Facebook May Be Creating a Less-Informed Electorate
A new study finds the more people rely on their Facebook feed for news, the less politically knowledgeable they are.
Media
What Can North Korean Media Tell Us About the Country's Diplomatic Agenda?
It remains to be seen how the country's media will tackle the historically unprecedented sight of their leader hobnobbing with a sitting U.S. president.
The Goal of the 'Fake News' Canard Isn't Propaganda—It's Epistemic Chaos
What started as a political tactic has evolved into a social virus.
The Decline of Local News Is Bad for Democracy
Tracking the events in state legislatures and city councils requires skilled beat reporters. They're becoming an increasingly rare breed.
Trump's Secret Electoral Weapon: The Bond He Formed With TV Viewers
For many Americans, watching The Apprentice produced a faux feeling of closeness and trust with Donald Trump.
How Ken Layne Created a Publishing Oasis in a Desert Town of 8,000 People
Ken Layne's quarterly magazine, Desert Oracle, tries to give readers a sense of the profound solitude—and weirdness—of the Mojave Desert.
Why We Engage in Tribalism, Nationalism, and Scapegoating
Robert Sapolsky reveals the biological basis for our most unfortunate traits—and insists change is possible.
How Trump Weaponized 'Fake News' for His Own Political Ends
Fake news has become one more way for the president to distort truth—but the worst of what passes for it has little to do with press.
Dispatches: Documenting the Troubling Political Devolution in the Maldives
News and notes from Pacific Standard staff and contributors.
How to Immunize Yourself Against Fake News
A new website lets people play the role of propagandist, giving them a more sophisticated idea of how and why fictitious news is created.
Local Reporting Is Dying. This Training Corps Wants to Bring It Back.
Report for America offers young journalists valuable job training experience—by placing them in talent-starved newsrooms.
The Emotional Roots of Political Polarization
New research argues feelings of disillusionment prompt people to take more extreme positions.
Has LGBT Acceptance Come as Far as We Claim?
Depending on where you're born, things might not have gotten that much better.
Inside the Vote to Unionize the 'Los Angeles Times'
Pacific Standard chats with Carolina A. Miranda, a Los Angeles Times staff writer and member of the LA Times Guild organizing committee.
Inside Myanmar's Dangerous Media Repression Campaign
Journalists trying to cover the regime's brutal crackdown against the Rohingya have found themselves in the government's crosshairs.
No, #MeToo Is Not a Witch Hunt
How the powerful appropriate the rhetoric of historically marginalized peoples.
BBC Editor Quits, Citing Gender Discrimination in Pay
Though editor Carrie Gracie was offered a raise, she felt it did nothing to address the systemic nature of the BBC's pay-gap problem.
Stories We Wish We Had Published in 2017
Our favorite stories from 2017 that were published elsewhere, chosen by the Pacific Standard staff.
The 'Pacific Standard' Pop Culture Picks of 2017
The music, film, television, writing, and digital diversions that got our staff through the year.
Dull Minds Are Gullible to Fake News
Cognitive ability drives our ability to recalibrate our views after reading a correction.
How the New Ownership at 'LA Weekly' Played Itself
Semanal Media bought the beloved paper and gutted it from the inside. For what?
Editor Leaves NPR Following Sexual Harassment Allegations
At least three NPR employees have accused David Sweeney of inappropriate sexual conduct.
The FCC Votes to Eliminate Anti-Monopoly Media Rules
The agency voted to eliminate the eight-voices rule, which barred television stations in one market from mergers unless at least eight independently owned and operated stations would remain post-merger.