical scenario never materialized, but the stigma around prisoner abuse was weakened. That doesn't bother Max Boot. More »

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