Blocked and Reported

The roiling tremors on the left continue, as a young progressive data analyst gets fired for... it's honestly too ridiculous to even type, and the Poetry Foundation shows us what a truly hysterical meltdown looks like. The hosts use their intellect and savvy to try to understand the difference between two 'violent' acts: "kneeling on someone's neck until they die horrifically" and "issuing a state...

Bari Weiss did some tweets about how there is a generational divide at The New York Times that is, in her view, hampering the paper's ability to publish quality commentary and journalism. In response, a sizable cohort of her colleagues LITERALLY devoured her (metaphorically, on Twitter). In their most frustrated episode yet, Katie and Jesse explain why Bari was fundamentally right. That doesn't me...

For this, the first-ever patrons-only Blocked and Reported interview, Jesse interviewed Ben Burgis, a philosopher, prolific writer for Jacobin and other outlets, and the author of Give Them an Argument: Logic for the Left . Among other subjects, the duo discussed self-sabotaging messaging on the left, the flaws in Jordan Peterson's conception of 'post-modernism,' and the class element missing from...

In today's episode, the hosts zero in on an obscure, under-covered newspaper known as "The New York Times." Specifically, they discuss an explosion of employee anger over the paper's decision to publish a column by Sen. Tom Cotton, and what it can (maybe) tell everyone about internal dynamics in some media companies at the moment. Then, they shift gears to a Times article about a nonbinary 7-year-...

There's so much going on that Katie and Jesse are back again, already. In this episode they discuss the protests and riots popping off all over the country in response to George Floyd's horrific death, the media's predictably sloppy handling of some of the complexities of police reform, and the difference between meaningful and performative activism. Should they appoint themselves leaders of the n...

In this week's episode, Katie and Jesse discuss the Amy Cooper/Christian Cooper incident in Central Park. Is this different from other instances of online shaming? Do we lose something when, in trying to understand a complicated problem like police shootings and other abuses, we focus in on individuals rather than institutions and structures? Why are white women so often pilloried these days when...

Before jumping into a truly brutal week for media news involving journalists who are younger and more attractive and successful than they are, Jesse and Katie are interrupted by their newly installed Alison Roman Controversy Alarm, forcing them to briefly update listeners on the latest twist in that eternal tale. Then they turn their attention to a PinkNews article positing a global conspiracy of...

In their first-ever edition of "🥱 or 🔥," a game in which one cohost tries to convince the other that a given internet controversy is interesting, Jesse regales Katie with the tale of a leftist African-American studies professor who decides to kick off his new lecturer gig at Auburn University by insulting one of the university's football traditions over Twitter . Spoiler alert: His opinions are...

Here's Blocked and Reported, Episode 9: Layoffs And Teigen And Roman And Kondo And Feel-Bad Liberalism. Our week-to-week schedule varies a great deal. Sometimes the free weekly episode isn't ready until Sunday night. Sometimes, like this week, it's ready significantly earlier. As an extra perk to you, our trusty patrons, we're going to give you early access to the weekly free episodes when our sch...

In our first-ever Patrons-only episode, we break down an NBC News Article about the latest diversity brouhaha at Google, which leads into a broader discussion about what we expect of diversity programs, whether conservative complaints about the wackier ones have some merit, and the media's coverage of James Damore's memo (which argued, if memory serves, that female employees at Google should be ke...

After Jesse gets things off to a fantastic start with an uplifting story about dog feces, the hosts finally relent and discuss the Joe Biden/Tara Reade situation. Does this case reveal the limits of "believe women"? Of trying to pretend long-ago accusations can be hashed out apolitically? Is anyone acting in good faith here? Then the hosts move on to Candace Owens and her censored-by-Twitter tweet...

During an emergency session of Blocked and Reported, Katie and Jesse discuss the controversy sparked by Alison Roman's decision to go hard at Chrissy Teigen and Marie Kondo. Just how racist is Alison Roman? Just how woman-of-color is Chrissy Teigen? Is the phrase "please to buy" anti-Asian or anti-Eastern-European? These and other highly sensitive questions, answered definitively! Plus: Katie and...

The show gets off to what feels like its 100th consecutive turbulent start, with Katie seeking solace over a super-personal medical issue. Then the hosts discuss Bill de Blasio's tweet about the Jewish community not following social-distancing rules: Just how meshuga was it? After that, they move on to a conversation over a popular narrative about Boomers and coronavirus, and finish things up by a...

After the pod gets off to yet another rough start thanks to a vicious anti-bread tirade Katie levels at Jesse, the cohosts heat up some leftovers from the last episode by disentangling Karens and Beckys (sorry, Karens and Beckys!) and further explaining their views on expertise. Then they discuss "Why Won't Woke Boys Pay For Sex?," the MEL Magazine article that lit Twitter on fire last week: Is Pr...

In a shocking moment that definitely wasn't scripted, Katie almost singlehandedly immolates the podcast by dropping a horrific slur just seconds into the episode. After the cohosts recover their composure, they discuss an outrage story about Canadian military pronouns, Alex Berenson's coronavirus contrarianism, and the fairly nonsensical process people follow to decide what they believe. Jesse the...

Jesse tries to gaslight Katie into believing she's Jewish. After he succeeds, the cohosts move on to the meat of the show: a discussion of three Problematic Men. First they talk about Joe Rogan, who has been found guilty of having offensive opinions. What does the controversy over his endorsement of Bernie Sanders, and his more recent turn toward Trump-curiousness, tell us about how pundits misund...

Jesse has a bad cough. Is it coronavirus, or just Jewishness? Katie, meanwhile, isn't quite sure what plant she turned into tea last week. Will either cohost outlive April? We'll see soon enough. In the meantime, the hosts debate whether coronavirus will kill the online culture wars, then segue accidentally into a discussion of gender identity and the complicated ways in which attempts to reduce m...

Less than a week post-launch, Blocked and Reported faces a profoundly serious threat to its existence: an accusation of Grand Theft Audio from one of the hosts of Blocked Party, an obscure upstart podcast that may have copied Blocked and Reported's name. After reflecting on their transgressions, looking deeply inward, and promising to do better (not really), Katie and Jesse move to on a discussion...

IT'S HERE. In the pilot episode of Blocked and Reported, hosts Katie Herzog and Jesse Singal explain what the podcast is, and Katie reveals a very special Pandemic Announcement. The hosts also discuss the "Why I Am Leaving The Left" subgenre, debate whether insanely irresponsible pandemic behavior has changed their views on internet shaming, and offer some suggestions of wonderful Old Internet rel...