Today on Polilogue, we discuss military readiness , infrastructure talks, and space travel. We also examine the increase of COVID cases and how the media is dropping the ball by making this moment into a Facebook-White House argument moment. Shows discussed State of the Union on CNN Fox News Sunday on FOX This Week on ABC Face the Nation on CBS Recommendations Really!?! with Seth and Amy - Billionaires in Space ( NBC ) Contact us Email us at podcast@polilogue.com or you can send us your feedback...
Jul 19, 2021•48 min
Today on Polilogue, we cover a range of topics. Space travel. Vaccinate mandates. FDA regulations. The new (likely) New York City mayor. Afghanistan. After multiple weeks of feeling frustrated with the Afghanistan story framing, we finally see multiple questions that examines what was accomplished and what the US has learned in the 20 years of being in the country. Shows discussed State of the Union on CNN Fox News Sunday on FOX This Week on ABC Face the Nation on CBS Meet the Press on NBC Conta...
Jul 12, 2021•1 hr 5 min
This Independence Day, several shows were hosted by substitutes: Ed O’Keefe hosted Face the Nation, Martha Raddatz hosted This Week, and Michael Emanuel hosted Fox News Sunday. The new voices brought fresh perspective that sometimes worked — like Ed O’Keefe focusing on climate change in western states. And sometimes that fresh approach was a dud — like Emanuel’s boring checklist interview with Congressman Michael McCaul on Fox News Sunday. More than anything, questions and conversations that foc...
Jul 05, 2021•1 hr 2 min
The Biden Administration and a bipartisan group of senators have finally agreed on an infrastructure package. Therefore, the possibility of an actual physical infrastructure bill seems much more likely. This is real progress compared to the tortoise-pace we’ve seen on this issue the last few months. However, that’s where the good news ended if you watched the Sunday morning political shows. The White House fumbled the most basic of questions and journalists undermined valid criticisms and advoca...
Jun 28, 2021•1 hr 10 min
Complexity reigned this week during the Sunday shows. From the intricate details of the Congressional negotiations on infrastructure to the finer points of Russian diplomacy, the Sunday shows were steeped in detail. Some programs did an excellent job—booking experts or key players to explain and explicate. While other shows took a less successful approach. We also look at some noteworthy questioning techniques by Chuck Todd—and contrast how two different Sunday shows took extremely different tak...
Jun 21, 2021•1 hr 8 min
President Joe Biden is in Europe this week for a G-7 meeting, as well as a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was on all the Sunday morning shows with zero bombshell announcements and very set talking points about the Administration’s expectations of the Putin meeting. Overall, it was a difficult setting for a journalist to conduct a newsworthy interview when the news has not quite been made yet. John Dickerson and Dana Bash, in particular, did a goo...
Jun 14, 2021•57 min
Brendan and Naomi are back from vacation and with new critiques of the Sunday morning political shows! Today on Polilogue, we discuss the effect of new voices, the NYC mayor race, cybersecurity threats, and the never-ending infrastructure negotiations. Shows discussed State of the Union on CNN Fox News Sunday on FOX This Week on ABC Face the Nation on CBS Meet the Press on NBC Contact us Email us at podcast@polilogue.com or you can send us your feedback @PolilogueCast . You can also follow us at...
Jun 07, 2021•1 hr 3 min
What makes the Sunday shows unique? What do political critics get wrong about the shows? How often should the President be on a Sunday show? We tackle these and other questions—including some surprise ones—on this special episode of Polilogue. We even integrate a “Lightning Round” inspired by Chris Wallace. It’s a unique episode for us—and a fun one to record! We’ll be back with a new episode on the latest news next week. But until then—join us as we pull questions from the tin and discuss why S...
May 31, 2021•52 min
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict continued to be a counterpoint in the Sunday morning political shows. John Dickerson had an impressive moment on Face the Nation when he weaved together his interviews with Benjamin Netanyahu last week and Senator Bernie Sanders this week. Chris Wallace, on the other hand, actively worked to discredit critical engagement in his interview with Mark, Regev, Senior Advisor to Israeli PM Netanyahu. Other topics discussed include the lingering coverage of the Republic...
May 24, 2021•1 hr 3 min
Today on Polilogue we note a huge milestone: our first Sunday without a Dr.Gottlieb appearance!! We were STUNNED. Beyond a Gottlieb-less Sunday, the shows also covered a wide range of topics, including the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Trump’s grasp of the GOP, and the Colonial pipeline ransom attack. On the most complicated topics, we noticed important context setting explainers or segments were missing. Shows discussed State of the Union on CNN Fox News Sunday on FOX This Week on ABC Meet the P...
