Podcasts about medill

Back for a second time, Katie Krall is an adjunct lecturer at Northwestern in the Master's of Sports Administration Program teaching “Sports Business: Finance, Accounting, and Economics,” “Sports Organizations: Leadership Theory and Application,” and “Sports Performance and Front Office Operations” and at Medill where she teaches “Sports Marketing.” Katie was previously the Senior Product Manager of Global Baseball Strategy at Hawk-Eye Innovations, a division of Sony Sports Business where she spearheaded development of new products that leveraged biomechanics, player tracking, bat, and ball flight data. Krall spent 2022 as a Development Coach with the Boston Red Sox where she oversaw pitch design, advance scouting and integrating data into player plans. She also was part of the Global Strategy team at Google focusing on Google Workspace after two seasons with the Cincinnati Reds as a Baseball Operations Analyst, a position that combined the worlds of roster construction, analytics, and scouting. After receiving her undergraduate degree at Northwestern, Katie worked for a year and a half at Major League Baseball in the Commissioner's Office in New York City as a League Economics & Operations Coordinator. At MLB, Krall advised Clubs on 40-man roster management, MLB rules and compliance, major league administration, and salary arbitration. In addition to her academic work at Northwestern Katie received her MBA from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business.

Welcome to In Reality, the podcast about truth, disinformation and the media. I'm your host Eric Schurenberg, long time journalist and media executive, now the founder of the Alliance for Trust in MediaThe news business has been in freefall, as every listener to In Reality is aware. The plunge has been steepest in local journalism. We lose two local news outlets a week, on average. Half the counties in America have only one news outlet or none at all. Dousing that five alarm fire is the mission of today's guest, Mackenzie Warren, director of the Local News Accelerator at Northwestern University's Medill School, hands down one of the premier journalism schools in the country. Mackenzie is a long-time local newspaper executive himself; at Medill, he now helps local newsrooms in Illinois discover innovations aimed at putting themselves on a path to sustainability. Mackenzie joined Eric recently at his class on the future of media at the University of Chicago. They discussed the role of local news in counteracting polarization, the incoming class of new journalists and how they view their careers, as well as a few bright stars in the local news firmament, like the Minnesota Star Tribune, Chicago's hyper-local Block Club and Atlanta Journal Constitution.Website - free episode transcriptswww.in-reality.fmProduced by Tom Platts at Sound Sapiensoundsapien.comAlliance for Trust in Mediaalliancefortrust.com

Jennifer Chesak is the author of The Psilocybin Handbook for Women. She is an award-winning freelance science and medical journalist, editor, and fact-checker, and her work has appeared in several national and international publications, including the Washington Post and BBC. Chesak earned her master of science in journalism from Northwestern University's Medill, and she currently teaches in the journalism and publishing programs at Belmont University.    Holiday Gift Guide: https://hackmyage.com/biohackingfavoriteschristmas2024/ Book:  The Psilocybin Handbook for Women Matt Zemon episode: Psychedelics for Anxiety, Libido, and Pain - Safe or Risky?  Contact Jennifer Chesak Website: http://www.jenniferchesak.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenchesak/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jenchesakThreads: https://www.threads.com/jenchesak Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/jenchesak Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenchesak Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferchesak/   Get Primeadine by Oxford Healthspan. 15% discount with code ZORA ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. http://oxfordhealthspan.com/discount/ZORA Get Mitopure by Timeline. 10% discount with code ZORA at timeline.com/zora Visit getkion.com/zora for 20% off Kion Essential Amino Acids Try OneSkin skincare for with code ZORA at https://www.oneskin.co/zora Join ⁠⁠⁠Biohacking Menopause⁠⁠⁠ before January 1, 2025 to win Theranordic Daily Healthy Fibre and Optimized Enzymes. First 5 new members win! 10% off with code ZORA at theranordic.com.https://biohacking-menopause.mn.co Join the Hack My Age community on: Facebook Page : ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@⁠Hack My Age⁠    Facebook Group: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@⁠Biohacking Menopause⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠  Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@⁠HackMyAge⁠    Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HackMyAge.com⁠    ⁠Biohacking Menopause⁠ Membership Group  Email: zora@hackmyage.com This podcast is edited by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠jonathanjk@gmail.com   We cover:  What is the difference between psilocybin and other psychedelics? What is psilocybin used for and is it legal? How might psilocybin help with peri/post menopause? How magic mushrooms influence hormones What a journey looks like and how to prepare for it What a woman needs to know about psychedelic retreats How to find a safe, reputable and trustworthy doctor, therapist or facilitator Anti-inflammatory effects on joint pain and hot flashes How sexual dysfunction, body dysmorphia and depression may improve Contraindications and risks of psychedelics

More than two newspapers shut their doors every week in the U.S., according to a new study from Medill. Closer to home, Illinois ranks No. 6 in the country for the most number of newspaper closures in one year. At least five counties in the state are considered “news deserts” and 40 Illinois counties only have one local news source. Reset learns more about what the current state of journalism means for Illinois residents from the director of the Medill Local News Initiative, Tim Franklin. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

In POWER METAL, award-winning journalist Vince Beiser chronicles the destructive side effects that the global hunt for critical metals has on our clean energy transition, from environmental damage to political upheaval to murder. Vince Beiser is an award-winning journalist and author of “The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization.” The book has been translated into five languages, was a finalist for a PEN America award and a California Book Award, and spawned a TEDx talk. Vince is currently at work on a new book, “Power Metal”, about how the materials we need for digital technology and renewable energy are causing environmental havoc, political upheaval, mayhem and murder—and how we can do better. Vince has reported from over 100 countries, states, provinces, kingdoms, occupied territories, no man's lands and disaster zones. He has exposed conditions in California's harshest prisons, trained with troops bound for Iraq, ridden with the first responders to natural disasters, and hunted down other stories from around the world for publications including Wired, The Atlantic, Harper's, Time, The Guardian, Mother Jones, Playboy, Rolling Stone, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. Vince's work has been honored by Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Society of Professional Journalists, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the Columbia, Medill and Missouri Graduate Schools of Journalism, and many other institutions. He has three times been part of a team that won the National Magazine Award for General Excellence, and shared in an Emmy for his work with the PBS TV series SoCal Connected. He is also a grantee of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. ⁠https://vincebeiser.com/⁠ ⁠https://nexuspmg.com/

On the eve of election day in the U.S, the number of news outlets reporting on the races is continuing to dissipate. A recent report from Northwestern University found 127 newspapers across America closed down in 2023, leaving nearly 55 million Americans with limited or no access to local news.This continues the expanding trend of news deserts we've seen over the years, as now more than half of counties in the U.S. have one or zero local news outlets.Still, the report finds there is some room for optimism. 81 standalone digital local news sites opened in 2023, increasing the total number of those sites to 740.A persistent challenge for news publishers has been capturing advertisers dollars. Multiple recent studies are hoping to turn that tide, showing it's safe and valuable to advertise alongside news coverage.The latest success story comes up north in Canada, where Dentsu found some big time results for the effectiveness of local news.The holding company's VP of performance and platforms, Fil Lourenco, shared those results with me during our conversation. _______To read the full stories included in this episode:Medill report shows local news deserts expanding: https://bit.ly/48E4LYaMost U.S. counties have little to no local news sources: https://bit.ly/48ygFT4US Sports Streaming 2024. Women's Sports and Gambling Drive Viewership Gains: https://bit.ly/48zxInP_______The Current Report is our weekly news roundup of what's happening in the world of digital media. We headline topical stories every edition — everything from connected TV to retail media networks to new initiatives around identity — offering our fresh take on why it's relevant for the marketing community. Subscribe: https://bit.ly/45HIaXH_______Each week, The Current gives you the most critical innovations in advertising that are happening on the open internet — identity, the future of TV, retail media, and beyond. Born inside The Trade Desk, The Current is a news platform dedicated to covering the latest in modern marketing — all from the front lines. Speaking to the marketing world's most influential players, we explain what these seismic shifts mean, how they are happening, and why they are taking place: https://bit.ly/3SAM0wR

On Wednesday, September 11, 2024, Capitol Weekly hosted the California Ballot Forum: 2024 Election Preview. Through spirited discussion and reasoned debate, proponents for each side explored the strengths and weaknesses of the proposals in a conversation moderated by a journalist. Today's episode presents: Proposition 36 ALLOWS FELONY CHARGES AND INCREASES SENTENCES FOR CERTAIN DRUG AND THEFT CRIMES. INITIATIVE STATUTE. If passed, would allow felony charges for possessing certain drugs and for thefts under $950, if defendant has two prior drug or theft convictions. Fiscal Impact: State criminal justice costs likely ranging from several tens of millions of dollars to the low hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Local criminal justice costs likely in the tens of millions of dollars annually. The "Yes" side was presented by Tino Rossi Tino Rossi is the vice president at Swing Strategies, where he has helped Fortune 100 companies, trade associations, and statewide ballot measure campaigns craft diverse coalitions and effective messages that move voters and impact public opinion on the state's most complex issues. He has been an integral part of multiple successful statewide ballot measure fights, historic legislative negotiations, and prominent regional and statewide public affairs campaigns. Preceding his role at Swing Strategies, Tino mastered building diverse statewide coalitions, generating earned media, and executing effective grassroots campaigns at Meridian Pacific, Inc. The "No" side was presented by Cristine DeBerry Cristine Soto DeBerry is an attorney with twenty-five years of experience generating and implementing criminal justice policy. Drawing on her life experience as an immigrant, a crime survivor, a social justice advocate, and her work as both a public defender and a prosecutor, Cristine led the San Francisco District Attorney's Office for a decade as Chief of Staff to DAs George Gascón and Chesa Boudin. As Chief of Staff, DeBerry spearheaded numerous large-scale policy reforms include developing the nation's first automatic clearance of marijuana convictions, creating the nation's first “race blind charging” tool, and implemented a fully restorative justice program for juveniles. After a decade in the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, Cristine launched the Prosecutors Alliance. The Alliance is the nation's first reform focused law enforcement association dedicated to activating prosecutors to transform their state prosecutorial systems. The moderator was Lindsey Holden of POLITICO Lindsey Holden is a politics reporter based in Sacramento. She helms California Playbook PM, POLITICO's must-read briefing on politics and government in the Golden State. Lindsey previously reported for the Sacramento Bee, where she spent two-plus years covering the state Legislature. At the Bee, Lindsey and a coworker won two 2024 Sacramento Press Club awards for “Stuck in Migration,” a series on California migrant farmworker housing. Before the Bee, Lindsey was a staff writer at the San Luis Obispo Tribune reporting on local politics, housing and the Covid-19 pandemic. A Southern California native raised in the Midwest, Lindsey attended DePaul University where she was a track and field student-athlete before pursuing a journalism master's degree at Medill. Capitol Weekly is a 501c3 nonprofit created to inform, enlighten and educate Californians about public policy and state governance, and to provide a nonpartisan platform for engagement with public officials, advocates and political interests. Thanks to our underwriters for this event: BICKER, CASTILLO, FAIRBANKS & SPITZ PUBLIC AFFAIRS, THE TRIBAL ALLIANCE OF SOVEREIGN INDIAN NATIONS, WESTERN STATES PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION, PHYSICIAN ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA; LUCAS PUBLIC AFFAIRS, KP PUBLIC AFFAIRS, PERRY COMMUNICATIONS, CAPITOL ADVOCACY, THE WEIDEMAN GROUP, CALIFORNIA PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTERS, THE NO ON 33 CAMPAIGN, and THE YES ON 34 CAMPAIGN

In this episode of The PR Maven® Podcast, host Nancy Marshall welcome Kelsey and Derrick Ogletree, founders of Pitchcraft, a people-focused PR platform that aims to restore integrity and accountability in the media industry. Founded in 2021 and based in Florence, Alabama, Pitchcraft distinguishes itself by integrating a journalist's perspective into PR strategies, emphasizing relationship building among PR professionals, writers and editors. The platform offers membership to PR professionals, providing resources, content and community support to foster better connections and earned media placements. The founders discuss their journey from conceiving Pitchcraft during the pandemic to moving from Chicago to rural Alabama and the challenges they faced. They also highlight Pitchcraft's unique approach to PR, including focusing on lifestyle sectors, offering flexible payments and fostering a supportive community. Additionally, they share useful tips for crafting effective pitches and stress the importance of developing genuine relationships with media professionals. The episode concludes with a special offer for PR Maven podcast listeners and insights into the future of PR and media relations.  00:00 Introduction to The PR Maven® Podcast  02:07 Meet the Founders of Pitchcraft: Kelsey and Derrick Ogletree  03:30 The Origins and Mission of Pitchcraft  04:50 Pitchcraft's Unique Approach to PR and Media  09:04 The Evolution of Pitchcraft: From Pandemic Idea to PR Platform  12:43 The Future of PR  15:50 Building Relationships in PR  24:25 Crafting the Perfect Pitch: Tips and Strategies (continued at 34:15)  29:10 What Defines Newsworthiness   31:03 Walking The Line Between Being Helpful and Annoying With Journalists  37:00 Closing Thoughts and How to Connect with Pitchcraft    Get $200 off your first month of Pitchcraft using the code PRMAVEN.   Free download about the top ways to build relationships with journalists.   https://youtu.be/_TjcEBpNuIU   Related Episodes  Episode 135: How To Borrow Credibility and Build Relationships, With Beth Nydick, Publicity Strategist at Beth Nydick Media  Episode 230: How To Infuse Storytelling Into Your Brand, With Mads Hanna, Founder of Curated Compass  Episode 130: How Small Businesses Can Earn Media Coverage, With Sabina Hitchen, Founder of Press for Success    About Kelsey and Derrick  Pitchcraft was co-founded in 2021 by husband-and-wife team Derrick and Kelsey Ogletree, who live in Florence, Alabama, with their 1-year-old son Asher. Having grown up in small towns and with strong family values, they're passionate about bringing people together in meaningful, authentic ways. Through Pitchcraft, they aim to help restore integrity and accountability to the media industry through putting people first.  Kelsey, CEO of Pitchcraft, is a Medill-trained independent journalist whose work has appeared in many print and digital outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Travel + Leisure, AARP The Magazine and others. Derrick, COO of Pitchcraft, is a graduate of the University of Alabama who previously spent over a decade in corporate finance.    This episode is sponsored by:  Pitchcraft - pitchcraft.media

The journalism school at Northwestern University released a study about the state of news coverage in the United States. The study's director, researcher Sarah Stonbely, joined Family Life News for a conversation about how the media landscape has changed, and how the biases of many national media outlets makes local news coverage that much more important. However, she says, local news is hurting too. As traditional sources for news are hurting, many more Americans are living in what is described as a "news desert" -- a local region where people have only one sources (or zero!) for local news. Newspapers are drying up at a rate of two per week, fewer and fewer broadcasters focus on news, and much of the public now goes to social media to stay informed. Included in this interview: What troubles have arisen due to changes in news media, plus what are some current bright spots? When national outlets have skewed toward a single viewpoint (one side or the other the cultural or political spectrum), what role must local newswriters and newscasters take for their local audience? How should news organizations "fix" these dilemmas? What is essential for the consumers of news and information, as they seek balance, truth and insights? Dr. Sarah Stonbely is the director of the Local News Project from the Medill School of Journalism and Media at Northwestern University.  Their latest report is available here: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/projects/state-of-local-news/2023/ Medill's News Initiative also has additional articles, research and analysis of what the news landscape is like these days, plus a data-based "MRI" of what is happening in news media -- with expectations of what trends will be next: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/

Vince Beiser is an award-winning journalist and author of “The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization.” The book has been translated into five languages, was a finalist for a PEN America award and a California Book Award, and spawned a TEDx talk. Vince is currently at work on a new book, “Power Metal”, about how the materials we need for digital technology and renewable energy are causing environmental havoc, political upheaval, mayhem and murder—and how we can do better. Vince has reported from over 100 countries, states, provinces, kingdoms, occupied territories, no man's lands and disaster zones. He has exposed conditions in California's harshest prisons, trained with troops bound for Iraq, ridden with the first responders to natural disasters, and hunted down other stories from around the world for publications including Wired, The Atlantic, Harper's, Time, The Guardian, Mother Jones, Playboy, Rolling Stone, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. Vince's work has been honored by Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Society of Professional Journalists, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the Columbia, Medill and Missouri Graduate Schools of Journalism, and many other institutions. He has three times been part of a team that won the National Magazine Award for General Excellence, and shared in an Emmy for his work with the PBS TV series SoCal Connected. He is also a grantee of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. https://vincebeiser.com/ https://nexuspmg.com/

