Ben Rowen
Ben Rowen is the national editor at Pacific Standard, where he oversees the magazine's enterprise and national reporting efforts. He was previously an associate editor and directed the research and fact-checking department. Before joining Pacific Standard, he was an editorial fellow at The Atlantic, where he fact-checked and wrote for the magazine.
The Fault in Our Star Names
The International Astronomical Union has established a committee to finalize a list of official star names. Some companies offer unofficial naming rights for purchase. But the voices of certain communities are often left behind.
Does Naming the Shooter in the Media Lead to More Mass Violence?
Research shows media reporting on mass shootings might incentivize further mass shootings. But it's unclear whether removing the shooter's name from coverage will change that.
Is There a Good Way to Fact-Check Public Figures in Real Time?
A recent goof by the Associated Press indicates that real-time fact-checking still doesn't exactly know what it's doing.
Should Animals Win Acting Oscars? A Pacific Standard Investigation.
It's a question of whether animals featured in movies are acting in the first place.
Our 20 Most-Read Stories of 2018
Pacific Standard's most widely circulated articles of the past year.
Anatomy of a Fact: When Facts Impose Bias
Anatomy of a Fact is a recurring series exposing how the Pacific Standard research and fact-checking process works.
Here Are All the Measures Addressing California's Housing Crisis
Though these ballot initiatives address the state's homelessness problem, many homeless people won't be able to vote on them.
PS Picks: The Hipster Coffee Shop
PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.
PS Picks: Baseball Reckons With Racism on Social Media
PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.
PS Picks: Sacha Baron Cohen's 'Who Is America?'
PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.
Anatomy of a Fact: When Facts Have Expiration Dates
Anatomy of a Fact is a recurring series exposing how the Pacific Standard research and fact-checking process works.
Anatomy of a Fact: When Is the 'Bismarck Tribune' a Better Source Than the 'New York Times'?
Anatomy of a Fact is a recurring series exposing how the Pacific Standard research and fact-checking process works.
Anatomy of a Fact: A Note on Uncertainty
Deciphering what counts as true in our post-truth era.
PS Picks: Resistancehole and Political Satire of—and From—the Left
PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.
PS Picks: Skewering the Sitcom Reboot With 'Saturday Night Live'
PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.
PS Picks: The Reporting on Cambridge Analytica and How Facebook Doesn't Protect Your Privacy
PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.
The Jedi Faithful
The Jedi religion—inspired by the Star Wars franchise—has already earned tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service. But can it prove its spiritual legitimacy to a skeptical public?
PS Picks: 'New York' Magazine's Story of the Worst Roommate Ever
PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.