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.

Behold Movement Conservatism's Information Disadvantage: Chuck Hagel Edition

Behold Movement Conservatism's Information Disadvantage: Chuck Hagel Edition

His confirmation was widely anticipated. Yet Jennifer Rubin and other neocons repeatedly published analysis that led their readers astray. More »

There Probably Isn't Any Neutral Way to Report on Homosexuality

There Probably Isn't Any Neutral Way to Report on Homosexuality

Journalists could do better at conveying the best traditionalist arguments against gay marriage. But some people won't be satisfied unless gays are stigmatized as in bygone days. More »

Former White House Press Secretary: Treating Drones Like a Secret Is 'Inherently Crazy'

Former White House Press Secretary: Treating Drones Like a Secret Is 'Inherently Crazy'

Robert Gibbs was told never to talk about drones, but he now says denying what actually exists undermines confidence in government. More »

Safety Isn't Everything: An Addendum on the $46 Billion in Pentagon Cuts

Safety Isn't Everything: An Addendum on the $46 Billion in Pentagon Cuts

Why Congress should stop sequestration, then make smarter cuts that add up to the same dollar figure More »

Why $46 Billion in Pentagon Cuts Shouldn't Make Us Less Safe

Why $46 Billion in Pentagon Cuts Shouldn't Make Us Less Safe

Even if they take effect, America's "defense" budget will dwarf its rivals so overwhelmingly that it's hard to comprehend. More »

Senator Graham: America Has Killed 4,700 People With Drones

Senator Graham: America Has Killed 4,700 People With Drones

The figure is in line with the findings of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Is that where he got it? Or does he know something we don't? More »

The Fluffiest Praise of Ted Cruz You're Likely to Encounter

The Fluffiest Praise of Ted Cruz You're Likely to Encounter

Jim DeMint's paean in Politico is unintentionally revealing. More »

The Conservative Media Need to Self-Police for Their Own Sake

The Conservative Media Need to Self-Police for Their Own Sake

Stigmatizing shoddy work results in less of it. More »

Why Clarence Thomas Uses Simple Words in His Opinions

Why Clarence Thomas Uses Simple Words in His Opinions

The law ought to be accessible to the average person, he argued during an appearance at Harvard. More »

Would You Empower President Obama to Kill With His Mind?

Would You Empower President Obama to Kill With His Mind?

A thought experiment about the War on Terrorism, starring President Double-O-bama More »

The Civil War and World War II: The Worst Guides in the War on Terrorism

The Civil War and World War II: The Worst Guides in the War on Terrorism

President Obama's defenders keep citing sui generis conflicts to justify his actions in radically different circumstances. More »

Like a Swarm of Lethal Bugs: The Most Terrifying Drone Video Yet

Like a Swarm of Lethal Bugs: The Most Terrifying Drone Video Yet

An Air Force simulation says researchers are at work on killer robots so tiny that a group of them could blend into a cityscape. More »

The Epic, Surprisingly Sexist Fight That Brought the Minimum Wage to America

The Epic, Surprisingly Sexist Fight That Brought the Minimum Wage to America

Guaranteeing workers 25 cents an hour took two decades, a public scandalized by prostitution, a states'-rights rebellion, a Great Depression, a Supreme Court battle, and a lot of patriarchy. More »

Is Shaggy's 'It Wasn't Me' the Inspiration for a DOJ Legal Brief on Drones?

Is Shaggy's 'It Wasn't Me' the Inspiration for a DOJ Legal Brief on Drones?

They insist the program is a state secret, even though Obama officials talk about it constantly. I've even caught 'em on camera! More »

This Isn't Hard, Mr. President: Do You Think You Can Kill Us on American Soil or Not?

This Isn't Hard, Mr. President: Do You Think You Can Kill Us on American Soil or Not?

The White House won't say whether it thinks Barack Obama is so empowered. More »

This Stay-at-Home Mom Gave Obama a Tougher Interview Than 60 Minutes

This Stay-at-Home Mom Gave Obama a Tougher Interview Than 60 Minutes

Kira Davis's questioning of the president about transparency and drones during a Google Plus hangout was a demonstration of excellent citizen journalism. More »

A Republic Demands Courage From Its Citizens

A Republic Demands Courage From Its Citizens

The odds that an American will die in a terrorist attack are minuscule. So why are so many willing to sacrifice civil liberties and foreign innocents to keep safe? More »

Progressives Are Internalizing Hawkish 'War on Terror' Claims

Progressives Are Internalizing Hawkish 'War on Terror' Claims

They no longer emphasize blowback, have stopped adequately valuing checks and balances, and assume that perpetual war is the only option. More »

Is Marco Rubio Capable of More Than Bromides?

Is Marco Rubio Capable of More Than Bromides?

His smoothly delivered State of the Union response showed his major weakness as a speaker: the staleness of his rhetoric. More »

Touré: America May Have Committed War Crimes Via Drone—but Keep Up Strikes Anyway

Touré: America May Have Committed War Crimes Via Drone—but Keep Up Strikes Anyway

The MSNBC anchor adds, "I wonder if some in this nation are getting a little soft when they are defending the civil liberties of Al Qaeda members." More »

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