Takeaways from this episode: Psilocybin, Endometriosis, and women's health. Psychedelics, brain flexibility, and endometriosis.  Endometriosis and mental health. Psychedelic-assisted therapy and integration. Psilocybin mushroom integration and its impact on the nervous system and gut health. Endometriosis, inflammation, and potential therapeutic benefits of psilocybin. Psilocybin's impact on menstrual cycles and endometriosis. Psilocybin benefits for mental health and comparing it to SSRIs. Endometriosis and wholistic health with a medical professional. Dr. Lj Johnson specializes in endometriosis and hormones while utilizing wholistic functional medicine. Johnson's passion stems from her own personal experience of managing multiple chronic illness diagnoses including the 16 years it took for her to be properly diagnosed with endometriosis.  Dr. Lj has worked in the women's health industry for over 25 years while overcoming her own diagnosis of endometriosis. Lj's passion is to empower, motivate, and educate all women, so they too can have quality of life despite their symptoms or diagnosis. ⁠⁠⁠⁠  Join Hormone Restoration Program: https://calendly.com/saynotoendo/discoverycall https://www.ljspowerhouse.org/ Jennifer Chesak is the author of the book The Psilocybin Handbook for Women: How Magic Mushrooms, Psychedelic Therapy, and Microdosing Can Benefit Your Mental, Physical, and Spiritual Health. She is a Nashville-based freelance journalist, editor, fact-checker, and adjunct professor with almost two decades of experience and a Master of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University's Medill.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wholisticendoexpert/support

Exploring the Potential of Psilocybin for Menstruation and Menopause.In this podcast episode of the Thriving Thru Menopause podcast, we talk about using psilocybin, a type of psychedelic compound, as a holistic approach to managing health conditions related to menstruation and menopause. I am joined by leading scientific journalist and author of The Psilocybin Handbook for Women, Jennifer Chesak. She highlights its effects on the brain and defines how it impacts mental structure and responses to beliefs. The potential benefits of women using psilocybin range from improving body image and mood enhancement to managing conditions like PMDD and PMS. Although clinical trials and research in this area are still underway, she emphasizes the need for the scientific community to consider psilocybin as a potential therapeutic solution in women's health. Key Points of the Conversations* Why a book for women?* Why/how does psilocybin work? Why are we seeing promising results through research?* How does psilocybin affect the menstrual cycle?* Can psilocybin help with menopause (depression, sexual dysfunction, overall symptoms)?* Any safety concerns?Timeline01:32 Introducing the Guest: Jennifer Chesak 01:57 Understanding Psilocybin and Its Benefits 03:48 The Role of Psilocybin in Women's Health 09:45 The Science Behind Psilocybin 18:19 Psilocybin and Indigenous Practices 24:06 Psilocybin and Women's Menstrual Health 28:28 Psilocybin and Menstrual Cycle: Timing and Energy Considerations 29:26 Fasting and Psychedelic Journey: A Menstrual Perspective 29:50 Understanding Macro and Micro Dosing 30:30 Microdosing and Menstrual Cycle: A Research Perspective 33:15 Psilocybin and Menopause: A New Hope 34:37 Psilocybin vs SSRIs: A Comparative Analysis 37:31 Psilocybin and Female Sexual Dysfunction 43:13 Psilocybin and Trauma: A Menopause Perspective 49:15 Safety Concerns and Considerations with Psilocybin 55:00 Final Thoughts and Future Prospects Jennifer Chesak Jennifer Chesak is the author of The Psilocybin Handbook for Women. She is an award-winning freelance science and medical journalist, editor, and fact-checker, and her work has appeared in several national publications, including the Washington Post. Chesak earned her master of science in journalism from Northwestern University's Medill, and she currently teaches in the journalism and publishing programs at Belmont University.Website: https://www.jenniferchesak.com/ Clarissa Kristjansson Website https://clarissakristjansson.com/ The New Book Beyond Hormones: 7 Holistic Ways to Thrive Through Menopause is out this Friday 1st March. Get full access to Heart of Menopause at clarissakristjansson.substack.com/subscribe

In Part 2 of this Guide to Graduate Marketing in 2024 Pulse Check, Shane Baglini is joined by Charles Whitaker, dean and professor at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications and Danielle Robinson Bell, assistant professor and director of Medill's Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) Professional master's program to discuss the graduate student experience. Whitaker and Bell share their unique and varied experience in the graduate landscape, offering both a high level view of the graduate student experience, as well as a deep dive into the motivators, behaviors and expectations of graduate students in 2024.Guest Names:Charles Whitaker, dean and professor at Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing CommunicationsDanielle Bell, assistant professor and director of the Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) Professional master's program at Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing CommunicationsGuest Social Handles:Charles Whitaker LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-whitaker-b106b59/Danielle Bell LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellerobinsonbell/Guest Bio:Charles Whitaker: Charles Whitaker is dean and professor at Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. Whitaker, who holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Medill, is the first alumnus of the school to serve as dean. Before joining the Medill faculty, Whitaker was a senior editor at Ebony magazine, where he covered a wide range of cultural, social, and political issues and events on four continents, including two U.S. presidential campaigns, and the installation of the first black members of the British Parliament. Danielle Bell: Danielle Robinson Bell is an assistant professor and director of the Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) Professional master's program. Bell's area of expertise is strategic communications and its impact on business outcomes for organizations, brands and executives. She specializes in work that advances efforts related to culture, equity, inclusion, women, and BIPOC in the workplace. Bell spent more than 15 years on the agency side of advertising and branding creating integrated marketing campaigns for some of the world's most recognized brands. Prior to joining Medill, she served as a trusted adviser to business leaders on matters related to crisis communications, reputation management, public relations and inclusive communications. She earned her bachelor of science in journalism from Northwestern University Medill School, and here MBA from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Managament. - - - -Connect With Our Co-Hosts:Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/https://twitter.com/mallorywillseaSeth Odell https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethodell/https://twitter.com/sethodellAbout The Enrollify Podcast Network:The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you'll like other Enrollify shows too! Some of our favorites include Generation AI and Confessions of a Higher Education Social Media Manager.Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com. Connect with Us at the Engage Summit:Exciting news — Mallory will be at the 2024 Engage Summit in Raleigh, NC, on June 25 and 26, and we'd love to meet you there! Sessions will focus on cutting-edge AI applications that are reshaping student outreach, enhancing staff productivity, and offering deep insights into ROI. Use the discount code Enrollify50 at checkout, and you can register for just $99! This early bird pricing lasts until March 31. Learn more and register at engage.element451.com — we can't wait to see you there!

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain announced that the union has endorsed President Biden’s bid for re-election. It’s a big deal for Biden’s pro-labor image. But what else could the union endorsement mean for his campaign? And, we’ll get into the conflict between facts and feelings in today’s economy. Plus, the political implications of a decline in local journalism and what the history of the New Deal can teach about ambitious investment in our country’s infrastructure. Here’s everything we talked about today: “What UAW backing means for Biden − and why the union's endorsement took so long” from The Conversation “U.S. Economy Grew at 3.3% Rate in Latest Quarter” from The New York Times “Yellen, Criticizing Trump, Says Biden’s Economy Has Delivered Gains” from The New York Times “L.A. Times to lay off at least 115 people in the newsroom” from L.A. Times “More than half of U.S. counties have no access or very limited access to local news” from Medill “How FDR’s New Deal changed the U.S. economy forever” from Marketplace Join us tomorrow for Economics on Tap! The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern. We'll have news, drinks, a game and more.

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain announced that the union has endorsed President Biden’s bid for re-election. It’s a big deal for Biden’s pro-labor image. But what else could the union endorsement mean for his campaign? And, we’ll get into the conflict between facts and feelings in today’s economy. Plus, the political implications of a decline in local journalism and what the history of the New Deal can teach about ambitious investment in our country’s infrastructure. Here’s everything we talked about today: “What UAW backing means for Biden − and why the union's endorsement took so long” from The Conversation “U.S. Economy Grew at 3.3% Rate in Latest Quarter” from The New York Times “Yellen, Criticizing Trump, Says Biden’s Economy Has Delivered Gains” from The New York Times “L.A. Times to lay off at least 115 people in the newsroom” from L.A. Times “More than half of U.S. counties have no access or very limited access to local news” from Medill “How FDR’s New Deal changed the U.S. economy forever” from Marketplace Join us tomorrow for Economics on Tap! The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern. We'll have news, drinks, a game and more.

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain announced that the union has endorsed President Biden’s bid for re-election. It’s a big deal for Biden’s pro-labor image. But what else could the union endorsement mean for his campaign? And, we’ll get into the conflict between facts and feelings in today’s economy. Plus, the political implications of a decline in local journalism and what the history of the New Deal can teach about ambitious investment in our country’s infrastructure. Here’s everything we talked about today: “What UAW backing means for Biden − and why the union's endorsement took so long” from The Conversation “U.S. Economy Grew at 3.3% Rate in Latest Quarter” from The New York Times “Yellen, Criticizing Trump, Says Biden’s Economy Has Delivered Gains” from The New York Times “L.A. Times to lay off at least 115 people in the newsroom” from L.A. Times “More than half of U.S. counties have no access or very limited access to local news” from Medill “How FDR’s New Deal changed the U.S. economy forever” from Marketplace Join us tomorrow for Economics on Tap! The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern. We'll have news, drinks, a game and more.

In mid-November, the Medill School of Journalism, Media, and Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University issued its annual  "State of Local News Project" report, which now counts 6,000 newspapers in the United States, which comprises approximately 1,200 dailies and 4,790 weeklies. This year, the study also reported on 550 digital-only local news outlets, 700 ethnic media organizations and 225 public broadcasting stations producing original local news. The report's executive summary stated, "There was both good news and bad news for local journalism this past year. The good news raised the possibility that a range of proposals and programs could begin to arrest the steep loss of local news over the past two decades and, perhaps, revive journalism in some places that have lost their news. The headlines on the bad news resoundingly conveyed the message that urgent action is needed in many venues — from boardrooms to the halls of Congress — and by many, including civic-minded organizations and entrepreneurs." Some of the report's key findings include: There are now 204 counties with no local news outlet. Of the 3,143 counties in the U.S., more than half, or 1,766, have either no local news source or only one remaining outlet, typically a weekly newspaper.  The loss of local newspapers ticked higher in 2023 to an average of 2.5 per week, up from two per week last year. There were more than 130 confirmed newspaper closings or mergers this past year.  Since 2005, the U.S. has lost nearly 2,900 newspapers. The nation is on pace to lose one-third of all its newspapers by the end of next year. About 6,000 newspapers remain — the vast majority of which are weeklies. The country has lost almost two-thirds of its newspaper journalists, or 43,000, during that same time. Most of those journalists were employed by large metro and regional newspapers. There are about 550 digital-only local news sites, many of which launched in the past decade, but they are primarily clustered in metro areas. In the past five years, the number of local digital startups has roughly equaled the number that shuttered. Based on the demographics and economics of current news desert counties, Medill's modeling estimates that 228 counties are at an elevated risk of becoming news deserts in the next five years. Most of those “Watch List” counties are in high-poverty areas in the South and Midwest, and many serve communities with significant African-American, Hispanic, and Native American populations.  New this year was a "Bright Spots" map that showed the local news startups in the U.S., highlighting 17 outlets they labeled “with promising new business models for the future.” In this episode of "E&P Reports," we un-pack Medill's 2023 "State of Local News" report with co-authors Senior Associate Dean Tim Franklin and Visiting Professor Penelope Muse ("Penny") Abernathy as we investigate their latest findings and methodology, as well as what this data means when it comes to the future of local journalism in the U.S.

In this episode I sit down with Jennifer Chesak. She is the author of The Psilocybin Handbook for Women: How Magic Mushrooms, Psychedelic Therapy, and Microdosing Can Benefit Your Mental, Physical, and Spiritual Health. She is an award-winning freelance science and medical journalist, editor, and fact-checker, and her work has appeared in several national publications, including the Washington Post. Jen earned her master of science in journalism from Northwestern University's Medill. She currently teaches in the journalism and publishing programs at Belmont University, leads various workshops at the literary nonprofit The Porch, and serves as the managing editor for the literary magazine SHIFT. Find her work at ⁠jenniferchesak.com⁠ and follow her on socials @jenchesak. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moon-body-soul/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moon-body-soul/support

On this episode of the Psychedelic Invest Podcast, host Bruce Eckfeldt is joined by Jennifer Chesak, the author of The Psilocybin Handbook for Women. Jennifer is the author of the forthcoming book "Psilocybin for Women," to be published by Ulysses Press and distributed by Simon & Schuster in 2023. She is a Nashville-based freelance journalist, editor, fact-checker, and adjunct professor with more than two decades of experience. She earned her Master of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University's Medill. Her writing has appeared in Washington Post, The Daily Beast, Healthline, Verywell, Greatist, Prevention, Runner's World, Trail Runner, Women's Running, Health, Better Homes and Gardens, Real Simple, and more. She also serves on Healthline's Medical Integrity Team. In addition to editorial work, her cornucopia of clips showcases a robust lineup of content marketing for several global and national brands. Teaching is also a passion for Jennifer. She is as an adjunct professor at Belmont University, where she teaches copyediting, nonfiction and technical editing, and media studies. In addition to mentoring students in Middle Tennessee State University's certificate in writing program (MTSU Write), Jennifer is also the managing editor of the university's literary magazine SHIFT. And she enjoys teaching evening and weekend workshops through Nashville's literary nonprofit The Porch.

Episode page with video, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #232 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Annie Krall, an adjunct faculty member at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. She is also a radio news anchor for WLS-Radio (890AM) in Chicago and comes home to the Windy City after being an on-air TV reporter for ABC in Green Bay, WI (WBAY-TV).  After earning her bachelor's and master's degrees from Northwestern, Annie covered breaking news in Green Bay, the Ryder Cup international golf tournament, as well as the Green Bay Packers. Host of her own weekly medical investigative series “Your Health Matters” Annie was accepted to medical school before pursuing journalism. Prior to WBAY-TV, Annie wrote and produced for ABC NEWS in New York City on the medical and business units for shows like Good Morning America, World News Tonight with David Muir, and 20/20. Sharpening her golf skills as a competitive golfer starting at the age of six, Annie is now the entertainment golf correspondent for the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). She helps spotlight celebrity women who either play or have had their lives changed by the sport. In today's episode, Annie shares her favorite mistake about a time when she didn't hit “send” when needing to send video back to the newsroom. What perspective did she gain from this mistake? While unpacking her story, Annie shares her unique perspective on journalism education, especially regarding the famous ‘Medill F.' This single grading policy has sparked debates amongst students and educators alike, highlighting the ever-present tension between tradition and change in academia. Tune in to this fascinating episode for an in-depth look at one woman's journey through the fast-paced world of journalism. Questions and Topics: Northwestern people don't want to admit mistakes? Did it ever feel like a mistake not to pursue med school? Did you worry that it would be? What are your thoughts about dealing with mistakes live on air? Or the risk of that? Why do the Chicago traffic reports insist on using the names, not the freeway numbers? The Medill F — the debate about whether that's helpful or not?? So giving a Medill F *is* a choice not a requirement from the Dean J.A. Adande – Episode 138 Does it really work?? Do Medill graduates make fewer mistakes than Mizzou and Syracuse grads? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/favorite-mistake/support

A recent study says that Black Americans see news coverage about them as ‘Racist Or Racially Insensitive. Charles Whitaker is the dean of the Medill journalism school at Northwestern University, and he talks to Tavis about the findings of the report.

Jennifer Chesak is the author of The Psilocybin Handbook for Women. She is an award-winning freelance science and medical journalist, editor, and fact-checker, and her work has has appeared in several national publications, including the Washington Post. Chesak earned her master of science in journalism from Northwestern University's Medill. She currently teaches in the journalism and publishing programs at Belmont University, leads various workshops at the literary nonprofit The Porch, and serves as the managing editor for the literary magazine SHIFT. Find her work at jenniferchesak.com and follow her on socials @jenchesak.

