Reliable Sources - podcast cover

Reliable Sources

Reliable Sources examines how journalists do their jobs and how the media affect the stories they cover in this CNN program.
Download Metacast podcast app
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Sunshine Week 2021: Meet three journalists who are shining a light on local and federal government

Brian Stelter speaks with Los Angeles Times DC bureau chief Kimbriell Kelly, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editor George Stanley, and Katie Townsend, legal director at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. The trio of Freedom of Information experts preview Sunshine Week, a weeklong initiative promoting open government. "There's a lot more that needs to be done to increase transparency to government at both a federal level and at a local level," Kelly says. To learn more about how CNN pr...

Mar 12, 202136 min

March 7, 2021: All roads lead to the Murdochs; royal correspondent defends negative Meghan Markle coverage; Iowa reporter faces trial after covering BLM protest

Plus... How the GOP takes its "cancel culture" cues from Fox; NYT columnist criticized for conflict of interest; the ups and downs of broadcasting from home during the pandemic. Diane Falzone, Sarah Ellison, Oliver Darcy, Maribel Perez Wadsworth, Richard Palmer and Kristin Meinzer join Brian Stelter. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mar 07, 202141 min

The Atlantic's Alexis Madrigal on ending the COVID Tracking Project, and what that says about the federal response to the pandemic

At the twelve-month mark of the pandemic in the United States, COVID Tracking Project co-founder Alexis Madrigal looks both backward and forward in a wide-ranging conversation with Brian Stelter. Madrigal says the volunteer pop-up collective "stumbled into a real gap in our pandemic preparedness and then have done our best to fill it." But it was necessary because of the federal government’s failures. “Going state by state” and gathering the data “in the way that we did really put us in touch wi...

Mar 05, 202134 min

February 28, 2020: What CPAC revealed about the state of right-wing media; inside the NYT's diversity report; Stelter says 'don't get distracted'

Plus... Rep. David Cicilline says "local news is on life support" and shares legislative plans; Jill Filipovic on left-wing critiques of Biden coverage; Farai Chideya on people who "act based on their team, not based on facts;" and more. Dave Weigel, Katie Rogers, Jill Filipovic, Farai Chideya, Rep. David Cicilline, Marty Baron and Carolyn Ryan join Brian Stelter. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.c...

Feb 28, 202140 min

Marty Baron reflects on his tenure at The Washington Post — and what's next for journalism

Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron joins Brian Stelter for a final interview before retiring from the Post at the end of February. They discuss his career; the Post's expansion; and the news outlet's future as well as his own retirement plans. Baron says he plans to stay "active and involved" in the news industry, just not on a full-time basis. He also talks about being an editor in the digital age; the growing importance of visual storytelling; and the transition from the Trump admini...

Feb 25, 202127 min

February 21, 2021: How fact-checking is changing in a post-Trump world; why hysterical headlines hurt the Covid vaccine rollout; will countries link arms and make Facebook pay for news?

Plus... Power and water disasters in Texas are shining a light on local news; out-of-context headlines are clouding Covid-19 vaccine news; how Ted Cruz's trip to Cancun was exposed by Twitter sleuths; and more. Emily Ramshaw, Bill Carter, Carol Leonnig, Daniel Dale, Angie Drobnic Holan, Dr. Leana Wen, Steven Guilbeault and Jeff Jarvis join Brian Stelter. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoic...

Feb 21, 202142 min

Steven Waldman on Facebook’s fight in Australia, Alden’s takeover of Tribune, and how philanthropy could help fix the local news crisis

Steven Waldman, the president and co-founder of Report for America, connects the dots between the local news crisis, the "financialization" of newspaper ownership, and the spread of disinformation on social media. Brian Stelter also asks Waldman about the rash of recent news about the news industry, including the international implications of the Australian proposal to have tech platforms pay publishers for news, and a hedge fund’s bid to buy Tribune Publishing. Waldman says the decline of local...

