Jul 31, 2022 • 1HR 17M
Batya Ungar-Sargon on how journalism went woke
On The Same Drugs podcast, I speak with Batya Ungar-Sargon, "Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy," about how journalism became the domain of the elite.
Meghan Murphy and guests embrace authenticity, and have real, honest discussions about culture, politics, relationships, internet wars, the media social justice, cancel culture, and more. Conversations outside the algorithm.
How did media and journalism become the domain of the elite? Why does liberal media only represent the ideologies, politics, and narratives of a tiny fraction of the population? What happened to reporting for the masses?
I spoke with Batya Ungar-Sargon — deputy opinion editor at Newsweek and author of the book you all must read immediately, "Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy" — about these issues and more.
This is one of my favorite conversations ever! I so appreciated connecting to Batya, and think her book and analysis is incredibly important. Please do pick up a copy of Bad News if you can!
Batya Ungar-Sargon on how journalism went woke
GREAT conversation! I listened to the whole thing. It was very intriguing ... Reinforces some ideas I have been considering, but also gives me much to think about ... I think it is really important for more people to talk about how journalism went from a very working class profession to an elite profession, and how difficult it is for working class people to become journalists. Perhaps, more journalists should consider their CLASS privilege and look to diversify their perspectives, and get back to giving a voice to the poor and working class. ... And somehow, we need to starting bridging the rural/urban divide ... Maybe the first step is to limit one's exposure to social media and corporate media. Talk with real people!
Meghan, Batya,
This was a valuable exchange. I'll listen to it a second time to make sure I've got the viewpoints and evidence down (I listen on my long runs). It's not that I agree with everything the two of you said, but I think your choice of topics and your views are REALLY IMPORTANT and need to be in front of more people. Probably just as important is that it's a sincere exchange; it's not a sanctimonious, condescending damnation of all who think differently. This episode converted me to paid subscriber--perhaps my small contribution will keep Meghan going or at least buy her a cup of coffee. Thank you for what you do, and thank you for staying grounded while you do it. Keep it up.