The Kicker

On the latest episode of The Kicker, Meg talks to the Dart Center’s Bruce Shapiro about the media’s coverage of Hurricane Harvey. Then we discuss harmful narratives in disaster reporting, the question of when journalists should or shouldn’t intervene, and the latest hiccup on the New York Times editorial page.

On the latest episode of The Kicker, Pete talks to CJR contributor Christiana Mbakwe about need for a white supremacy beat post-Charlottesville. Then we discuss the Village Voice shutting down its print publication, the shakeup at the Los Angeles Times, and the tragic death of freelance journalist (and Columbia J-School grad) Kim Wall.

On the latest episode of The Kicker, we dedicate the entire episode to the media’s response to Charlottesville. Meg talks to CJR Associate Editor Brendan Fitzgerald about how local news covered the events last weekend. Plus, his personal experience working as a reporter in the city. We also discuss the language journalists should be using in their coverage with CJR contributor Shaya Tayefe Mohajer...

On the latest episode of The Kicker, Meg interviews New York Times reporter Nick Casey about his experience following the economic-turned-political crisis in Venezuela. Casey covered the country for 10 months before the government barred him from returning in October. Then, we run through the week’s biggest media stories: the latest Fox News controversy, Israel’s ban of Al-Jazeera, and the narrati...

On the latest episode of The Kicker, Meg has an interview with journalist and novelist Julia Dahl. They discuss her experience working at the New York Post and how tabloids shaped the early years of Donald Trump. Then, we run through the week’s biggest stories: the narrative surrounding new White House chief of staff John Kelly, and buyouts at the New York Times. Plus, a short conversation with Pe...

On the latest episode of The Kicker, Meg has an interview with Leah Finnegan, features editor for The Outline. They discuss what journalists get wrong when reporting on drug addiction and how they can do better. Then, we run through the week’s biggest stories: how a health-care vote went down in cinematic style, a White House communications chief who doesn’t understand the basic rules of talking t...

On the latest episode of The Kicker, we run through some of the week’s biggest stories: what media mergers mean for both journalists and consumers, how to parse all of those anonymously sourced stories, and why Donald Trump keeps sitting down with reporters from The New York Times. Then, Pete Vernon talks with CJR Editor and Publisher Kyle Pope about the press’s coverage of the Trump White House,...

On the latest episode of The Kicker, we run through some of the week’s biggest media stories, including how the White House’s response to Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting with a Russian lawyer demonstrates a press shop in crisis, why net neutrality matters for journalists, and how to make environmental reporting connect with audiences. Then, Pete talks with Jesse Thorn, host of The Turnaround, about the...

On the latest episode of The Kicker, we run through some of the week’s biggest media stories, including Al Jazeera getting caught in an international diplomatic crisis, Fox Sports’s embrace of “pivot to video,” and the legwork that went into capturing Chris Christie’s day at the beach. Then, we move on to CNN’s controversial decision to identify, but not name, the creator of a video that President...

We critique The Washington Post's new product targeting Millennial women, The Lily, and debate what, if anything, makes a good "women's publication." Then, Dave chats with CJR correspondent Trudy Lieberman about media coverage of the secretive Republican push to overhaul the US healthcare system.

This week, we analyze the push for unionization at digital media properties and break down a new effort by NPR to reach younger audiences. Then, Dave talks to CJR Managing Editor Vanessa Gezari about how a Wall Street Journal correspondent cozied up to an Iranian-born arms dealer, exposing the dark underbelly of national security reporting.

We run through some of the week’s biggest media stories, including layoffs across the industry, New York Times stories in search of a public editor, and how a single erroneous tweet can spark a fake news cycle. Then, we move on to Megyn Kelly’s upcoming interview with Infowars’s Alex Jones. How should mainstream journalists report on trolls? Finally, Dave talks with RealClearPolitics’s James Arkin...

On the latest episode of The Kicker, Dave and Pete run through some of the week’s biggest media stories, including tech giants’ domination of the digital ad market, Breitbart’s Trump-era slump, and the lack of attention toward Scott Pelley’s departure from CBS Evening News. Then, we move on to Reality Winner and the first leak prosecution of the Trump administration. Finally, we talk with Brendan...