May 17, 2021•1 hr 8 min
The economic recovery from this unprecedented pandemic looked like it was going well—until this week. Economists and policymakers were shocked that the 1 million jobs they expected to see created in April was actually just about a quarter of that. What went wrong? While Republicans were interested in pointing the finger at enhanced unemployment benefits as a disincentive to work, experts persistently talked about the role of women during the pandemic. From workforce and labor issues to questions...
May 10, 2021•59 min
Republicans went on the Sunday morning political shows to attack President Biden’s infrastructure plan. We were impressed by the effective questions on Fox News Sunday and frustrated by the vague questions and focus on Meet the Press. We were surprised by the lackluster criticisms and weak messaging from prominent Republican leaders negotiating the infrastructure counter proposal. We also explore the tone and objectives of journalists with a cause. Shows discussed State of the Union on CNN Fox N...
May 03, 2021•1 hr 11 min
Today on Polilogue, we explore the many ways the Sunday morning political shows discussed police violence and police reform. Some shows did a crap job and used body cam video footage and mislabeled violence. Other shows chatted in circles about what Washington could do to fix the issue. And then some shows went deeper into the conversation with experts and the actual lived experience in communities. We also appreciate honest responses, worthwhile follow-up questions, and explicit public health i...
Apr 26, 2021•1 hr 11 min
Today on Polilogue, we discuss the Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause and whether or not the explanations suffice. We question whether the pause will undermine broader efforts to reach herd immunity. We also discuss police reform and President Biden’s recent decisions regarding refugee caps and ending military presence in Afghanistan. Shows discussed State of the Union on CNN Fox News Sunday on FOX This Week on ABC Meet the Press on NBC Face the Nation on CBS Contact us Email us at podcast@poli...
Apr 19, 2021•1 hr
President Biden’s Americans Jobs Plan has caused a lot ruckus in its first couple of weeks in the public discourse. There are questions about what counts as infrastructure, what does a modern society and economy require, and if and how social services should be included in an infrastructure plan. That is the point of policy discussions. Understanding these disagreements in policy is the whole point of critical thinking and nuance. What is less clear is the fact that very few news organizations h...
Apr 12, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Infrastructure Week. Finally!! Except don’t call it an infrastructure bill, because apparently it’s called the Americans Jobs Plan. In today’s episode of Polilogue, we examine the framing by the Biden administration for their new aspirational jobs bill and their goal to expand the definition of infrastructure. Some of the journalists questioned this premise stronger than others. We also discuss differing expert opinions regarding a COVID fourth wave and the host responsibility to lay out the fac...
Apr 05, 2021•1 hr 22 min
Today on Polilogue, we explore more conversations about bipartisanship and voter rights. We also looked at a special episode on gun violence. We ask ourselves if journalists asked the right questions. We examine if the hosts framed issues appropriately. And we wonder why some hosts weren’t ready with the rigorous follow up question. Shows discussed State of the Union on CNN Fox News Sunday on FOX This Week on ABC Meet the Press on NBC Face the Nation on CBS Contact us Email us at podcast@polilog...
Mar 29, 2021•1 hr 21 min
Migrants and unaccompanied minors are arriving to the southern border in new record numbers. Department of Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was on four shows to explain how the Biden administration was working on the issue in a humane manner, but Secretary Mayorkas provided few details on how the decades-long crisis would actually be resolved. We also discuss how poorly all the shows explained the border crisis or even the immigration crisis more broadly, in any meaningful way. Shows discus...
Mar 22, 2021•1 hr 3 min
Today on Polilogue we look at if and how the Sunday talk shows presented Biden’s now fully confirmed American Rescue Plan. Shows like Fox News Sunday had extensive conversations about the law’s cost and intended impact. Shows like Meet the Press failed to acknowledge the new law at all. We all discussed the difference between vague and specific questions; the value of a good clarifying question; and how to spot when a journalist is asking a troll question. Shows discussed State of the Union on C...
Mar 15, 2021•1 hr 11 min
President Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief package finally passed the Senate last Friday. The House still needs to approve a few remaining amendments, but it’s official: President Biden’s first piece of tentpole piece of legislation is on its way to become law. The effort was narrowly approved with only 50 votes after certain benefits were reduced to appease a moderate Democrat with substantial power in the Senate: Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Senator Manchin was on four of the five Sunday shows to...
