Media

Let’s Make Sure Britney Is Able to Enjoy Her Freedom This Time

“I hope she does whatever she wants to do—even if that is going to the gas station without shoes on.”

• Spencer Kornhaber
• September 24, 2021

How 9/11 Changed What Americans Laugh At

The attacks altered the course of modern comedy, fueling the rise of political satire as a form of mainstream entertainment.

• Sascha Cohen
• September 10, 2021

The Haunting, Ambivalent Olympics Opening Ceremony

The proceedings did anything but distract from the distressing reality surrounding this year’s Tokyo Games.

• Spencer Kornhaber
• July 23, 2021

Tucker Carlson’s Manufactured America

The Fox host has a new daytime show, and he’s using it to poison the meaning of patriotism.

• Megan Garber
• July 12, 2021

The Arms Race for Weather Lovers Has Begun

New streaming services from Fox and the Weather Channel are betting big on the idea that an armchair meteorologist lives inside each of us.

• Shirley Li
• July 10, 2021

The Problem With the Stories We Tell About Eating Disorders

When art about the subject glamorizes it, audiences pay the price.

• Alex McElroy
• July 5, 2021

The Essential Ed Yong Reading List

A staff writer for The Atlantic since 2015, Yong is the recipient of the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting.

• The Editors
• June 11, 2021

Who Wants to Watch Black Pain?

More Black storytellers are turning to the horror genre to unpack the traumas of racism. But some viewers are growing tired of these stories.

• Hannah Giorgis
• April 17, 2021

When Meanness Was Celebrated

For decades, the media have chronicled a Hollywood mega-producer’s reputation as a bully—and even praised him for it.

• Shirley Li
• April 9, 2021

American Cynicism Has Reached a Breaking Point

The nation’s politics is in dire need of earnestness. Can its culture meet the moment?

• Megan Garber
• February 26, 2021

Why Were We So Cruel to Britney Spears?

The more vulnerable she became, the greater the public’s interest was in watching her disintegrate.

• Sophie Gilbert
• February 13, 2021

The Grapevine Looks a Little Different Today

What do Bridgerton, DeuxMoi, and Dickinson have in common? They capture the new appeal of anonymous gossip.

• Shirley Li
• January 22, 2021

Go Ahead, Share Your Vaccine Selfie

Think of it as a public service: Photos can be powerful tools in overcoming skepticism toward inoculation.

• Brit Trogen
• January 14, 2021

Fox News Hits a Dangerous New Low

The most-watched news network in America is choosing to mislead its viewers about the state of the election.

• Megan Garber
• November 6, 2020

Beware False Endings

At a time when uncertainty may be the election’s only immediate result, Americans have an opportunity to rethink the way stories are told.

• Megan Garber
• October 31, 2020

Trump’s Interruptions Had a Double Message

The president’s favorite debate tactic was a foundational form of disrespect—levied against his opponent as well as the nation.

• Megan Garber
• September 30, 2020

Do You Speak Fox?

How Donald Trump’s favorite news source became a language

• Megan Garber
• September 16, 2020

The Unending Influence of ‘Boys Will Be Boys’

The saga of 19-year-old Aaron Coleman’s political candidacy has turned into a too-simple parable about forgiving youthful indiscretion.   

• Megan Garber
• August 25, 2020

Pop Culture Failed to Imagine Kamala Harris

Her candidacy meets a culture that, too often, still doesn’t know what to make of women who seek to lead.

• Megan Garber
• August 12, 2020