STORY IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE

#1201 Naomi Barron
Human writing has made possible the rise of philosophy, critical thinking, and civilization. Now, scholar Naomi Barron warns that artificial intelligence threatens to yield to the machine that makes us most human.

#1202 Daniel Golden
There was a time in the United States—not that long ago—when local newspapers played an undisputed positive role in holding people in authority to account. ProPublica editor and reporter Daniel Golden practices his craft in that great tradition.

#1203 Joanna Weiss
Most who write about politics focus on the horse-race of elections or the specifics of policies. But Politico Magazine writer Joanna Weiss says we should view American politics—especially current American politics—through a pop-culture lens where fame and celebrity explain more than the appeal of ideas.

#1204 Tara Isabella Burton
There is a crisis of loneliness in the United States—it began before the pandemic and it has only gotten worse. Author Tara Isabella Burton explores the risks people will take to find belonging, to find purpose, and to find love in her book, “Here in Avalon.”

#1205 Allie Funk
Disinformation isn't new, but Freedom House researcher Allie Funk warns that over the last year, 16 governments have deployed generative artificial intelligence to smear opponents, blur the truth, and shape political debate.