Megan Garber

Megan Garber is a staff writer at The Atlantic. She is the recipient of a Mirror Award for her writing about the media, and she previously worked as a reporter for the Nieman Journalism Lab and as a critic for the Columbia Journalism Review. At The Atlantic, she writes about the intersection of politics and culture (which often, but not always, means that she writes about reality TV). She is the author of Screen People: How We Entertained Ourselves Into a State of Emergency and On Misdirection: Magic, Mayhem, American Politics.

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We’ve Lost the Plot

Our constant need for entertainment has blurred the line between fiction and reality—on television, in American politics, and in our everyday lives.

Illustration: small abstract human figure stands in between rows of huge glowing smartphone screens
Shira Inbar

Latest

  1. Homme Fatale

    Twenty-five years ago, Zoolander gave us a power poser for the ages—and an enduring argument about the limits of gender.

    Collage of Derek Zoolander, played by Ben Stiller, in various poses on a red and pink background
    Illustration by Alisa Gao / The Atlantic. Sources: CBS / Getty; Paramount Pictures / Getty.
  2. The 40-Year-Old Man-Child

    Ferris Bueller’s Day Off has avoided a midlife crisis for good reason: It’s a timeless portrait of popularity and truthiness.

    Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller, against a starry background
    Illustration by Alicia Tatone. Sources: Paramount Distribution / Courtesy Everett Collection; Getty.