In this episode we talk about the growth of data use in the media and the potential impact of misinformation on the public's trust in official statistics.   Navigating podcast host Miles Fletcher through this minefield is Prof Sir David Spiegelhalter, from the University of Cambridge; Ed Humpherson, Head of the Office for Statistics Regulation; and award-winning data journalist Simon Rogers.    Transcript    MILES FLETCHER  Welcome again to Statistically Speaking, the official podcast of the UK's Office for National Statistics, I'm Miles Fletcher. Now we've talked many times before in these podcasts about the rise of data and its impact on our everyday lives. It's all around us of course, and not least in the media we consume every day. But ‘what' or ‘who' to trust: mainstream media, public figures and national institutions like the ONS, or those random strangers bearing gifts of facts and figures in our social media feeds?  To help us step carefully through the minefields of misinformation and on, we hope, to the terra firma of reliable statistical communication, we have three interesting and distinguished voices, each with a different perspective. Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter is a well-known voice to UK listeners. He's chair of the Winton Centre for Risk Evidence Communication at the University of Cambridge and was a very prominent voice on the interpretation of public health data here during the COVID pandemic. Also, we have Ed Humpherson, Director General of regulation and head of the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR), the official stats watchdog if you like, and later in this podcast, I'll be joined by award winning data journalist and writer Simon Rogers, who now works as data editor at Google.  Professor, you've been one of the most prominent voices these last few years – a fascinating few years, obviously, for statistics in which we were told quite frankly, this was a golden age for statistics and data. I mean, reflecting on your personal experience as a prominent public voice in that debate, when it comes to statistics and data, to be very general, how well informed are we now as a public, or indeed, how ill-informed on statistics?     DAVID SPIEGELHALTER  I think things have improved after COVID. You know, for a couple of years we saw nothing but numbers and graphs on the news and in the newspapers and everywhere, and that went down very well. People didn't object to that. In fact, they wanted more. And I think that has led to an increased profile for data journalism, and there's some brilliant ones out there. I'm just thinking of John Burn-Murdoch on the FT but lots of others as well, who do really good work. Of course, in the mainstream media there is still the problem of non-specialists getting hold of data and getting it wrong, and dreadful clickbait headlines. It is the sub editors that wreck it all just by sticking some headline on what might be a decent story to get the attention and which is quite often misleading. So that's a standard problem. In social media, yeah, during COVID and afterwards, there are people I follow who you might consider as - I wouldn't say amateurs at all, but they're not professional pundits or media people - who just do brilliant stuff, and who I've learned so much from. There are also some terrible people out there, widespread misinformation claims which are based on data and sound convincing because they have got numbers in them. And that, I mean, it's not a new problem, but now it is widespread, and it's really tricky to counter and deal with, but very important indeed.     MF  So the issue aside from - those of us who deal with the media have heard this a hundred times - “I don't write the headlines”, reporters will tell you when you challenge that misleading kind of headline. But would you say it's the mainstream media then, because they can be called out on what they report, who broadly get things right? And that the challenge is everything else - it's out there in the Wild West of social media?     DS  Yeah, mainstream media is not too bad, partly because, you know, we've got the BBC in this country, we've got regulations, and so it's not too bad. And social media, it's the Wild West. You know, there are people who really revel in using numbers and data to make inappropriate and misleading claims.     MF  Is there anything that can be done? Is it the government, or even those of us like the ONS who produce statistics, who should we be wading in more than we do? Should we be getting out there onto the social media platforms and putting people right?     DS  It's difficult I mean, I don't believe in sort of censorship. I don't think you can stop this at source at all. But just because people can say this, it doesn't give them a right for it to be broadcast wide, in a way and to be dumped into people's feeds. And so my main problem is with the recommendation algorithms of social media, where people will see things because it's getting clicks, and the right algorithm thinks persona will like it. And so we just get fed all this stuff. That is my real problem and the obscurity and the lack of accountability of recommendation algorithms right across social media is I think, a really shocking state of affairs. Of course, you know, we come on to this later, but we should be doing something about education, and actually sort of pre-empting some of the misunderstandings is something I feel very strongly about with my colleagues. You've got to get in there quick, and rather than being on the backfoot and just reacting to false claims that have been made, you've got to sort of realise how to take the initiative and to realise what misunderstandings, misinterpretations can be made, and get in there quickly to try to pre-empt them. But that of course comes down to the whole business of how ONS and others communicate their data.     MF  Because when you ask the public whether they trust them - and the UK statistics authority does this every two years - you ask the public if they trust ONS statistics, and a large proportion of them say they do. But of course, if they're not being presented with those statistics, then they're still going to end up being misled.     DS  Yeah, I mean, it's nice to get those responses back. But, you know...that's in terms of respondents and just asking a simple question, do you trust something or not? I think it's good to hear but we can't be complacent about that at all. I'm massively influenced by the approach of the philosopher, Baroness Onora O'Neill, who really makes a sharp distinction between organisations wanting to be trusted and revelling in being trusted, and she says that shouldn't be your objective to be trusted. Your objective should be to be trustworthy, to deserve trust, and then it might be offered up to you. And so the crucial thing is trustworthiness of the statistics system and in the communications, and that's what I love talking about, because I think it's absolutely important and it puts the responsibility really firmly back to the communicator to demonstrate trustworthiness.     MF  So doing more as stats producers to actually actively promote data and get people to come perhaps away from the social platforms, and to have their own websites that present data in an accessible way, in an understandable way, where people can get it for nothing without requiring an expensive subscription or something, as some of the best of the media outlets would require.     DS  The other thing I'd say is there's no point of being trustworthy if you're dull, as no one's going to look at it or take any notice, and other media aren't going to use it. So I think it's really worthwhile to invest, make a lot of effort to make what you're putting out there as attractive, as vivid and as grabbing as possible. The problem is that in trying to do that, I mean, that's what a lot of communicators and media people want to do, because of course they want people to read their stuff. But what that tends to do largely is make their stuff kind of opinionated and have a very strong line, essentially to persuade you to either do something or think something or buy something or vote something. So much communication has to do with persuading that I think it's just completely inappropriate. In this context, what we should be doing is informing people.    In a way we want to persuade them to take notice, so that's why you want to have really good quality communications, vivid, get good people out there. But in the end, they're just trying to inform people, and that's why I love working with ONS. I just think this is a really decent organisation whose job is just trying to raise the...to obviously provide official statistics...but in their communications, it's to try to raise the level of awareness raise the level of discussion, and by being part of a non -ministerial department, they're not there, the comms department, to make the minister look good, or to make anyone look good. It's just there to tell people how it is.    MF  Exactly. To put that data into context. Is this a big number or is this is a small number, right? Adjectives can sometimes be very unhelpful, but often the numbers don't speak for themselves, do they.    DS   Numbers never speak for themselves, we imbue them with meaning, which is a great quote as well from Nate Silver.    MF  And in doing that, of course, you have to walk the same line that the media do, in making them relevant and putting them into context, but not at the same time distorting them. There's been a big debate going on recently, of course, about revisions. And if you've listened to this podcast, which we'd always advise and consume other articles that the ONS has published, we've said a lot about the whole process of revising GDP, and the uncertainty that's built into those initial estimates, which although helpful, are going to be pretty broad. And then of course, when the picture changes dramatically, people are kind of entitled to say, oh hang on, you told us this was something different and the narrative has changed. The story has changed because of that uncertainty with the numbers, shouldn't you have done more to tell us about that uncertainty. That message can sometimes get lost, can't it?     DS  Yeah, it's terribly important. You've got to be upfront. We develop these five points on trustworthy communication and the first one was inform, not persuade. And the second is to be balanced and not to have a one-sided message to tell both sides of the story, winners and losers, positives and negatives. And then to admit uncertainty, to just say what you don't know. And in particular, in this case, “provisionality”, the fact that things may change in the future, is incredibly important to emphasise, and I think not part of a lot of discussion. Politicians find it kind of impossible to say I think, that things are provisional and to talk about quality of the evidence and limitations in the evidence, which you know, if you're only basing GDP on a limited returns to start with, on the monthly figures, then you need to be clear about that. And the other one is to pre-empt the misunderstandings, and again, that means sort of getting in there first to tell you this point, this may change. This is a provisional judgement, and you know, I think that that could be emphasised yet more times, yet more.     MF  And yet there's a risk in that though, of course the message gets lost and diluted and the...    DS  Oh no, it always gets trotted out - oh, we can't admit uncertainty. We can't tell both sides of story. We have to tell a message that is simple because people are too stupid to understand it otherwise, it's so insulting to the audience. I really feel a lot of media people do not respect their audience. They treat them as children - oh we've got to keep it simple, we mustn't give the nuances or the complexity. All right, if you're going to be boring and just put long paragraphs of caveats on everything, no one is going to read that or take any notice of them. But there are ways to communicate balance and uncertainty and limitations without being dull. And that's what actually media people should focus on. Instead of saying, oh, we can't do that. You should be able to do it. Good media, good storytelling should be able to have that nuance in. You know, that's the skill.     MF  You're absolutely right, you can't disagree with any of that, and yet, in communicating with the public, even as a statistics producer, you are limited somewhat by the public's ability to get used to certain content. I mean, for example, the Met Office recently, a couple of years back, started putting in ‘percentage of chance of rainfall', which is something that it hadn't done before. And some work on that revealed just how few people actually understood what they were saying in that, and what the chances were actually going to be of it raining when they went out for the afternoon's work.     DS  Absolute nonsense. That sorry, that's completely I mean, I completely rely on those percentages. My 90-year-old father used to understand those percentages. Because it's a novelty if you are going to ask people what they understand, they might say something wrong, such as, oh, that's the percentage of the area that it's going to rain in or something like that. No, it's the percentage of times it makes that claim that it's right. And those percentages have been used in America for years, they're completely part of routine forecast and I wouldn't say the American public is enormously better educated than the British public. So this is just reluctance and conservatism. It's like saying oh well people don't understand graphs. We can't put up line graphs on the news, people don't understand that. This is contempt for the public. And it just shows I think, a reluctance to make an effort to explain things. And people get used to stuff, once they've learned what a graph looks like, when they see it again, then they'll understand it. So you need to educate the public and not, you know, in a patronising way, it's just that, you know, otherwise you're just being misleading. If you just say, oh, you know, it'll rain or not rain you're just misleading them. If you just say it might rain, that's misleading. What does that mean? It can mean different things. I want a percentage and people do understand them, when they've got some experience of them.     MF  And what about certainty in estimates? Here is a reaction we add to the migration figures that ONS published earlier in the summer. Somebody tweeted back to say, well estimates, that's all very good but I want the actual figures. I want to know how many people have migrated.    DS  Yeah, I think actually, it's quite a reasonable question. Because, you know, you kind of think well can't you count them, we actually know who comes in and out of the country. In that case it's really quite a reasonable question to ask. I want to know why you can't count them. And in fact, of course ONS is moving towards counting them. It's moving away from the survey towards using administrative data to count them. So I think in that case, that's quite a good question to ask. Now in other situations, it's a stupid question. If you want to know if someone says, oh, I don't want an estimate of how many people you know, go and vote one way or do something or other, I want to know how many, well then you think don't be daft. We can't go and ask everybody this all the time. So that's a stupid question. So the point is that in certain contexts, asking whether something is an estimate or not, is reasonable. Sometimes it's not and that can be explained, I think, quite reasonably to people.     MF  And yet, we will still want to be entertained. We also want to have numbers to confirm our own prejudices.     DS  Yeah, people will always do that. But that's not what the ONS is for, to confirm people's prejudices. People are hopeless at estimating. How many, you know, migrants there are, how many people, what size ethnic minorities and things, we know if you ask people these numbers, they're pretty bad at it. But people are bad at estimating all numbers. So no, it's ONS's job to try to explain things and in a vivid way that people will be interested in, particularly when there's an argument about a topic going on, to present the evidence, not one side or the other, but that each side can use, and that's why I really feel that the ONS's migration team, you know, I have a lot of respect for them, when they're changing their format or consulting on it, they go to organization's on both sides. They go to Migration Watch and the Migration Observatory and talk to them about you know, can they understand what's going on, is this data helping them in their deliberations.     MF  Now, you mentioned earlier in the conversation, education, do we have a younger generation coming up who are more stats literate or does an awful lot more need to be done?     DS  A lot more needs to be done in terms of data education in schools. I'm actually part of a group at the Royal Society that is proposing a whole new programme called mathematics and data education, for that to be put together within a single framework, because a lot of this isn't particularly maths, and maths is not the right way or place to teach it. But it still should be an essential part of education, understanding numbers, understanding data, their limitations and their strengths and it uses some numeracy, uses some math but it's not part of maths. The problem has always been where does that fit in the syllabus because it doesn't, particularly at the moment. So that's something that every country is struggling with. We're not unique in that and, and I think it's actually essential that that happens. And when you know, the Prime Minister, I think quite reasonably says people should study mathematics until 18. I mean, I hope he doesn't mean mathematics in the sense of the algebra and the geometry that kids do, get forced to do essentially, for GCSE, and some of whom absolutely loathe it. And so, but that's not really the sort of mathematics that everyone needs. Everyone needs data literacy. Everyone needs that.    MF  Lies, damned lies and statistics is an old cliche, it's still robustly wheeled out in the media every time, offering some perceived reason to doubt what the statisticians have said. I mean looking ahead, how optimistic are you, do you think that one day we might finally see the end of all that?     DS  Well my eyes always go to heaven, and I just say for goodness sake. So I like it when it's used, because I say, do you really believe that? You know, do you really believe that, because if you do you're just rejecting evidence out of hand. And this is utter stupidity. And nobody could live like that. And it emphasises this idea somehow, among the more non-data-literate, it encourages them to think that numbers they hear either have to be sort of accepted as God given truths or rejected out of hand. And this is a terrible state to be in, the point is we should interpret any number we hear, any claim based on data, same as we'd interpret any other claim made by anybody about anything. We've got to judge it on its merits at the time and that includes do we trust the source? Do I understand how this is being explained to me? What am I not being told? And so why is this person telling me this? So all of that comes into interpreting numbers as well. We hear this all the time on programmes like More or Less, and so on. So I like it as a phrase because it is so utterly stupid, then so utterly, easily demolished, that it encourages, you know, a healthy debate.    MF  We're certainly not talking about good statistics, we're certainly not talking about quality statistics, properly used. And that, of course, is the role of the statistics watchdog as we're obliged to call him, or certainly as the media always call him, and that's our other guest, Ed Humpherson.     Ed, having listened to what the professor had to say there, from your perspective, how much misuse of statistics is there out there? What does your organisation, your office, do to try and combat that?      ED HUMPHERSON     Well, Miles the first thing to say is I wish I could give you a really juicy point of disagreement with David to set off some kind of sparky dialogue. Unfortunately, almost everything, if not everything that David said, I completely agree with - he said it more fluently and more directly than I would, but I think we are two fellow travellers on all of these issues.      In terms of the way we look at things at the Office for Statistics Regulation that I head up, we are a statistics watchdog. That's how we are reported. Most of our work is, so to speak, below the visible waterline: we do lots and lots of work assessing reviewing the production of statistics across the UK public sector. We require organisations like the ONS, but also many other government departments, to be demonstrating their trustworthiness; to explain their quality; and to deliver value. And a lot of that work just goes on, week in week out, year in year out to support and drive-up evidence base that's available to the British public. I think what you're referring to is that if we care about the value and the worth of statistics in public life, we can't just sort of sit behind the scenes and make sure there's a steady flow. We actually have to step up and defend statistics when they are being misused because it's very toxic, I think, to the public. Their confidence in statistics if they're subjected to rampant misuse or mis explanation of statistics, it's all very well having good statistics but if they go out into the world and they get garbled or misquoted, that I think is very destructive. So what we do is we either have members of the public raise cases with us when they see something and they're not they're not sure about it, or indeed we spot things ourselves and we will get in contact with the relevant department and want to understand why this thing has been said, whether it really is consistent with the underlying evidence, often it isn't, and then we make an intervention to correct the situation. And we are busy, right, there's a lot there's a lot of there's a lot of demand for work.     MF  Are instances of statistical misuse on the rise?     EH  We recently published our annual summary of what we call casework - that's handling the individual situations where people are concerned. And we revealed in that that we had our highest ever number of cases, 372, which might imply that, you know, things are getting worse. I'd really strongly caution against that interpretation. I think what that increase is telling you is two other things. One is, as we as the Office for Statistics Regulation, do our work, we are gradually growing our profile and more people are aware that they can come to us, that's the first thing this is telling you; and the second thing is that people care a lot more about statistics and data now, exactly as Sir David was saying that this raised profile during the pandemic. I don't think it's a sign that there's more misuse per se. I do think perhaps, the thing I would be willing to accept is, there's just a generally greater tendency for communication to be datafied. In other words, for communication to want to use data: it sounds authoritative, it sounds convincing. And I think that may be driving more instances of people saying well, a number has been used there, I want to really understand what that number is. So I would be slightly cautious about saying there is more misuse, but I would be confident in saying there's probably a greater desire to use data and therefore a greater awareness both of the opportunity to complain to us and of its importance.      MF  Underlying all of your work is compliance with the UK code of practice for statistics, a very important document, and one that we haven't actually mentioned in this podcast so far…      EH  Shame on you, Miles, shame on you.      MF  We're here to put that right, immediately. Tell us about what the code of practice is. What is it for? what does it do?      EH  So the Code of Practice is a statutory code and its purpose is to ensure that statistics serve the public good. And it does that through a very simple structure. It says that in any situation where an individual or an organisation is providing information to an audience, there are three things going on. There's the trustworthiness of the speaker, and the Code sets out lots of requirements on organisations as to how they can demonstrate they're trustworthiness. And it's exactly in line with what David was saying earlier and exactly in line with the thinking of Onora O'Neill – a set of commitments which demonstrate trustworthiness. Like a really simple commitment is to say, we will pre-announce at least four weeks in advance when the statistics are going to be released, and we will release them at the time that we say, so there is no risk that there's any political interference in when the news comes out. It comes out at the time that has been pre-announced. Very clear commitment, very tangible, evidence-based thing. It's a binary thing, right? You either do that or you do not. And if you do not: You're not being trustworthy. The second thing in any situation where people are exchanging information is the information itself. What's its quality? Where's this data from? How's it been compiled? What are its strengths and limitations? And the code has requirements on all of those areas. That is clarity of what the numbers are, what they mean, what they don't mean. And then thirdly, in that exchange of information, is the information of any use to the audience? It could be high, high quality, it could be very trustworthy, but it could, to use David's excellent phrase, it could just be “dull”. It could be irrelevant, it could not be important. And the value pillar is all about that. It's all about the user having relevant, insightful information on a question that they care about. That's, Miles, what the Code of Practice is: it's trustworthiness, it's quality and it's value. And those things we think are kind of pretty universal actually, which is why they don't just apply now to official statistics. We take them out and we apply them to all sorts of situations where Ministers and Departments are using numbers, we always want to ask those three questions. Is it trustworthy? Is it quality, is it value? That's the Code.      