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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.

Defector

<p>Jake Romm is a New York City-based writer and the Associate Editor of Protean Magazine.</p>


Jake Romm

Politics

The Paranoid Fantasies Of ‘October 8’

Samer Kalaf

Ms. Rachel attends the Sesame Workshop 2024 Benefit Gala

Ms. Rachel Is Hamas Now

Tom Ley

A person holds a sign calling for the release of Mahmoud Khalil as pro-Palestine demonstrators rally for Gaza in Times Square on March 18, 2025 in New York City. Israeli forces carried out renewed airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, killing over 400 people, according to Gaza officials. The attacks broke a temporary ceasefire with Hamas, heightening fears of a return to full-scale conflict.

Read Mahmoud Khalil’s Letter From An ICE Detention Facility

A protestor with a sign that reads "Release Mahmoud Khalil."

Mahmoud Khalil Is The Target Of A Desperate Agenda

Palestinians walk through the destruction in Gaza.

Interviews

Pankaj Mishra On Gaza, The Memory Of The Holocaust, And The “Very Dark World” To Come

A news chyron that reads: Man arrested for shooting two people in Miami Beach

Life's Rich Pageant

This Is The Logical Endpoint Of Zionism

Jonathan Greenblatt of the ADL speaking at a dinner.

The ADL Was A Farce Long Before It Made Excuses For Elon Musk

<p>Mohammed Mhawish is a Palestinian journalist and writer from Gaza. He is currently a contributing writer for <em>The Nation</em>. Mohammed, a contributor to the book <em>A Land With a People</em>, has reported for Al Jazeera, <em>The Economist</em>, MSNBC, +972 Magazine, and more. Subscribe to his newsletter <a href="https://www.mohammedmhawish.com/">here</a>.</p>


Mohammed R. Mhawish

The rubble of the author's house in Gaza. A child's toy is visible.

Stories

One Year Ago, Israel Buried Me Alive. I’m Still Clawing My Way Out.

<p>Annie Howard is a journalist and historian based in Chicago. She is currently at work on her debut manuscript, <em>The City Made Me Trans</em><i>.</i></p>


Annie Howard

Music

Godspeed You! Black Emperor Works Hard To Hope

Joe Biden holds a copy of The Hundred Years' War On Palestine by Rashid Khalidi.

The Next History Book On Palestine Will Have Joe Biden In It

1940s YOUNG BOY STUDYING IN ROOM WITH ARMY NAVY PENNANTS ON WALL

Journalismism

How To Be Sure You Are Reading Some Dumb Bullshit

Billy Haisley

Fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv stage a pro-Israel demonstration at the Dam Square, lighting up flares and chanting slogans ahead of the UEFA Europa League match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax in Amsterdam, Netherlands on November 07, 2024. Maccabi fans clashed with pro-Palestinian citizens and ripped off Palestinian flags hung on the streets. In the lead-up to the Ajax vs Maccabi Tel Aviv match, several areas of Amsterdam have been designated as security risk zones.

Soccer

The Media Can’t Figure Out Why Some Racist Israeli Soccer Hooligans Were Beaten Up

Patrick Redford

The Truth Is An Inconvenience For Jake Tapper And Dana Bash

A picture taken on September 24, 2024, shows the debris and destruction at the site of an overnight Israeli strike on a neighbourhood in the Lebanese city of Baalbeck

Israel Uses The Same Pretense For New Bloodshed

Patrick Beverley Reveals More Than He Intended About Life In Israel

David Roth

Manhattan sky is seen after the rain storm in New York City.

Podcasts

Some Kind Of Summer Vibes

Attendees calling for a ceasefire in Gaza demonstrate as President Joe Biden deliver the keynote speech during the first day of the Democratic National Convention on August 19, 2024,

Everyone At The DNC Speaks For Palestine, Except For Palestinians

<p>Heather Chen is a former Defector intern and the managing editor at the <em>Columbia Daily Spectator</em>. She loves hockey, photography, and the good ol’ state of Michigan.</p>


Heather Wei-Xi Chen

A surfer in a blue wetsuit carries a light blue surfboard with him as he walks into the ocean. He is holding a Palestinian flag in his right hand and wearing a keffiyeh around his head.

The Great Outdoors

Surfers Show Solidarity At A Paddle-Out For Palestine

Delta Airlines planes sit parked at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Wings Week

Who’s Afraid Of A Palestinian Flag Pin?

A photo of the west side of the South Lawn in front of Columbia University's Butler Library at the Morningside campus. This picture, taken right before sunset, depicts an encampment set up by protestors on a lawn with turf and a big event tent. Students are scattered throughout, and there are multiple banners and signs depicting pro-Palestine statements.

Why Did I Sleep On The Turf?

Ruairí McCann

Still image from the movie The Canticle of the Stones.

Defector At The Movies

‘Canticle Of The Stones’ Grapples With The Difficulty Of Artistic Representation Inside Occupied Palestine


<p>charismatic megafauna (they/them)</p>


Sabrina Imbler

Pro-Palestinian protesters opposing Israel's participation in the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) demonstrate in Malmo, Sweden, on May 11, 2024, with a poster saying : NEJ TILL FOLKMORD, Welcome to the Genocide Song Contest

Arts And Culture

The Myth Of An Apolitical Eurovision

Alex Sujong Laughlin

South African singer and songwriter Tyla arrives for the 2024 Met Gala in a Balmain gown meant to evoke sand in an hourglass. She is being helped by a procession of men in tuxedos who are holding the train of her gown in order for her to walk.

How Do You Compartmentalize The Spectacle?

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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

An NYPD officer in riot gear looms over a student protestor on the ground and appears to be gripping her arm.