The Present Age Newsletter

The Present Age is a newsletter created by me, Parker Molloy, focusing on communication in our highly interconnected world. The name is inspired by an 1846 pamphlet written by philosopher Søren Kierkegaard called The Present Age: On the Death of Rebellion.

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The Chicago Sun-Times Published an AI-Generated Summer Reading List Full of Fake Books - And This is Just the Beginning

2 weeks ago | readtpa.com | Parker Molloy

The Chicago Sun-Times just published a summer reading list with one major problem: most of the books don't exist. Titles like Tidewater Dreams by Isabel Allende and The Last Algorithm by Andy Weir sound plausible enough, but they're completely fictional—fabricated by AI and published without anyone catching the error. Of the fifteen books recommended in the list, a full ten of them are entirely made up.
Book Review: 'The Sirens' Call: How Attention Became the World's Most Endangered Resource' by Chris Hayes

2 months ago | readtpa.com | Parker Molloy

Chris Hayes' new book The Sirens' Call: How Attention Became the World's Most Endangered Resource offers an engaging analysis of a current challenge: we're drowning in an ocean of content designed to capture fragments of our consciousness, and we barely notice the tide pulling us under. The MSNBC host isn't just another media figure clutching pearls about screen time or social media addiction.
Jeff Bezos Just Announced The Washington Post Will Now Be His Personal Megaphone

Feb 26, 2025 | readtpa.com | Parker Molloy

In a stunning announcement today, Jeff Bezos declared that The Washington Post's opinion section will now exclusively focus on "personal liberties and free markets." I've been a longtime critic of the Post under Bezos.
Stop Analyzing Trump's Unhinged Ideas Like They're Normal Policy Proposals

Feb 21, 2025 | readtpa.com | Parker Molloy

Parker Molloy’s award-winning media criticism, culture, and politics newsletter. · Over 89,000 subscribersBy subscribing, I agree to Substack’s Terms of Use and acknowledge its Information Collection Notice and Privacy Policy“This newsletter is a mixture of intelligent analysis and passionate observation.
Trump Banned AP from the Oval Office Over the "Gulf of Mexico." That's a Bigger Deal Than You Think.

Feb 12, 2025 | readtpa.com | Parker Molloy

Yesterday, the Associated Press found itself locked out of an Oval Office press event for refusing to bow to presidential pressure to change its style guide. The reason? The AP won't refer to the Gulf of Mexico exclusively as the "Gulf of America," as newly-renamed by executive order. This may seem like a relatively minor dispute on the surface. After all, what's in a name?
Elon Musk Is Staging a Coup

Feb 4, 2025 | readtpa.com | Parker Molloy

Parker Molloy’s award-winning media criticism, culture, and politics newsletter. · Over 86,000 subscribersBy subscribing, I agree to Substack’s Terms of Use and acknowledge its Information Collection Notice and Privacy Policy“This newsletter is a mixture of intelligent analysis and passionate observation.
Fine, Let's Talk About Trans Athletes

Nov 8, 2024 | readtpa.com | Parker Molloy

Today, I’m republishing a piece I originally wrote back in March 2022, titled “Fine, Let’s Talk About Trans Athletes.” I wanted to bring it back because, well, here we are again. Following the recent election, the topic of trans athletes’ participation in sports—especially in women’s sports—has once again taken center stage. We’ve seen it become a go-to talking point for certain politicians who seem more interested in stoking division than actually addressing real issues.
It's Time for a Media Reckoning-No Matter Who Wins Tomorrow

Nov 4, 2024 | readtpa.com | Parker Molloy

Tomorrow, Americans will head to the polls in what feels like the most consequential election of our lifetimes. Again. Whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris emerges as the victor, there's an issue that transcends outcome: a reckoning that's long overdue in mainstream media. For years, major news outlets have twisted themselves into knots trying to appease critics on the right. In the process, they've alienated not just the left but anyone who cares about honest, fearless journalism.
Playing It Safe Is Risking Democracy: Media’s Silent Endorsement of Authoritarianism

Oct 25, 2024 | readtpa.com | not Harris |Parker Molloy

I woke up this morning thinking about authoritarianism. In his 2017 book On Tyranny, historian Timothy Snyder introduced the concept of "anticipatory obedience," warning that "most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given." He argued that in uncertain times, individuals and institutions might preemptively adjust their actions to align with what they believe a more repressive regime would want—often without being asked.
The Media's Trans Problem: Everyone's Talking About Us, No One's Talking To Us

Oct 23, 2024 | readtpa.com | Parker Molloy

In the closing weeks of the 2024 campaign, I've watched with a mix of sadness and frustration as my existence has become a political football. The Washington Post reported yesterday that Republicans are "leaning into" anti-transgender messaging, spending millions on ads portraying trans rights as a radical threat to America. But you know what's missing from these discussions? Us. Trans people. The actual humans whose lives are being debated. The Present Age is a reader-supported publication.