Reliable Sources With Brian Stelter

Plus, why CNN nixed its plan for a final pre-Iowa poll; the State Department versus NPR; and David Zurawik on the 'mud wrestling pit' that is social media. Sam Donaldson, Julian Zelizer, Jill Filipovic, Alexi McCammond, Astead Herndon, Art Cullen and David Zurawik join Brian Stelter. via Knit

"I just don't think the media as an institution has done a great job keeping up with the pace of change, political and cultural and socioeconomic and otherwise," says Tim Alberta, the chief political correspondent for Politico. That's why he is writing columns "to Washington from the rest of America," aiming to break the campaign coverage mold. His first dispatch was from the Mid-Michigan Gun & Knife Show. Alberta talks with Brian Stelter about "diner" cliches, voters' motivations, and news media blind spots. Alberta also points to a different "defining group of swing voters in 2020," offers tips for breaking out of broad-brush reporting tendencies, and more... via Knit

Plus... the impact of press restrictions during the Senate trial; viral hoaxes are spreading lies about Coronavirus; and free press groups are condemning Brazil's charges against Glenn Greenwald. Susan Glasser, Melanie Zanona, Oliver Darcy, John Avlon, Lyz Lenz, and Salena Zito join Brian Stelter. via Knit

News Literacy Project founder and CEO Alan Miller previews the first-ever National News Literacy Week and a new partnership with Scripps' local TV stations. He tells Brian Stelter about his efforts to make people part of the "information solution." While Miller's organization focuses on middle and high school, the public awareness campaign with Scripps will give the general public "some tools and resources to become more news literate," he says. Miller also discusses the difference between skepticism and cynicism; the impact of digital disinformation; why the term "fake news" is an "oxymoron," and more... via Knit

Plus... What happens when a president can't handle the truth? Brian Stelter says the result is an impeachment trial. Also: Meet the man who tracks the Fox-Trump feedback loop. Jon Favreau, Dahlia Lithwick, Margaret Sullivan, Meridith McGraw, Sarah Wire, Joe Lockhart, Matt Gertz, and Peter Hamby join Brian Stelter. via Knit

In her new memoir "Uncanny Valley," Anna Wiener reflects on the power of Big Tech through the years she spent at several startups in Silicon Valley. Wiener talks with Brian Stelter about how media coverage and "public sentiment" about Big Tech are changing, the resulting feeling "in tech that people are being unfairly picked upon," plus her favorite examples of industry jargon and much more... via Knit

Plus, a thought experiment by James Fallows; Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn on their new book "Tightrope;" and the biggest change about campaign coverage in 2020. James Fallows, John Kirby, Hadas Gold, Bill Weld, Nicholas Kristof, Sheryl WuDunn and Sally Buzbee join Brian Stelter. via Knit

Sally Buzbee, the top editor of the AP for the past three years, tells Brian Stelter about the news agency's top priorities and challenges, from covering the environment to combating misinformation. She tells how the news outlet is protecting journalists in Iran; fact-checking Donald Trump; and educating the public about polling ahead of the 2020 election. Buzbee also discusses the AP's future and the importance of collaborations. via Knit

Plus, Sam Donaldson on "wag the dog" claims and David Frum on lessons learned from the Iraq war... Kim Ghattas, Jasmine El-Gamal, Jason Rezaian, Sam Donaldson, Katie Rogers, Bari Weiss, Paul Rieckhoff, Irin Carmon, Chloe Melas and David Frum join Brian Stelter. via Knit

Should struggling print newspapers shift into nonprofit status? That's what the Salt Lake Tribune did. In late 2019 the Salt Lake Tribune became the first metropolitan daily in the country to go nonprofit, after receiving permission from the IRS to do so. Owner and publisher Paul Huntsman speaks with Brian Stelter about how Salt Lake's application might be used as a blueprint by other papers. They also discuss print versus digital and the paper's coverage of the Mormon Church. via Knit

Media winners and losers from the past decade; how to combat "truth decay;" and what to expect in media and tech in the next 10 years. David Zurawik, Nicole Carroll, Marc Benioff, Paul Huntsman, Jennifer Kavanagh, Oliver Darcy, and Amy Webb join Brian Stelter. via Knit

Catherine Rampell, S.E. Cupp and Garry Kasparov discuss news overload, and how to cover the rival realities swirling around impeachment. Plus, inside the Washington Post with editor Marty Baron, and New Year's resolutions for the press... via Knit

Oliver Darcy, Kerry Flynn, Frank Pallotta and Chloe Melas join Brian Stelter to reflect on the year's biggest media news, from the dawn of Disney+ to the failures of several digital media upstarts. Do you remember all these stories from 2019? Plus, Stelter asks the team to preview big changes happening on their beats in 2020. via Knit

Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron discusses impeachment coverage, political headwinds, the Post's investigations unit, and the role of journalism. Brian Stelter also asks Baron about the health of the Post's business, the importance of subscription revenue, and Baron's future at the paper. via Knit

Plus, Mark Lukasiewicz on the 'deliberate deception' of conspiracy theories; Tara Dowdell on the 'powerful forces' supporting Trump; fact versus fiction in Clint Eastwood's new movie 'Richard Jewell;' and how the Afghanistan Papers reveal 'the truth about the war.' Masha Gessen, Mark Lukasiewicz, Tara Dowdell, Jim Lehrer, Gretchen Carlson, Kevin Riley, Brian Lowry, and Craig Whitlock join Brian Stelter. via Knit

Craig Whitlock led the Washington Post's years-long effort to obtain hundreds of secret interviews about the Afghan war. The result: A week-long series and a database of the Afghanistan Papers. Whitlock speaks with Brian Stelter about the Post's legal battles, his main findings, and the information he is still seeking. Through this treasure trove of documents, "we've finally broken through with the truth about the war," he says. He also discusses comparisons to the Pentagon Papers. via Knit

Plus, Trump's hypocrisy about anonymous sources; a British researcher shows how phones are changing news consumption; and a Harvard professor argues that America has "lost its mind." Irin Carmon, David Frum, Olivia Nuzzi, Carl Bernstein, Liz Mair, Damon De Ionno, and Thomas Patterson join Brian Stelter. via Knit

The media bears partial responsibility for the assault on reason that is crippling American democracy, Thomas Patterson says. The Harvard professor's new book on the subject is titled "How America Lost Its Mind." He talks with Brian Stelter about how media divisions and party polarization have threatened "collective rationality." As for those media players "beyond the pale in terms of their willingness to fudge the facts," Patterson says "we have to shame them out of existence." via Knit

Dahlia Lithwick, Caroline Polisi, David Zurawik, Rebecca Davis O'Brien, Andrea Bernstein, Kathy Kiely, Peter T. Coleman, and Angela Denker join Brian Stelter. via Knit

Plus, Dr. Sanjay Gupta on the "mystery of President Trump's unannounced hospital visit," and Margaret Sullivan, Juliet Huddy, Oliver Darcy, Joel Simon, Kathleen Carroll, Steven Hassan join Brian Stelter. via Knit