Ilhan Omar Falls Victim to the Outrage Exhibitionists
In attacking the representative over a small, unintentional slight, Donald Trump and the populist right are displaying bad faith.
It Wasn’t ‘Verbal Blackface.’ AOC Was Code-Switching.
Her critics are misreading the linguistic reality of America’s big cities.
The New Science of How to Argue—Constructively
Disagreement is central to our lives online. ‘Erisologists’ want to study it more systematically.
How to Save the News Media
What if the government offered tax-free status to media start-ups?
A #MeToo Nightmare in the World of Competitive College Speech
Success in forensics is about making yourself vulnerable. Several former competitors accuse a prominent coach of exploiting that vulnerability to sexually harass students.
Creating Conservative Universities Is Not the Answer
Increasing the ideological diversity of higher education as a whole, while decreasing it within individual institutions, would bring us closer to a fundamental and permanent political separation.
John Oliver’s Weak Case for Callout Culture
Why the HBO host is wrong that public shaming encourages public accountability
Trump’s Redundant Executive Order on Campus Speech
The president’s much-anticipated directive doesn’t do much.
Chelsea Clinton in the Hall of Mirrors
Once callout culture takes hold, it never ends.
Weibo’s Free-Speech Failure
How a dissident movement almost broke through China’s internet censorship
Beto O’Rourke Was Right, and Democrats Might Not Forgive Him
As the Democratic Party shifts leftward, can primary voters look past the candidate’s fiscal responsibility?
How Hate Groups’ Secret Sound System Works
White supremacists exploit the weaknesses in the social-media ecosystem as Facebook and Google struggle to keep up.
Probing the ‘White People’ Rant That Roiled Columbia
I spoke with Julian von Abele, who insists his words were taken out of context.
The Covington Catholic Case Could Turn on ‘Actual Malice’
A high-school student’s $250 million defamation suit against The Washington Post is an object lesson in the perils of social media.
Trump’s Extreme NDAs
His nondisclosure agreements are draconian.
The Battle for American Minds
Russia’s 2016 election interference was only the beginning. New tactics and deep fakes are probably coming soon.
In Defense of Harvey Weinstein’s Harvard Lawyer
Ronald S. Sullivan Jr. is upholding a vital civic good.
My Newspaper Died 10 Years Ago. I’m Worried the Worst Is Yet to Come.
I was the editor of the Rocky Mountain News when it folded in 2009. A decade later, I’m concerned that more local journalism will suffer the same fate.
Why Is This Cross-Shaped Memorial Constitutional?
The Supreme Court seems poised to affirm that it can be displayed on public land—but a great deal rides on its rationale.
The Snowflake in Chief
President Trump suggests that comedy sketches making fun of him warrant “retribution” and investigation.
Kamala Harris’s Blackness Isn’t Up for Debate
Her identity and motives are being unfairly challenged on all sides.
Stop Alleging Anti-Semitism Just to Score Political Points
The conversation about Israel has become a toxic partisan firefight, bereft of insight or vision.
Ilhan Omar Just Made It Harder to Have a Nuanced Debate About Israel
The Minnesota congresswoman has given credence to caricatures of critics of Israel.
Can Freedom of the Press Survive David Pecker?
The National Enquirer pushed the limits of journalistic norms—and in the process called into question the legal protections enjoyed by the media.
The Costs and Benefits of Worlds Colliding
Readers weigh in on the ways that social media has changed our freedom to show different aspects of our identities in different domains.
This Is How the Left Destroys Itself
It’s ridiculous to claim that the Covington Catholic schoolboys are a symbol of what ails America.
Social-Media Outrage Is Collapsing Our Worlds
The internet once made it easier to slip from one domain to another. Is there a way to preserve that vital freedom?
The Political Question of the Future: But Are They Real?
What happens when live-streams become the new fireside chat
The Trumpification of Political Discourse
Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib may have delighted the far-left with her coarse words for the president—but she’s also mirroring his style.
Trump’s New Catchphrase Is an Attempt to Delegitimize Dissent
Facing pressure from the incoming Democratic majority in the House, the commander in chief swears he’s the target of “presidential harassment.”
