The Fourth Watch Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Jane Coaston | Twitter Obsession, Bad Faith Focus, and Sports as Culture May 23, 2022

Show notes

Jane Coaston, New York Times "The Argument" host and newsletter writer, joins Steve Krakauer in a return to the Fourth Watch Podcast to talk about the media's Twitter obsession, pros and cons of the media's focus on the platform, what to expect from Trump's imminent Twitter return, narcissism and masochism of Twitter, Twitter as a window into the psyche of "important" people, Elon Musk's Twitter future, journalism as a job for nosy people, what's really behind Trump's endorsement of JD Vance and Dr. Oz (and Vance's primary victory), the story and the story about the story, bad faith focus on ancillary issues by both sides, podcasts and newsletters as intimate media platforms, sports as a culturally important media topic, and more.

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Hunter Biden's Laptop and the Media - A Deep Dive with NPR's David Folkenflik Apr 28, 2022

Show notes

In this special edition of the Fourth Watch Podcast, Steve Krakauer is joined by David Folkenflik, NPR media correspondent, for a deep dive on the Hunter Biden laptop story and the media coverage of it. They discuss the unprecedented social media crackdown on the New York Post, the ramifications for free speech, connections to 2016 and Hillary Clinton email coverage, press coverage of Russiagate and the Steele Dossier, fear in newsrooms, media suppression, the censoriousness of some on Twitter, hall monitors and hive mentality, cable news amplification, coziness between the media and the intelligence community to spin the laptop story, media's resistance to correcting false stories, how the media is covering the story now and what happens next, and more.

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Josh Rogin | COVID Confirmation Bias, China's Olympics, and Opinion vs. News Jan 31, 2022

Show notes

Josh Rogin, Washington Post opinion columnist and author of "Chaos Under Heaven," joins Steve Krakauer to talk about the challenge of covering an Olympics in China, bias of omission, COVID confirmation bias, how the media screwed up the lab leak story, lack of media curiosity about COVID, source bias and "source greasing," media's refusal to admit when they're wrong, media deference for Dr. Fauci, the need to push those in power, opinion vs. news, Jeff Bezos, being married to another foreign affairs journalist, and more.

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Leah Finnegan | New vs. Old Gawker, Performative Wokeness, and the "Sociopathically Brilliant" Peter Thiel Jan 06, 2022

Show notes

Leah Finnegan, editor of Gawker, joins Steve Krakauer to discuss legacy media's mostly failed efforts to appeal to a younger demographic, Trump's impact on the media, new Gawker vs. old Gawker, calling out performative wokeness, whether Gawker can now still be part of the counterculture, the poisoning of what was once funny, her exit from Gawker (and the New York Times), working for Nick Denton and Bryan Goldberg, her thoughts on former colleagues Frank Bruni and Ross Douthat, the "sociopathically brilliant" Peter Thiel, fear and laziness in the media today, and more.

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Michael Moynihan | Echo Chambers, Media Jealousy, and Diversity of Thought Dec 28, 2021

Show notes

Michael Moynihan, Vice News contributor and co-host of "The Fifth Column" podcast, joins Steve Krakauer to talk diversity of thought and geographic bias, what the media gets wrong about Trump supporters, COVID fear porn, echo chambers of stupidity, the conspiracy of the powerful, consequences and protections of some in the media, how to fight back against cancel culture, jealousy of the media class, road-tripping across Texas, how "The Fifth Column" got started, fighting back against the uptight snowflakes on both sides of the aisle, and more.

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Ana Marie Cox | Real Media Bias, State of Snark, and How to be a Great Interviewer Dec 21, 2021

Show notes

Ana Marie Cox, formerly of Crooked Media and longtime host of the "With Friends Like These" podcast, joins Steve Krakauer to talk about the real media bias that exists among the legacy media, Rick Wilson and Bill Kristol and how the Trump Era changed people, how everything has become nationalized, the state of snark (and her time at Wonkette), how to be a great interviewer, the end of "With Friends Like These," science fiction and politics and her new podcast "Space The Nation," whether AMC is a "liberal elite," and more.

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Tucker Carlson | Terrified Elites, January 6, and Post-Trump D.C. Dec 09, 2021

Show notes

Tucker Carlson, Fox News and Fox Nation host, returns to the show to discuss with Steve Krakauer: Chris Cuomo vs. CNN and why he feels bad for Cuomo, the excitement of Fox Nation and "censorship protection" of the streaming platform, why the internet is a "lie," January 6 and his "Patriot Purge" documentary series, his book "The Long Slide," the terrified elites, the "old days" of D.C., how Trump changed the media and those in power, the "shocking, vulgar, and indisputably true" Trump presidency, why Carlson says he's not a populist but "instinctually an elitist," Hunter Biden, the importance of perspective for those in the media, the downsides of fame and whether he thought he'd ever have this much power, and more.

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Charlie Warzel | Facebook and Twitter, Future of Newsletters, and Media Feuds Nov 11, 2021

Show notes

Charlie Warzel, editor of the "Galaxy Brain" newsletter now at The Atlantic, joins Steve Krakauer to discuss his move from the New York Times to Substack to The Atlantic, pros and cons of Twitter's outsized role among the media, whether Facebook is good or bad (and why that's the wrong question), how newsletters are being positioned now in media world today, The Atlantic's editorial success in a COVID world, the massive societal shift in the ability to have individual speech on a big scale, the creator dilemma when it comes to the Substack business model, his semi-feud with Glenn Greenwald, his new book on the future of work, living in Montana (far outside the Acela Media and the tech world), and more.

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Dan Abrams | Opinion vs. News, Media Ego, Ozy Drama Oct 15, 2021

Show notes

Dan Abrams, founder of Mediaite and Law & Crime and the host of "Dan Abrams Live" on NewsNation, joins Steve Krakauer to talk about opinion vs. news and the state of cable news, how MSNBC and CNN have changed over the past 20 years, Tucker Carlson and Chris Cuomo, the Ozy drama, where Mediaite sits in the media ecosystem, media ego, the recent push by the broader media to demonize and scapegoat Facebook, the cancelation of Live PD, and more.

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Tomi Lahren | Viral Success, Dealing with Trolls, and the Importance of Culture Oct 06, 2021

Show notes

Tomi Lahren, host on Fox Nation and Fox News contributor, joins Steve Krakauer to discuss her viral social media success, how she got her start in the media, dealing with trolls, the importance of getting involved in the cultural conversation, the reaction her content gets from the left and the right, working for Fox News as it celebrates its 25th anniversary, whether Trump will run again (and what it would mean for the media), and more.

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