Politics & Media
The most intriguing stories are the ones that happen out of public view. By reporting on journalistic trends and unpacking the hidden agendas that animate our politics, I want to demystify the means through which Americans understand ourselves.
Featured Reporting
The Race for Second Place
Harper’s, May 2024
“To understand how presidential campaigns are covered in the digital era, it’s necessary to get one popular misconception out of the way: There is no bus. No shared hotel. In short, no access. Theodore White sitting with John F. Kennedy as he watched returns from the Wisconsin primary; John McCain ensconced in the back of the Straight Talk Express, barking, ‘Ask me another question!’; Barack Obama inviting reporters over for a round of beers on the eve of the Iowa caucuses—that age is over.”
Columbia Journalism Review, December 2025
“Over the past two decades, as American voters have migrated online, each election cycle has followed their drift. The “internet election” of 2008 begot the “Twitter election” of 2016 and the “podcast election” of 2024. Politicians have increasingly relied on social platforms as a way to reach voters directly and become less dependent on the television, radio, and newspaper interviews of traditional media. This new relationship between politicians and their audiences—what you might call a direct-to-consumer model—leaves the Fourth Estate out of the equation. ”
The Direct-to-Consumer Playbook
A New Normal
Columbia Journalism Review, October 2024
“Recent history, Trump’s ongoing court battles, and the lines drawn against the press by members of his former administration in Project 2025 set the stage for a prosecutor to argue that practically all presidential communications qualify as national defense information, since they are covered by executive privilege. Should the courts agree with that interpretation, it would be not just reporters who cover the intelligence community or the Pentagon who would risk prosecution for espionage, but everyone in the White House press corps.”
The Incredible Disappearing Doomsday
Harper’s, April 2023
“Where once the climate corps provided weary summations of daunting research, now they offer assurances that progress has been made and the future may be just fine. But did the science really change? Or was there simply a shift in how a handful of influential journalists interpreted it?”
More Clips
“Brendan Carr’s Deregulation Blitz Is a Disaster for TV News,” CJR , October 2025
“The Fight for Free Speech Goes Corporate,” CJR , July 2025
“The Legal Battle for DOGE Transparency,” CJR , April 2025
“Going Broad,” CJR , December 2024
“Trump Wins, the Press Loses,” CJR , November 2024
“Arizona Dreamin’,” The Baffler, September 2024
“How the Border Went MAGA,” New York Magazine, October 2022
“The Revelations Will be Televised,” The Baffler, September 2022
“The NBA is Blithely Back to Business as Usual,” CJR , March 2021
“We Won’t Know What Will Happen on Nov. 3 Until Nov. 3,” CJR , October 2020
“But His Emails,” n+1, October 2020
“What the Chart Wants,” Real Life, October 2020
“Roberto Lovato’s Journalism of the Soul,” The Nation, December 2020
“Praising Arizona,” CJR , June 2020
Press Rogue column, Harper’s, 2019