Culled from CJR’s frequently updated “Must-reads from around the Web,” our staff recommendations for the best pieces of journalism (and other miscellany) on the Internet, here are your can’t-miss must-reads of the past week:
Twenty-four-hour party people — MSNBC tries to figure out what liberals really want
The NYPD Division of Un-American Activities — After 9/11, the NYPD built in effect its own CIA–and its Demographics Unit delved deeper into the lives of citizens than did the NSA
Why Miley Cyrus’ VMA performance was CNN.com’s top story this morning — “There was nothing, and I mean nothing, about that story that related to the important news of the day, the chronicling of significant human events, or the idea that journalism itself can be a force for positive change in the world”
BuzzFeed has a Medium problem — Either be a platform or a publication, because you can’t be both
Want to reduce polarization? — You need to improve political journalism
The killing machines — How to think about drones
The Editors are the staffers of the Columbia Journalism Review.