We’ve Lost the Plot
Our constant need for entertainment has blurred the line between fiction and reality—on television, in American politics, and in our everyday lives.
Megan Garber
Megan Garber is a staff writer at The Atlantic. She is the recipient of a Mirror Award for her writing about the media, and she previously worked as a reporter for the Nieman Journalism Lab and as a critic for the Columbia Journalism Review. At The Atlantic, she writes about the intersection of politics and culture (which often, but not always, means that she writes about reality TV). She is the author of On Misdirection: Magic, Mayhem, American Politics.
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The satirical site’s announcement that it is acquiring Alex Jones’s Infowars created confusion—and perfectly captured the media world we’re living in.
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In presenting the nation with the catastrophic notion of his return to office, Donald Trump is robbing his opponent of her full moment—and the moment of its full meaning.
Illustration by Paul Spella / The Atlantic. Source: Getty. What Orwell Didn’t Anticipate
George Orwell famously argued that clear language in politics can be a bulwark against oppression. But in the Trump era, his solution no longer holds.
Illustration by Ben Jones. Sources: Hulton Archive / Getty; Win McNamee / Getty; University of Texas at Dallas. Why Are We Humoring Them?
When Donald Trump and Elon Musk can turn death threats into punch lines, the joke is on the rest of us—and that’s the point.
Illustration by Paul Spella / The Atlantic. Source: Getty. Trump’s Offensive Spin on Sex
He of all people should avoid making light of assault allegations.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Emily Elconin / Bloomberg / Getty. Look What She Made Him Do
By endorsing Kamala Harris, Taylor Swift incurred the petty wrath of Donald Trump.
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In her debate with Trump, she didn’t need the mic.
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Eva Marie Uzcategui / Bloomberg / Getty
