Hard Reset

What it’s like to be doxxed, systemic problems with American courts and why journalism is like an immune system. This is BigIfTrue.org’s last episode of Hard Reset. Thank you for listening, and keep up with our reporting by subscribing to our newsletter at BigIfTrue.org/hardreset.

On this week’s show, we spoke with Will Bedwell, housing attorney for the Mississippi Center for Justice. Since last year, the nonprofit law firm has seen a surge of evictions in Mississippi, which has some of the least tenant-friendly laws in the country. Also: What steps should you take if you get an eviction notice?

During the pandemic, many criminal courts moved at a glacial pace. Now some courts are facing backlogs that public defenders worry will further delay trials for their clients. We spoke with Jana Hayes, who wrote about this issue recently for Big If True. Also: Deepfakes and how Trump could return to social media

During the covid vaccine rollout, Americans have relied on state and federal websites to get vital information and sign up for the vaccine. But Kaiser Health News reported recently that millions of people with visual impairments have had trouble accessing the sites and getting vaccine appointments. We spoke with Lauren Weber, a Midwest correspondent for Kaiser Health News and one of the reporters behind the story. Also on the show: Millions of families are behind on their rent, placing a high demand on legal aid programs that provide free legal services to low-income Americans.

On this week's episode, Justin talks about what it was like on the ground in Houston during a brutal winter storm that left many Texans without electricity and water. Also: What makes Texas' grid different from those in other states and the optics of Sen. Ted Cruz leaving the state during the emergency.

Billions of dollars in federal aid were reserved to help hospitals financially survive the pandemic, but in some cases, funds went to the wrong owner or were never spent. We spoke with reporter Brianna Bailey of The Frontier, who recently reported on some of the issues that came up when this aid was rolled out in Oklahoma. Also: How Congress has responded to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s previous support for extremist views and conspiracy theories.

On this week’s show, we discuss some of President Joe Biden’s first executive orders and his administration’s plan for distributing the covid vaccine. Also: We spoke with reporter Emma Castleberry about how the pandemic has worsened workforce shortages in the health care industry.

On this week’s show, we talked about last week’s assault on the US Capitol, the police response to the riot and Twitter banning President Donald Trump. Also, we spoke with Jeremy Martin, who recently wrote about how certain evictions will be blocked through the end of January.

This semester, schools have relied on virtual learning as the pandemic disrupted traditional classes. We spoke with freelance reporter and former teacher Ben Luschen about why distance learning is here to stay and how students and teachers have adapted. Also on the show: In October, when 21-year-old Kevin Peterson Jr. was killed by Clark County deputies in Vancouver, Washington, he was carrying a gun. We discuss recent reports that the firearm was originally owned by the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office in Portland. Plus: The New York Times’ “Caliphate” podcast has been discredited. So why haven’t they removed the episodes that have proven to be false?

Mollie and Justin talk about podcasts, why our listening habits have changed this year and how what’s in the news plays out in our lives. Donate here to help us reach our goal to raise $1,500 to cover Big If True's reporting costs.

During the pandemic, women have been more likely than men to lose work, cut their hours, and take on more parenting and household responsibilities. On today’s show, we spoke with reporter Emma Castleberry about how women have juggled financial challenges, parenting and getting covid. Also: The coronavirus vaccine and Trump’s sustained false narrative on the election results.

For writer and comedian Jennie Egerdie, 2020 has been a year of personal and global upheaval. We talked about how the pandemic has impacted her work, her creative process and how humor can be rooted in kindness. (You can read one of her pieces that imagines the lives of the characters Frog and Toad during the pandemic here.) Also on the show, JC and Mollie talked about how they’ll celebrate Thanksgiving during a time when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have advised Americans not to travel.

False claims surrounded the election, but it seems immune to efforts to delegitimize the results. We recap some of those efforts and offer predictions for what a Biden presidency could mean for how the government works, climate change policy and local media.

About 20 states have released inmates early from prisons that have been hot spots for covid-19. But a post-pandemic world has made it harder for formerly incarcerated people to get essential things like identification, homes and jobs. We spoke with Emma Castleberry, who recently wrote about the new challenges to reentry after prison. Plus: How tech companies responded to an “October surprise” story based on potentially hacked materials.

