Alex French and Maximillian Potter chased the story of a Hollywood pedophile ring only to have Esquire cancel it without explanation. It eventually landed at The Atlantic.

On Princess Diana of Wales.

A profile of the postwar Bronx Bombers.

I can’t ask anything. Once in a while if I’m forced into it I will conduct an interview, but it’s usually pro forma, just to establish my credentials as somebody who’s allowed to hang around for a while. It doesn’t matter to me what people say to me in the interview because I don’t trust it.

Idleness is not just a psychological necessity, req­uisite to the construction of a complete human being; it constitutes as well a kind of political space, a space as necessary to the workings of an actual democracy as, say, a free press.

North Carolina’s Alexander County is a Southern Baptist stronghold. It’s also home to Mitchell Gold, an outspoken gay rights activist and the CEO of one of the region’s largest employers.

For years, Mark Zuckerberg has faced criticism that Facebook is bad for democracy. A cache of leaked audio reveals the story of how much ultimately comes down to his judgment—and the forces freezing him in place.

In southwest Florida, the Myakka River Valley—a place of mystery and myth—is under threat of development.

In Gujarat, India, a special breed of camel is not constrained by land—but cannot escape the many forces of change.

What is it like when a city abandons a neighborhood and the police vanish? Business owners describe a harrowing experience of calling for help and being left all alone.

On the fall of Ross William Ulbricht, the alleged creator of The Silk Road, a hidden black market website where users could buy and sell drugs, guns and, according to the FBI, the services of a hit man.

Mary Kuanen escaped the violence of Sudan only to live through her husband’s murder in suburban Denver. This is her life today.

Robert Marbut is in the business of helping cities criminalize homelessness.

How Cantor Fitzgerald is bringing the principles of day trading to sports betting in Vegas.

How the government cleared the streets in advance of the 1988 Olympics.

Searching for the mysterious tree kangaroo in one of the most remote places on Earth.

After a racial hazing incident, the first black head of South Africa’s University of Free State confronts the myths of the reconciliation era.

The next generation of America’s most controversial (and likely most despised) church.

The author of True Grit on growing up in Arkansas during World War II.

Marketing research,the pre-Facebook history of ‘likeability,’ and why there will never be a ‘dislike’ button.

Two officers discovered rampant corruption and criminal activity at the heart of Chicago’s police department. Then they were punished by their peers. A four-part series.

The story of the meeting that led to the creation of ISIS, as explained by someone still on the inside.

A young paleontologist may have discovered a record of the most significant event in the history of life on Earth.

Applying big data analysis to Internet Adult Film Database, the IMDB of porn.