A Very Special News Brief - Hallmark's Anti-Labor Churn: A Follow-Up Conversation
In this follow up News Brief to our Christmas-themed episode on Hallmark, we discuss an angle we glossed over in our episode: the anti-labor business model of Hallmark films and how they portend a tre...
19 Jan 202235min
Ep. 152: Hallmark Christmas Movies and the Cozy, Conservative Nostalgia Machine
A blast from the past teaches a town to embrace tradition and believe in miracles we simply can't explain. A cynical urban professional finds kindness and purpose while traveling through the heartland...
15 Dec 20211h 18min
Episode 151: How Economic Jargon and Cliches Make Cruel, Anti-Poor Policies Sound Sterile and Science-y (Part II)
"Deregulation will make the economy more efficient and stimulate GDP growth," insist think tanks like the Brookings Institution and American Enterprise Institute. "Fiscal hawks," claiming to be worrie...
8 Dec 20211h 3min
Episode 150: How Economic Jargon and Cliches Make Cruel, Anti-Poor Policies Sound Sterile and Science-y (Part I)
"Supply and demand." "It's just Econ 101." "Most economists agree..." "There's always trade offs." Over and over, media and policymakers spew the same tired recitations meant to convey the seeming...
1 Dec 20211h 17min
Episode 149: How Fatness Became a Cheap Joke and Proxy for Moral Deficiency in Pop Culture
A character played by an actor in a fat suit shovels food in his face, unable to restrain himself in a fit of rage. Another falls, too lazy and out-of-shape to get up without the aid of others. And ye...
24 Nov 20211h 17min
Ep 148: The GOP's 'Rightwing Populism' Rebrand (Part II) - Messaging Wars in 'White America'
"The elites are out to get you and your hard-earned pay." "We're spending too much on protecting foreign nations and not enough defending our own borders against immigrant invaders." "China is taking ...
10 Nov 20211h 20min
Episode 147 - The GOP's 'Rightwing Populism' Rebrand: How Billionaire-Backed Charlatans Pick Off Disillusioned Lefties (Part I)
"It's not about right vs left, but the people vs the elites," "Wall Street and the media are leaching off hard working Americans like you and me who play by the rules." "Our elite have sold us out to ...
3 Nov 20211h 11min
News Brief - Reconciliation Bill Negotiations: A Media Autopsy
In this News Brief, we recapped how, in the face of a once in a generation opportunity to relieve poverty and address curb climate change, US media largely gave us personality, Horse Race coverage, an...
1 Nov 202127min