A month after it went into effect, many tenants still don’t know about a federal eviction ban that covers 96% of renters. We spoke with reporters Sarah Fowler and Ben Luschen about why advocates worry that a moratorium without rental assistance could leave tenants with thousands of dollars in debt and a remaining specter of eviction when the ban expires at the end of the year. Editor Mollie Bryant also shared how Big If True identified three top evictors in Oklahoma that received at least $1.5 million in federal loans meant to offset financial losses during the pandemic.

The American west is facing a more severe wildfire season, which comes with stress, loss and a sense of mourning for our planet called climate grief. We spoke with Wired science journalist Matt Simon about this grief many of us are experiencing and the delicate balance of covering “the apocalypse beat” while keeping readers engaged with an often bleak topic. Later on the show: Antigen tests for covid-19 are being used more and more, especially in places like nursing homes and colleges. But a reporting team from Kaiser Health News found that 21 states don’t report the results from these tests, restricting our understanding of the pandemic and our ability to respond to it. We spoke with one of the journalists behind this report, Rachana Pradhan, about why we need more antigen testing and how the pandemic has underscored longstanding problems with our health care system.

For decades, Utah has dominated the for-profit industry to help troubled kids, with facilities there receiving millions in government funds. We spoke with Salt Lake Tribune reporter Jessica Miller about her investigation into these youth treatment centers, where some former residents said they were abused. Also: The politicization of a covid-19 vaccine and how violence in Portland and Kenosha, Wisconsin is playing out online.

The pandemic has highlighted and worsened inequality in the United States, where two neighborhoods in the same community can have vastly different infection rates. Also: How prison overcrowding can lead to covid outbreaks.

Today on the show: For years, far-right personalities have claimed that tech companies are biased against conservatives. Recent reports from NBC News and BuzzFeed show that at Facebook, fears of that perception led the company to turn a blind eye to misinformation from certain conservative pages. Also: Why this year’s election results may be delayed and a look at the president’s recent executive order on evictions.

The federal government’s plan to fight the coronavirus has some holes. For some cities and states, that means filling those holes to protect the public. This week’s show looks at this issue in two areas that deeply affect our lives – work and school. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration has released guidelines, but no concrete, enforceable rules that force businesses to take actions to protect their workers against covid-19. So last week, Virginia became the first state to create its own safety rules in response to the pandemic. We spoke with Doris Crouse-Mays, president of Virginia AFL-CIO, about why the requirements were needed. Meanwhile, school districts are deciding whether or not to start fall classes in person or online. We talked to Aaron Phillips, president of the Amarillo Education Association, about the Texas Education Agency’s plan to allow schools to begin the fall semester virtually.

Far-right extremists called the Boogaloo Bois have gained national attention after multiple arrests and their presence at some racial justice protests. We spoke with Cassie Miller, a senior research analyst for the Southern Poverty Law Center, about why the pandemic was a breaking point for the group and whether or not it’s an actual movement. We also spoke with tech journalist Jacob Silverman about what journalists go through while covering Facebook, which does everything it can to throw reporters “off the scent” of a story. At the same time, there’s a big power disparity between news outlets and Facebook. Newsrooms rely on the social network for traffic and sometimes for funding. Through the Facebook Journalism Project, the company has given millions of dollars to news organizations.

On Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, President Donald Trump held his first rally in months, an event that was controversial from the beginning. We spoke with Dylan Goforth, editor in chief of the Tulsa-based investigative news site The Frontier, to get some context about what the rally meant to Tulsans and how the city and state responded to criticism that the event would put the public’s health at risk. Plus: The use of surveillance on protesters and the companies that have cut coronavirus hazard pay.

Since last week, editors at multiple publications have resigned over racism allegations or in response to criticism of their protest coverage. On this week’s show, we spoke with Jason Johnson, a Morgan State University associate professor focused on politics and journalism. He says that the journalism industry, which is more white and male than the population at large, keeps failing to recruit and empower black journalists. Also: Ongoing discussions about racism have prompted some communities to remove Confederate statues. Will Mississippi become part of the trend and retire its flag, which contains the Confederate emblem?

In the journalism industry, coverage choices that have been the standard for decades are being called into question amid sustained protests against police brutality. Newsrooms are reconsidering the merits of everything from photographing activists to the words and headlines used to frame protests. Meanwhile, dozens of videos have shown police attacking protesters and journalists. What do these incidents say about Americans’ right to protest?

