Articles of The Year: 2023
Looking for some interesting articles to read? You’re in the right place. Below are some of my favorite articles of the year. Some of them are behind a paywall. If so, copy the URL and visit the website in your browser’s Incognito/Private/etc. mode. You can also try removepaywall.com to find an ungated version.
“When the New York Times lost its way” by James Bennet
This is the most important article I’ve ever read. In 2020 James Bennet was the editorial-page editor for the New York Times. In June of that year, he published an op-ed by Senator Tom Cotton arguing that the military should be called in to help suppress riots then convulsing dozens of American cities. The op-ed sparked an outcry and Bennet was forced to resign. Now, three and a half years later, Bennet has written a 16,000-word article discussing those events and the New York Times more generally. Since this is by a former employee, the claims should be taken with a grain of salt. It’s also very, very, long. That said, it’s a close examination of the most important print media organization in America by someone who was at the top.
“Twitter, Elon and the Indigo Blob” by Nate Silver
Nate Silver does a wonderful job explaining that much of the American discourse takes place in the “Indigo Blog” - which comprises everyone but MAGA Republicans. The article doesn’t contain any policy prescriptions, it just does a great job explaining typical discourse on the internet.
“Not Milk?” by Natalie Angier
Being an American millennial, I have been told my entire life that milk is a great, and necessary, source of nutrition. Turns out a lot of that thinking is just the result of ad campaigns by the American dairy industry. This article discusses how milk has been inflated to be far more useful than science suggests.
“The Slow and Steady Demise of South Africa” By Bartholomäus Grill und Fritz Schaap
South Africa is my favorite country. I spent four weeks there in 2014 and have been enamored ever since. Unfortunately, the wheels have come off the bus. Crime is rising to Central American level proportions, access to drinkable water is declining, and power outages are now the norm. This article does a great job discussing the myriad issues South Africa is facing.
“Notes on Ghana” by Matt Lakeman
Ghana is one of the most interesting countries in the world. One of the few democracies in Western Africa, it’s a relative place of stability in a rough region. Matt Lakeman provides a long but well-written history of Ghana and what things are like on the ground today. If you want to understand what Ghana is like and its history in under an hour, this is the article for you.
“Not How He Wanted to Be Remembered” by Linda Greenhouse
This article is about Judge Irving Kaufman, one of the most important players in 20th-century jurisprudence. His big claim to fame is he was the judge in the trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were tried, convicted, and executed for espionage shortly after World War II. The article is fascinating and shows how much the role of judges has changed over the decades.
“The Gambler Who Beat Roulette” By Kit Chellel
Roulette is just a game of luck. It’s made up of a wheel with 18 red slots, 18 black slots, and two green slots (in America). A casino employee drops a ball into the wheel and it randomly careens off the wheel until it rests in one of the numbers. There’s no way to game it… right?