The Media’s Post-Advertising Future Is Also Its Past
Why the news is going back to the 19th century
Reflections on a Year of Outrage
Our culture is losing its ability to focus on the problems that really matter.
How the Press Sustains the Forever War
Too much media coverage of Trump’s decision to withdraw from Syria treats indefinite deployments as the only legitimate option.
The ACLU Takes Aim at Criminal-Defamation Laws
The civil-rights group is backing a test case arguing that New Hampshire’s statute violates the Constitution.
UNC Punts on Silent Sam
The Board of Governors rejected UNC Chapel Hill’s plan to build a $5.3 million building for the Confederate statue, setting the stage for a renewed battle in March.
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It’s Time to Drop the ‘LGBT’ From ‘LGBTQ’
The case for a new term that describes all sexual minorities
Perhaps the Most Effective Way to Fight Racism
The filmmaker Deeyah Khan is the latest anti-racist to enjoy success by engaging, rather than shunning, people with deplorable beliefs.
The Speech That Facebook Plans to Punish
The company may cede control of what it censors outright while restricting the reach of “borderline” content.
Don’t Shut Down the Internet’s Biggest Jihadist Archive
Jihadology.net is a valuable resource for researchers, even if terrorists make use of it too.
Why Wisconsin High Schoolers Aren't Being Punished for Mimicking a Nazi Salute
A prom photo has sparked a fresh round of debate over students’ First Amendment rights.
Can Police Retaliate Against Loudmouths?
The Supreme Court will rule on whether citizens can talk back to law enforcement without fear of consequences.
How Politics in Trump’s America Divides Families
A progressive family in suburban Philadelphia refused to take down a “Black Lives Matter” sign when conservative relatives came to visit.
The App at the Heart of the Movement to End Affirmative Action
“WeChat is a monster. There’s nothing like it on Earth.”
Julian Assange Isn’t Worth It
If the U.S. government can prosecute the WikiLeaks editor for publishing classified material, then every media outlet is at risk.
What Turkey Stands to Gain From the Khashoggi Investigation
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan might not be able to permanently sideline the Saudi crown prince, but he could extract other concessions that bolster his own position.
The Looming Legal Battle Over Jim Acosta's Press Pass
CNN says in a lawsuit that President Trump’s revocation of the correspondent’s White House credentials violated his First and Fifth Amendment rights.
Video Doesn’t Capture Truth
Like text and audio, it can be manipulated and interpreted for political ends.
A Flawed European Ruling on Free Speech
The European Court of Human Rights invoked “religious peace” as a reason to limit criticisms of the Prophet Muhammad.
Twitter Should Kill the Retweet
The feature derails healthy conversation and preys on users’ worst instincts.
The Dilemma of Anti-Semitic Speech Online
Tech companies are struggling to face a culture their platforms helped create, as trolls post racist, vile content in a way that camouflages dangerous people.
In Europe, Speech Is an Alienable Right
A human-rights court upheld an Austrian woman’s conviction for disparaging the Prophet Muhammad.
Iranian Propaganda Targeted Americans With Tom Hanks
It’s yet another attempt by a government to use Facebook to sow discord in the United States.
A Lawsuit Tests the Limits of Anonymous Speech
A journalist wants to know who accused him of rape in a shared spreadsheet. What are the implications of outing or protecting his accusers?
The Idioms of Non-Argument
What happens when reviewers spend more time focusing on the motives of authors than the merits of their claims?
The Trump Campaign Says Exploiting Hacked Emails Is Free Speech
Lawyers for the campaign asserted in court papers a right to disclose “even stolen information.”
Free Speech Will Survive This Moment
Optimists and pessimists offered competing visions for the future of the First Amendment at The Atlantic Festival.
A Civil-Rights Icon Urges Law Grads to Defend Free Speech
Eleanor Holmes Norton used a commencement address at Georgetown to argue that securing positive, lasting change in America requires letting all sides have their say.
A Battle Over Abortion and Free Speech
The Supreme Court is set to hear a case over California’s regulation of “crisis pregnancy centers,” which try to talk their clients out of ending their pregnancies.