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Since taking the helm as WIRED’s global editorial director last August, I’ve heard from plenty of avid audience members—some with enthusiastic feedback about WIRED stories or coverage areas, and others with a consistent message that goes something like this: “I come to WIRED to read about tech, not [insert topic]. Stick to tech.”
In January 2024, we made a commitment to do just that—by launching a politics vertical.
Let me explain. On a global scale, 2024 is poised to be the most purely digital, technologically mediated, psychologically manipulative election season any of us have ever seen. We’ve already witnessed how rapidly advancing gen-AI tools can create propaganda and disinformation that proliferate online, causing confusion among politicians and the electorate alike. Hacks and intrusions are inevitable: Ever since the DNC was hacked in 2016 by Guccifer 2.0, turning “Hillary’s emails” into a Trump punch line, it’s been clear that digital Watergates are now not only possible but likely. And then there’s the rise of influencers, an industry of widely followed online personalities who can and will be bought by companies and campaigns to deliver carefully crafted messages on platforms like YouTube and TikTok.
Most election coverage focuses on the horse race. WIRED’s will be completely different. Across the US election and many more—including key votes in India, Ukraine, and Mexico—we’re going to examine both the campaigns and the election stakes through a digital lens, focusing on disinformation, online extremism, conspiracies, social platforms, election influencers and grifters, the influence of AI, and more. We’ll also dig into policy issues core to the 2024 US election through a tech-centric lens, from AI policy to climate change to abortion access.
WIRED is relentlessly focused on the future, and on building a better one. The 2024 election season will be instrumental in shaping our collective path forward—and so we’re deepening our commitment to guide you through it. I’m thrilled to introduce WIRED Politics Lab, a weekly newsletter and forthcoming podcast.
Each week, we’ll walk you through the biggest tech moments in politics and round up stories from the core WIRED politics team. You’ll read scoops and distinctive deep dives from Makena Kelly, on digital campaigns and influencers; David Gilbert, on online extremism and conspiracies; Vittoria Elliot, on platforms and global elections; and William Turton, on right-wing platforms and cybersecurity. Their coverage will be augmented by topical reporting from across the entire WIRED newsroom.
You can sign up for the Politics Lab newsletter right now. In addition to featuring WIRED’s stellar politics reporting, it’s also a great place to keep tabs on our upcoming podcast launch. However nervous you are about this year, know that WIRED is here to help you make sense of it—and that we’re all in this future together. Now: Go register to vote.