Mar 08, 2021•1 hr 17 min
This week on Polilogue, we look at how leaders attempt to get the next phase of normalcy as COVID continues to be a threat. Governor Andy Beshear from Kentucky prioritized teacher vacinnes and getting children into schools. Meanwhile, Governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota deflects the criticisms about the death toll in her state. We continue to wait for guidance from Dr. Fauci and other public health officials regarding the transmissibility of vaccinated people. Chapters Introduction Quality: Ken...
Mar 01, 2021•1 hr 15 min
This week on Polilogue, we examine the questions and conversations about the crisis in Texas. Millions of people were without electricity or water for days during a winter storm. In less than a week, dozens of lives were lost, people suffered and went hungry, and billions of dollars in property and infrastructure were damaged. How did an energy-rich state like Texas drop the ball the minute the temperatures dropped? We also continue to look at the language and recommendations by public health of...
Feb 22, 2021•1 hr 10 min
This week on Polilogue, the Director of the CDC re-appears. It remains unclear if and how the Biden administration will stick with the science to determine if schools should reopen. Either way, the Director of the CDC leans on very little data to communicate these new public health guidances. We also discuss the importance of recognizing which questions weren’t being asked. Chapters Introduction Power Player of the Week Stealing Insight The Maga Siege (New Details) Missing Questions CDC Reappear...
Feb 15, 2021•1 hr 9 min
This week on Polilogue, we look at the conversations that took place on the Sunday shows with Republican senators about the impending impeachment trial. Very few Republicans were were willing to suggest clear accountability measures against the former president who encouraged an insurrection at the Capitol. We also spoke about President Biden’s proposed COVID relief bill. Some shows put their attention on people suffering, other shows focused on the Washington insider baseball game. Chapters Int...
Feb 08, 2021•1 hr 5 min
This week on Polilogue, we examine how journalists are interrogating Biden’s proposed COVID Relief bill. We question if and how Republican priorities should be included in the Biden package. We also examine access, equity, and changes to the COVID vaccination rollout. Chapters Introduction N Quality: Republican Voices on MTP B Quality: Firm Questions, Competent Answers N Questionable: Vague Questions on FNS B Questionable: Inaccurate summaries N Politics: Interrogating Biden’s COVID Relief Plan ...
Feb 01, 2021•1 hr 6 min
This week on Polilogue, we discuss if and how Republicans will levy any consequences on President Trump. We also review the extensive interview with Dr. Deborah Birx on Face the Nation, which illuminates the destructive chaos of the Trump White House during a deadly pandemic. Chapters Introduction Missing COVID Questions & Answers Uncertain Certainty from Jon Karl Responsibility in the Senate Birx Looks Back The Missing Filibuster Explainer Trump’s Thriving Lies Show Ratings Dialogue Challen...
Jan 25, 2021•1 hr 15 min
This week on Polilogue, we discuss how the Republican Party is coming to terms with the Trump base. We also discuss which Republicans are dissenting and how they are expressing their dissent. We reflect on a powerful interview with Congressman Jamie Raskin, who is leading the impeachment charge while also surviving a painful personal loss. Chapters Introduction GOP Reckoning Not a Politician Lackluster persuasion Journalistic Theft Impeachment & Humanity Republican Accountability New Republi...
Jan 18, 2021•1 hr 17 min
This week on Polilogue, we discuss the horrifying attack on the US Capitol by Trump a rabid mob and white supremacist domestic terrorists. We analyze the half a dozen ways the shows explained Wednesday’s gut-wrenching attack and we share what we’re expecting next in forthcoming news coverage. Chapters Introduction How the Attack was Characterized Lack of Preparation Trump the Instigator The Republican Party’s Role Demanding Accountability Looking Ahead Dialogue Challenge Shows discussed State of...
Jan 11, 2021•1 hr 29 min
The vaccination rollout is moving at a snail pace. Vulnerable nursing home residents wait in limbo for their promised vaccine. for A cohort of Republican senators are attempting a last ditch effort to prevent the certification of the electoral college votes. All eyes on Georgia this week to determine control of the Senate. Chapters Introduction Quality: Qanon Explainer Quality: The Case for Voting Rights Questionable: New House Rules Questionable: Waiting Nursing Homes Journalism: Vaccination Ro...
Jan 04, 2021•1 hr 22 min
The COVID economic relief bill passes — just barely — in the nick of time. Nine months into a global pandemic, the public health messaging from administration officials still flounders. One voice on Face the Nation remains steady. Republicans seem fed up with the whiplash policy priorities of the Trump administration. Chapters Introduction Quality: Holiday Book Club Quality: Biden Review Questionable: Expert Interview Questionable: COVID Messaging Journalism: Appreciating Gottlieb Journalism: Re...
Dec 28, 2020•1 hr 25 min
