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Wired’s un-paywalling of stories built on public data is a reminder of its role in the information ecosystem
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We keep an eye out for the most interesting stories about Labby subjects: digital media, startups, the web, journalism, strategy, and more. Here’s some of what we’ve seen lately.
The Verge / Elizabeth Lopatto / Mar 18, 2025
“The break with reality has been a long time coming — QAnon and Pizzagate preceded it — but in the pre-pandemic era, it was largely the fringes of the conservative movement. Now it is the main event…The spectacle works because pseudo-events are more exciting than reality; a normal budgetary meeting is a snooze, and normal diplomatic relations rely on closed doors, occurring out of sight of the average voter. Reality TV doesn’t work on this level — and keeping the viewers hooked is the main source of Trump’s and Musk’s respective power. The question is how long the spell will last.”
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