When Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, the journalists of the English-language Kyiv Independent set up a live blog with constant updates for Ukrainians and readers around the globe. Their earliest dispatches described skirmishes … Read more
Let’s take a brief look at the problem with political reporting. First, I read a story by the Associated Press explaining why the Democratic brand is “toxic” in many largely white rural areas in the United States. It included … Read more
In the five months since the Taliban seized control of Kabul, the situation in Afghanistan remains precarious. Billions of dollars in international aid, including from the U.S., have been suspended amid Taliban rule, placing the donation-dependent country on the brink … Read more
Stuart Brotman’s book, “The First Amendment Lives On: Conversations Commemorating Hugh M. Hefner’s Legacy of Enduring Free Speech and Free Press Values,” set for publication by the University of Missouri Press in April 2022, contains eight in-depth interviews with pioneers … Read more
Robert Boyle made every effort to repeat his experiment successfully. It meant killing yet another bird. But to convince his colleagues that animals need air to live, Boyle had to show them. “Take no one’s word for it” — … Read more
Joshua Prager, NF ’11, has made a career of sharing secrets. In one case, the former Wall Street Journal writer revealed the identity of the only anonymous Pulitzer Prize winner; in another, he exposed how the New York … Read more
I knew I had arrived as an important member of my family when I was allowed to lift the 50-pound bag of rice at the grocery store and take it into the house once we got home. It meant I … Read more
Something astounding happened in 2020: Major crime — which includes armed assault, robbery, car jackings, rape, and murder — dropped by 5 about percent from 2019. Conventional wisdom has it that crime is likely to increase during periods of upheaval. Read more
The world is broken. But then, it’s always been a little damaged, right? Sure, it’s only in recent history that humans, post the Industrial Revolution, had the power to destroy the earth. But even before, our tenure as the … Read more
In the months between the November 2020 vote and the January 6 Capitol insurrection, BuzzFeed News’ politics desk faced an ethical and practical quandary: To what extent should it cover the conspiracy theories about the election results? When was it … Read more