MF  And when they've satisfied your stringent requirements and been certified as good quality, there is of course a badge to tell the users that they have been.      EH  There's a badge - the badge means that we have accredited them as complying with that Code of Practice. It's called the National Statistics badge. The term is less important and what it means what it means is we have independently assessed that they comply in full with that Code.      MF  Most people would have heard, if they have heard of the OSR's work, they'll have seen it perhaps in the media. They'll have seen you as the so-called data watchdog, the statistics watchdog. It's never gently explained as it it's usually ‘slammed', ‘criticised', despite the extremely measured and calm language you use, but you're seen as being the body that takes politicians to task. Is that really what you do? It seems more often that you're sort of gently helping people to be right.      EH  That's exactly right. I mean, it's not unhelpful, frankly, that there's a degree of respect for the role and that when we do make statements, they are taken seriously and they're seen as significant, but we are not, absolutely not, trying to generate those headlines. We are absolutely not trying to intimidate or scare or, you know, browbeat people. Our role is very simple. Something has been said, which is not consistent with the underlying evidence. We want to make that clear publicly. And a lot of time what our intervention does actually is it strengthens the hand of the analysts in government departments so that their advice is taken more seriously at the point when things are being communicated. Now, as I say, it's not unwelcome sometimes that our interventions do get reported on. But I always try and make these interventions in a very constructive and measured way. Because the goal is not column inches. Absolutely not. The goal is the change in the information that's available to the public.      MF  You're in the business of correcting the record and not giving people a public shaming.      EH  Exactly, exactly. And even correcting the record actually, there's some quite interesting stuff about whether parliamentarians correct the record. And in some ways, it'd be great if parliamentarians corrected the record when they have been shown to have misstated with statistics. But actually, you could end up in a world where people correct the record and in a sort of tokenistic way, it's sort of, you know, buried in the depths of the Hansard parliamentary report. What we want is for people not to be misled, for people to not think that, for example, the number of people in employment is different from what it actually is. So actually, it's the outcome that really matters most; not so much the correction as are people left understanding what the numbers actually say.      MF  Surveys show - I should be careful using that phrase, you know - nonetheless, but including the UKSA survey, show that the public were much less inclined to trust in the words of the survey. Politicians use of statistics and indeed, Chris Bryant the Labour MP said that politicians who have been who've been found to have erred statistically should be forced to apologise to Parliament. Did you take that on board? Is there much in that?     EH  When he said that, he was actually directly quoting instances we've been involved with and he talks about our role very directly in that sense. Oh, yeah, absolutely. We support that. It will be really, really good. I think the point about the correction, Miles, is that it shows it's a manifestation of a culture that takes fidelity to the evidence, truthfulness to the evidence, faithfulness to the evidence, it takes that seriously, as I say, what I don't want to get into is a world where you know, corrections are sort of tokenistic and buried. I think the key thing is that it's part of an environment in which all actors in public debate realise it's in everybody's interests or evidence; data and statistics to be used fairly and appropriately and part of that is that if they've misspoken, they correct the record. From our experience, by and large, when we deal with these issues, the politicians concerned want to get it right. What they want to do is, they want to communicate their policy vision, their idea of the policy or what the, you know, the state of the country is. They want to communicate that, sure, that's their job as politicians, but they don't want to do so in a way that is demonstrably not consistent with the underlying evidence. And in almost all cases, they are… I wouldn't say they're grateful, but they're respectful of the need to get it right and respect the intervention. And very often the things that we encounter are a result of more of a cockup than a conspiracy really - something wasn't signed off by the right person in the right place and a particular number gets blown out of proportion, it gets ripped from its context, it becomes sort of weaponized; it's not really as a deliberate attempt to mislead. Now, there are probably some exceptions to that generally positive picture I'm giving. but overall it's not really in their interests for the story to be about how they misuse the numbers. That's not really a very good look for them. They'd much rather the stories be about what they're trying to persuade the public of, and staying on the right side of all of the principles we set out helps that to happen.      MF  Your remit runs across the relatively controlled world sort of government, Parliament and so forth. And I think the UK is quite unusual in having a body that does this in an independent sort of way. Do you think the public expects you to be active in other areas, we mentioned earlier, you know, the wilder shores of social media where it's not cockup theories you're going to be hearing there, it's conspiracy theories based on misuse of data. Is there any role that a statistics regulator could possibly take on in that arena?      EH  Absolutely. So I mentioned earlier that the way we often get triggered into this environment is when members of the public raised things with us. And I always think that's quite a solemn sort of responsibility. You know, you have a member of the public who's concerned about something and they care about it enough to contact us - use the “raise a concern” part of our website - so I always try and take it seriously. And sometimes they're complaining about something which isn't actually an official statistic. And in those circumstances, even if we say to them, “well, this isn't really an official statistic”, we will say, “but, applying our principles, this would be our judgement”. Because I think we owe it to those people who who've taken the time to care about a statistical usage, we owe it to take them seriously. And we have stepped in. Only recently we're looking at some claims about the impact of gambling, which are not from a government department, but from parts of the gambling industry. We also look at things from local government, who are not part of central government. So we do we do look at those things, Miles. It's a relatively small part of our work, but, as I say, our principles are universal and you've got to take seriously a situation in which a member of the public is concerned about a piece of evidence.     MF  Professor Spiegelhalter, what do you make of this regulatory function that the OSR pursues, are we unusual in the UK in having something along those lines?     DS  Ed probably knows better than I do, but I haven't heard of anybody else and I get asked about it when I'm travelling and talking to other people. I have no conflict of interest. I'm Non-Executive Director for the UK Stats Authority, and I sit on the regulation committee that oversees the way it works. So of course, I'm a huge supporter of what they do. And as described, it's a subtle role because it's not to do with performing, you know, and making a big song and dance and going grabbing all that attention but working away just to try to improve the standard of stats in this country. I think we're incredibly fortunate to have such a body and in fact, we know things are never perfect and there's always room for improvement of course, but I think we're very lucky to have our statistical system.     MF  A final thought from you...we're at a moment in time now where people are anticipating the widespread implementation of AI, artificial intelligence, large language models and all that sort of thing. Threat or opportunity for statistics, or both?    DS  Oh, my goodness me, it is very difficult to predict. I use GPT a lot in my work, you know, both for sort of research and making inquiries about stuff and also to help me do codings I'm not very good at. I haven't yet explored GPT-4's capacity for doing automated data analysis, but I want to, and actually, I'd welcome it. if it's good, if you can put some data in and it does stuff - that's great. However, I would love to see what guardrails are being put into it, to prevent it doing stupid misleading things. I hope that that does become an issue in the future, that if AI is automatically interpreting data for example, that it's actually got some idea of what it's doing. And I don't see that that's impossible. I mean, there were already a lot of guardrails in about sexist statements, racist statements, violent statements and so on. There's all sorts of protection already in there. Well, can't we have protection against grossly misleading statistical analysis?     MF  A future over the statistics watchdog perhaps?    DF  Quite possibly.    EH  Miles, I never turn down suggestions for doing new work.   MF  So we've heard how statistics are regulated in the UK, and covered the role of the media in communicating data accurately, and now to give some insight into what that might all look like from a journalist's perspective, it's time to introduce our next guest, all the way from California, award-winning journalist and data editor at Google, Simon Rogers. Simon, welcome to Statistically Speaking. Now, before you took up the role at Google you were actually at the forefront of something of a data journalism movement here in the UK. Responsible for launching and editing The Guardian's data blog, looking at where we are now and how things have come on since that period, to what extent do you reckon journalists can offer some kind of solution to online misinterpretation of information?    Simon Rogers   At a time when misinformation is pretty rampant, then you need people there who can make sense of the world and help you make sense of the world through data and facts and things that are true, as opposed to things that we feel might be right. And it's kind of like there is a battle between the heart and the head out there in the world right now. And there are the things that people feel might be right, but are completely wrong. And where, I think, Data Journalists can be the solution to solving that. Now, having said that, there are people as we know who will never believe something, and it doesn't matter. There are people for whom it literally doesn't matter, you can do all the fact checks that you want, and I think that is a bit of a shock for people, this realisation that sometimes it's just not enough, but I think honestly, the fact that there are more Data Journalists now than before...There was an EJC survey, the European Journalism Centre did a survey earlier this year about the state of data journalism. There are way more data journalists now than there were the last time they did the survey. It's becoming much more...it's just a part of being a reporter now. You don't have to necessarily be identified as a separate data journalist to work with data. So we're definitely living in a world where there are more people doing this really important work, but the need, I would say it has never been greater.     MF  How do you think data journalists then tend to see their role? Is it simply a mission to explain, or do some of them see it as their role to actually prove some theories and vindicate a viewpoint, or is it a mixture, are there different types of data journalists?     SR  I would say there were as many types of data journalists as there are types of journalists. And that's the thing about the field, there's no standard form of data journalism, which is one of the things that I love about it. That your output at the end of the day can be anything, it can be a podcast or it can be an article or a number or something on social media. And because of the kind of variety, and the fact I think, that unlike almost any other role in the newsroom, there really isn't like a standard pattern to becoming a data journalist. As a result of that, I think what you get are very different kind of motivations among very different kinds of people. I mean, for me, personally, the thing that interested me when I started working in the field was the idea of understanding and explaining. That is my childhood, with Richard Scarry books and Dorling Kindersley. You know, like trying to understand the world a little bit better. I do think sometimes people have theories. Sometimes people come in from very sophisticated statistical backgrounds. I mean, my background certainly wasn't that and I would say a lot of the work, the stats and the way that we use data isn't necessarily that complicated. It's often things like, you know, is this thing bigger than that thing? Has this thing grown? You know, where in the world is this thing, the biggest and so on. But you can tell amazing stories that way. And I think this motivation to use a skill, but there are still those people who get inured by maths in the same way that I did when I was at school, you know, but I think the motivation to try and make it clear with people that definitely seems to me to be a kind of a common thread among most of the data journalists that I've met.    MF  Do you think that journalists therefore, people going into journalism, and mentioning no names, as an occupation...used to be seen as a bit less numerous, perhaps whose skills tended to be in the verbal domain. Do you think therefore these days you've got to have at least a feel for data and statistics to be able to be credible as a journalist?     SR  I think it is becoming a basic skill for lots of journalists who wouldn't necessarily consider themselves data journalists. We always said eventually it is just journalism. And the reason is because the amount of sources now that are out there, I don't think you can tell a full story unless you take account of those. COVID's a great example of that, you know, here's a story that data journalists, I think, performed incredibly well. Someone like John Burn-Murdoch on the Financial Times say, where they've got a mission to explain what's going on and make it clear to people at a time when nothing was clear, we didn't really know what was going on down the road, never mind globally. So I think that is becoming a really important part being a journalist. I mean, I remember one of my first big data stories at the Guardian was around the release of the coins database – a big spending database from the government - and we had it on the list as a “data story” and people would chuckle, snigger a little bit of the idea that there'll be a story on the front page of the paper about data, which they felt to be weird, and I don't think people would be snickering or chuckling now about that. It's just normal. So my feeling is that if you're a reporter now, not being afraid of data and understanding the tools that are there to help you, I think that's a basic part of the role and it's being reflected in the way that journalism schools are working. I teach here one semester a year at the San Francisco Campus of Medill. There's an introduction to data journalism course and we get people coming in there from all kinds of backgrounds. Often half the class are just, they put their hands up if they're worried about math or scared of data, but somehow at the end of the course they are all making visualisations and telling data stories, so you know, those concerns can always be overcome.     MF  I suppose it's not that radical a development really if you think back, particularly from where we're sitting in the ONS. Of course, many of the biggest news stories outside of COVID have been data driven. think only of inflation for example, the cost of living has been a big running story in this country, and internationally of course, over the last couple of years. Ultimately, that's a data driven story. People are relying on the statisticians to tell them what the rate of inflation is, confirming of course what they're seeing every day in the shops and when they're spending money.     SR  Yeah, no, I agree. Absolutely. And half of the stories that are probably about data, people don't realise they're writing about data. However, I think there is a tendency, or there has been in the past, a tendency to just believe all data without questioning it, in the way that as a reporter, you would question a human source and make sure you understood what they were saying. If we gave one thing and that thing is that reporters would then come back to you guys and say ask an informed question about this data and dive into a little bit more, then I think we've gained a lot.     MF  So this is perhaps what good data journalists are bringing to the table, perhaps and ability to actually sort out the good data from the bad data, and actually, to use it appropriately to understand uncertainty and understand how the number on the page might not be providing the full picture.    SR   Absolutely. I think it's that combination of traditional journalistic skills and data that to me always make the strongest storytelling. When you see somebody, you know, who knows a story inside out like a health correspondent, who knows everything there is to know about health policy, and then they're telling a human story perhaps about somebody in that condition, and then they've got data to back it up - it's like the near and the far. This idea of the near view and the far view, and journalism being the thing that brings those two together. So there's the view from 30,000 feet that the data gives you and then the individual view that the more kind of qualitative interview that you get with somebody who is in a situation gives you. The two things together - that's incredibly powerful.    MF  And when choosing the data you use for a story I guess it's about making sound judgements – you know, basic questions like “is this a big number?”, “is this an important number?”     SR  Yeah, a billion pounds sounds like a lot of money, but they need to know how much is a billion pounds, is it more about a rounding error for the government.    MF  Yes, and you still see as well, outside of data journalism I stress, you still see news organisations making much of percentage increases or what looks like a significant increase in something that's pretty rare to start with.     SR  Yeah, it's all relative. Understanding what something means relatively, without having to give them a math lesson, I think is important.     MF  So this talk about supply, the availability of data journalism, where do people go to find good data journalism, perhaps without having to subscribe? You know, some of the publications that do it best are after all behind paywalls, where do we find the good stuff that's freely available?    SR  If I was looking from scratch for the best data journalism, I think there are lots of places you can find it without having to subscribe to every service. Obviously, you have now the traditional big organisations like the Guardian, and New York Times, and De Spiegel in Germany, there is a tonne of data journalism now happening in other countries around the world that I work on supporting the Sigma Data Journalism Awards. And over half of those entries come from small one or two people units, you know, practising their data journalism in countries in the world where it's a lot more difficult than it is to do it in the UK. For example, Texty in Ukraine, which is a Ukrainian data journalism site, really, and they're in the middle of a war zone right now and they're producing data journalism. In fact, Anatoly Barranco, their data editor, is literally in the army and on the frontline, but he's also producing data journalism and they produce incredible visualisations. They've used AI in interesting ways to analyse propaganda and social media posts and stuff. And the stuff happening everywhere is not just limited to those big partners behind paywalls. And what you do find also, often around big stories like what's happened with COVID, people will put their work outside of the paywall. But um, yeah, data is like an attraction. I think visualisation is an attraction for readers. I'm not surprised people try and monetize that, but there is enough going on out there in the world.    MF  And all that acknowledged, could the producers of statistics like the ONS, and system bodies around the world, could we be doing more to make sure that people using this data in this way have it in forms have it available to be interpreted? Is there more than we can do?     SR  I mean, there was the JC survey that I mentioned earlier, it's definitely worth checking out because one thing it shows is that 57% of data journalists say that getting access to data is still their biggest challenge. And then followed by kind of like lack of resources, time pressure, things like that. PDFs are still an issue out there in the world. There's two things to this for me, on one side it's like, how do I use the data, help me understand what I'm looking at. On the other side is that access, so you know, having more kind of API's and easy downloads, things that are not formatted to look pretty but formatted for use. Those kinds of things are still really important. I would say the ONS has made tremendous strides, certainly since I was working in the UK, on accessibility to data and that's a notable way, and I've seen the same thing with gov.us here in the States.    MF  Well it's good to hear the way the ONS has been moving in the right direction. Certainly I think we've been tough on PDFs.   SR Yes and to me it's noticeable. It's noticeable and you've obviously made a deliberate decision to do that, which is great. That makes the data more useful, right, and makes it more and more helpful for people.     MF  Yes, and at the other end of the chain, what about storing publishers and web platforms, particularly well you're at Google currently, but generally, what can these big platforms do to promote good data journalism and combat misinformation? I mean, big question there.    SR  Obviously, I work with Google Trends data, which is probably the world's biggest publicly available data set. I think a big company like Google has a responsibility to make this data public, and the fact that it is, you can download reusable datasets, is incredibly powerful. I'm very proud to work on that. I think that all companies have a responsibility to be transparent, especially when you have a unique data set. That didn't exist 20 years earlier, and it's there now and it can tell you something about how the world works. I mean, for instance, when we look at something like I mean, I've mentioned COVID before, but it's such a big event in our recent history. How people were searching around COVID is incredibly fascinating and it was important information to get out there. Especially at a time when the official data is always going to be behind what's actually happening out there. And is there a way you can use that data to predict stuff, predict where cases are going to come up... We work with this data every day and we're still just scratching the surface of what's possible with it.    MF   And when it comes to combating misinformation we stand, so we're told, on the threshold of another revolution from artificial intelligence, large language models, and so forth. How do you see that future? Is AI friend, foe, or both?     SR  I work for a company that is a significant player in the AI area, so I give you that background. But I think in the field of data, we've seen a lot of data users use AI to really help produce incredible work, where instead of having to read through a million documents, they can get the system to do it for them and pull out stories. Yeah, like any other tool, it can be anything but the potential to help journalists do their jobs better, and for good, I think is pretty high. I'm going to be optimistic and hope that that's the way things go.    MF  Looking optimistically to the future then, thank you very much Simon for joining us. And thanks also to my other guests, Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter and Ed Humpherson. Taking their advice on board then, when we hear or read about data through the news or experience it on social media, perhaps we should first always ask ourselves – do we trust the source? Good advice indeed.     You can subscribe to new episodes of this podcast on Spotify, Apple podcasts, and all the other major podcast platforms. You can also get more information, or ask us a question, by following the @ONSFocus on X, or Twitter, take your pick. I'm Miles Fletcher, from myself and our producer Steve Milne, thanks for listening.   ENDS 

