The Conversation

Journalists believe news and opinion are separate, but readers can't tell the difference

Written by Kevin M. Lerner, Assistant Professor of Journalism, Marist College

Readers don't always know how to distinguish fact from opinion.Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The New York Times opinion editor James Bennet resigned recently after the paper published a controversial opinion essay by U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton that advocated using the military to put down protests.

The essay sparked outrage among the public as well as among...

What some foundations are doing differently because of the coronavirus pandemic: 4 questions answered

Written by Daniel Hemel, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Chicago

Some are financing a boost in grantmaking by selling bonds. porcorex via Getty Images

Five prominent private foundations announced on June 11, 2020 that they would increase their grant making by more than US$1.7 billion over the next three years “to help stabilize and sustain a nonprofit sector facing devastating economic effects due to the...

AI could help solve the privacy problems it has created

Written by Zhiyuan Chen, Associate Professor of Information Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Artificial systems use reams of data to get a better profiles of individuals.

The stunning successes of artificial intelligence would not have happened without the availability of massive amounts of data, whether its smart speakers in the home or personalized book recommendations. And the spread of AI into new areas of the economy, such as...

What is the slowest thing on Earth?

Written by Katie McCormick, Postdoctoral Scholar of Physics, University of Washington

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

What is the slowest thing on Earth? – Jiwon, Brookline, Massachusetts

In the words of the infamous villain, Dr. Evil: “Lasers.”

Lasers focus a narrow, directed beam of light...

Devil in the detail of SCOTUS ruling on workplace bias puts LGBTQ rights and religious freedom on collision course

Written by Kelsy Burke, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

An LGBTQ rights supporter sets up outside the Supreme CourtChip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The Supreme Court’s landmark ruling extending workplace discrimination protection to cover sexual orientation and gender identity was cheered by LGBTQ people and allies. Indeed, the June 15 decision represents a big win in the fight for LGBTQ equality.

But...

What the Supreme Court's DACA ruling means for undocumented students and the colleges and universities they attend

Written by Sayil Camacho, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Peabody College of Education and Human Development, Vanderbilt University

Many people with DACA status are in school.Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Editor’s note: The Supreme Court voted, 5-4, on June 18, 2020 that the Trump administration can’t immediately end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA. Sayil Camacho, a Vanderbilt University postdoctoral fellow who studies...

Latest legal hurdle to removing Confederate statues in Virginia: The wishes of their long-dead white donors

Written by Allison Anna Tait, Professor of Law, University of Richmond

Richmond's towering 1890 Robert E. Lee statue is transformed by protests following the killing of George Floyd.John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images

A controversial statue of Robert E. Lee will remain in place in Richmond, the former capital of the American Confederacy –- at least temporarily.

On June 18, a judge extended an...

From grandfather to grandson, the lessons of the Tulsa race massacre

Written by Gregory B. Fairchild, Associate Professor of Business Administration, University of Virginia

Smoke rises from damaged properties after the Tulsa Race Massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma June 1921. Oklahoma Historical Society via Getty Images

My family sat down to watch the first episode of HBO’s “Watchmen” last October. Stephen Williams, the director, included quick cuts of gunshots, explosions, citizens fleeing roaming mobs, and...

The right way to breathe during the coronavirus pandemic

Written by Louis J. Ignarro, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Molecular & Medical Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles

Breathing in through the nose is an integral part of meditation and delivers virus-fighting gases to the lungs.triloks / Getty Images

Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. It’s not just something you do in yoga class – breathing this way actually provides a powerful medical benefit that can help the body fight viral...

A field guide to Trump's dangerous rhetoric

Written by Jennifer Mercieca, Associate Professor of Communication, Texas A&M University

President-elect Trump at a post-election rally in Mobile, Alabama, Dec. 17, 2016. Mark Wallheiser/Getty

All leaders are demagogues. You may not realize this, because we’ve come to associate the word “demagogue” with only dangerous populist leaders. But in Greek, the word just means “leader of the people” (dēmos...