Media

The Amber Heard–Johnny Depp Trial Is Not a Joke

Why are so many people treating it like one?

• Megan Garber
• May 26, 2022

The Fight to Decouple Sex From Marriage

Sixty years ago, Helen Gurley Brown’s best-selling book promised women sexual freedom. Today, it reads like an omen.

• Megan Garber
• May 19, 2022

The Demise of ’90s Feminist-Zine Culture

Grappling with the impending closure of Bitch magazine at a time when women’s rights are under threat

• Samhita Mukhopadhyay
• May 6, 2022

‘We Have to Look for Longer’

The curator Sarah Meister on the distinct and meaningful response that war photography can provoke

• Sophie Gilbert
• March 31, 2022

The Great Fracturing of American Attention

Why resisting distraction is one of the foundational challenges of this moment

• Megan Garber
• March 5, 2022

The Grim Stagecraft of Zelensky’s Selfie Videos

The Ukrainian president’s dispatches from the streets of Kyiv have doubled as proof of life and missives of solidarity.

• Megan Garber
• February 28, 2022

The Oscar-Nominated Film That Offers a Master Class in Journalism

The stars of the documentary Writing With Fire are a group of newspaper reporters working to create a revolution in Indian media.

• Yashica Dutt
• February 14, 2022

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.

• Isle 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