Courthouses across the country are expecting a flood of new civil cases as they begin to reopen their doors. Legal aid programs, which provide legal help to low-income people, are already seeing an increased demand for their services. At the same time, some legal aid programs stand to lose millions of dollars because of the financial impact of covid-19.

Journalists are in new terrain. They’re learning as much as they can as quickly as they can about how their communities are being impacted by the coronavirus. But how do you report the story of the century from home? Mississippi Today editor-in-chief Ryan L. Nave talks about how his newsroom is approaching the story and the role stereotypes about the South play in national covid-19 coverage. Also: A fact check on a small business relief program that got off to a rocky start.

A constant flood of information about covid-19 is taking its toll on some of us as we struggle to balance staying informed with managing our mental health. Even before covid-19, Americans were increasingly dealing with news fatigue – the feeling of being exhausting by the news. We’ll talk with researchers about what causes news fatigue, why people avoid the news during stressful times and how to find ways to balance your news consumption. Plus: Why we should get away from the conventional wisdom that journalists have to be objective and bias-free to do their jobs.

As the coronavirus began to spread in the United States, President Donald Trump misrepresented the illness’ potential impact. On this week’s show, we’ll factcheck the president and examine gaps in reporting requirements for the pharmaceutical industry. Plus: How a viral infographic from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was taken out of its original context.

Last week, President Donald Trump pardoned and gave clemency to eight people who were convicted of white-collar crimes. One of those who were pardoned is Michael Milken, a former investment banker who was accused of insider trading and stock manipulation. Milken played a crucial role in making junk bonds popular, ushering in an era of hostile takeovers and high corporate debt. Also on the show: In a recently resurfaced clip, billionaire and presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg suggested farming is simple and doesn’t take much “gray matter.” We have some context on what Bloomberg said and how farmers invest in technology.

The Equal Rights Amendment is getting a second life, but a lot is up in the air, including whether or not it could go into effect after missing a ratification deadline decades ago. Meanwhile, some opponents argue that it could increase access to abortion. Also on the show: Roger Stone’s attorneys requested a new trial, alleging the head juror was biased. His defense team knew she had run for office as a Democrat, but did not attempt to remove her from the case.  Plus, an update on white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who YouTube banned last week for hate speech violations.

The results from last week’s Democratic caucuses in Iowa were delayed for days after the app responsible for reporting the results malfunctioned. Co-host Justin Sanders, who works in software and app development, explains how the app failed and some ways these issues could have been avoided. Also: One last impeachment fact check and a look into a Trump administration plan that could lead to Medicaid cuts.

Disinformation and propaganda have dominated the impeachment process from the beginning. On this week’s show, we look at this through the lens of two claims from Senate Republicans and Trump’s defense attorneys during the trial: Did the House of Representatives “not do its job” when requesting evidence for the impeachment investigation? And was attorney Alan Dershowitz’s jarring comment about quid pro quos and the public interest mischaracterized in the media?

President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial is underway, and there are still some uncertainties. Will the trial include witnesses? Will the Senate stay awake during any part of the proceedings? Will Sen. Rand Paul ever finish his crossword puzzle? Also: Listeners, we want to know what you think about Hard Reset. Take our survey by visiting bigiftrue.org/survey.

Presidents and other officials can be impeached for “treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” On today’s show: What that means and why impeachment charges don’t have to be tied to a specific crime.

After an American drone strike killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani this month, President Donald Trump and other officials have said that the general had been planning an attack against the U.S. at the time of his death. But the White House has offered conflicting details of Soleimani’s plans to attack and no evidence to support them. On this episode of Hard Reset, we’ll explore those contradictions and factcheck two other claims that emerged after Soleimani’s death: Did Democrats mourn Soleimani and is his daughter a U.S. citizen?

Last week, a report from the Department of Justice’s inspector general examined how the FBI conducted its investigation into whether or not the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election. We factchecked a claim about the report and former Central Intelligence Agency head John Brennan. Plus: YouTube’s updated harassment policy and why Big If True looks for data voids, search engine results that provide little or no reliable information.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts that a new policy for food stamp recipients will cause about 688,000 people to lose their benefits. We factchecked some of the reactions to this rule change, including whether or not children will be affected and if this will hit families before the Christmas holiday. Plus, an update from last week’s episode about hate speech podcasts.