Join Kristin and Jennifer as they discuss her book The Psilocybin Handbook for Women: How Magic Mushrooms, Psychedelic Therapy, and Microdosing Can Benefit Your Mental, Physical, and Spiritual Health. Jennifer Chesak is an award-winning freelance science and medical journalist, editor, and fact-checker based in Nashville, Tennessee. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, Healthline, Better Homes and Gardens, The Daily Beast, B*tch, and more. Her coverage focuses on chronic health issues, medical rights, health care, harm reduction, and the scientific evidence around health and wellness trends, including cannabis and psychedelics.Jennifer earned her master of science degree in journalism from Northwestern University's Medill. She currently teaches copyediting, technical writing, and media studies in the publishing program at Belmont University, leads various workshops at the literary nonprofit The Porch, and serves as the managing editor for the literary magazine SHIFT. In her free time, Jennifer, who is originally from North Dakota, can be found covered in mud out on a trail run or in her garden. Find her work at jenniferchesak.com and follow her on socials @jenchesak.

On January 31, 2022, some would say industry history was made when Chicago Public Media, owners of the PBS affiliate WBEZ announced the acquisition of the iconic, daily tabloid: The Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago Public Media raised $61 million in multiyear philanthropic commitments for the acquisition and then transitioned the publication to nonprofit ownership. At the time of the announcement the New York Times reported that the merger of: “The hard-hitting tone of tabloid journalism and the measured voice of public radio make for an unlikely combination.” Tim Franklin, senior associate dean of Northwestern University's Medill journalism school and the former president of the Poynter Institute stated: “It's kind of hard to overstate how profound this development is. I think in some ways it could be a model for the nation.” Just a few months later, more industry “history” was made with the announcement of the hiring of Jennifer Kho, former managing editor of HuffPost and Guardian US, as the paper's executive editor. Kho was the first woman and the first person of color to lead its newsroom. Since Kho's appointment, there have been many changes at the paper, that include the dropping of their paywall for access to all digital content.  A “right to be forgotten” policy, that allows people who have been reported on to seek a review and possibly have stories removed from internet searches. And the addition of twelve Sun-Times' “Next Voices,” who are guest columnists that were selected from reader submitted entries. In this episode of E&P Reports, we check in with Chicago Public Media, owners of PBS affiliate WBEZ, to find out how their 2022 acquisition of the 149-year-old Chicago Sun-Times is going. Appearing on the program are Jennifer Kho, executive editor for the newspaper and Tracy Brown, chief content officer for the parent company, who discuss their new initiatives, collaborative efforts and how the blending of these two major market brands is working to expand their audience.

In this episode, my guest and I talk about the healing benefits of psilocybin. We share our personal journeys about the healing we experienced on psilocybin as well as medical facts that support the healing. My guest, Jennifer Chesak is the author of The Psilocybin Handbook for Women. She is an award-winning freelance science and medical journalist, editor, and fact-checker, and her work has  appeared in several national publications, including the Washington Post. Chesak earned her master of science in journalism from Northwestern University's Medill, and she currently teaches in the journalism and publishing programs at Belmont University. Find her work at jennferchesak.com. And follow her on socials @jenchesak.

Today on the show host Steve Ordower welcomes his friend and colleague, journlist Stephan Garnett - who is wrapping up a long and distinguished carreer teaching at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.  They discussed a myriad of issues, including the state of journalism today and the incentive structures that are influential in creating the current media landscape in the U.S.  The conversation touched on how destructive the current media landscape is to fostering productive conversation, and those that put a good-faith effort forward to cultivate nuanced conversation are often-times vilified.  They also touched on how certain words have become triggers in the public arena, such as "woke" or "PC," as well as the comedic brilliance of Dave Chappelle and the use of the N-word.  And, Garnett discussed some of the remarkable projects he has worked on, as well as the journalists that have come through his classroom - which includes the late James Foley who was captured in 2012 and killed in 2014  while covering the Syrian civil war.Stephan Garnett has a 30-year career as a journalist. In addition to working as a suburban and community reporter, he has been an investigative reporter for The Chicago Reporter, and an urban and police reporter for the City News Bureau of Chicago. He spent 14 years as a magazine feature writer and editor, first for ShopTalk, a trade publication, then as a contributing writer to Dollars & Sense and Blackbook magazines. More recently, Garnett has worked in radio, film and television. He has researched and consulted for documentaries produced by the BBC and CNN and has been an essayist for "Chicago Matters," an acclaimed local Public Radio community series. In 2005, Garnett executive produced and wrote and narrated the script for a 15-minute multi-media documentary on the last building left standing at Robert Taylor Homes, once the largest public housing project in the nation. Garnett teaches Journalism Methods for graduates and Media Convergence for undergraduates. He also edits for the Medill News Service and has served as an adviser for Medill's Global Journalism program.INSIDE ROBERT TAYLOR project:https://youtu.be/bprhTUZIOCg#rhythmoflife   #podcast #podcasts #podcastshow #podcasting #media #press #thepress #journalism  #president #steveordower #bobhercules #media #medianews #news #press #incentives #davechappelle

Jennifer Chesak is an award-winning freelance science and medical journalist, editor, and fact-checker based in Nashville, Tennessee. She earned her master of science degree in journalism from Northwestern University's Medill. And her work has appeared in the Washington Post, Healthline, Better Homes and Gardens, The Daily Beast, B*tch, and more. Her most recent book is The Psilocybin Handbook for Women: How Magic Mushrooms, Psychedelic Therapy, and Microdosing Can Benefit Your Mental, Physical, and Spiritual Health. Her mission here as a journalist stems from being a woman who has been fed up with women being left behind by the medical system. In this episode she shares some of the events that led her to psilocybin, and writing this book. Jennifer actually interviewed me for the set and setting chapter of this book, so you can find me in chapter 10! I wanted to bring her on the show to share everything she's learned while writing this book. She has a wealth of information from how to microdose and trip sit to understanding the latest psychedelic research, and incorporating indigenous wisdom. The Psilocybin Handbook for Women is a resource for everyone, although it features information specific to those assigned female at birth—because psychedelics may have different effects and applications across the sexes.Topics covered:Why do we need a book on psilocybin for women?Health condition women tend to self-treat with psilocybinWays psilocybin affects women differently than menHow psychedelics affect the menstrual cycleCan psilocybin regulate the menstrual cycle?Microdosing mushrooms and the menstrual cycleThe optimal menstrual phase to have a mushroom journeyTwo Eyed Seeing: Bridging science and ingenious wisdomPsilocybin for people who are breastfeeding or pregnantHow parents are managing working with psychedelicsCan psilocybin boost your sex life?Sexual abuse, safety and consent in the psychedelic spaceShow Links:Mind Mend Mushroom Marketplace - LANA to save 15% Microdosing Psychedelics - free workshop - SAVE YOUR SEAT!The Psilocybin Handbook for Women [Jennifer's book]Show NotesThis episode was produced in collaboration with FWI Media. Check out their beautiful work!If this episode sparked something within, please let me know and leave a review! 1:1 Coaching with LanaInstagram | Facebook  | WebsiteModern Psychedelics Integration JournalDISCLAIMER: Modern Psychedelics does not endorse or support the illegal consumption of any substances. This show is meant for entertainment purposes only. The thoughts, views and opinions on this show should not be taken as life advice, medicinal advice, or therapeutic guidance.   This episode was produced in collaboration with FWI Media. Check out their beautiful work! If this episode sparked something within, please let me know and leave a review! FREEBIES to support your journey 1:1 Coaching with LanaInstagram | YouTube | Web | Facebook DISCLAIMER: Modern Psychedelics does not endorse or support the illegal consumption of any substances. This show is meant for entertainment purposes only. The thoughts, views and opinions on this show should not be taken as life advice, medicinal advice, or therapeutic guidance.

For any of us that have been in the psychedelic space for even a short amount of time, it is easy to see that between individuals, there are many differences with regard to how these medicines operate within our minds, bodies & spirits. This being said, we can see this very clearly within the scope of men vs. women & one of the things I have been curious about for quite some time now is the idea of creating specialized frameworks for men vs. women within the psychedelic space as a whole. Well, my curiosity was finally resolved when I met today's guest & learned about her newest creation, “The Psilocybin Handbook For Women.” Within this book, she goes into great detail about all the latest research on the topic of psilocybin for women & in this episode, we take a deep dive into many of the subjects within the book to demystify this topic & illuminate some of the nuances for any of you women out there looking to maximize the potential of this medicine in your own lives.Show Notes:(01:11) Jen's Bio.(02:13) How did Jen first become interested in psychedelics?(08:54) What was Jen's first psychedelic experience like?(29:59) What motivated Jen to start the work that she is doing?(51:43) What's next for Jen?(55:41) Where you can find Jen!(56:21) One final question…About JenniferJennifer Chesak is the author of The Psilocybin Handbook for Women. She is an award-winning freelance science and medical journalist, editor, and fact-checker, and her work has appeared in several national publications, including the Washington Post. Chesak earned her master of science in journalism from Northwestern University's Medill. She currently teaches in the journalism and publishing programs at Belmont University, leads various workshops at the literary nonprofit The Porch, and serves as the managing editor for the literary magazine SHIFT.Connect with JenniferWebsite: http://www.jenniferchesak.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenchesak/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenchesak Twitter: https://twitter.com/jenchesak  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferchesak/  Check us out at Highlyoptimzed.meJoin our free Facebook group hereThank you to Freedom Builderz for Making this Podcast Possible!Building online platforms for visionaries & influencers.https://www.freedombuilderz.com/For the best Cannabis Products and Gear check out Headshop.com and use promo code Highly for discounts!  This episode was produced by Mazel Tov Media in Quincy, Massachusetts.Subscribe to The Highly Optimized PodcastSubscribe to This One Time on Psychedelics Podcasthttps://www.highlyoptimized.me

Jennifer Chesak is the author of The Psilocybin Handbook for Women. She is an award-winning freelance science and medical journalist, editor, and fact-checker, and her work has has appeared in several national publications, including the Washington Post. Chesak earned her master of science in journalism from Northwestern University's Medill. She currently teaches in the journalism and publishing programs at Belmont University, leads various workshops at the literary nonprofit The Porch, and serves as the managing editor for the literary magazine SHIFT. Find her work at jenniferchesak.com and follow her on socials @jenchesak. Please provide links that you'd like to share to your work, social media, website, etc. so that the listeners may easily find you. http://www.jenniferchesak.com https://www.instagram.com/jenchesak/ https://twitter.com/jenchesak https://www.tiktok.com/jenchesak https://www.facebook.com/jenchesak https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferchesak/

Jordan, Commish, Beth, PittGirl, and Medill grad Dr. Garage discuss: bottle service, 2023 SEC Champions Vanderbilt, 1962 Northwestern football, nuclear reactors on college campuses, Biblical kings and wine bottle sizes, and much more.

The Bums are back in the rail yard with Parte Uno of S3:E0087, “La Cucaracha”, Rocky finds another stupid way to gamble — Romba Pool; Wimbledon's courte paume winners are reviewed (but if you expect us to know their names, you will be sorely disappointed); Northwestern University is a hot fucking mess, as President Shills responds with a whimper; NFL RBs are going the way of Dodo birds and Tasmanian tigers, extinct; JF1 is still unproven, doesn't crack the Top 10 QB list; MLB's beast in the east is discussed; and Johnny Bench steps on his dick. Parte Dos begins with another under-the-top beer review, with a creation from Alarmist Brewing in Chicago, IL, “Chupalagra” (ABV 4.4%), a Mexican lager inspired beer that presents as light, simple, crisp, and white bready( and maybe a bit of lime) — super clobberable; the Bums discuss Meta's latest social media launch, Threads, and how it's different than Twitter and other social platforms; Northwestern's Medill journalism students win the Bums coveted “Corazón de León” award; Eddie enjoys a ‘basic brunch' with this bride — well, eventually he does (we get the good, the bad and the stupid); a revisit of 1990's film classics, Eddie-style; and close with an homage to crooner and humanist, Anthony Dominic Bennett.  All of this and not one god damn thing more, so get it while it's fresh.Recorded on July 21st, 2023 at B.O.M.'s global headquarters, Paddy's Southside Cave, in Chicago, IL USA. 

@jenchesakhttps://www.jenniferchesak.com/the-psilocybin-handbook-for-womenJennifer Chesak is an award-winning freelance science and medical journalist, editor, and fact-checker based in Nashville, Tennessee. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, Healthline, Better Homes and Gardens, The Daily Beast, B*tch, and more. Her coverage focuses on chronic health issues, medical rights, health care, harm reduction, and the scientific evidence around health and wellness trends, including cannabis and psychedelics.Jennifer earned her master of science degree in journalism from Northwestern University's Medill. She currently teaches copyediting, technical writing, and media studies in the publishing program at Belmont University, leads various workshops at the literary nonprofit The Porch, and serves as the managing editor for the literary magazine SHIFT. In her free time, Jennifer, who is originally from North Dakota, can be found covered in mud out on a trail run or in her garden. Find her work at jenniferchesak.com and follow her on socials @jenchesak.

