The Present Age Parker Molloy’s award-winning media criticism, culture, and politics newsletter.
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Why ‘Flooding the Zone’ Works for Trump
by Parker Molloy on February 27, 2026As crises and news events pile up, the connection between them becomes the story the American media machine is least equipped to cover.
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The First Version Wins
by Parker Molloy on February 24, 2026A fake Newsom quote went viral today. Every time this happens, the real story disappears.
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CBS Doesn't Need to Be Told Anymore
by Parker Molloy on February 18, 2026A year of capitulation, from paying off the president to killing stories to blocking interviews.
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Computer, Enhance
by Parker Molloy on February 12, 2026People keep running crime footage through AI thinking they’re helping. They’re not.
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The Threshold
by Parker Molloy on February 10, 2026The right used to attack athletes who protested. Now they attack athletes who express feelings at all.
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The NFL Told You Why It Booked Bad Bunny
by Parker Molloy on February 9, 2026The league's own executives explained the strategy, on the record, for years. Conservative media pretended it wasn't happening.
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Jeff Bezos Gutted the Newsroom. He Kept the Megaphone.
by Parker Molloy on February 6, 2026Bezos didn’t abandon the Washington Post. He just decided which part of it he wanted.
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Netflix's Surrender Has Already Begun
by Parker Molloy on February 5, 2026A CEO calling his own company's past a "mistake." A 47-page report designed to be cited, not read. The pressure campaign that broke Facebook is back for Netflix.
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The Wrong Question
by Parker Molloy on January 30, 2026Two federal judges found no evidence Don Lemon committed a crime. The government arrested him anyway.
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“That's AI” (It Isn’t)
by Parker Molloy on January 29, 2026Verified video of Alex Pretti dismissed as fake by people who think they’re fighting misinformation. Meanwhile, AI-generated content spreads as proof.
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This is Literally the Job
by Parker Molloy on January 27, 2026Political journalists need to stop pretending they don't know what Republicans are going to do.
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They Faked Her Tears
by Parker Molloy on January 23, 2026The administration's response to getting caught digitally altering an image of a civil rights attorney: "The memes will continue."
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Now Everyone's Saying 'Oh, Good'
by Parker Molloy on January 21, 2026Trump told the media exactly how they'd cover his Greenland threats. They did it anyway.
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What the Trump Administration Is Buying With CBS's Reputation
by Parker Molloy on January 16, 2026The administration's story about the Renee Good shooting was falling apart. CBS gave them the credibility to put it back together.
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A Conservative Influencer Apologized for Her Anti-Trans Past. Elon Musk is Trying to Take Her Kid.
by Parker Molloy on January 12, 2026Ashley St. Clair wrote an anti-trans children's book, had Elon Musk's baby, and got targeted by his AI. Then she did something almost no one in conservative media ever does.
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For the Government, the Lie is the Playbook
by Parker Molloy on January 8, 2026ICE killed a woman in Minneapolis today. The government is lying about it. The video shows they’re lying. They don’t care. [Warning: graphic content]
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The White House is Now in the Business of Rewriting January 6 History
by Parker Molloy on January 7, 2026On the fifth anniversary of January 6, the Trump administration published an official government webpage that inverts reality.
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Grok Can't Apologize. Grok Isn't Sentient. So Why Do Headlines Keep Saying It Did?
by Parker Molloy on January 2, 2026Elon Musk’s chatbot has been “undressing” women and children in public. Journalists are letting xAI off the hook by pretending the bot is responsible.
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House Republicans Buried the Jack Smith Transcript on New Year’s Eve. I Read It So You Don’t Have To.
by Parker Molloy on January 1, 202612 takeaways from Smith's closed-door testimony
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Watch the 60 Minutes Segment CBS Didn't Want You to See
by Parker Molloy on December 23, 2025A Canadian affiliate accidentally posted the segment Bari Weiss killed. It's just a normal 60 Minutes report, which is exactly the problem.
