Influence and the Rise of Digital Celebrity Influence and the Rise of Digital Celebrity
A history of social media from the perspective of the poster, Taylor Lorenz’s Extremely Online examines the roots and rise of our sponsorship-saturated ecosystem.
Nov 11, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Tarpley Hitt
The Misunderstood History of American Wrestling The Misunderstood History of American Wrestling
A recent biography of WWE executive Vince McMahon presents him as an entertainment tycoon who changed culture and politics. The real story of his rise is as banal as it is brutal....
Nov 10, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Nadine Smith
The Long, Wild, Bloody History of the Hollywood Strike The Long, Wild, Bloody History of the Hollywood Strike
Today’s strikes are part of a nearly century-long tradition within the entertainment industry.
Nov 8, 2023 / Chris Randle
The Fight Over MSNBC’s Cave-in to Islamophobia The Fight Over MSNBC’s Cave-in to Islamophobia
Amid war fever and bigoted violence, we have to combat media cowardice.
Oct 16, 2023 / Jeet Heer
Rupert Murdoch’s Final Con Game Rupert Murdoch’s Final Con Game
Announcing his exit, the right-wing baron mixes public populism and private elitism.
Sep 25, 2023 / Jeet Heer
German Like Me German Like Me
Culture / September 20, 2023 German Like Me How an Afro-German TV series about the GDR’s first Black police officer became an international hit. Linda Mannheim Share Copy Link…
Sep 20, 2023 / Linda Mannheim
Los Angeles Is Now the Country’s Leading Union Town Los Angeles Is Now the Country’s Leading Union Town
The West Coast capital, once famous for hostility to organized labor, emerges as the epicenter of national strike action.
Sep 1, 2023 / C.M. Lewis
Sinéad O’Connor (1966–2023): Premature Anti-Fascist Sinéad O’Connor (1966–2023): Premature Anti-Fascist
For years, O’Connor had been raising an alarm about pedophile priests exploiting children with impunity while an enabling Vatican hierarchy looked the other way.
Aug 1, 2023 / Obituary / Margaret Spillane
SAG-AFTRA Can Agree on One Thing: It’s Time to Crush the Big Studios SAG-AFTRA Can Agree on One Thing: It’s Time to Crush the Big Studios
How do you bring a woefully divided union together? You go on strike.
Jul 26, 2023 / Piper French
The Psychic Theater of Boots Riley The Psychic Theater of Boots Riley
Absurdist, darkly funny, I’m a Virgo tells a story of first love, capitalism’s surreal excesses, the contradictions of Black life, and how much politics a work of art can bear.
Jul 25, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte