Episode 58: War Heroes’ Legacy
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Every Memorial Day, the media praises the heroism of slain U.S. service members, especially those who served in World War II. But these reports are deeply hypocritical. Today, Josh explains how the media fuels the kinds anti-democratic movements that U.S. troops fought against. In fact, on a daily basis big news agencies legitimize a movement with roots in Nazism.
You’ll hear powerful words from FDR in the lead-up to World War II, arguing that the United States must help fellow democracies under attack. He called out infiltrators at home who support enemies of democracy, and people who cloak these agendas under alleged anti-war sentiments. It has great resonance now for Ukraine, Israel, and the radicalization fueling violence worldwide — including the horrific slaughter of a couple in Washington. It also speaks to the dangers of Trump extolling dictators and expressing authoritarian instincts.
Plus, Josh shares another president’s warning on the “military-industrial complex.” And beautiful Memorial Day music, including from a sergeant standing alone in a national cemetery. To all fallen U.S. service members: thank you.
Episode 57: Hit Pieces
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As soon as it started, a listener alerted Josh: an avalanche of “hit pieces” about Sen. John Fetterman was on the way. Soon, big news organizations did come forward with a slew of reports about the senator, a Democrat from Pennsylvania. The reporting involved allegations about his mental health from one named former staffer — and a bunch of anonymous people.
This triggered a debate. Did the media learn a lesson from Biden, or is it helping far left activists try to take down Fetterman for stances they don’t like? In addition to being willing to reach across the aisle, Fetterman has been unwavering in his recognition of Israel’s obvious right to fight to destroy Hamas after the most evil terrorist attack of modern times.
Today, Josh explains that this story is about much more than one man. It’s about anonymous sourcing, rules over vetting information, and coverage of mental health. It’s a tale of buried lines that are crucial for context and fairness, the media’s tendency to forget the whole point of doing a story, and the gullibility that makes big news agencies ripe for a political operative to manipulate.
Episode 56: Punishing Democracy
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The media isn’t just failing to fight for democracy; it’s punishing a nation for being a democracy. Today, Josh takes you on a trip to a region you virtually never hear about in the news, to show you the “practical, simple, and pathetic reason” this happens. Along the way, you’ll hear a crucial update on horrors facing Christians in Africa, and how a — perhaps surprising — religious leader stepped in where the media has failed.
Meanwhile, in a follow-up to last week, hear how the most venerated U.S. news program engaged in a public act of grandstanding. It was praised by journalists, but should instead be studied as a memorable sign of news industry hypocrisy.
Plus, the media is propagating what is probably the biggest myth in U.S. politics, involving the two major parties and fiscal responsibility.
Episode 55: Grandstanding
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Journalists are talking about the importance of truth telling. But what they’re saying conflicts with what their news agencies are doing. Today, Josh digs into this growing problem. When one speaker at a journalism awards dinner said something critical about the media, it ended up exposing the media’s propensity for grandstanding.
Plus, CBS platformed a Russian official in a long interview, and did not mention democracy. Even worse, CBS indicated that it took a piece of guidance from the Russian government. What?!
Meanwhile, a leader of Columbia University’s vicious antisemitic mobs has changed his story yet again. Josh explains.
Episode 54: Fake Bio
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A man getting a ton of news attention tells a tale of his tragic, inspirational backstory, and the media eats it up. But what if it isn’t true? An independent journalist in the UK began doing some very basic fact checking, and quickly found that basic elements of the alleged story are, as he puts it “impossible.”
On today’s show, journalist David Collier joins Josh to discuss his coverage of a pro-terror radical from Columbia University whom the media have been portraying as a perfect, peace-loving hero. “I did what every single journalist in the United States should have done,” David explains. The tale this man is spinning could just as easily be “about Narnia. It’s crazy that any journalist has looked at this person and taken him seriously.”
So, have any major news agencies changed their reporting in the face of this evidence? Listen in to find out.
Episode 53: Fame Obsession
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An annual spectacle is about to take place in Washington, showing so much of what’s wrong with today’s media: the White House Correspondents Association Dinner. On today’s show, Josh digs into the corrosive obsession with “fame” in the news business, and how it leads journalists to stray far away from their role of providing you the truth.
You’ll hear a network’s flagship political show, just the other day, present sports analyst Stephen A. Smith as a contender for the U.S. presidency — without mentioning that he has no particular set of knowledge or skills for the job. (As Josh explains, Smith himself points out what’s wrong with this way of thinking.) And you’ll hear a political operative talk about how the fame obsession led members of his party in Washington to do “evil.”
Also, how the media weaponizes fame to skew stories, like that of a pro-terror radical from Columbia University. And a crucial lesson from the Enron scandal more than twenty years ago.
Episode 52: Reaching Voters
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There’s a line you often hear these days: that people don’t “see themselves reflected” in the media. Today, a guest joins Josh to explain how that problem applies to a majority of American voters — and how the media’s failure in this respect leaves people uninformed.
Plus, an anniversary! They Stand Corrected has completed a full year of episodes, with no weeks off. To celebrate, Josh answers listeners’ questions, shares amazing feedback, and offers a prescription for how to face an onslaught of awful news in the world. It’s a life skill that isn’t taught, but should be.
Episode 51: Misunderstood Citizens
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It’s what Josh warned about in November: Exit polls are not trustworthy. Now, new information indicates what really happened in the elections — and proves that popular media narratives were wrong. One theory in particular that got traction in the media was the exact opposite of what happened.
To do its job in protecting democracy, the media must work to understand and accurately portray citizens of democratic nations. So Josh also digs into a misguided, problematic term used to describe one such group on the other side of the globe: “settlers.” It has been in the news in recent days. An attorney who gathers facts about this joins Josh to explain why the reality is not what news audiences have been told.
Plus why a Hollywood former child star’s realization about her mother carries such an important lesson.
Episode 50: Dehumanization
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The term “dehumanization” is all over the news these days, in all kinds of contexts. In some cases, it’s so overused or misused that it’s being stripped of its meaning. But what if the people crying “dehumanization” the most are the ones engaging in it the most? Today on They Stand Corrected, Josh shows how people on the left — and the media itself — regularly engage in a form of dehumanization: infantilization.
But first, something new on the pro-terror radical from Columbia University. An analysis shows big news agencies are ignoring their own reporting — and misleading you. Josh interviews the man behind that analysis, which includes household name agencies.
Plus, the media’s at it again, blowing it on alleged “death tolls.”
Episode 49: ‘Isms’ & Green Cards
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Sometimes the media is like the Tower of Babel. People aren’t speaking the same language. But in this case, they don’t realize it. They’re using the same words, but mean different things. Today, Josh explains how this problem has been rampant in the news lately, with three key words: transgenderism, feminism, and Zionism. Hear why an exchange between comedian Bill Burr and public radio host Terry Gross is so significant, a new twist on Lysistrata, and the misguided dictionary entry that rewards hate groups.
Also, listeners are asking about the news coverage of one pro-terror radical from Columbia University. Josh shows how the media has been ignoring what the law actually says about green card holders. And he explains how media failures spark a world of uninformed “opinions” — as we’re seeing now, amid new Israeli military action against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Gaza.
Episode 48: Cycle Breaker: Immigration
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When the media make excuses for failing to get you the truth, they often blame the “news cycle.” It’s time to break that process. Today, Josh does so by focusing on a major issue filled with lies in the news: illegal immigration. Figures you’ve been hearing, and arguments about fentanyl and sex trafficking, are wrong. By failing to make this clear, the media is causing societal problems.
Immigration-related reporting failures also tie in to a statement from an Oscar-winning propagandist and a so-called “human rights activist” on a public radio show. Josh shows why this made-for-the-media line makes no sense to anyone who learns facts about the Middle East. Plus, the BBC blew it so badly that it pulled a documentary off of its platforms. Josh explains.
Episode 47: Trump-storm & Helicopters
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Since taking office, Trump has been on a blitzkrieg — a rapid, intense, chaotic effort to dismantle much of the government as we know it. He’s using endless lies to get away with it, and the media’s longtime failures are helping him. After years of letting lies go uncorrected, news agencies have left Americans with no clear sense of where to turn for truth.
Today, Josh digs into “DOGE” disasters, Trump’s treatment of Ukraine, and how his team and surrogates lie with impunity during what is supposed to be the ultimate example of political journalism. Also, a message to share with anyone you know who may be caught up in a cult of personality.
Plus, at the Oscars, an anti-Israel propaganda film wins a “documentary” award, and its creators use their speech to lie, exactly as Josh predicted. He sets the record straight.