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This is Defector, a new sports blog and media company. We made this place together, we own it together, we run it together. Without access, without favor, without discretion, and without interference.

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Defector

The Defector Crewneck Sweatshirt Is Back In Stock

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Merch v3

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Israel Daramola

Winter Scenes In Tokyo After Government Approved Economic Package

Politics

We Need To Get Off The Internet


<p>Visual Editor. Runs <a href="http://defectorstore.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">defectorstore.com</a>. Philadelphia-based, if you couldn’t tell.</p>


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Dan McQuade

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Ray Ratto

Jason Kelce with his past and future selves in a bit from the first episode of his late night show. This skit was pretty good!

kelce-skit

Jason Kelce, Who Was Already Everywhere, Is Now In Late Night

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Barry Petchesky

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during the inaugural parade inside Capitol One Arena, in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)

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So What Would You Call This?

Dave McKenna

The building of the Washington Post newspaper headquarter is seen on K Street in Washington DC on May 16, 2019.

Washington Post Logo

Journalismism

The Familiarity And Sadness Of Watching The Washington Post Go To Hell


<p>Investigations Editor. You can reach her at diana@defector.com or, if you prefer protonmail, dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. If security is a concern, download the Signal app and send her a text at 929-251-8187.</p>


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Diana Moskovitz

An aerial view of a street in the Eaton fire. The entire street is burned and decimated. It looks like a bomb went off. A sole person walks down the empty steet.

Eaton Fire aerial view

We Need A New Deal To Save Local Journalism

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Patrick Redford

A black-and-white image of some nerds doing computing and codebreaking at an IBM 7090 Data Processing System in the early 1960s.

cryptography

One Weird And Unusual Trick To Deciphering And Decoding A Josina Anderson Report Or News Item

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David Roth

Congestion pricing, or Congestion Relief Zone, car toll sign on the westbound Long Island Expressway approaching Van Dam Street in Queens, New York on Jan. 5, 2025.

Congestion Pricing Sign along the Long Island Expressway in Queens, New York

Democracy Dies As Awful Man No Longer Able To Freely Drive 18 Blocks In Manhattan

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<div class="p-rich_text_section">Tom Scocca is the editor of <a href="http://indignity.net">Indignity</a>, a subscription-supported newsletter of news, essays, and commentary.</div>
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Tom Scocca

First responders wearing Hazmat gear investigate a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded in front of the entrance to the Trump International Hotel & Tower Las Vegas on Jan. 01, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Margin Of Error

How Crazy Was The Las Vegas Cybertruck Bomber?

During an interview with sportscaster Greg Gumbel (right), American disc jockey (from WLUP radio, 'The Loop') Steve Dahl breaks a disco record over his head prior to hosting an anti-disco promotion at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois, July 12, 1979. The event, held between games of a doubleheader between the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers, allowed fans to attend the games for 98 cents along with an unwanted record and, following the detonation of those records, eventually resulted in the White Sox forfeiture of the second game due to unsafe playing conditions when fans stormed the field causing serious damage to the venue and playing surface.

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Greg Gumbel Kept It All In Perspective

Malcolm Gladwell and Carlos Watson speak onstage during OZY Fest 2018 at Rumsey Playfield, Central Park on July 22, 2018 in New York City.

OZY FEST 2018 Presented By OZY.com – Day 2

Podcasts

Feeling Like Ozymandias, With Susie Banikarim

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Giri Nathan

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Year In Review

Presenting The 2024 Shams Charania Award For Excellence In Divulging Of Information Through Syntax Comprehended By Many

Normal Gossip: portraits

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Carlos Watson caught mid-speech in a press conference.

Ozy Media’s Carlos Watson Sentenced In Fraud Trial

Media Meltdowns

Carlos Watson Played The Wrong Game And Lost

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ABC’s Trump Settlement Is A Bad Omen

President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth leaves a meeting with Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) with his wife Jennifer Rauchet as he continues to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill on December 5, 2024 in Washington, DC.