Podcast Reviews: The Bulwark, George Conway Explains It All, and The Meidas Touch
We are seeing a revolution in the way we consume news media. Mainstream media (MSM) has lost traction because people do not trust it anymore. This has happened slowly, but now viewers have escaped in large numbers to a new format they feel they can trust—podcasts.
There was always a suspicion that “the media” should not be owned by only six companies. Most of these media offerings (CNN, FOX, ABC, CBS, MSNBC, for example) are similarly structured: controlled by a producer, with a host or anchor, guests, and commercial sponsors. The new format is unencumbered by MSM rigidity, as most podcasts are truly independent content producers.
Here are some especially interesting podcasts that will keep you well-informed. The first two feature conservatives who are surprisingly aligned with progressives on many issues.
The Bulwark is a long-form discussion podcast hosted by Tim Miller, a former Republican political strategist and writer. Most guests are ”never-Trumpers” who identify as politically conservative, some with roots in the neo-conservative publication, The Weekly Standard. Two hosts who often banter with Tim are also stalwart conservatives: JVL (Johnathan V. Last) and Sarah Longwell, founder of a Substack newsletter, also called The Bulwark, which bills itself as non-partisan.
George Conway, a conservative lawyer who launched the Anti-Psychopath PAC to highlight Trump’s mental unfitness for office, has a podcast with Sarah: George Conway Explains It All (To Sarah Longwell). This is a humorous, passionate, and informative explanation of the legal entanglements of the current president.
The Meidas Touch podcast was founded by the Meiselas brothers, Bret, Jordan, and Ben, a civil rights lawyer. Two other lawyers, Michael Popok and Karen Friedman Agnifilo, expanded the lineup with separate podcasts. As The Meidas Touch grows exponentially, with a reported 6.4 million viewers, it is a fierce and consistent defender of the rule of law and democracy (1).
Why focus on the law? Progressives and conservatives agree that challenges to democracy by authoritarian maneuvers that seek to subvert the rule of law can only be challenged by a strong response via our judicial system. The Meidas Touch explains and dissects these ongoing tests of our system of laws and the Constitution.
These podcasts are all available on any podcast delivery platform (Spotify, Apple, etc.) and YouTube.
Take Action
- Listen for one hour a day to these podcasts or others of your choice. Listening to a variety of fact-checked podcasts will keep you better informed.
- Write a letter to the editor about an issue that you listened to.
- Share a podcast with a friend or relative.
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