Kalyn Kahler is a senior NFL writer for The Athletic, covering the league from a national perspective. She has a traditional journalism background and also likes to use numbers in her stories. She is a graduate of Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism and has previously worked for Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report, and Defector Media. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Colorado Springs Gazette, among other publications. In this conversation, Kalyn talks about…Her path from Medill to The AthleticHer general approach to using stats in storiesWhat she took away from working with Peter KingThe evolution of data in journalismHow coaches and players react when she brings up stats to themAdvice for someone looking to break into the sports media fieldWhy she's not a fan of even numbersThen, TruMedia's Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul's conversation with Kalyn.Show LinksFollow Kalyn on Twitter: @kalynkahlerTo see Kalyn's work at The Athletic, click here.To check out Kalyn's website, click here.To read her piece on how the Eagles used the QB rush to their advantage, click here.To read her piece on why NFL coaches call for shotgun at the goal line, click here.To read her piece on how a cow becomes a football, click here.Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

On this episode of Sword and Pen, guest Ben Kesling talks about his quick transition from being a marine corps combat veteran to a reporter at the Wall Street Journal and a published author. Listen in as Ben also reads a passage from his new book, Bravo Company: An Afghanistan Deployment and its Aftermath, a story of the war in Afghanistan through the eyes of the men of one unit, part of a combat-hardened parachute infantry regiment in the 82nd Airborne Division. Ben, an MJV member and one of our Top 10 Military Veterans in Journalism in 2022, talks about how he funded journalism school at Medill at Northwestern; shares his love of his four young children with storytelling that makes a difference; and gives us his backstory to being a two-time winner on Jeopardy. Ben on Twitter | To buy his book, go to Bravo Company | Link to RSVP to Ben and Russell Midori's longform journalism webinar on Jan. 12! This episode is hosted by Lori King Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production, and is brought to you monthly by co-hosts Lori King and Drew Lawrence Twitter | Lori King @intro2pj / Drew Lawrence @df_lawrence Got an idea for a podcast guest? Shoot us an email at lorikingblog@gmail.com and/or drew@mvj.network

“I feel like if you just start the conversation, good things will happen,” Medill freshman Zoe Alter said about making friends in college. Listen to episode 6 of Digital Diaries to hear how two students navigate Northwestern's social scene. Read the full article here: https://dailynorthwestern.com/2022/11/07/audio/digital-diaries/digital-diaries-episode-6-navigating-the-northwestern-social-scene/

In the third hour, Dan Bernstein and Laurence Holmes were joined by "Game Theory" host Bomani Jones of HBO to discuss Bears quarterback Justin Fields' inability to get the ball out quick and more, including how Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and Lakers star LeBron James are fighting Father Time. Bernstein and Holmes then discussed the NFC North landscape following the Packers' third consecutive loss Sunday. Later, Medill professor Melissa Isaacson joined the show to discuss "Title IX at 50: Past. Present. Future." at Northwestern from Oct. 27-29.

What are some flawed perceptions of immigrant and refugee students and how can these impact the education they receive? What policies or district practices have been barriers to newcomer or immigrant students receiving the full extent of education promised to them by law? How is “moving students through” the education system without adequate support or learning such a major missed opportunity for both them and their communities? We discuss these questions and more with the author of “The School I Deserve” Jo Napolitano, who spent nearly two decades reporting for The New York Times, Chicago Tribune and Newsday before winning a Spencer Education Fellowship to Columbia University in 2016 in support of her reporting on immigrant youth. Her first book, The School I Deserve: Six Young Refugees and Their Fight for Equality in America, will be published by Beacon Press in Spring 2021. Napolitano has reported on many topics throughout her award-winning career, including crime and science. But education remains her primary focus, and for good reason: It was the only means through which she would escape poverty. Born in Bogota, Colombia, Napolitano was abandoned at a bus stop by her birthmother when she was just a day old. Placed in an orphanage, she nearly died of starvation before she was adopted by a blue-collar family from New York. She was raised by a single parent and is a first-generation college graduate having earned her bachelors from Medill at Northwestern University. She believes no child's life should be left to chance. Download the episode transcript here. Subscribe to the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4CYdurgYRIwFGif3H6Qk For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community. Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/highest-aspirations/message

Episode 246 of the Sports Media Podcast features a sports media conversation with Boston Globe sports media writer Chad Finn and The Big Lead editor in chief Kyle Koster. They are followed by J.A. Adande, the Director of Sports Journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and the editor of the new anthology, “Year's Best Sports Writing 2022.” In this podcast, Finn and Koster discuss showing replays of injuries on NFL broadcasts; how brain injuries are talked about on air;  Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit discussing Tua's Tagovailoa injury; Amazon Prime Video's Week 4 viewership of 11.7 million viewers; will a TV deal for LIV ever come and will sponsors want to be part of it; complaints over college football cut-ins for Aaron Judge; what we think about the upcoming NHL coverage and more. Adande discusses the editing process for Triumph Books' Year's Best Sports Writing 2022; what he was looking for with submissions; finding stories that reflect the current moment in sports; where we are with longform sports journalism;  having the Concussion Legacy Foundation staff give a lecture every year at Medill, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, we talk about higher education. I am joined by Therese Grohman, Senior Director of Marketing at Northwestern University School of Professional Studies. We actually both attended Northwestern as undergraduates at the same time, yet met each other during the pandemic… go figure! We talk about: What type of higher education programs should marketers pursue? Undergraduate degrees that are helpful for marketers Connecting with consumers authentically How to make online classes more effective  Relevant Links: Customer Review Research from Medill : https://spiegel.medill.northwestern.edu/category/insights/customer-reviews/ Information Design and Strategy Program at Northwestern : https://sps.northwestern.edu/masters/information-design/ Data Science Program at Northwestern : https://sps.northwestern.edu/masters/data-science/index.php  Enjoy! To make sure you never miss an episode of The High EQ Market podcast, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the website. Listening on a desktop & can't see the links? Just search for The High EQ Marketer in your favorite podcast player.

Mike Shapiro is the founder and CEO of TAPinto, a network of more than 85 online local news sites in New Jersey, New York and Florida. Shapiro launched TAPInto in 2008. Back then it was called TheAlternativePress.com and the goal was to build a network of hyperlocal news sites covering New Jersey towns. His core idea is relatively simple. Would-be editors and publishers are actually franchisees. They pay a fee to buy into a turnkey operation that gives them access to technology and marketing resources. Shapiro's team provides training and maintains the infrastructure, but these publishers are responsible for maintaining and growing their readership. Some have journalism backgrounds, but some join because they love their communities and want to become small business owners. There are now more than 90 franchises all over New Jersey, New York and Florida. The name was changed as the network grew: Shapiro no longer sees it as an alternative to just one newspaper, but as a way to TAPinto any community.  Dan has a Quick Take on a new survey by the Medill school of journalism at Northwestern University that finds that readers in Chicago aren't willing to pay for local news, and Ellen nerds out on a recent NiemanLab report on the importance of local coverage of science.

Jonathan Copulsky sits down with Bob Buday for the fifth episode of Everything Thought Leadership. Jonathan is the former CMO of Deloitte, author of the book “Brand Resilience,” and a marketing lecturer for Northwestern University's Medill and Kellogg Schools. He is a B2B marketing and strategy expert and thought leader of over 35 years. Visit this link to donate to the research fellowship Jonathan and his children have set up at Loyola Marymount University, in honor of Jonathan's late wife Ellen Carol Barreto: https://newsroom.lmu.edu/campusnews/health-and-society-program-receives-fellowship-boost/ To learn more about Jonathan and his experience, visit his LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/copulsky/ Or view his faculty pages at: https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/faculty/directory/copulsky_jonathan.aspx , and... https://www.medill.northwestern.edu/directory/faculty/jonathan-copulsky.html

Episode page: https://www.markgraban.com/mistake138 My guest for Episode #138 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is J.A. Adande. He is the director of sports journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. He is also the graduate journalism Sports Media Specialization leader. J.A. earned his undergraduate degree in journalism from Medill in 1992. During his time in school at Northwestern, he was sports editor of The Daily Northwestern, the student newspaper. J.A. has worked in sports media for over two and a half decades, including multiple roles at ESPN. He continues to appear on ESPN's “Around The Horn,” where he has been a panelist since the show's beginning in 2002. He also previously worked for 10 years as a sports columnist at the Los Angeles Times, in addition to jobs at The Washington Post and Chicago Sun-Times. In today's episode, J.A. shares his “favorite mistake” story about applying for a job, to be a sports columnist in Philadelphia, which probably would have been a failure. Why was it a mistake to want that job, then? How would the newspaper have determined if he was a success or a failure? How would that be determined today in the internet age? We also talk about questions and topics including: Angry letters to the editor might not be a bad thing if that means people are reading? Coaching students about handling or bracing for hate mail or flat out hate? Tell us about getting into TV – did that ever feel like a mistake? When that was new to you? Learning to give “hot takes”? Mistakes in reporting — pressure to be first vs. being correct? The “Medill F”? A punishment for mistakes like spelling a name wrong… is this a very real practice? A mistake you only make once? Greg Cote's story in a bonus episode about being lied to by an interview subject Another mistake story from J.A. — getting a soccer coach's first name wrong in a profile --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/favorite-mistake/support

Welcome to Candid with Carrie RANTS 0:41 - Carrie recaps her long weekend in LA5:38 - Content updats including the book Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Dispenza, and the show Hacks (HBO Max)TRENDING TOPICS9:36 - Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Kelly are engaged12:58 - Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet Split After 16 years together.16:02 - Jamie Lynn Spears on addresses her involvement with sister Britney's Conservatorship on GMA  22:30 - The 2022 Oscars will have a host for the first time since 2018INTEVIEW 27:46 - Carrie welcomes HGTV Host/Designer Shay Holland to the show!Shay tells us about growing up a military kid and what life and what life on base was like. We hear about her decision to go to grad school at Medill and how she landed her first job in news. Shay opens up about the heaviness of working the crime beat, how hard it was hearing viewers comment on her appearance while covering tragic events, and why she made the decision to pivot from news into hosting. She tells us the incredible story of how she got her latest gig as a host/designer with HGTV on their new show "Unfinished Business", and gives us her advice for how hosts can use their story to stand apart and land their dream gigs. and online magazines. Carrie's YouTube ChannelCarrie's InstagramCandid on InstagramShay on Instagram

