Disgusting 'Journalists' (w/ Batya Ungar-Sargon)

Illustration in 1910 journal Puck showing William Randolph Hearst as a jester. The note (from a letter published in the New York Evening Post) reads: "The time is at hand when these journalistic scoundrels have got to stop or get out, and I am ready now to do my share to that end. They are absolutely without souls. If decent people would refuse to look at such newspapers the whole thing would right itself at once. The journalism of New York City has been dragged to the lowest depths of degradation. The grossest railleries and libels, instead of honest statements and fair discussion, have gone unchecked.” (Image: LOC)

Friend of the pod Batya Ungar-Sargon, deputy opinion editor for Newsweek and author of Bad News, returns for a deep, contentious conversation about the responsibility of journalists covering the Israel-Hamas war, the people worth expending energy on (versus relegating as enemies), and the uncomfortable embrace of moral certainty. 

While much vitriol is expended on the “journalists” bringing shame to the (let’s face it, already pretty scumbag) profession, we also shout out the reporters doing good, honest analysis, even if we don’t always agree with their positions: Zaid Jelani, Lee Fang, and Arash Azizi. 

On the agenda:

-The Moral Imperative of Remembering [1:55-9:11]

-On Emotions and Moral Certainty [9:12-16:54]

-Disgusting "Journalists" [16:55-20:39]

-On Journalistic Responsibility / Objectivity [20:40-26:36]

-Debating How - and Who - to Trust [26:37-38:39]

-Liberal vs. Jewish Values [38:40-52:14]

-On Moral Equivalence and Retaliation [52:15-58:24]

-Who is reachable? [58:25-1:07:22]

-The battle continues [1:07:23-1:12:40]

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