Feb 19, 202129 min

February 14, 2021: The future of MAGA media after Trump's acquittal; Rep. Sara Jacobs on extremism, 'conflict entrepreneurs' and the need for a 'truth commission'

Plus... Politico's editor reacts to White House aide's resignation; BBC World Service boss reacts to China's ban of the BBC; what went wrong with The New York Times' Caliphate podcast; and more. Carrie Budoff Brown, Rep. Sara Jacobs, Tina Nguyen, Erik Wemple, Lorraine Ali, Noah Shachtman and Jamie Angus join Brian Stelter. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feb 14, 202141 min

Valentine's Day edition: Jamie Stelter turns the mic on Brian

Brian Stelter's better half, NY1 host Jamie Stelter, takes over the podcast for a Valentine-themed episode. Jamie surprises Brian with questions submitted via social media, covering everything from work habits to pandemic parenting, from "love language" to local news. A special Sunny guest makes an appearance at the end of the conversation. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feb 11, 202139 min

February 7, 2021: One-on-one with White House press secretary Jen Psaki; 'consequence culture' comes for Lou Dobbs; Zeynep Tufekci on why everyone should stop 'doomscrolling'

Plus... Dominion spokesman Michael Steel explains the voting tech company's legal strategy; David Folkenflik discusses the latest turmoil at The New York Times; and Dannagal Young explains the twisted psychology of conspiracy theories. Lynn Oberlander, Brittany Shepherd, Michael Steel, David Folkenflik, Dannagal Young, and Zeynep Tufekci join Brian Stelter. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adch...

Feb 07, 202145 min

Jonathan Swan on 'Trump's Last Stand,' the need to 'capture history' and the importance of leaks

Jonathan Swan shares what he has learned about President Trump's final weeks in office, including a feud with Fox News and a conspiracy-drenched shouting match in the Oval Office. Swan, a national political correspondent for Axios, has published a long-form investigative series called "Off the Rails" and a narrative podcast, "How It Happened: Trump's Last Stand," about his reporting. "This is probably the strongest compulsion I've had in my career" and "the most driven I've been to get something...

Feb 06, 202141 min

January 31, 2021: Nick Kristof on Fox and extremism; left-wing media pressuring Biden to keep his promises; the right and wrong ways to cover Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

Plus... Oliver Darcy says there is no real ‘civil war’ in the GOP; Brian Stelter discusses freedom of reach versus freedom of speech; what should the next era of news leadership look like? Nicholas Kristof, Tia Mitchell, Oliver Darcy, Briahna Joy Gray, Dave Weigel, Elizabeth Bruenig, Farai Chideya, and Rick Davis join Brian Stelter. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 31, 202143 min

Rick Davis, CNN's retiring head of news standards and practices, reflects on his 40 years with the network

Rick Davis is a living CNN legend. He was the executive producer of CNN Sports when the network launched in 1980; he was the vice president in charge of Washington programs like Reliable Sources and Inside Politics in the 90s; and he has been the executive VP for news standards and practices since 1998. With Davis retiring at the end of January, Brian Stelter asks him to share some highlights from his career and evaluate CNN's role in the news landscape. Davis shares his memories of CNN's launch...

Jan 29, 202154 min

January 24, 2021: Three former press secretaries share insights; Trump's final favor to a Fox News star; is Biden making the news boring again?

Plus... Stuart Stevens says Rupert Murdoch is "the most dangerous immigrant in America;" Zeke Miller says the White House's new Covid protocols make the workplace "safer" for journalists; Biden-bashing has been turned up to 11 on right-wing TV. and a tribute to Larry King. Dr. Seema Yasmin, Karen Attiah, Zeke Miller, Stuart Stevens, Jay Carney, Joe Lockhart, Scot McClellan and Jim Acosta join Brian Stelter. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more a...

Jan 24, 202142 min

Ron Brownstein: 'Demographic eclipse' explains this era's political chaos and undergirds the Fox Business business model of 'victimhood'

Brian Stelter asks Ron Brownstein about how to process the years of history that have happened in just a few short weeks. Brownstein, the CNN senior political analyst and senior editor at The Atlantic, says the "big structural factor driving the politics of our era" is demographic eclipse. America is going through an "enormous demographic change that will produce a majority minority society," and as a result "the fundamental dividing line in American politics is between those who welcome and tho...

