How Persuasive and Persuadable Are You? A New Website Aims to Find Out.
For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis and more, subscribe to Mother Jones’ newsletters.What better occasion than the Fourth of July, nominally about freedom and independence, to welcome the good news of a truly ambitious publication’s launch in the name of open debate, rigorous critical thinking, and human rights? The arrival of Persuasion is an…
Megha Majumdar Has Written a Thriller for the Least Summery Summer Ever
Mother Jones illustration; Elena Seibert For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis and more, subscribe to Mother Jones’ newsletters.In the opening pages of Megha Majumdar’s new novel, A Burning, Jivan witnesses a terrorist attack at a train station in Kolkata, India. Scrolling through Facebook later, she sees a clip of a woman wailing that nearby…
When It Comes to Policing, Journalism Is Part of the Problem
For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis and more, subscribe to Mother Jones’ newsletters.Last year, in another moment of anger and grief, the former editor of a local newspaper wondered about the role of journalism in covering brutal killings. “Journalists feel the need to bear witness,” John Temple, who ran the Rocky Mountain News at the…
Meet the Propagandists and Conspiracy Theorists Behind the One America News Network
One America News Network correspondent Chanel Rion at the White House.Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis and more, subscribe to Mother Jones’ newsletters.Over the last several weeks, President Trump has repeatedly promoted the conspiracy-mongering One American News Network on his Twitter feed and by regularly calling on its correspondent at…
The Same Advertisers That Bankroll Fox’s Bad Climate Coverage Are There for COVID-19
‘Hannity’ on Fox News.Brian Cahn/Zuma For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis and more, subscribe to Mother Jones’ newsletters.As President Trump has made increasingly outlandish claims about COVID-19—like the efficacy of the drug hydroxychloroquine or the wonders of ingesting disinfectant—Fox News has duly followed up with earnest coverage trying to legitimize his statements or downplaying the dangers of…
The Ambient Escapism of Normal People’s Real Playlists For Imaginary Characters
Screenshot from Spotify For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis and more, subscribe to Mother Jones’ newsletters.After about eight episodes of Normal People I noticed that I had been looking up songs from the episodes more than I did with most shows. Unsurprisingly, I wasn’t alone. On Spotify, at least people 37,000 follow the Normal…