The Kicker

On a special episode of The Kicker, we present clips from a panel CJR convened this week in Charlottesville, Virginia. Titled “Race, Racism, and the News,” the event featured several journalists with personal ties to the Charlottesville area, and touched on issues of language, representation, and white supremacy. Associate Editor Brendan Fitzgerald, who directs CJR’s United States Project, leads the conversation, and we hear from Slate’s Jamelle Bouie, The New York Times Magazine’s Jenna Wortham, and The Nation Institute’s Collier Meyerson. Special thanks to With Good Reason, a great podcast based in Virginia, for providing the audio excerpts.

On the latest episode of The Kicker, Pete talks to retired marine sergeant Thomas Brennan and veteran conflict photographer Finbarr O’Reilly, who have written a joint memoir, Shooting Ghosts, about their time in Afghanistan and their struggles to deal with what they experienced there. Then, Pete, Meg, and Karen discuss the White House’s call for the firing of ESPN anchor Jemele Hill, and the issue of how journalists present themselves on social media. Finally, we get to some of our favorite light-hearted stories of the week.

On the latest episode of The Kicker, Meg talks to John Pope, an award-winning journalist known for his Hurricane Katrina coverage, about how newsrooms can prepare for disaster, including what to do before, during, and after the storm hits. Then, new CJR Delacorte Fellow Karen K. Ho joins Meg and Pete to discuss how newsrooms like Univision are preparing for Hurricane Irma, trust issues with Facebook, and the fall preview for what to expect in Washington.

On the latest episode of The Kicker, Meg talks to the Dart Center’s Bruce Shapiro about the media’s coverage of Hurricane Harvey. Then we discuss harmful narratives in disaster reporting, the question of when journalists should or shouldn’t intervene, and the latest hiccup on the New York Times editorial page.

On the latest episode of The Kicker, Pete talks to CJR contributor Christiana Mbakwe about need for a white supremacy beat post-Charlottesville. Then we discuss the Village Voice shutting down its print publication, the shakeup at the Los Angeles Times, and the tragic death of freelance journalist (and Columbia J-School grad) Kim Wall.

On the latest episode of The Kicker, we dedicate the entire episode to the media’s response to Charlottesville. Meg talks to CJR Associate Editor Brendan Fitzgerald about how local news covered the events last weekend. Plus, his personal experience working as a reporter in the city. We also discuss the language journalists should be using in their coverage with CJR contributor Shaya Tayefe Mohajer. You can read all of our Charlottesville coverage on CJR.org. Then we wrap up the episode with a conversation about Vice News Tonight’s gripping documentary following white supremacists in Charlottesville.

On the latest episode of The Kicker, Meg interviews New York Times reporter Nick Casey about his experience following the economic-turned-political crisis in Venezuela. Casey covered the country for 10 months before the government barred him from returning in October. Then, we run through the week’s biggest media stories: the latest Fox News controversy, Israel’s ban of Al-Jazeera, and the narrative surrounding North Korea.

On the latest episode of The Kicker, Meg has an interview with journalist and novelist Julia Dahl. They discuss her experience working at the New York Post and how tabloids shaped the early years of Donald Trump. Then, we run through the week’s biggest stories: the narrative surrounding new White House chief of staff John Kelly, and buyouts at the New York Times. Plus, a short conversation with Peter Sterne, a senior reporter at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, about the new US Press Freedom Tracker.

On the latest episode of The Kicker, Meg has an interview with Leah Finnegan, features editor for The Outline. They discuss what journalists get wrong when reporting on drug addiction and how they can do better. Then, we run through the week’s biggest stories: how a health-care vote went down in cinematic style, a White House communications chief who doesn’t understand the basic rules of talking to the press, and progress in how journalists cover the president’s tweets.

On the latest episode of The Kicker, we run through some of the week’s biggest stories: what media mergers mean for both journalists and consumers, how to parse all of those anonymously sourced stories, and why Donald Trump keeps sitting down with reporters from The New York Times. Then, Pete Vernon talks with CJR Editor and Publisher Kyle Pope about the press’s coverage of the Trump White House, and why it’s time for a new approach.