Lean Out with Tara Henley

The world has gone mad. In recent weeks, many people have reached out to say they feel overwhelmed by how divided we are. Many feel like the mainstream media is not doing a good enough job at digging into the complexity of the issues we’re facing, and that it is failing to reflect the full spectrum of views and experiences out there. Today's guest has thought deeply about the challenges facing the media. Mónica Guzmán is a Seattle journalist. She’s also a director at Braver Angles, a grassroo...

2 Mar 202229min

The trucker convoy protest in the capital has dominated the news for the past few weeks, with many Canadian commentators expressing shock and disbelief that the country is experiencing such a forceful wave of populism. But at least one person is not surprised at all. Jeff Rubin is an award-winning Canadian author. He’s the former chief economist at CIBC World Markets, and a former Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. His latest book is called The Expendables: H...

24 Feb 202227min

As we all think through the class tensions that have surfaced in Canada, it’s a good time to take a closer look at an ethos held by many of those shaping the dialogue. This group of decision-makers and opinion-shapers, which includes the media, is often referred to in leftist circles as the professional managerial class. Catherine Liu, professor of film and media studies at the University of California, Irvine, has recently published a fierce and funny polemic on the PMC, titled Virtue Hoarde...

16 Feb 202229min

This week — as our culture finds itself embroiled in numerous debates around speech — Danish lawyer Jacob Mchangama has published a brilliant new book that provides a historical perspective. Jacob is the founder and executive director of Justitia, a human-rights think tank based in Copenhagen. Free Speech: A History From Socrates to Social Media is a deeply-researched, engaging, and humane title that grew out of Clear and Present Danger, Jacob’s podcast project on the global history of free s...

9 Feb 202228min

Today on a special bonus episode of Lean Out, Tara speaks with lawyer, author, and broadcaster Jamil Jivani - who goes public about his recent firing from his radio show, and talks about why he thinks diversity of thought is such an important principle in media.You can find Tara Henley on Twitter at @TaraRHenley, and on Substack at tarahenley.substack.com

3 Feb 202237min

It’s been called a pandemic within a pandemic. On today's episode of Lean Out, we dive into the opioid crisis in North America - and why it's underreported. Journalist Travis Lupick joins Tara to discuss his new book, “Light Up the Night: America’s Overdose Crisis and the Drug Users Fighting for Survival,” which tells the story of two women, both drug activists who’ve made a huge mark. You can find Tara Henley on Twitter at @TaraRHenley, and on Substack at tarahenley.substack.com

3 Feb 202222min

If you’ve noticed during the pandemic that you have brain fog, that you can’t read, or concentrate, you are not alone. Many people are struggling with this loss of focus – and Tara's guest on the podcast today says that’s been years in the making. He argues that our attention did not just collapse – that it was stolen from us – and that this development has major implications for society. New York Times bestselling author Johann Hari is here to talk about his new title, Stolen Focus: Why You ...

26 Jan 202242min

The lab leak theory has been in the news again, following Republicans on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform releasing a letter with more details on a February 1, 2020 call between Anthony Fauci, Francis Collins and expert scientists, discussing the pandemic’s possible origin. It’s a story that Toronto’s Elaine Dewar has been following for some time. The investigative journalist wrote a book on the topic during the city’s endless months of lockdown, following the trail through news re...

21 Jan 202237min