Language Arts

A group of people protested in front of the British Embassy, in Paris, to demand the release of Ernest Moret, on April 18, 2023 in Paris, France. The french publisher was taken into custody when he arrived in London to attended to a book fair. (Photo by Telmo Pinto/NurPhoto via AP)

What the UK’s Arrest of a French Publisher Means for Public Intellectuals the World Over What the UK’s Arrest of a French Publisher Means for Public Intellectuals the World Over

The detention of Ernest Moret raises urgent questions about British authorities’ targeting public intellectuals at the request of other nations.

Apr 24, 2023 / Natasha Hakimi Zapata

An Arkansas girl in migrant camp near Greenfield, Salinas Valley, Calif., 1939

How Reading “The Economist” Helped Me to Stop Worrying About White Supremacy How Reading “The Economist” Helped Me to Stop Worrying About White Supremacy

A recent viral sensation identifies the migration of poor whites as the cause of the problem—letting the rest of us off the hook!

Apr 21, 2023 / Sarah Taber

Signage for Hachette Book Group

When You Buy a Book, You Can Loan It to Anyone. This Judge Says Libraries Can’t. Why Not? When You Buy a Book, You Can Loan It to Anyone. This Judge Says Libraries Can’t. Why Not?

The lawsuit against Controlled Digital Lending is about giving corporations—rather than readers, buyers, borrowers, or authors—control over content.

Apr 20, 2023 / Michelle M. Wu

Live to fight another day: A scene from the Texas Observer’s victory party.

The Brief Death and Miraculous Resurrection of the “Texas Observer” The Brief Death and Miraculous Resurrection of the “Texas Observer”

Progressive media is not a “business.” It’s a labor movement.

Apr 13, 2023 / Gabriel Arana

Molly Ivins

Reports of the Death of the “Texas Observer” Are Greatly Exaggerated Reports of the Death of the “Texas Observer” Are Greatly Exaggerated

With support from readers, a legendary progressive publication lives to fight another day.

Apr 3, 2023 / Jim Hightower

Sir Francis Bacon

Just Because ChatBots Can’t Think Doesn’t Mean They Can’t Lie Just Because ChatBots Can’t Think Doesn’t Mean They Can’t Lie

Or that they haven’t already started to pollute Google searches. And if publishers win their lawsuit against the Internet Archive, verifying facts and quotes will get a lot harder.

Mar 17, 2023 / Maria Bustillos

Victor Navasky in 1962.

Victor Navasky: An Avatar of the American Left, 1932–2023 Victor Navasky: An Avatar of the American Left, 1932–2023

Editor of The Nation, 1978–1995; editorial director and publisher, 1995–2005.

Jan 27, 2023 / Obituary / Kai Bird

Ukrainian protester with face obscured by flag

The Tragedy of Ukraine The Tragedy of Ukraine

What classical Greek tragedy can teach us about conflict.

Jan 20, 2023 / Nicolai N. Petro

Trump on a screen during the January 6 hearings

The Failures of the January 6 Report The Failures of the January 6 Report

Historian Jill Lepore’s effective critique in The New Yorker is marred by a lazy counternarrative.

Jan 13, 2023 / Jeet Heer

Actor Slim Pickens rides the bomb, waving his cowboy hat.

“The New Yorker” Goes All In on Our Precious Bodily Fluids “The New Yorker” Goes All In on Our Precious Bodily Fluids

Or, how I learned to stop worrying and love the virus.

Jan 11, 2023 / Gregg Gonsalves

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