They Stand Corrected

The shooting of two National Guard members in Washington last week sparked a political battle and a cascade of media failure. Big news agencies ran false claims from President Trump and other government officials without correcting them. But that’s just the beginning. The attack, by an Afghan refugee, shines a light on media failures going back to 2021. Amid the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from...

Each year, the media runs stories about people arguing with loved ones over Thanksgiving dinner. News agencies present themselves as giving you solutions for handling polarization. But these reports are hypocritical because the media itself is polarizing America through an onslaught of lies. In this mini-episode, Josh discusses a way to respond to people who believe lies. It’s a simple tactic that...

The release of some documents related to Jeffrey Epstein in recent days has been, above all else, a media story. Political leaders released certain files involving the sex trafficker, knowing what the media would do: grab a few lines out of context and play them up in hopes of getting audiences to click, watch, listen, and read. In the process, it made a mess and sowed confusion. But the release d...

Two top executives at the world’s biggest news broadcaster, the BBC, have resigned after another fiasco. This one involves the network doctoring Trump’s January 6, 2021 speech before the insurrection. But some news outlets pointing to this as proof of BBC bias have created a different problem of their own. They’re cutting off what Trump said, giving you a false positive impression. “Ev...

When Tuesday’s election results came in, Newsweek invited Josh to assess the victory of New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. In today’s episode, he explains why he called it a terrible, dangerous turn in U.S. politics. Big media like The New York Times celebrated the news, of course. Josh explains that the Times had an “Oops, I Did it Again” moment when a high-ranking journalist let the mask...

The story of a renovation at the White House and the planned creation of a big ballroom is the perfect example of how media failures have left people in the dark. Depending on someone’s media bubble, they’ve either heard that Trump launched a destructive, crazy expensive vanity project that might even be illegal, or that it’s just a long awaited change and the left is freaking fr...

When businesses judge their achievements at the end of each year, they generally look at financial figures. But what about organizations that exist primarily to serve a crucial societal purpose? There, the metrics are usually different. They assess their impact. Not so for news agencies. Instead, big media look at audience figures and awards — which say nothing about providing the truth. Tod...

This week, the world has seen the release of the 20 living, remaining hostages in Gaza, celebrations in Gaza for the return of convicted terrorists, and what’s being called the end of the Israel-Gaza war. “It’s all taking place against a backdrop of profound media failure,” Josh explains in this episode. “We can’t really understand what’s happening without understanding how the media h...

Today marks the second anniversary of the biggest terrorist massacre per capita in modern times. Josh explains how the media has presented the October 7th terrorist attacks in Israel, and the war ever since, with blinders on. By ignoring the big picture, it has convinced billions of people to believe in a false reality. October 7th, 2023, was a story of mass terror, mass rape, and mass killing by...

When does pressure from someone in the government become censorship? That might be the most important question surrounding some of the biggest news stories right now. But the media doesn’t even seem to be asking it, let alone trying to answer it.  Today, Josh explains a new Pentagon policy that is so obviously against press freedoms that even a Fox analyst is calling out. Meanwhile, som...

There are real dangers of lasting, deadly political violence from both ends of America’s polarized society. The media has played a huge role in getting us here. While big mainstream news organizations have been calling out violence on the right, they’ve been ignoring and fueling it on the left.  Today, Josh shows how the media has parsed through controversial words from slain conservative act...

In covering political violence and homicides, the media keeps missing one of its most important responsibilities. Today, Josh explains how an obsession with politics has been poisoning not only the coverage of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk’s killing, but also the killing of a young woman on light rail in North Carolina. It boils down to a key question of whether we’re going to move forwar...

As the media “blows it” in coverage of the war between Israel and terrorists, another story is getting buried: the incomparably huger death toll in Russia’s war on Ukraine. Today, Josh takes you inside that reporting to show how the media can follow basic editorial standards when it wants to. You’ll also hear how journalists remind audiences of the war’s origins and describe Putin. The media...

