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Coverage of the latest deadly shooting by federal immigration agents has left out crucial context. Today, Josh tells you what most legacy media have ignored. 

He digs into the track record of the official who led Trump’s crackdown in Minneapolis. A federal judge slammed Greg Bovino for “outright lying.” Josh also explains how the media left out the dangers these agents face, which can affect a split-second decision to shoot. 

Then, another big story involving immigration. 60 Minutes broadcast the controversial report about a hellish prison in El Salvador. It’s the segment that many “journalists” insisted would never air. Now that it did, what are they saying? 

Unlike the media, Josh shows you what was changed in the report before it aired — and what wasn’t.

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Stories of independent, self-declared “journalists” have been all over the news lately. The Trump administration went wild over Nick Shirley, who made a video involving Somali immigrants in Minnesota, daycares, and allegations of fraud. Big Media responded with hypocritical attacks, performative stunts, and accusations of Islamophobia.

Then, Don Lemon — a former mainstream media figure-turned independent “journalist” — joined protesters who barged into a church during a service, causing mayhem. He got basics wrong about the Constitution, the First Amendment, the Civil Right Movement, and more. And it’s quite possible that he violated the law.

Today, Josh talks you through these incidents. He explains why they were not acts of journalism, and what the responsibilities of a true “citizen journalist” are. He discusses brave Iranians attempting to do citizen journalism now, amid the government’s latest brutal, deadly crackdown on protesters. And he shows how the media is contradicting itself.

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To get your attention, the media likes to make you angry. So big news agencies churn out hot takes that inspire fury — facts be damned. 

That’s clear in coverage of the shooting of a woman in Minneapolis by an ICE agent. Today, Josh points out how a news network did exactly the wrong thing in the wake of the shooting. Also, how all the major media are ignoring a basic fact about groups organizing protests: Several of them actually support state violence of a different kind.

Anger also led to disastrous coverage of a battle at CBS’ 60 Minutes. A news executive held a story for further reporting, and people throughout the Big Media landscape lost their minds. Josh explains.

Meanwhile, the media has been largely ignoring something that people should be angry about: Iran’s deadly crackdown on protesters. Brave Iranians have launched another uprising against the state’s brutal Islamist regime. Josh explains how the media has fallen since he covered a previous uprising in the country.

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The U.S. military operation in Venezuela and capture of strongman Nicolas Maduro raise crucial questions about the extent of American power and what’s allowed under so-called “international law.” The media should respond by giving you the facts. What does the Constitution say? What do international treaties say? How have governments made decisions about military actions, and who gets to weigh in? 

Instead of providing answers, the media has produced an avalanche of conflicting claims, opinions, and lies. Today, Josh pieces through the rubble to uncover the truth. He talks you through military actions by the Obama and Biden administrations; the reason Maduro may not be protected by a ban on capturing foreign leaders; the doctrine ensuring that he can stand trial in the U.S., and more.

Also, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s “briefing” that wasn’t; how a democratic Venezuela could help fight Islamist terrorism; and an unintentionally hilarious BBC segment summarizes the media’s failure.

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https://media.blubrry.com/3715769/content.blubrry.com/3715769/TSC_ep_88d.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:28 — 37.5MB) | EmbedSubscribe: RSS | MoreWelcome to the second annual Media Fail Awards! It’s your chance to vote on the biggest news blunders of the year. Hear the “nominees” for the most disastrous reporting that helped spread big lies on both ends of the political […]

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The media is complicit in the Hanukkah massacre. That’s not an accusation or opinion; it’s a demonstrable fact. Today, Josh provides proof. 

In the wake of the Islamist terrorist attack in Sydney, Josh takes you inside Australia’s media landscape, which mirrors that of the United States and western Europe. You’ll hear the daughter of an elderly victim bravely call out the mainstream media in the middle of a live interview. 

Then, Josh digs into the big problem with the media’s fixation on one hero. He explains how the media uses stories like that to hide a much bigger reality. He tells you about Jewish heroes who were killed in the attack. And he shares sound from a brave Muslim soldier fighting Islamist terrorism and antisemitism. 

Anti-Zionism is a hate movement radicalizing the world. Josh explains that Hanukkah is all about defeating anti-Zionism. Yet the media uses the holiday to platform anti-Zionist Jews, giving audiences the false idea that they’re large in number.

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Recently, a planned terrorist attack against LGBTQ clubs was apparently thwarted. Authorities say young men from the Dearborn, Michigan area had practiced and stockpiled weapons for the attack, inspired by the Islamic State. The story was quickly buried, but it speaks to a strange shift in American politics and culture.

In recent years, LGBTQ+ groups have become mouthpieces for lies put out by Islamist groups like Hamas. They do this while claiming “solidarity.” But at the same time, U.S. Muslims are pulling further away from stances crucial to LGBTQ+ organizations. The latest survey shows support for same-sex marriage has plummeted among Muslim Americans, while growing among just about everyone else.

Today, Josh explains how the media is fueling this shift, and how LGBTQ+ groups are risking the end of same-sex marriage. He takes you to a city in which the nation’s first all Muslim city council banned Pride flags. (These aren’t “strange bedfellows,” since only one side seems to believe they’re bedfellows at all.)

Plus, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is going after the media, ranting about anonymous sources. And while anonymity is overused and misused in the media, the Trump administration is in no position to complain. Josh explains.

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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 Afghanistan, news agencies ran claims from the Biden administration without fact checking or attributing those.

Today, Josh traces you through the uncorrected lies that have misled the country. Plus, the media’s role in rushing the 2021 process of ushering Afghan citizens into America — and the dangers that process wrought. Also, what the media refuses to tell you about the shooter, and the word the media refuses to mention about the U.S. departure from Afghanistan.

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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 listeners say has worked. Plus, a Thanksgiving message of gratitude to you.

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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 did raise new and serious concerns about the role of the media itself. A New York Times journalist tipped off Epstein about someone working on an exposé about him. And author Michael Wolff advised him. Today, Josh digs into all of this to explain where the media has gone wrong.

He also highlights the hypocrisy of the BBC’s apology to Trump, and takes on a billion dollar news conglomerate that pushed the “genocide” libel about Israel.

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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. “Everybody’s misleading you,” Josh explains in this episode. “But this show lets you tune out the noise and get the truth.”

Plus, new proof of the BBC’s pro-Hamas bias has also come to light — including its disastrous coverage of a Yazidi sex slave who was rescued by Israel, the United States, and Jordan.

Meanwhile, a series of problems plague coverage of last week’s U.S. elections. Josh pieces through them, and shows why it’s no surprise that surveys on civic knowledge in America are dismal. 

And the mainstream media’s favorite streamer announced his anti-democratic stance yet again. But even that isn’t slowing down the fawning profiles.

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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 drop — and then tried to put it back on.

Then, a guest joins Josh to explore a bigger question: How did we get here? Why does the media warn about anti-democratic movements on the right while running cover for those on the left? Fellow NPR alum Mike Pesca, host of the podcast The Gist, helps explain how news agencies lost their way. He also discusses his firing from a national news agency. Josh explains why Mike’s experience is a window into anti-journalistic thinking in newsrooms.