Episode Notes [“We Don't Talk About Bruno,” from Encanto] Trent: Hello everyone, and welcome to Episode One of Pop Chaos, your one-stop shop for pop culture. If you did your homework, you just listened to episode zero. We're not introducing ourselves again. But I'm Trent. Bailey: I'm Bailey and you just said we're not going to introduce ourselves, yet here we are. Trent: This week we're talking about Spider-Man, right? No Way Home. Bailey: We are going to talk about a lot of things. Spider-Man… Trent: Encanto. Bailey: Encanto for sure. Trent: What was the other thing? Bailey: There were some other things we were going to talk about. Trent (overlapping): Such as? Bailey: For one, Elmo, I wanted to bring up. Trent: Oh yeah, you need to explain to me what is going on with Elmo. Bailey: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then maybe just like some, some other shows that are big and coming up right now. I was thinking about mentioning, you know, Succession. Euphoria season two is coming out. Trent: Oh yeah, have not seen Succession. Bailey: Well, I don't know. The big two we're gonna talk about are Encanto and Spider-Man-slash-Andrew Garfield. The resurgence. He's big right now. Very big. Trent: That's true. Should we – we should just get right into Spider-Man. He is huge, actually, on Twitter and like TikTok. There – I saw a tweet that was like, “The K-Pop-ification of Andrew Garfield.” I think people were like, “Stream The Amazing Spider-Man,” to get him that recognition. Bailey: Well, so I'm curious. I just want to double-check real quick how old he is. Trent (overlapping): We'll embed that. Bailey: I want to check how old he is. Trent (overlapping): He's like in his late 30s, I want to say. Bailey: Ooh! So I looked him up on Google. Trent (in the background): 45. Bailey: And unfortunately, he's shorter than both of us. That's … yeah… Trent (gasping): With his hair, it's fine. Bailey: He's 5'10”. That's true. His hair like defies gravity, so. Trent: Wait, no but how old is he? Bailey: He is 38 years old. Trent: What'd I tell you? Late 30s. Bailey: Yeah, he looks great for his age. Did you watch – sorry, we were gonna talk about Spider-Man. But did you watch tick, tick… BOOM!, because it's on topic? Trent: No, so I saw like the trailer. Bailey (in the background): Okay. Trent: I did not – okay. Not to bring up Andrew Garfield's hair again. I cannot get past his hair in the trailer. It looks, I think personally – Bailey: It looks like Jonathan Larson's hair though, who he's portraying. Trent (overlapping): I know. But that doesn't mean I like it. Bailey: Okay. So you're just not gonna watch the entire movie because of his hair? It was too bouncy? Trent: Correct. Bailey: It did … it did look… Trent: It looks like he's like a mad scientist and it blew up. Bailey: Yeah, it looks like he touched one of those little balls that makes you – WOOOOO! Trent: Those electric balls – Bailey (joking): But like not in a gay way. Yeah, and it also – Trent (laughing): …Bailey… Bailey: I dunno, it also looks like … I don't know, I think it looked kind of bouncy, kind of good, like kind of shampoo commercial sort of… Yeah. Trent (overlapping): Anyway, Spider-Man: No Way Home. Bailey (in the background): Yeah, enough about Andrew Garfield's hair. Trent: Andrew Garfield's done. What did you think of No Way Home? Bailey (overlapping): Well okay, first off, spoiler alert. Like if you have not seen it.  Trent: Oh, yeah, obviously. If you haven't seen Spider-Man or Encanto, we're talking about both of those. Bailey: Yeah, let me not shame you though because if you don't want to go to the movie theater right now, that is a-okay. But also, what are you doing? You got to see this g-dang movie. I don't know. I… I did like, I binge-watched all the other Spider-Man movies. Trent (overlapping): Like all – like, all seven of them? Bailey: Yeah, pretty much. For the most – yeah, I think I missed a couple the first time around. But then after the movie, I watched – I've seen all of them. Mostly, my goal was to re-watch the Tobey [McGuire] ones because I was never a huge fan of those. So I had to re-watch them.  Trent (overlapping): Not that. Bailey: I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Trent: It's okay. So I'm actually on the – well, I know I've definitely seen the Tobey ones. I actually don't know if I've seen Andrew Garfield. Sorry. Bailey (overlapping): Are you f-ing serious? Trent: And I know for a fact that I have not seen Spider-Man: Homecoming or Spider-Man: Far From Home. I did not see those. Bailey (overlapping): How are we friends? And you went to go see No Way Home? Trent: Yeah, cuz my friends were going and I was like, “Lemme…” Bailey: You… so if your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it too? Is that what I'm hearing? Trent: I would. Listen, why are they jumping off the bridge, you know? Bailey: Trent. Trent: No Way Home, because he's jumping off a literal bridge, yeah. Trent (in the background): Let's investigate. Investigative journalism. I would. But I liked it. Bailey: No, I'm sorry. Okay. On Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man. I like them. I like them. I appreciate them, the nostalgia. The first one I think is really great. Mary Jane slayed. Her hair … I love her. This is literally the most irrelevant thing to the actual movies, but I love her hair in the first movie like the dark like orange. I love it. The third movie, I … it's painful to watch. It's really, really hard to watch. Trent: It's been a while but I looked at the Rotten Tomatoes scores like a while ago and it's like the lowest by far. I'm like, what happened to that movie? Bailey: Yeah, well, I don't, I don't dictate my life and what I watch by Rotten Tomatoes scores. Trent: Oh no, I don't either. Bailey: Because I think that they – no yeah – I think they totally lie all the time – Trent (in the background): For the reporting. For the reporting. Bailey: And I'm a huge fan of a good bad movie. You literally can look behind me here. Trent (in the background): Oh, for sure. Bailey: There's a Ma poster on the wall. It's one of the best good-bad movies ever made. But the third Spider-Man movie is genuinely just too hard to watch. Like I had to look away like when he's like doing the whole walk down the street. He's got like the “Where are you?” emo hair. I can't, he looks so greasy! Trent (in the background): That is so funny! His weird emo hair? It's so bad. Bailey: Yeah, so I don't know. Trent: Okay, my question – who is your Spider-Man? Like out of the three, who is your Spider-Man? Bailey: I think you know the answer to that. Trent: Well then why don't you say it? Bailey: It's Andrew Garfield. Trent: Of course. Mine is Tobey. Bailey: Because I grew up, I – Okay, I loved the Andrew Garfield Spider-Mans and I always had to defend them and I'm so glad that people are finally recognizing that he is amazing. Like I'm sorry, the second one was a hot mess, there was just too much going on. That's not his fault though. Acting-wise, he ate. He ate and the thing for me is, for Andrew Garfield Spider-Man … especially like … the characters have so much chemistry. They do, specifically Gw– you have to, like you have to watch them. The Andrew Garfield – Trent: Wait, I actually think I saw the first one cuz I remember the scene where like he's at Gwen's house for dinner. That's all I remember though. Bailey: Yeah, eating the branzino. The fish. Yeah, so the first like for example, the first Spider-Man, when I'm watching like Toby like I watched all three of those movies … I did fall asleep a little bit during the second one … I'm so sorry. Trent (overlapping): Of course. You missed the lore, you missed the most important part, missed Doc Ock's background. Bailey: I'm so sorry! I did like the second one, though. But, it didn't make me feel that much. It really didn't, and I love Willem Dafoe too, like he's one of my favorite actors. I love him in like some of my favorite video games like Beyond Two Souls. He's amazing. He's such a good actor. He slayed in No Way Home. He was so good. But the gag is is that – Trent: What's the gag? Bailey: The gag is that the Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man makes me feel so much, like I cried twice. I cried when Uncle Ben dies. It makes you feel so much, like they build up so much with the characters. When like Uncle Ben died in Tobey's movies, I did not cry, I didn't feel anything. Trent (sarcastic): Uncle Ben died? gasp Bailey: gasp Guys, I'm so sorry! So sorry! Trent: Iconic Spider-Man moment, oops! Bailey: Oh my God, Spider-Man wears red and blue? Oh my God! Trent: Wait, he's a spider? And a man? Bailey: Wait, a spider bit him? Oh, god… No, but literally like it makes me feel so much. And Gwen, like Emma – Emma Stone is incredible. Trent: That's true, she's great as Gwen. Bailey: I just rewatched Easy A because I've been seeing so many Gwen Stacy edits and I was like, “I love this woman and I need to rewatch.” Because she just, she ate. She's so good, and she and Andrew, obviously they dated. All the Spider-Mans, they've all like dated their Mary Janes or whatever. Trent (overlapping): They did? I didn't know that. Oh, I guess that makes sense. Bailey: Yeah, they all have. Really? Yeah, MJ and Tobey – like Tobey and Kirsten Dunst dated, Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone dated, and now Tom Holland and Zendaya, yeah. Trent: Wait, iconic. Bailey: Yeah, so. But I don't know. I just think that Gwen and Andrew had the best chemistry, and they were so, so good. And I love those movies so much. Trent: That's fair, that's fair. I would say mine is Tobey, just because that's the one I remember seeing, that's what I grew up on. And I have not, I don't know. Andrew Garfield, when I watched it at the time, doesn't hit for me. That was like seven years ago, so I don't remember. Tom Holland, straight up did not see any of them. Bailey: Okay, he's good. I think they were just … they kind of got off to a slow start, in my opinion. Trent: I think … do you think it's weird that … I feel like it's a requirement for Spider-Man to have thin lips. Have you noticed that? I noticed that in No Way Home, they all have tiny little stick lips. Bailey: Trent, Trent, Trent! When I tell you that I saw … so I saw No Way Home twice. And when I was watching with my brother, I had to lean over to him halfway through and, like for the record I have very small lips. Not Spider-Man small but pretty small. But, I leaned over to my brother who was watching with me and I was like, I think they might have like one-and-a-half pair of lips between all three of them. Trent (in the background): Literally! Bailey: I was like, “Bert …” And like not to shame for their – like, they're all very attractive, beautiful men, but I was like, “This is a pattern. This is for sure a pattern.” Trent: It's – we're just observing their faces. Bailey: Yeah. And they're all, again, they're very attractive men. But it's just a pattern. Like for some reason, like I don't know if the spider just like [slurp] sucked all the lip. Like just sucked the lusciousness out of their lips. Trent: It's like the opposite of lip fillers. Bailey: Yeah, the spider bite is actually the opposite of lip fillers, so if you're wanting smaller lips, fun fact… Trent: Go get bit by a spider. That's a joke! For medical purposes, for legal purposes. Don't get bit by a spider. Bailey: Don't. Well, if you want to, you can come to my apartment because we had a spider problem at the beginning of the year. My address is – no, I'm just kidding. I want your general thoughts on the movie though. Trent: I liked it. It was fun. It wasn't like my mind was blown. But it was fun. It was, it was nice seeing all of the … not the enemies but the villains from the – pff, the enemies – the bad guys from the other movies. I thought that was really fun. Especially the Tobey ones because it's been a while for them. And of course, oh my gosh, in the theater when Andrew Garfield entered like everyone went crazy. Bailey: Yuuup, yeah. At my theater, too. Trent: And then not as many people went crazy for Tobey, but I went crazy for Tobey. Bailey: Yeah, spoilers, but everyone went crazy for Andrew. Everyone went crazy for Tobey at mine. Everyone went crazy for – Trent (in the background): Tom Holland! No. Bailey (laughing): Daredevil for all like… yeah. Oh my god, when Iron Man came back? It was crazy! Trent (in the background): You can't say that! Bailey: Oh my god, when Snape killed Dumbledore! Trent: Spoiler! We're not talking about Harry Potter here. Bailey: No, but okay, my general thoughts on the movie. Okay, so when I rate like … so fun fact about me, I rate movies and I post them on my Instagram story for like the three people that actually care about them. And when I rate Marvel movies on my story, I definitely do it like compared to other Marvel movies. It's not like – Trent: That's fair. Oh yeah, ‘cuz they're all like, just fun. They're all like, not serious. Bailey: Yeah. Yes. So I don't people know that but that's what I do when I'm rating them. I just like compare them to other similar movies, and I gave it a nine out of 10 and that's because I kind of had low expectations. I thought like … well, what I thought all of like, I wanted to lower expectations so that I could get excited, but like I thought that they were going to make it super fan service-y, which like it was a little bit, but like I felt like the plot like justified it. Trent (in the background): It was coherent, it made sense. Bailey: It was super coherent. Exactly, exactly. Trent: Okay, speaking of ratings, what did you rate Encanto? Because I feel like we should move on. Bailey: Okay, wait, last thing. Last thing before we talk about Encanto because Spider-Man: No Way Home gets me passionate, but I was just gonna say that I think Andrew carried with the acting. Trent: Okay, I can see that. Bailey: Sorry. I do think he was the funniest. He improvised lines. I watched a couple interviews … Trent: He improvised the “I love you,” right? Bailey: He improvised the “I love you” line. He ate. When he was talking about Uncle Ben, he teared up, I started tearing up. When he saves Zendaya and he was crying. Trent (in the background): Oh my God. Callback. Bailey: Do you know what I mean? When he saved MJ. Trent (in the background): Yeah, that was great. Bailey: Oh my god, I got so emotional. He brought the emotion to that, in my opinion. And he was the funniest, which are the two things that I care about most so I thought he definitely carried. Trent: Okay. Bailey: Encanto. Trent: Encanto. Bailey: You go first. You – give me your thoughts. Trent: Give me your thoughts? Um, I really liked Encanto. I thought it was a lot of fun. I mean, okay, first things first it is a Disney movie, so it is pretty straightforward. Once again, I have to preface this with I know that it is literally a children's movie. But I did not like that they – I felt like they did a lot of telling and not showing. Like, especially for the family members and the first song. They literally have a song that's like, here's this family member and here's their like superpower. Well they're not superpowers but you know what I mean. And it's like, “Okay, why don't you show us that” instead of having Stephanie Beatriz sing about it, you know what I mean? But that was, I would say that was my one gripe with it. I thought it was, that it was really fun. I thought it was really endearing. The music is really good. I was surprised at how good the music was. And, yeah, I love that Disney movies are branching … they're not just all, you know, American. I like that it's a little bit more representative of actual, real-world people. So yeah, highly recommended. If you have Disney+, go watch it. So, what did you think of Encanto? Bailey: Yeah, so I can see what you're saying with the first song, again I'd have to go back and watch it because I don't know, for some reason the whole like first half didn't stick with me as much. I think maybe that's why, cause there's a lot of like exposition. That's the right word, right? Trent: That's fair. Yeah, it was like, “Here's our family. Here's where we live. Here's what's going on. Oh yeah, here's Maribel. Spoiler alert: she has no gift. Everyone hates her.” No, just kidding. Just her grandma. Bailey: I mean, the cast? So good. Stephanie, I think, Beatriz is incredible. Loved her in Orange Is the New Black, watched that in middle school. So good. What's her face? Oh no, Diane Guerrero! She's one from Orange is the New Black and what's her face? Yeah, Stephanie is from Brooklyn Nine-Nine and other things. Flip those two and their projects, but they're so incredible. I love them both. Trent: Oh my gosh, they're so good. The cast is so well … Bailey: Sid the Sloth slayed as Bruno.  Trent: No, for real. Bailey: So good. So good. And Bruno was kind of cute. I'm not gonna lie. Bruno was kind of fine. Sorry. I had to put it out there.  Trent: Okay. Bailey: In my humble opinion. Trent: So, just, if there was someone living in your walls listening to your every move … Bailey: I would want them to look like Bruno. Was that the question? Trent: Would you get with that person, yes or no? Bailey: Well, besides all the spiders … all the spiders and cockroaches and stuff in our walls, yeah. If there was a person as well, I would want them to look like Bruno. laughs So if anyone's listening right now …  Trent (laughing): Not gonna unpack that. Bailey: No but, okay, going off of Bruno, like … Trent: I like Bruno. The final song, when he started singing I was like, “Okay, Lin-Manuel Miranda.” Bailey: I was going to say … Trent: And then I looked up the Wikipedia cast list. It's not Lin-Manuel. Bailey: I didn't even sound like him.  Trent: To me, it sounded 100% like him. Bailey: It didn't sound like him, it sounded like the part was written for Lin to sing. Trent (overlapping): Oh, fully. 100%.  Bailey: I know that Lin was crying and shitting bricks when he did not get on the cast. Trent: I've seen so many memes and Tweets that are like, “You know someone had to tie him down to stop him from casting himself as Bruno.” And no shame against that. I mean, as you should.  Bailey: Yeah no, he definitely ate. I would say some more thoughts … it evoked so many emotions within me, which is what I really want from a movie like that. I'm for sure, on the down-low, kind of a Disney adult, at least like with these movie musicals. I love Frozen. I love Frozen II. I literally have Frozen II on vinyl behind me over there. I love the soundtrack so much. “Lost in the Woods” by Jonathan Groff was on my top songs for 2020. So incredible. Moana also. So that's the thing for me … comparing Moana, which is another Lin-Manuel Miranda project, in terms of soundtrack, I don't think [Encanto] lived up to the soundtrack. I think Moana had a better soundtrack in my opinion. But I do think that this movie made me far more emotional. Like, oh my God, when Bruno showed his little extended table that he had with the rest of them. Trent (literally yelling): That was so sad. And he had carved a plate into it. Bailey: I sobbed. I sobbed and at the end, for like the last half an hour straight, I just had tears in my eyes. It made me so emotional. It was such an incredible movie overall, but there was something … I was gonna say something else about it. I have a lot of thoughts. Trent: I'm sure you do. Bailey: Yeah, I have a lot of thoughts about everything. Trent: Should we talk about the music? Bailey: Well, okay, before we talk about the music, I will say the one thing that – and I talked to my friend about this as well, we were texting about it and she had the same thought – is we both thought that they weren't gonna get their powers back at the end. We thought that that was like, the whole point is that they kind of realized that they were all that they needed. They didn't need these magic powers. And then it was like BOOP and our powers are back. And we were just kind of like, “Oh.” Trent: No, for real. I definitely feel like the ending was a little bit, I don't wanna say forced, but a little bit rushed. For sure. Just because the movie is already … it's like over two hours. [Editor's Note: Encanto's runtime is 102 minutes.] Bailey: They fit so much. To be fair, it's kinda like No Way Home. They fit so much into one movie. Trent (overlapping): No, for real, they fit so much into that movie. Bailey: So creds. Creds. Trent: It feels like after the character of Bruno was introduced, it's like a crash course between like … she – Mirabel – frees Isabela from her mental constraints of perfection or whatever and then she fights with her abuela but then she makes up and then the house goes down and she makes up with her abuela and then she's like, “I love you all anyway.” Bailey: It did happen very fast. Trent: It's like we didn't see … once again, the showing not telling it's like … we didn't actually see the character development happen. It was just kind of like … Bailey: Before they got their powers back as well. That's the thing is, now we see that, yay, they all like understand that they just see their family. Trent: Yeah, no, narratively I feel like that would have had more of an impact. Bailey: Yeah, I guess we're supposed to understand that now, they've grown to accept that they aren't just their powers. And so that's why they get their powers back because now they know inside they're more than their powers. That's what they realize. Trent (laughing): But they still have them. Bailey: But then they get them back and so it's kind of like okay, I guess I get why they did that. But it did kind of, I don't know, maybe it's a good thing that it defied my expectations a little bit, but I don't know I think I might have liked it more if they just realized that they were all they needed and … themselves with other powers. Trent: Obviously, I'm happy that it had a happy ending, like imagine how unsatisfying it would have been if Abuela was like, “No, I don't know what you're talking about.” Bailey: It's a Disney movie babes. Trent: Of course. But I definitely wish they would have spent more time on that. On just seeing Abuela's thought process of, “Oh wait, am I really like in the wrong here?” And then she's like, “Yes, I am.” Instead of … because it just felt like they had that fight and then Mirabel walked off to the river and then Abuela comes up and is like, “I went through a whole character arc in like five minutes off screen.” Bailey: That's true, but it does, I mean, I don't