Previously on Citations Needed, we discussed the notion of "Lotteryism," that is, the use of the media by large corporations to obscure solidarity in favor of morality tales of "making it."
It's a scam to extract reso...
2017-12-20 16:37:17 +0000 UTC View Post
"Lotteryism" is the use of the media by large corporations to obscure solidarity in favor of morality tales of “making it”. It’s the atomization of parties of mutual interest by lording over them the promise of something greater than what they could achieve if they simply banded together. Lotteryism is an ideology and a PR...
2017-12-13 18:53:34 +0000 UTC View Post
On this week's Patron-only News Brief Nima and Adam discuss the latest news out of Palestine, Kushner lobbying for Netanyahu, and Brian Ross tanking the stock market.
2017-12-07 05:06:29 +0000 UTC View Post
Since Hillary Clinton's surprise 2016 electoral loss to Donald Trump, there have been thousands of articles, columns, and op-eds lamenting the rise of so-called “Fake News” and its pernicious effect on our democracy. The definition of what exactly "Fake News" is has never quite been made clear - yet this hasn’t stopped maj...
2017-12-06 19:53:40 +0000 UTC View PostHi all,
So, every other Saturday we’re going to start sharing a newsletter with our favorite writing over the past two weeks. Usually about the media but not always; sometimes by us but mostly it’ll be by others. If you see any good articles or videos (or even academic work) you think our supporters would like feel f...
2017-12-02 16:14:23 +0000 UTC View Post
Over 15,000 civilians dead and almost a million reported cases of cholera. 17 million people unsure of where their next meal will come from, including 7 million on the brink of starvation. Nearly 3 million people internally displaced. Hunger, disease, and bombs. That's what the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the U.S. have wrought o...
2017-11-29 19:12:09 +0000 UTC View Post
In this Patron-only News Brief, Nima and Adam discuss recent omissions by 60 Minutes and The Washington Post of the U.S. role in bombing Yemen, the broader effort to throw America's responsibility for creating famine and disease into a memory hole, and shifting human rights standards for U.S. and its allies.
[Note: This ...
2017-11-22 19:24:55 +0000 UTC View Post
In this News Brief Nima and Adam catch up with the latest from the #J20 trial, how the media shaped coverage early in favor of the state, and the racist roots of criminalizing protest. With guest Sam Adler-Bell.
Editorial boards are the establishment voice from above, handing out decrees of moral and political import behind an anonymous byline. Major papers like The New York Times and The Washington Post have an Official Position and it's important that Important People hear the Official Important Position. But of what use is this 19th ...
2017-11-15 15:20:40 +0000 UTC View Post
Nima and Adam discuss the Game of Thrones-obsessed media's handwringing over––and promotion of––Saudi Arabia's latest bloodbath.
Show notes
Real Estate sections are mostly breezy, fun profiles of the super rich buying up houses and remodeling the ones they already own. Harmless escapist fun? Maybe. But how we write about real estate often reveals casually racist and colonial attitudes that are rarely, if ever, examined.
In this episode we talk about why the ...
2017-11-08 17:10:11 +0000 UTC View Post
We are told time and again from Republicans and nominal liberals alike that Iran desperately wants to acquire nuclear weapons, was "racing toward the bomb" before the implementation of the multilateral Iran Deal - officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and was merely months away from holding the worl...
2017-11-01 17:42:04 +0000 UTC View Post
The media does a lot mind-reading when it comes to U.S. foreign policy. The idea that the United States and, often, its allies operate in “good faith” is taken for granted for most of the American press - so much so that we don’t really think much about it.
On this episode, Adam and Nima explore the media's commit...
2017-10-25 14:35:55 +0000 UTC View Post
In this Patron-only discussion we trace the origins of the Bernie Bro narrative, its uses and misuses throughout the campaign, and its continued relevance in our political discourse.
Katie Halper of The Katie Halper Show joins us in studio to di...
2017-10-18 20:29:33 +0000 UTC View Post
Since the mid-2000s, a specific breed of liberalism has emerged broadly called “New Atheism.” While the movement is hardly a monolith, it has at its core features of liberal chauvinism, anti-"political correctness," “science,” secularism, and a general deference to U.S. foreign policy consensus. Its biggest champions, Sa...
2017-10-11 14:00:31 +0000 UTC View Post
If broad government programs are so popular why don’t we just vote them into existence? One of the primary barriers to democratic socialism--or spending in general--is racist media coverage and racist attitudes about how government programs are administered. In this episode we explore how racism and means-tested nickel-and-dim...
2017-10-04 14:14:14 +0000 UTC View Post
A quick note to all of our backers. Thanks so much for your support - the feedback and excitement for the podcast both on the Patreon and social media have been very encouraging. We try to cover these issues in a unique and research-driven way so your help makes this possible given the time and effort required. We look forward t...
2017-10-01 14:16:24 +0000 UTC View Post
The idea that we’re “running out of money” and have to “tighten our belts" is a common trope in US media; the premise that the US government is like a household that must balance its books, largely taken for granted by liberal and right-wing outlets alike.
But is this premise correct? Is it true that the United States ...
2017-09-27 13:14:51 +0000 UTC View Post
On this Patrons' only news brief, we look at Rob Reiner's launch of a "investigate Russia" group Committee to Investigate Russia with four hard right, pro-Iraq War, pro-torture Bush flunkies and how the Russian influence story–at least in the minds of some credulous liberals–Makes the Far Right Great Again.
2017-09-25 19:53:02 +0000 UTC View Post
“Insane”, “crazy”, “totally fucking nuts”--Trump’s mental capacity is the subject of much speculation, joke making, and earnest concern. But how should the subject be approached by the media?
On this week’s show we explore the ethics of diagnosing mental health from afar, the conflation of mental health i...
2017-09-20 21:05:25 +0000 UTC View Post
On this Patreon subscriber-only News Brief we take time out to mock the surge in new military-themed television shows premiering this fall and their played out tropes, including, but not limited to:
1) The Good Snitch Muslim
2) Techno-porn
3) Imperial feminism
4) Highlighting sacrifice...
2017-09-17 11:00:31 +0000 UTC View Post
The hashtag Resistance warms up to rightwing ghouls David Frum and Evan McMullin while ignoring anti-Trump protesters facing 80 years in federal prison.
In the wake of Trump’s unexpected win, the “Resistance” to Trump disp...
2017-09-13 16:55:04 +0000 UTC View Post
The hashtag Resistance warms up to rightwing ghouls David Frum and Evan McMullin while ignoring anti-Trump protesters facing 80 years in federal prison. With guest Sam Menefee-Libey.
2017-09-13 15:44:24 +0000 UTC View Post
On this Patreon subscriber-only News Brief Nima and Adam discuss Clinton's gratuitous book tour, Verrit, and why the grueling primary will never end.
For some more Verritt-bashing, go here:
2017-09-11 16:09:03 +0000 UTC View Post
We discuss the cynical use of "human rights" to advance US interests with guest Glenn Greenwald.
The conceit that the U.S. has been a dedicated and earnest promoter of “freedom”, “democracy,” and “human rights” throughout the world — even if, at times, a “flawed” one — is a defining narrative,...
2017-09-06 13:50:50 +0000 UTC View Post