When horrific school shootings and other mass shootings happen, the media swarms onto the scene. This leads to problems and controversies. One is the propensity to give perpetrators the attention they crave, which fuels further attacks. Today, Josh explains that while the media has made some improvements on this, it has done very little about another issue: the use of photos and videos, particular...

Listeners asked for it: a fact check of some claims by the New York Times’ Ezra Klein. Today, Josh explores how Klein misrepresents data, mischaracterizes large groups of people, and ignores truths that disprove his assertions. You’ll hear how Klein even invoked Nazi-era Germans in an act of “privilege” that maligned the vast majority of Israeli Jews. Also, more on the battle between Ronan Farrow...

A public battle between two former NBC employees serves as a window into the toxic mess of big media. Today, Josh pries that window open for you. When Ronan Farrow’s book “Catch and Kill” came out, it contained explosive allegations against Matt Lauer, former host of Today (known as “The Today Show”). A woman was accusing Lauer of rape. While much of the media treated the book as gospe...

Liars are using the media to overwhelm people’s minds — and not just consciously. To understand how deep this problem runs, we need to learn how the news impacts the unconscious mind. Today, Josh speaks with a woman who has exceptional insight, and has coined the term “Brand Connectome.” You’ll learn how people manipulate our brains, and what we can do about it. Along the way, you’ll hear ab...

The recent uproar over comedian Stephen Colbert left Americans with a false impression. Today, Josh explains what the cancellation of The Late Show and CBS’ payout to settle a Trump lawsuit really say about legacy media, the power of corporations, and the news and commentary Americans receive. Also, how the coverage ended up whitewashing the failures of CBS News. Plus, a huge number of Americans n...

A New York Times column took quotes out of context to construct one of the most incendiary accusations possible. Today, Josh digs into this “journalistic trickery.” He shows how the original context was ignored, creating a false impression. This could happen to you, or anyone. In this case, an Ivy League professor was given a “holy grail” platform to accuse Israeli leaders of wanting to carry out...

Profound media failures and AI are making a global misinformation crisis even worse. But there’s a place working to hold onto proof of what’s real. It has 11 floors, takes up half a million square feet, and includes a huge underground section that keeps out oxygen, so robots do the work. Today, Josh takes you there.  You’ll hear from a team working to document the truth about a crucial...

Americans worry about the national debt. A majority say they’re “very” concerned about it. So it’s no surprise that the media has been talking about what the “One Big Beautiful Act” will do to the debt. But the reports conflict with each other. Today, Josh looks into what’s true, and probes the track records of places that make predictions. He also explains what the media should be making clear ri...

A man seeking the highest office in a government says he would carry out an illegal arrest — something dictators are known for. In this case, the man making that threat is a Democrat.  Today, Josh highlights this big story the mainstream media is ignoring. Zohran Mamdani, who won a New York City mayoral primary, is making the threat even as he goes after Trump for extrajudicial arrests....

When healthcare workers get false information from the news, people’s lives can be in danger. That has happened recently, as big media misreported a step the Trump administration took involving women who need emergency abortions to save their lives. Today, emergency physician Dara Kass joins Josh to explain. Meanwhile, big news agencies have suddenly been paying attention to a source on Iran that...

If there’s any time the media should be especially careful about providing fact-checked information and context, it should be when people are saying they’re scared of World War III. Instead, in the wake of U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, we’ve been getting a rush of talking heads spouting all kinds of claims. Today, Josh explains what the media has failed to make clear about the...

Since the previous episode, Josh has been living through history, and seeing first hand how reality can be so different from how it’s portrayed in the media. Today, he shares his experience of being stuck in Tel Aviv after learning during a 3 a.m. ride that Israel had launched a historic attack on key Iranian nuclear sites. Soon, he and his group were hiding in bomb shelters as The Islamic Republi...