know, yeah. Again from the perspective of “It's a kids movie” … Trent: It is a Disney movie. It is a kids movie, so it needs to be easy … Bailey: Yeah, but I see what you're saying. I was all confused as well when she just pulled up and she went from being completely angry and enraged at her to, “Oh wait, I'm so sorry.” Trent: It was like a button flipped and she was like, “You know what? I have been bad.” Bailey: Which, good. You know, it's good that it happened. Yeah, for real. It was definitely a “good for her,” “good for them” kind of movie, so. But yeah, moving on to the soundtrack, top song, number one song … Trent: What's your top song? Bailey & Trent (simultaneously): “We Don't Talk About Bruno” Trent: Yes we do. Bailey: We do talk about how we don't talk about Bruno … Trent: That song is like “Let It Go.” It's the standout song. It is so good. I have had it on re-peat. Just constantly playing. And it's so good. Every single verse is, individually, it's like chef's kiss and then you get to the end and they all combine and there's so many little details in the music. Ugh, it's so good. Yeah. I swear, it's like laced with something addictive because it is so, so good. Bailey: That is the one song where I was listening to it and I had no critiques at all. Because I know for some of them like “Surface Pressure” I really like. That song made me very emotional and I think that actress, the voice actress, and also the character herself did a great job. I don't know, I thought it was really well portrayed and I like the fun little dancing number – I know that was kind of controversial – with the little donkeys and all that … I kind of liked it, it was fun. Trent: I liked that it was funny but it just felt weird that she was singing about like, “I have all this anxiety” and then meanwhile she's like busting out the choreo. Bailey: But it was kind of fun. It was representative of her inner conflict of how she has to keep going day to day feeling like this and putting on this show for everyone around her, right? Trent: Okay. Okay. Bailey: You know what I mean? Trent: Come on, Socratic seminar. Bailey: Yeah. I just think that parts of it … the production were not my favorite thing. But the lyrics and the chorus and everything … again, I don't think was perfect but I mean like all Disney soundtracks it will probably grow on me because a lot of them do after the fact. But again, “We Don't Talk About Bruno” – elite. Top tier song. Should be in all the Disney Spotify playlists already, if it's not. Trent: I unironically hope that it charts or something because it's that good. Hidden gem: “What Else Can I Do?” It's little bit repetitive, I think. But it's a little bit poppier. It's a bit more upbeat. I think it's fun. Bailey: Yeah, I thought all the songs were great, again, but “We Don't Talk About Bruno” for sure the standout, and then “Surface Pressure,” again, I loved the chorus. Everything else … Trent: I will say, that first song that I was ragging on, “The Family Madrigal” … Bailey: It's good. Trent: It's expository, but the song itself is really fun and catchy. Bailey: Yeah. Yeah, it was a good introduction music-wise. Trent: But it's a fun song. It's definitely fun. I'm definitely like, singing “It's time for a grandkid round up.” That part, I'm like, “Yes, get the fire going.” Bailey: And I mean, she was kind of explaining to the kids, wasn't she? Like, that was kind of how they justified that. Wasn't she? I can't really remember. And music aside, can we talk about how the animation was beautiful? Trent (yelling again): So high quality! Bailey: It was gorgeous. Trent: All the swishes of the colorful skirts.  Bailey: It was gorgeous and I think more so than any other Disney movie I've seen, all the characters had such a distinct look. It wasn't one of those movies where they use the same model and everyone looks so similar. Everyone had such a distinct look and a distinct sound, distinct hair. They all had different beautiful curls and they were all animated so individually, and the dresses and the skirts. Trent: So gorgeous, such good character designs, such good animation. The voice actors really embody their characters. Bailey (overlapping): And all of the nature scenes as well. Trent: Oh my gosh, the animation was top tier. Absolutely. Bailey: Oh my god. What was a little kid's name? He was so cute. Trent: Which one? Oh, Antonio. The little cousin. Oh my gosh. Bailey (overlapping): Yeah, he was so cute. Trent: Wait, okay. Have you seen – I don't know if this is a thing on TikTok but I've definitely seen it on my YouTube – I think I'm on Encanto YouTube because I've seen so many fan edits of Camilo, which is the cousin. People are thirsting over him hard. Camilo and Dolores are people's favorites. There are so many fan edits. I've seen “Encanto but it's just Camilo for two minutes and 18 seconds.” Bailey: I saw someone saying that he looks like what's his face … Wybie from Coraline.  That's all I saw about him. Trent (overlapping): laughs Oh, not that. Camilo doesn't deserve that. Bailey: I saw a TikTok about that. And I was like .. I don't know, I guess they're both mischievous. That's really all I see in common with those two. Trent: Yeah, but I've definitely seen so many – like on YouTube – so many edits. Bailey: I've seen a lot of people thirsting for Luisa's voice actress, which I'm here for. Trent (overlapping): I don't know what she looks like but I would imagine it's for a good reason. Bailey: Okay, yeah, well you can definitely get up afterwards. She's beautiful and cool. Very cool. Trent: I've heard you thirsting about Bruno. laughs Bailey: Yeah. Yeah. On the record, yes. No, and I was going to say, I also have seen some Isabela ⨉ Elsa art. Trent (wheezing): What? Bailey: Yeah, cause a lot of people are headcanoning … making her … they believe she's a lesbian because she didn't want to marry what's his face, it was like a headcanon thing. Trent: Hmmmmm. I see it, okay. Bailey: And I don't know about the whole Elsa thing but since, obviously, she's the other character that people kind of gravitate towards and think that she's also a lesbian, I was like, “That's kind of cute” and the art was really cool. I was like, “Okay.” I don't know, no big thoughts about that. But I was like, “Alright.” I saw like two videos about it so I thought it was worth noting. Trent: Lowkey. Every single Disney movie like that, like Frozen, like Moana, like Encanto, they all follow the hero's journey. But the hero's journey is also a very clear allegory for coming out. So that's why, for all those who are like, “Oh my god, Elsa's a lesbian. Oh my god … Bailey: I'm not going to tell people what to think about them. Yeah. Trent: … Isabela's a lesbian.” It's like, is it supported by the text? No, but I could see it. Bailey: Didn't she start putting rainbow crap all over herself at the end? Trent: cackling Bailey: Yes. I'm pretty sure she did. She took her pink dress and … Trent: The Encanto pride parade. Bailey: Yeah, she literally started throwing all these colors on herself. I don't know – could it be any clearer? Yes, but … laughs Trent: Textually, no. Subtextually, I see it. Bailey (accidentally mispronouncing Encanto – my sincerest apologies): Any last Encanto thoughts? Do you want to talk about some other things? Trent (mocking): Not “En-can't-o” … Bailey: Um, Encanto. My bad. Trent: The Americanization … Bailey: You know what? Trent: No, I liked it. Top tier. Definitely up there among the greats like Moana, Frozen, all those animated … definitely one of the good ones. Bailey: Oh, for sure. Yeah, again as a lowkey Disney adult. I'm sorry I just love the soundtracks. I'm a huge sucker for a Disney soundtrack. I think they're so good, I'm so sorry. I'm not a sucker for you. I'm a sucker for Disney. [“We Don't Talk About Bruno” from Encanto] Trent : We're going to speedrun some smaller stuff just as it comes. Bailey: Are you going to put that in? Trent: Sure. We'll keep this in too. Bailey: Oh, okay. Yeah, topic speedrun. One two three. Let's go. No, number one – we don't talk about Bruno but you know who we do talk about? Trent: Who? Bailey: Elmo, because … laughs Trent: Stop. Okay, I've seen so many jokes on Twitter about Elmo and his rock. Can you explain to me the source? Bailey: Actually no, I don't understand the rock thing. I just see all these edits about – is it Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson? Trent: I don't know. I think it's like a physical piece of stone. Bailey: Does he have a pet rock? I thought he had a pet fish. Trent: I don't know. He does have a pet fish. But does he have a pet rock? Like … Bailey: I don't know. Elmo and The Rock? I just am here for the TikTok sounds like when he says “delicious.” That's my favorite. Do you know that one? Trent: I'm not on TikTok so … Bailey: gasps Oh my gosh, wait. Okay, so there's this audio where he's talking to – I think it's someone from the Hamilton cast because he's like …  Trent: Of course. Bailey: He's singing. It's on the show, it's this clip. Yeah. And so the guy's like, singing “Raise a glass to freedom,” and then Elmo's like, I was like, “Raise a glass? Glass of what?” and then he's like, “Apple juice,” and then Elmo's like, Bailey & Elmo: “Delicious.” Bailey: And it's so good. I feel like it's such a millennial thing to say but like it scratches my brain. So beautiful. NBC News has an article about it – “Elmo's feud with a pet rock.” Trent: Lowkey, I love when celebrities go on Sesame Street. Like there was a clip of Billie Eilish on Sesame Street. I was like … Bailey: gasps Oh my gosh … I do remember the rock now. Rocco! I do remember he has a pet fish and a pet rock I think. Okay, so I don't know why he's feuding. It must just be some clip of them beefing. I just love Elmo. I just think he's so great. I used to have a Tickle Me Elmo when I was little and I was a huge Sesame Street stan. Trent: That explains a lot. Bailey: Rosita was my favorite, I think. If I remember correctly. I loved her. Trent: I feel like I should know who that is. Bailey: She's the blue one? Fuzzy one? Trent: I think they're all fuzzy. Bailey: Okay, but … you know, that's not a great descriptor, actually, yeah. Trent  They're fuzzy. Okay? Can I get an actual detail? Bailey: No, but I do. I love Sesame Street. I was gonna say something else … oh, I dressed up in middle school. We dressed up as Sesame Street characters. I think I was … Trent: In middle school. Bailey: My friend Rachel … yeah it was, it was like seventh grade or something. And we thrifted these shirts and I went as … it was the two gay ones. Sorry. Trent: laughs Bert and Ernie? Bailey: Bert and Ernie … I was Ernie. I was Ernie, she was Bert. Trent: Listen, in the Sesame Street canon, they are …  Bailey: They're kind of gay. Trent: … asexual. No, they're asexual puppets. They are puppets who don't experience attraction cause they're not people. But no, they're gay. Headcanon. Bailey: But I will say, this is not necessarily relevant, but I was always more of a Muppet girl because The Muppets from 2011 that movie … Trent: Oh my God, Miss Piggy. Bailey: … formed my, shaped my life. “Man or Muppet.” Trent: Miss Piggy's an icon. Bailey: Yeah. That whole movie I have practically memorized and it's so great. And if you've never seen it – have you ever seen it? Trent: You're gonna yell at me. Bailey: gasps NOOOOOOO. Trent: Every single movie that you like I have not … you just have to assume that I have not seen it. Bailey: Genuinely when I was narrowing down my Letterboxd “Top Four” I almost put The Muppets in there. Trent: I do not have an enriched film vocabulary. Bailey: So, we're watching Ma. We're watching The Muppets (2011). Pick another poster, we can watch any of these. Trent: Oh, I've never seen Jennifer's Body. My friend tried to make me watch it but I didn't. Bailey: Okay, Jennifer's Body. Trent: We'll watch Phoebe Bridgers. No, just kidding. Bailey: Yeah, we'll watch Phoebe Bridgers. Have you ever seen Aquamarine? Trent: Yes, oh my god. Bailey: Classic. Trent: That one's great.  Bailey: That is what made me a Weezer stan, I think, subconsciously when I was like … I used to watch it on my iPod Nano. The screen was like this big and that's why I'm blind now because I would watch it on my iPod Nano. Oh, wait. Okay, speaking of older movies, I think I told you this, but I rewatched the Divergent series. Trent: You did tell me and I haven't seen it. Bailey: Yeah. Did you ever read it? Trent: No. I did watch … it was like a “Cinema Sins.” Wait, maybe I did watch the first one. Bailey: Oh, there's so many sins. Trent: I remember like intermittent clips. I don't know if I watched the movie or if I watched like a Cinema Sins review of the movie or an analysis of why it's bad. I don't know, something like that. But Veronica Roth, if you're listening, we at NBN, we remember you. We love you. Bailey (overlapping): Yeah, come on our podcast. Trent: We staNBN. Come on our podcast. You can call in. Bailey: Yeah. Although I will say, those movies, gosh golly gee, they're pretty not good. They weren't as bad as I thought they were gonna be because I'm a huge Hunger Games stan. I think those movies are incredible. Some of the best young adult movie adaptations ever if not the best. Harry Potter is also up there. I watched that over break – the Harry Potter thing that came out of HBO Max. Did you see that? Trent: Oh, the documentary? That was like very … J. K. Rowling-free. Bailey: It was pretty good … they used an old interview clip of her but, rightfully so, it was pretty J. K.-free. Trent: Someone in one of my Zoom classes talked about it and they were like, “There was one clip of J. K. Rowling but it was clearly dated.” Bailey: It was. They dated it. 2019. Trent: But you knew it was not recent because J. K. Rowling is like … over-canceled. She's like super canceled.  Bailey: Yeah, well and so overall that in particular … because I watched with my mom and I sobbed. Like, I bawled, and so to my mom and she's not even like a huge Harry Potter fan or anything. Trent: I'm not either. Everything you like, I'm like, I'm like never engaged in this. Bailey: I'm so sorry! I read them … they were like big series that I liked in like third grade/middle school. I was a huge. I really was. Ravenclaw. Not to be millennial in the chat but I am in fact a Ravenclaw … anyone out there? Trent: When you go to Northwestern!  Bailey: Yeahhhhhh. Trent: No, sorry. Bailey: No, so I didn't think it was the best documentary. It wasn't, like, amazingly produced or anything to be honest. I mean, there were some good parts. Trent: Not you flaming them. “It was poorly put together …  Bailey (loudly over Trent): BUT IT WAS KIND OF MESSY. Okay, they used – DID YOU SEE – okay, LET ME JUSTIFY MYSELF. Trent: … J. K. Rowling was in it.” Bailey: Let me justify myself because they used a photo of – speaking of Aquamarine – they used a photo of Emma Roberts instead of Emma Watson when she was a child. It was horrible. It was horrible and there were some other things as well that wasn't the best but, that being said, the actors bring the emotion. [The producers] took the actors and put them in the different sets and just had them talk to each other so they didn't have to do anything. The actors did it for them. That was great. That was great, but Divergent? Ehhhhh. Trent: Veronica Roth, we love you. Bailey: Veronica, we love you. If anyone wants to go rewatch Divergent, which I highly recommend because it was a fun experience, the worldbuilding is shi– terri– bad. Trent (over Bailey): loud laughter Bailey (also laughing): It's bad. After thinking about The Hunger Games, Harry Potter … Trent: Doesn't it take place in Chicago? Bailey (laughing): Yeah. Trent: So like … what's Northwestern doing in the Divergent universe? Bailey (hysterical): I don't know … I don't know what we're doing there. Trent: What's it … what's it called? Bailey: We're probably with the evil smart people. Trent: Yeah, what are they called? Bailey: Erudite? Erudite. Trent: Erudite. I was going to say Evangelical. Bailey: Yeah, we're the … we're the Evangelicals. Trent: We're the erudites, Northwestern. Bailey: No, but I do recommend watching the first movie, because I did in fact purchase it on Amazon so I can watch it whenever I want without ads BECAUSE the enemies to lovers with Theo James as Four and with Shailene Woodley is incredible. It's so good. That they do build up well. Everything else about it … not so much. Divergent, sorry we love you but. Trent: Okay, okay, any last minute … anything else you want to talk about before we send off? Bailey: I don't have anything big and crazy. I will say though, in the next episode I do maybe want to talk about Euphoria, even though I know you haven't seen it, because it'll be topical – season two is coming out tomorrow. Even though, I mean, it's coming out tomorrow whenever this is up it will have come out. But, yeah, I have a lot of thoughts about Euphoria. Anyone who watches Euphoria has a lot of thoughts about Euphoria, and I'm making my roommate watch it for the first time. We're going to finish it tonight probably and it's a great show. It has many flaws, but it's a great show. With great acting. It really is. Trent: I just want to say I haven't seen it but the stuff that they get up to … I was not doing any of that in high school. Was I missing out? Should I have been doing hard drugs in high school? Bailey: I was going to say, not to be a Medill kid in the chat but I was grinding on the school yearbook … Trent: No, fully. Bailey: … I was not doing hard drugs. My hard drug was, in fact, yearbook. Trent: Oh my gosh, at the BHS news … Mr. Nellis if you're listening, this is where you got me. Bailey: I saw a TikTok that was so funny, it was like, “Do these kids ever, like …  Trent: … do homework?” Bailey: … okay well, that. But no kids in shows ever do homework. If anything they'll be doing homework when the scene begins and then they leave it. But they were like, “Do these kids ever just go get coffee? Go get boba?” No, they go get literal molly. That's what they do. Babe. Trent (imitating a Euphoria high schooler): “Let's get some ecstasy.” Bailey: I was telling my roommate when we were rewatching it because we're almost … we have two episodes left, basically, and I was like, “You know what I want to do? I want to give all of these characters a hug.” Trent: No, for real. For real. Bailey: Because they need it. They need it. They all do …  Trent: Hunter Schafer and Zendaya, I like … I just want to sit them down and be like … Bailey (interrupting, oops): … every character, well, except Nate. Every character … every other character. sees Trent does not know who Nate is Jacob Elordi. Trent: I don't know who that is. Bailey: Okay. Kissing Booth??? C'mon … Trent: I just want to sit them down and be like, “What do you need in your life? Do you need support? Do you need a hug? Do you like … what … where did we go wrong?” Bailey: Yeah. Specifically all of the women. Like you said, Hunter Schafer, Sydney Sweeney … I know we're saying the actors' names but not the characters' names, but whatever … Cassie … whatever. I want to give them all a large hug. So badly. Trent: Okay, maybe Euphoria episode next time. Bailey: Mmhmm. Yeah. Trent: Also, at some point, we are going to do a Taylor Swift episode.  Bailey: We are going to do a Taylor Swift episode. HOPEFULLY when the next Taylor's Version drops, which, knock on wood, is going to be Speak Now. Trent: knocks on wood  Bailey: Mmhmm. Trent: No, knock on wood it's going to be 1989. knocks on wood again Bailey: Noooo, Speak Now. Trent: Because we're both closet Swifties. Bailey: We are. We are. Trent: If you're my friends and you're listening to this, redact that. Bailey: You are not a “closet Swiftie.” You posted your top artists on … everyone knows. Everyone knows. Everyone knows babe. Trent: Out and proud as a Swiftie. Okay, but I think that's it. We're already at the half-hour mark. So, if you listened all the way through and you're here, we love you. You are a real one. Bailey: Mmhmm. Trent: Let one of us know because that probably means you know us in real life, if you're listening to this point. Bailey: Yeah. Follow … we don't have a podcast … any sort of social media but follow NBN … Trent (overlapping): Follow North by Northwestern on social media. Follow our twitter. Bailey: Follow us on Instagram if you feel like it. My Instagram is @baeisforbailey. Trent: Mine is @trent_br0wn. Bailey: Because I'm sure I'll be posting about this podcast on our Instagram so feel free to follow them as well. Trent: Alright, I think that's all we got so thank you for listening and … cue the outro music. [“We Don't Talk About Bruno,” from Encanto] Find out more at https://solved-by-science.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Over the summer, Eric sat down to have a conversation with the first African American dean to run Medill School of Journalism, Media, and Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University, Charles Whitaker. In this episode, the professor shares his thoughts on the strides he's been taking towards diversifying the industry of journalism.

Today our guest is Lisa Roskelley, who grew up in the small Davis County town of West Point. Lisa's post-college years, as you'll hear, included a sales job in California before starting as a reporter at the Standard-Examiner and then transitioning into a position as spokeswoman for Gov. Jon Huntsman. Lisa was a candidate for the Utah House of Representatives and, most recently, managed Jon Huntsman's 2020 gubernatorial campaign. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/themediascrum)

In this inaugural episode of Six Feet From Normal, we talk to an expecting mother in Charlottesville, VA discovering and preparing for the challenges of having a child during a pandemic as well as a practicing OBGYN from UCLA Health about the changes she has made in her own practice. We also speak with Silvia Martelli, a Medill student from Italy who's had to deal with her own challenges and difficult decisions to make the most of her education.

I really enjoyed chatting with J.A.(@jadande) and appreciated his frankness in discussing his decision to leave ESPN to focus exclusively on his duties at Medill. Topics covered: — Over/under 5 Adande appearances on Around the Horn in 2018? — what role, if any the current journalism & political climate had on his decision — how J.A. uses Twitter (he's not a fan of anonymous accounts, which I agree with. Unfortunately...