On the latest episode of The Kicker, we run through some of the week’s biggest media stories, including a look at the future of The Chicago Sun-Times, the troubling trend of press norms being violated in the Trump era, and Twitter ethics for journalists. Then, we move on to the news of the day: The New York Times’s decision to eliminate the public editor position. Finally, CJR’s David Uberti inter...

Dave, Pete, and Christie run through some of the week’s biggest media stories, including a ratings leaderboard shakeup for cable news, a spurious conspiracy that consumed the right-wing media universe, and a new study that says--surprise--journalists drink too much caffeine and alcohol. Then, we move on to the media coverage of the terrorist attack in Manchester, and tackle why we think the indust...

Pete and Dave run through the top media news of the week, from the scoop war in Washington, to the state of press freedom globally, to Roger Ailes's legacy. We then take you inside the counter-narratives offered by pro-Trump media this week. Finally, Dave interviews Glenn Burkins, editor and publisher of Q City Metro, about the fate of the black press in the digital age.

We introduce our new print issue, which is dedicated to exploring the future of local news. Then, Dave interviews Ben Smith, editor in chief of BuzzFeed News. They talk truth and lies on the social web, BuzzFeed's plans for global expansion, and whether there's any hope for local media online. Follow The Kicker on Twitter @KickerCJR and email any suggestions for future topics or guests t...

On the latest episode of The Kicker, we run through some of the week’s biggest media stories, including counterprogramming to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, conservative perspective on the layoffs at ESPN, and continued subscriber additions by The New York Times. Then, we move on to the fallout from Bret Stephens’s first column in the Times. Finally, CJR’s David Uberti talks with Ashley C...

CJR staffers run through some of the week's biggest media stories, including Trump's 100-day milestone, what didn't make it into The New York Times' James Comey profile, and the coverage narratives emanating from France. Then, we discuss whether a new, fictionalized portrayal of El Chapo can speak to larger journalistic truths. And finally, we ponder where a new-look Fox News m...

On The Kicker, we run through the week's three biggest stories, including Bill O’Reilly, White House transparency, and the special election in Georgia’s sixth district. Then, staff writer David Uberti is joined by CJR correspondent Corey Hutchins to discuss the recent layoffs at Berkshire Hathaway-owned papers and what it means for local news. Finally, Dave is joined by Emily Bell, director o...

On The Kicker this week, we discuss White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s job performance to date. Spicer’s gaffe in comparing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Adolf Hitler was only the latest in a string of controversies emerging from behind the lectern in the Brady Briefing Room. Then, we have some fun imagining the life of a journalist in 2027. The impetus for the conversation was a rece...

On The Kicker this week, CJR’s Dave Uberti, Nausicaa Renner, and Pete Vernon discuss the role of platforms like Facebook and Google in the journalism landscape. Nausicaa guides us through a new Tow Center report, “The Platform Press: How Silicon Valley reengineered journalism.” What responsibility do platforms have to promote and provide for good journalism? What should publishers do to adapt to t...

CJR's David Uberti, Pete Vernon, and Christie Chisholm discuss the podcast boom, from Serial to S-Town. What form does journalism take on the medium? And what, if anything, is lost? Then, Ernst-Jan Pfauth, publisher of the Dutch news organization De Correspondent, joins to talk about its attempt to break into the competitive American market. Can the outlet's membership model and unique p...

CJR’s David Uberti, Nausicaa Renner, Pete Vernon, and Carlett Spike discuss The Wall Street Journal's scathing editorial attacking President Trump's credibility. We also cover the divide between newsrooms and editorials, and question whether readers understand the distinction. Then, we turn to homepages, where algorithms are taking over. Finally, we welcome on Jeff Kelly Lowenstein to di...

This week on a special edition of The Kicker, CJR and the BBC World Service have teamed up to produce an audio documentary. Editor and Publisher Kyle Pope narrates an exploration of two issues vital for journalism in America: How should the media respond to an administration that labels it “the enemy of the people,” and, perhaps more importantly, how can the media build trust with a public that se...