Jan 22, 202132 min

January 17, 2021: Maggie Haberman on the final chapter of Trump's presidency; Biden's White House will begin press briefings on Inauguration Day; protecting the press amid unrest in America

Plus... Why a top cybersecurity expert thinks groups like Proud Boys need to be treated like ISIS online; how to cover the information crisis; and a Fox News schedule shakeup rewards opinion over news. Maggie Haberman, Alex Stamos, Christopher Krebs, Dan Shelley, Nicole Carroll, Nicole Hemmer, David Folkenflik, Eugene Daniels and Sara Sidner join Brian Stelter. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/...

Jan 17, 202149 min

Sara Sidner on covering the Covid-19 'war zone' in California, and the moment her rage turned to tears on live TV

CNN's Sara Sidner says she felt "exposed and embarrassed" when she was overcome with emotion during a live report about the dire situation in southern California. It is what "we're taught not to do," she says. But her human reaction helped draw attention to the Covid-19 crisis, and she now says, "If it did something to help, then I'll embarrass myself every single day, all day long." Sidner and Brian Stelter discuss coverage of the pandemic; the state of emergency in and around Los Angeles; and ...

Jan 15, 202130 min

January 10, 2021: The lies that led up to the riot; a 'mass delusion event;' hear the moment the mob turned on a CNN crew

Plus... Congressional reporters share what they witnessed during the attack; editorial boards call for Trump and GOP senators to resign; where do we go from here? Jeffrey Goldberg, Susan Glasser, Adam Sharp, Julie Roginsky, Oliver Darcy, Alex Marquardt, Phil Mattingly, Manu Raju and Lauren Fox join Brian Stelter. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 10, 202149 min

Elle Reeve recounts the Capitol riot and her interviews with Trump supporters who were radicalized on the internet

CNN correspondent Elle Reeve tells Brian Stelter what she witnessed in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, January 6, from the Save America March near the White House to the riot at the Capitol. She examines the process of MAGA media radicalization that led up to the insurrection and the links to the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in August 2017. Reeve explains how her team members were able to move nimbly through the mob and says the people were not all "Internet basement dwellers." She sa...

Jan 09, 202157 min

January 3, 2020: How to cover a coup attempt; apocalyptic rhetoric in the Senate runoff ad war; Dan Abrams on possible defamation suits against right-wing media

Plus...Timothy Snyder on Trump's authoritarian aims; growing numbness to the Covid-19 death toll; how news outlets are exposing vaccine distribution delays; a 2021 forecast from CNN's media reporters. Timothy Snyder, Rana Cash, Astead Herndon, Emma Hurt, Dan Abrams, Dr. James Hamblin and Juliette Kayyem join Brian Stelter. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 03, 202145 min

December 27, 2020: Four CNN reporters reflect on Trump White House coverage; Jake Tapper and Daniel Dale's evaluation; will the media tune out Trump when Biden takes office?

Plus... Trump declared 'war' with the media, but did he win?; 'blood sport' aspect of Trump's anti-media attacks; how Trump's unhealthy TV addiction affected all of us; Dale says, 'coverage of Biden is going to be equally rigorous'; Tapper says some reporters 'bought into' Trump's narrative; Stelter says the press works for the people, not politicians. Abby Phillip, Jeremy Diamond, Kaitlan Collins, Jim Acosta, Daniel Dale and Jake Tapper join Brian Stelter. To learn more about how CNN protects l...

Dec 27, 202043 min

The media in 2021: CNN media reporters look ahead to the biggest stories of next year

How will news outlets adapt to covering Biden after four years of Trump? Will there be major mergers in digital media in 2021? Who will prevail in the streaming Olympics? Oliver Darcy, Donie O'Sullivan, Kerry Flynn, Frank Pallotta and Chloe Melas join Brian Stelter to share predictions about the year ahead, from a right-wing media recalibration to a return to movie theaters. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podca...

