What Keeps Facebook Up at Night

We talk about polls a lot on this podcast. State polls, national polls, polls that make you shrug and vote for the other guy. Today, we’re talking about one of the most unusual polls we’ve ever seen: Slate teamed up with The Marshall Project to conduct a survey of incarcerated people across the country. We received 8,000 responses about political awakenings, party affiliations, and the biggest problems facing the country. Guests: Nicole Lewis, a reporter at The Marshall Project, and Lawrence Bartley, director of “News Inside” for The Marshall Project.  Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12 Maalis 202022min

Even though Kareem Shaheen left Syria a few years back, the reminders of his time there are everywhere. For nine years a brutal conflict has left millions seeking refuge with millions more still stuck in limbo. This past December, the Assad regime launched its latest attempt to seize back control of the largest rebel-held territory in Syria, Idlib. Today on the show, Kareem tells us about Idlib, its importance in the war, his experience covering the region, and what the world turning their backs on this conflict tells us about the international order today.Guest: Kareem Shaheen, journalist and columnist covering Syria.Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Maalis 202022min

On Monday morning, the Dow saw its biggest one day drop since 2008. This time, the cause was a combination of a volatile oil market and heightened fears of a pandemic. The usual economic tools may not be enough to reassure markets. Guest: Jordan Weissmann,Slate’s Senior Business and Economics CorrespondentSlate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Maalis 202020min

The Trump 2016 campaign had unprecedented success on Facebook. Ever since, Trump's reelection campaign has been pumping out ads and collecting data on a massive scale. Democrats are only just beginning to catch up. Guest: Andrew Marantz, staff writer at the New Yorker and author of Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American ConversationSlate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9 Maalis 202022min

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence. Sign up now to listen and support our work.For pregnant women in the U.S., there are plenty of reasons to mistrust the medical establishment. Mortality rates are high compared to other western countries, and one-third of women in the U.S. give birth by C-section. It’s no wonder that many women turn to the internet for alternatives.This week, the story of one woman who was drawn into a network of private Facebook groups dedicated to the idea of ‘freebirth,’ or unassisted birth. And what happens when the misinformation shared in these private groups has real-life consequences.Guest: Brandy Zadrozny, reporter for NBC News. You can read her reporting on ‘freebirth’ here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6 Maalis 202019min

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence. Sign up now to listen and support our work.For pregnant women in the U.S., there are plenty of reasons to mistrust the medical establishment. Mortality rates are high compared to other western countries, and one-third of women in the U.S. give birth by C-section. It’s no wonder that many women turn to the internet for alternatives.This week, the story of one woman who was drawn into a network of private Facebook groups dedicated to the idea of ‘freebirth,’ or unassisted birth. And what happens when the misinformation shared in these private groups has real-life consequences.Guest: Brandy Zadrozny, reporter for NBC News. You can read her reporting on ‘freebirth’ here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6 Maalis 202019min

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence. Sign up now to listen and support our work.Super Tuesday gave Joe Biden a blowout, in part because of a surge from black voters. While white voters tended to split their votes more evenly between Biden and Bernie Sanders, black voters overwhelmingly chose the former Vice President. So, what does Biden’s base see in him as a candidate? And what would they expect from him as president? Guest: Errin Haines, editor-at-large for The 19th, a news outlet launching this summer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5 Maalis 202021min

The coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, started in China as a bat virus that eventually made contact with humans. Researchers say this leap between species was highly predictable – so why were communities and governments caught flat-footed? And what does the virus’s transmission from animals to humans say about how we interact with the greater ecosystem?Guest: Peter Daszak, president of EcoHealth Alliance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4 Maalis 202017min