Ben Bradford

!!

Here is a list I post from time to time. My answer to a reader who asked me: what could journalists do NOW to break with some of their more corrosive habits. Defense of democracy seen as basic to the job. Symmetrical accounts of asymmetrical realities seen as malpractice. “Politics as strategic game” frame seen as low quality, downmarket, amateurish— and overmatched. Bad actors with a history of misinforming the public seen as unsuitable sources and unwelcome guests. Internalizing of the “liberal bias” critique seen as self-crippling, a historic mistake in need of correction.

Here's something I post from time to time. My answer to a reader who asked me: what could journalists do NOW to break with some of their more corrosive habits.

A reminder that a huge portion of Americans are being spun a tale that LA is in flames, with riots akin to ‘92 and ‘64. Also that the gov and mayor are sanctioning it (as if that would make political sense)

Jump in here on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/0mqmkvr...

Or Apple Podcasts:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l...

Thrilled to announce: Landslide was awarded Gold for Best Narrative/Documentary Podcast by the New York Festival!

It's a great time to jump into the series or our recent follow-up "Engines of Outrage" — wild, suspenseful stories and the context behind so much of what we're seeing in Washington.

This poll is it. The truth of what is happening right now continues not to reach a huge number of Americans.

Why? The places they get information feed them a distorted version of reality, for profit and political gain. Until that gets overcome, we’re not getting out of this mess.

I’m late to this, but one of the internet’s most entertaining writers explained tariffs the way they should always be explained.

Congrats on writing a BOOK!

The media environment has changed. Read this thread to see why reality has become so hard to convey and what it means for the coming days.

Thanks again!

Also: Andie Tucher, Hany Farid, and Matt Pressman — they all generously shared their time and expertise to make this miniserious possible. I hope you'll hear what they have to say!

I don’t have the reach I did at the other place, so I hope you’ll help me share this, if you feel it’s important.

I also owe a huge thanks to @dannagal.bsky.social @katestarbird.bsky.social @ajbauer.bsky.social @mattgertz.bsky.social @mikemadrid.bsky.social @ninajankowicz.com @cwarzel.bsky.social

Engines of Outrage Pt. 3 Podcast Episode · Landslide · S1 E14 · 31m

I will tell you one thing that surprised me: I found there are few institutions reaching out the audience within the bubble using the tools and tactics that we know are effective. We explore what those are. What that might look like.

Engines of Outrage Pt. 1 Podcast Episode · Landslide · S1 E12 · 32m

The result is a four-part podcast miniseries, Landslide: Engines of Outrage. It looks at how we got here, the characteristics of the right-wing bubble, and what — if anything — can bring us back to a shared, fact-based reality.

How did we get here, and what can be done? For months, I’ve interviewed psychologists, historians, misinformation researchers — many the subject of backlash and conspiracy theories for their work.

In this alt reality, government agencies are “fraudulent,” federal workers are “partisan hacks,” vaccines “don’t work,” climate change is “fake,” and the merits of any political action depend on who performs it.

In this ecosystem, there is no weighing or presenting of different sides of an argument. There’s no weighing of info about what’s lost from cuts to USAID, or CDC, or NOAA. Conspiracy theories and misinfo travel as fact.

A massive, alternate media ecosystem is propping up all of these actions. It delivers a distorted version of reality, justifying and championing everything we’re seeing.

It is hard to overstate its effect.

A lot of the political discourse I see on here forgets something essential. The unilateral agency shutdowns, mass firings, ethics rule flouting, etc. are politically acceptable to so many Americans.

There’s a reason. You might know it.

Engines of Outrage Pt. 2 Podcast Episode · Landslide · S1 E13 · 30m

This is incredibly good. A terrifying account of the epistemological and technological dimensions of our current crisis in which one political party has become a powerful, mind-bending engine of anti-democratic propaganda. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l...

Much appreciated!!

Engines of Outrage Pt. 1 Podcast Episode · Landslide · S1 E12 · 32m

Landslide has a new miniseries focused on this, how the right-wing bubble developed, and — crucially — what can be done to restore fact-based information.

Part 1 is here:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l...

The WHY is really important. The base of support is not looking at CBS or NYT, or hearing concerns about lawlessness or constitutionality. They are seeing a fundamentally different information stream.

Did you have a tough conversation after the election with a friend or loved one who voted for the opposite presidential candidate?

Landslide is doing a new miniseries and I would love to talk to you about it. Email us at info[at]nuancetales[dot]com.

(And, even if not — please share!)

I would only add that Ronald Reagan made political hay out of the canal starting in the 1976 primaries until Carter signed the treaty. It is possibly THE issue that most propelled Reagan. That transformed the canal from uncontroversial into a lightning rod and a subject of conspiracy theory.

The @jbenbradford.bsky.social "Landslide" podcast also covered the New Right's infatuation with the Panama Canal, starting from the 1970s

Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter had a bitter general election campaign — very negative for the time — and both had ill-will. They later became friends, especially as Ford advised Carter on his presidential foundation. Carter performed a eulogy for Ford at his funeral.

Carter essentially ended another Southern governor's power in national politics when he beat the racist George Wallace in the 1976 Florida primary. Later, Wallace endorsed Carter, which gave him enough delegates for the nomination.

Carter was accused of "fuzziness" on issues in 1976 — people didn't know where he stood, whether he was liberal or conservative. His response? To use the word "issue" more in speeches.

When he became governor of Georgia, Carter chewed out his infamous predecessor, Lester Maddox, who later complained, "I've never had another human being talk to me like that."