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A scene in an old Robin Williams movie highlights a dangerous pattern people fall into — one that’s more widespread than ever today: the popularity trap. In this episode, Josh shows its unprecedented scale. He explains how the media is falling into the trap and dragging society down with it. But we can break out of it.

Then, should a member of a terror group count as a journalist? The answer is an obvious no. But a group that the media cites all the time just voted yes, almost unanimously. That explains the ongoing, nonsensical claims about Israel killing so many “journalists” in Gaza.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) published a statement attempting to justify its decision. The statement is packed with lies, nonsensical claims, and at least one assertion that’s physically impossible. Josh breaks it down.

Plus an Islamist terrorist attacked a pride parade in Berlin. NPR actually admitted that in a headline! Perhaps the broadcast giant is finally responding to what Josh and TSC listeners have been demanding. But the New York Times, of course, still hid the key fact from its headline.

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When some news agencies chose not to air Trump’s primetime speech live, they noted that he was likely to lie. Then right afterward, they resumed booking lawmakers and pundits to lie and not be fact checked. Today, Josh explains how the media’s hypocrisy hurts us all, and how the news business should tackle the problem. He also shows why the “sky is falling” freakouts about CBS were disproven yet again.

The night also exposed another gaping hole in the news landscape: The media has failed to inform America about China’s influence campaigns. So when Trump makes allegations, people don’t know what to believe. Josh pieces through what’s known about Beijing’s efforts targeting the media — including retaliations against journalists’ families. 

Then, he answers listener questions. One involves 350,000 Haitians losing legal status in the United States this week. The other involves what legal scholars are calling “the most aggressive movement of settler populations into occupied territory in current times.” Josh explains that news giants avoid that story because it turns their favorite victim narrative on its head.

Plus: The New York Times brings back its favorite blood libelist for round two… A court battle over subpoenas gets an update… And Josh explains why virtually all organizations doing great work get ignored by the media.

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We’ve all seen it so many times that most of us don’t even think about it. The media talks politics and presents “the two sides” — a Democrat and a Republican. In reality, a much larger slice of America does not identify with either party. The American plurality, close to a majority, is treated as an afterthought. And that’s just one way the media fails to cover independents. 

Today, Josh speaks with a leader in the fight for this ignored community: Chad Peace of the Independent Voter Project, a group changing how elections work across the country. The two discuss how the media’s political narratives block reality; how coverage of California’s gubernatorial race and New York socialists fit in; and what journalists are afraid to say.

Plus, just last week, Josh told us about how the Obama administration had subpoenaed journalists. Now the Trump administration has done so. The case involves security questions surrounding the new Air Force One plane, a giant gift from Qatar. Josh explains how the story reflects not only encroachments on press freedom, but also media failures.

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Two mainstream news giants are using recent screwups to pretend to care about ethics and guidelines. One is NPR, where iconic reporter Nina Totenberg falsely reported that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was retiring. The other is the New York Times, where sports journalist Diana Russini has left the company following a so-called “scandal” involving her relationship with an NFL figure and her actions during a traffic stop.

Today, Josh digs into these stories and explains what they expose about the hypocrisy of Big Media. It’s as though news agencies are showing great concern about a smudge on a penthouse window, while ignoring the fact that the entire building is on a shaky foundation.

Then, a look at America at 250. Virtually every country promises freedom of expression, including press freedom, in its constitution. What distinguishes democracies is the system that gives the people the power to enforce it. It’s up to every generation to carry on that fight. Josh explains why that makes today’s media failures so inexcusable. He cites how the annual White House Correspondents Association dinner and a joke from Obama factor in.

Plus, a new breaking twist in the saga of the disastrous Democratic Senate candidate in Maine, Graham Platner. Why that isn’t just a political story — it’s a media story.

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When the news shows people certain images, particularly of war and suffering, it creates physical changes in their brains. It triggers part of the mind so intensely that they often can’t think straight. Propagandists take advantage of this. Their greatest weapon is the media.

Today, a leading expert joins Josh to explain. Clinical and neuropsychologist Orli Peter introduces us to “the kindled brain,” and what it means for us all. She explains the dangers of the mental state so many people are in; how terrorist groups have mastered the Western mindset; and why the last three years have been unlike anything she’s ever seen. 

Also, Josh explains how a clip from the old TV show M*A*S*H fits in, and why an attack from decades ago suddenly has new relevance. And Orli discusses her experience responding publicly to New York City First Lady Rama Duwaji, who celebrated the October 7 massacres and denied the sexual assaults that day. The denial harms patients, Orli says. Big media wouldn’t listen, but she found another place that did — and it “went viral.”

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Looking at the disastrous coverage of the Iran deal, Josh asks, “What imaginary mental world is the media living in? It’s as though the whole thing boils down to just gas prices, the Strait of Hormuz,  maybe a mention of Iran’s nuclear threat, and of course, imaginary big, bad Israel having a magic ability to force the U.S. into a war.”

Today, Josh lays out the reality. Iran presents the greatest current threat to humanity, and the Islamic regime is conducting global efforts in the effort to control as much of the world as possible. The real story involves so much shaping the world and the lives of Americans, he explains. It’s about drugs, immigration, assassination plots on U.S. soil, Islamist terrorist attacks, threats to U.S. water supplies, the safety of U.S. children’s hospitals, other shipping channels like the Panama Canal and the Red Sea, genocidal attacks on Christians, and the the safety of the world’s largest democracy (which isn’t the U.S.).

All this and more are wrapped up in what seems to be a disastrous capitulation to Tehran. And if this deal is as bad as it seems to be, that would be totally unsurprising given the reality of Trump’s history.

Then, Josh tackles a story the media is hiding altogether: The Rape Gang Inquiry, a big new report on the systemic, horrific rape of young girls across the United Kingdom. The government has long turned a blind eye to it because acknowledging it was deemed “racist” and “Islamophobic.” A man was even jailed for talking about it. The media is a big part of the problem. 

Plus, a trip to LA, JOMO, and Josh’s appearance on the Unapologetically Jewish podcast in conversation with host Shana Meyerson.

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With Josh just back from vacation, producer Don Jackson hosts a special “best-of” edition of They Stand Corrected, pulling six powerful clips that define the show’s mission. Don’s picks tackle media bias around Israel and Gaza, Trump-era disinformation, immigration narratives, the failure to reach low-income voters, and the meaning of October 7 through Jewish history and resilience. 

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A top official representing Uyghurs reached out to Josh, saying he’d welcome the chance to talk about misinformation in the media. Then, the story of China’s extreme repression of the mostly Muslim Uyghurs became especially timely.

Today, Salih Hudayar, foreign minister of the East Turkestan Government in Exile, discusses how China is manipulating the world with help from the media. He assails the hypocrisy left-wing groups that claim to care about human rights, “colonialism,” and “genocide,” while ignoring “the biggest imperialist power,” China. 

Josh explains how this affects coverage of politics, the war in Iran, trade, immigration, and more. He explains how Chinese funding fuels organizations like Code Pink and streamers like Hasan Piker as they work to radicalize people around the world’s stupidest cause: hating Israel. 

The plight of the Uyghurs also highlights the hypocrisy of many Islamic nations, the U.N., and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Hudayar shares his experience being kicked out of U.S. mosques for simply requesting a prayer to end the genocide of Uyghurs.

Plus, Maine Democrat Graham Platner has Democrats’ backing despite a long record of horrible behaviors, and ousted 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley leaves big questions unanswered.

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News giants have been fixating on horse-race coverage of primaries, and misleading the country. While the headlines play up support for far-right and far-left candidates, Americans are clamoring for moderation. Today, Josh digs into the data. He shows that overwhelming numbers of Americans say Republicans and Democrats have gone too far in their ideological directions.

He highlights how Big Media hides the truth about the top issues for voters. A survey finds that Americans worry “a great deal” about terrorism — even more than energy affordability and illegal immigration. But you wouldn’t know that from the New York Times. 

Also, the media keeps churning out political predictions despite a long record of being very wrong. USA Today humor columnist Rex Huppke joins Josh to discuss his wish: “Make stupidity embarrassing again.” Josh shares the story of a “news” anchor known for spouting nonsense shamelessly before Trump became president the first time. 

Plus, new arrests of women in Western countries who have been carrying out the slave trade for ISIS, the Islamic State. Josh discusses why the majority of those arrested in democracies have been women, and why many so-called “human rights” campaigners stay silent about this slavery — as well as the chattel slavery that still exists in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

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How did Canada, previously known for its politeness, become home to a widespread, violent antisemitic movement? Attacks on Jews are higher per capita in Canada than anywhere else in the West. Montreal has been called the “antisemitism capital of North America.”

Today, Josh is joined by Jesse Brown, editor and publisher of the independent news and podcast company Canadaland. In a recent series called “What is Happening Here,” he delved into the antisemitism spreading across the country. Josh speaks with him about unique ways in which Canadian media fuels this bigotry, including by failing to report who carries out hate crimes. “The worse the media has done here, the more government support they’ve gotten,” Jesse says.

The problem trickles down from the highest levels of the government and leads to policies in newsrooms. “What Americans can see in Canada is: This is what happens when nobody is pushing back against this anti-Zionist thing,” he explains. “It gets bolder, it gets infused into organizations, it becomes a witch hunt against everyday people.”

Also today, the BBC looks at girls in Afghanistan being sold into slavery, and focuses on how difficult it is for their fathers. To the BBC, the men doing the selling must be portrayed as victims. Josh explains the warped thinking that leads to these journalistic fiascoes.

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Legal action can be the most powerful opportunity to uncover the corruption and lack of journalistic standards inside news agencies. A lawsuit exposed how Fox knowingly lied to its audience about the 2020 election. Now, a lawsuit over a disastrous op-ed could expose realities from inside The New York Times.

Today, Josh explains why the threatened lawsuit in response to Nicholas Kristof’s column doesn’t have to lead to a plaintiff’s victory in order to pay off. Discovery is the key. Josh is in an unusual position to explain this, because he took legal action against his employer while at CNN. He discusses how desperately news agencies want to keep their dirty laundry hidden.

Also today, something difficult but important to hear: Kids in Gaza describe sexual abuse by Hamas. So does an Israeli man. Big media ignored this. Plus, why a bailout is not a balanced budget — and how left-wing media is heaping false praise onto New York City’s mayor.

Then, Josh explains why Memorial Day is the most hypocritical date on the media’s calendar, and what it takes to really honor those who died in service to the country.

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A new bill of global importance has become a law. It could set a template for the entire country. Around the world, anti-democratic nations are watching this, because they know it’s a strike against one of their big goals: influencing the minds of American children.

Today, Josh is joined by a woman who led the effort to expose foreign influence over what’s taught in U.S. schools. Inspired by proof of Qatar’s propaganda efforts, State Rep. Esther Panitch, a Georgia Democrat, spearheaded legislation to make her state the first to require a new kind of reporting. When she drew attention to the issue, the top Qatari officials in the United States went after her publicly — and then also went after another Jewish woman, saying they were doing “what people like you always do.” 

Also, a new report is out, detailing horrific sexual violence carried out by Gazan terrorists. Even CNN took a break from parroting Hamas talking points to report on it. But the New York Times apparently turned down a chance to report on it in advance. Worse, the paper tried to get out ahead of it by running a propaganda-filled opinion piece from Nicholas Kristof. 

Josh takes us through Kristof’s history of getting big things wrong, including in a failed run for governor of Oregon. “A guy who doesn’t look for facts and then tries so hard to deny them — this is who the Times entrusts to run with the most incendiary allegations you can make against Israel,” Josh explains.