As podcasts grow in popularity, white nationalists and white supremacists are using the platform to reach a broader audience ever. Experts on extremism have expressed concerns that these shows could radicalize others into hate groups. Today on the show: How white nationalists use podcasts to fly under the radar, how these shows amplify conspiracy theories and how audio platforms are responding to this content.

A 21-year-old white nationalist is using online platforms like YouTube to rally his followers into trolling conservatives IRL. On this episode, we’ll hear from William Nardi, a conservative writer for National Review who met Nicholas Fuentes when they both were college students in Boston.

The internet is filled with hoax photos, but tracing where they came from isn’t as hard as you might think. The Hard Reset team gives you tips on how to identify a fake photo and walks you through the process reporters used to debunk two very different images – a K9 unit linked to the al-Baghdadi raid and Prince’s mugshot from a Mississippi jail.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump announced the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi during a U.S. special operations raid in Syria. In his speech, Trump claimed he predicted the 9/11 attacks, but is that accurate? And another fact check: Can medical abortions be reversed?

Last week, Hillary Clinton accused Russia of “grooming” Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard for a third-party presidential bid. There isn’t evidence to back that up, which raises questions of why Clinton made the claim, where her allegations came from and if Clinton’s attacks actually aided Russia in sowing discord in the Democratic party.

This week on the show: Last week, a questionable story spread from a press conference in Ukraine to Fox News and other conservative outlets. We ask the age-old question: Why do news organizations run unvetted or straight-up inaccurate information? Also mentioned on the show: False equivalence, how news fatigue contributes to an unbalanced media diet and the Columbia Journalism Review’s adopted role as public editor.

JC and Mollie peel back the layers of misinformation surrounding the whistleblower complaint, including the main tactics being used to discredit allegations involving Trump and Ukraine. Also: How the reliance on anonymous sources and filter bubbles impact perceptions of the media.

Hard Reset factchecks claims growing around the Trump-Ukraine call and whistleblower complaint. Was there a quid quo pro or a cover-up? Do the whistleblowers’ attorneys work for Hilary Clinton and donate to Joe Biden’s presidential campaign? Plus, how a new Twitter feature could aid the spread of misinformation.

The last week has been dominated by news of a whistleblower complaint alleging President Donald Trump made a promise to a Ukrainian leader. We factchecked some responses to this story. Plus: A $2.2 billion valuation for the company that provides background checks to the gig economy; a revived conspiracy theory about Jussie Smollett, Cory Booker and Kamala Harris; and issues with a popular statistic on transgender youth.

A lawsuit filed last week alleges Uber is willfully breaking a new California state law by continuing to classify its drivers as contractors. Plus, a factchecking rundown from the third Democratic debate.

Silicon Valley’s biggest gig-economy companies use a background check provider that puts the onus on the consumer to correct its mistakes. At least dozens of workers have lost opportunities at Uber, Lyft and other companies due to issues with background checks from San Francisco-based Checkr Inc., according to lawsuits and interviews conducted by Big If True. Hard Reset host Justin Sanders and Big If True founder Mollie Bryant talk about what makes Checkr’s background checks different from more traditional screenings, what happens when job applicants dispute a report from Checkr and what Bryant found when she ran a Checkr screening on herself.

Proposed rules for the nation's nursing homes would scale back regulations for infection prevention and antipsychotic prescriptions. The industry said these requirements were unnecessary, costly and burdensome, but elder care advocates are concerned that eliminating them will put residents at risk.

In 2014, Oklahoma City's immigration court, technically a sub-office of Dallas's court, closed its doors. Big If True and Oklahoma Gazette examined the impact of the closure five years later, as defendants face higher costs to defend their cases. Plus: Conspiracy theories began to circulate within minutes of Jeffrey Epstein's apparent suicide in jail. Epstein had faced charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy.

Sexual assault victims have the right to file lawsuits under Title IX, a federal law that bans sexual discrimination at colleges and universities. But these lawsuits are restricted by statutes of limitations, meaning judges can dismiss cases that aren't filed within a certain amount of time. Victim advocates say this deprives assault victims of their day in court, especially in situations where abuse didn't come to light until years later.