Dec 22, 202033 min

December 20, 2020: The radicalizing power of right-wing media networks; Washington Post editor shares growth plans and post-Trump vision

Plus... White House sources are sounding the alarm about Trump; Rupert Murdoch gets vaccine as his network fans flames of vaccine skepticism; what went wrong with the NYT's 'Caliphate' podcast. Elizabeth Neumann, Rosie Gray, Oliver Darcy, Margaret Sullivan, David Folkenflik and Marty Baron join Brian Stelter. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dec 20, 202041 min

The media in 2020: How a stay-at-home year changed the news and entertainment landscape

CNN reporters Oliver Darcy, Donie O'Sullivan, Kerry Flynn, Frank Pallotta and Chloe Melas join Brian Stelter for a bird's-eye view of a strange and surprising 2020. They discuss some of the biggest storylines of the year, from disinformation to Disney+, and identify some bright spots in a generally dark year. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dec 16, 202045 min

December 13, 2020: How Biden deniers are being misled by right-wing media; member of Biden legal team reacts to Trump's election lies

Plus... Local TV anchor helps thousands fighting for unemployment benefits; the story behind Jane Mayer's story about Dianne Feinstein; when right-wing "fan fiction" replaces journalism; Trump's favorite media outlets are ignoring the pandemic; why political reporters pay attention to voters' media diets; and more... Marc Elias, Matt Lewis, S.E. Cupp, Astead Herndon, Charlotte Alter, Jane Mayer and Anne McCloy join Brian Stelter. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.c...

Dec 13, 202045 min

A 'split-screen' pandemic: Juliette Kayyem on covering Covid-19's dire death toll alongside vaccine distribution

Juliette Kayyem, a Harvard lecturer and CNN national security analyst, talks about the balancing act of Covid-19 and how the coming months should be covered by the news media. She tells Brian Stelter that "the media can drive appropriate behavior" and combat pandemic fatigue. She also says the distribution of vaccines will be a “split screen” story and says responsible reporting can help with “vaccine hesitancy.” She says Fox News stars should do a public service by being vaccinated on camera. K...

Dec 11, 202039 min

December 6, 2020: What Biden reads and watches; how Trump's junk-food media diet hurt his White House; why the BBC is investigating its infamous 1995 interview of Princess Diana

Plus... Tom Friedman says "I pray to God" I don't have to write more Trump columns; how the AP is handling Trump's election denialism; meet a radio host who intervenes with callers who dismiss Covid-19 dangers. Evan Osnos, Thomas Friedman, Julie Pace, David Kessler, Dr. Esther Choo, Jeff Deminski and Andrew Neil join Brian Stelter. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dec 06, 202040 min

Professor Kate Starbird on the dangers of 'participatory disinformation' and the roots of election denialism

"There's this sort of co-creation of disinformation" about the 2020 election, resulting in a "really powerful false narrative of voter fraud that's going to be very hard to correct," Kate Starbird says. Starbird, an associate professor at the University of Washington and a co-founder of the Center for an Informed Public, calls this "participatory disinformation" and says propaganda is most effective "when it's coming from people you trust." Brian Stelter also asks about Starbird's work studying ...

Dec 05, 202031 min

November 29, 2020: Trump’s delusional TV interview; Jonathan Rauch on the ‘firehose of falsehood;’ how Politico is preparing to cover the Biden administration

Plus... Washington Post reporter Jacqueline Alemany shares her Covid-19 experience to counter deniers; press freedom experts on recovering from the ‘fake news’ era; Oliver Darcy on Fox’s ‘propaganda’ in service of Trump. Amanda Carpenter, Jonathan Rauch, Carrie Budoff Brown, Suzanne Nossel, Joel Simon, Oliver Darcy, Jacqueline Alemany and Amanda Marcotte join Brian Stelter. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcas...

Nov 29, 202046 min

Cognitive psychologist Briony Swire-Thompson on the science of lies, misinformation and fact-checking

What is the allure of misinformation? What are the reasons why people believe lies, and what does it take to change their minds? Brian Stelter speaks with Briony Swire-Thompson, cognitive psychologist and senior research scientist at Northeastern University's Network Science Institute, for answers. Swire-Thompson shares what her research has shown about lies, trust, and belief, and how Trumpism has changed the field of study. When it comes to conspiracy theories, Swire-Thompson says election den...

Nov 25, 202026 min
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android
Open in Metacast