Outside the Beltway

Not only do we not know the whole story of the NSA data mining operation, key details of what thought we knew are wrong.

Should bloggers be treated the same as “journalists” for the purpose of the protections granted by media shield laws?

POLITICO is joining the stampede toward metered paywalls. In a twist, it will remain free in regions where it’s most popular.

The reality of gun violence in the United States is far different from the story the media is telling us.

It would be nice if columnists for major newspapers would consult political science, rather than Hollywood, for their understanding of our system.

The man who changed the way Americans viewed newspapers, just before newspapers themselves began getting pushed aside by technology, has died at the age of 89.

Matt Yglesias has a smart push-back against the lamentations of the decline of journalism.

Senator Rob Portman changes his position on same-sex marriage. Another sign of the times.

Habemus Papam

There’s no money in wri

If nothing else, the Petraeus affair is teaching us a valuable lesson in just how extensive the Surveillance State has become.

Utility crews from Alabama traveled to New Jersey to help get the power back on. They were turned away on account of not being unionized.

Newspaper endorsements are getting a lot of attention in the closing days of the campaign, but do they really matter?

A victory for advocates of Voter ID laws in a Washington, D.C. Federal Court.

There are signs that some Romney supporters have already decided their candidate is going to lose.

Public distrust of the media is at an all-time high. It’s easy to see why.

Seth Mnookin laments a series of embarrassing failures in science writing in recent months but rejoices in the rich dialog that followed.

NYT executive editor Jill Abramson is shocked that her outgoing public editor thinks her paper “virtually bleeds” a “kind of political and cultural progressivism.”

American politics has been reduced to a charade where all people do is yell at each other.

Maybe the real problem this year isn’t that the campaign is unduly nasty, but that it’s incredibly petty.

There are still three months or so go. The race is incredibly tight. And, voters are starting to really dislike both candidates.

Antonin Scalia says “The only question in Bush v. Gore was whether the presidency would be decided by the Florida Supreme Court or the United States Supreme Court.”

Add journalism to the list of professions Americans don’t seem to have much confidence in.

Jonathan Chait makes an astute observation about the media’s role in meme generation.

The people who gave us the “war on Christmas” are now touting an upsurge on black-on-white crime.

Another round of threats from North Korea.

Get ready for a long, painful ordeal at the end of which we’re supposed to pick a President.

Several newspapers are refusing to run this week’s Doonesbury strip.

Newspapers are still finding it hard to live in the Internet Age.

There’s an entire industry that profits from exploiting political controversy and division. Why do we let them get away with it?

A pattern that never ends: Perceived insults lead to mayhem and murder.

Last night, we saw the beginning of the end of the Newt Gingrich campaign whether he realizes it or not.

Some questions for opponents of the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United.

How far should the press go in challenging assertions by politicians?

Ron Paul has a new explanation for those newsletters of his.

The capacity of some people to look the other way in the face of evil is astounding.