Synopsis
Media criticism, news analysis and investigations with host Jesse Brown. The #1 Canadian podcast.
Episodes
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How to Beat the Airline that Screwed You
22/07/2024 Duration: 36minGabor Lukacs has won over 25 regulatory complaints against airlines - and even taken airlines to court to uphold the rights of passengers. But he doesn’t want to keep his methods a secret - he’s here to tell you how to get a refund, get compensation for a cancelled flight, and even what to do if you’re sitting on the tarmac for hours. Host: Jesse BrownCredits: Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Cherise Seucharan (Reporter) max collins (Production Manager), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)Featured guest: Gabor LukacsAdditional music by Audio Network Further reading:Supreme Court of Canada to hear appeal from airlines on air passenger rights compensation - Globe and MailHalf of all Canadian airline passenger complaints so far have been dismissed — with no explanation - Toronto StarBacklog of air passenger complaints tops 57,000, hitting new peak - CBC NewsAir Passenger Rights - Facebook Group Air Passenger Rights WebsiteAir Passenger Protection Legislation Highlights
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(Détours) Besoin de légèreté
20/07/2024 Duration: 35minD’après le Digital News Report 2024, 40% des Canadiens évitent souvent ou parfois de s’informer. Derrière cette fatigue informationnelle se trouvent différentes raisons comme l’accumulation de mauvaises nouvelles, leur quantité, leur piètre qualité et les émotions qu’elles nous font ressentir. Emilie Nicolas en parle avec la psychologue clinicienne, autrice et chroniqueuse Nathalie Plaat. Ensemble, elles analysent ce phénomène et s’interrogent sur la manière d’y faire face. En deuxième partie d’émission, on s’intéresse à la démocratisation de la psychologie et le rôle, parfois ambivalent, qu’elle joue dans l’espace public et l’espace médiatique. Université Laval’s “Centre d’études sur les médias” 2024 Digital News Report shows 40 per cent of Canadians often or sometimes stay away from the news. They’re doing it to avoid all the “bad” news: the sheer quantity of it, the poor quality of it, how it makes us feel, and how it piles up day after day. How do we deal with the seemingly never-ending bad-news cycl
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(Short Cuts) Pierre Keeps it Hot After Trump Gets Shot
18/07/2024 Duration: 34minDo we need to “dial down” our political rhetoric in Canada, following the attempted assassination of Trump? Canadian journalism icon Jan Wong joins us to consider Canadian responses to American political violence. Plus, following the death of Canadian author Alice Munro, the truth has finally emerged about her husband’s sexual assault of her daughter Andrea Robin Skinner. CORRECTION: In an earlier version of this episode, we incorrected referred to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith as “Allison Smith”. An updated version of this episode has fixed the error.Host: Jesse BrownCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), max collins (Production Manager), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)Guest: Jan Wong Further reading: Alberta premier calls on 'progressive' politicians to 'dial down' rhetoric after attack on Trump | CBC News UBC, Guelph look into posts made by profs after Trump shooting | CBC News Pierre Poilievre worries about threats against his family — but
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Introducing Inside Kabul
17/07/2024 Duration: 04minToday we are bringing you a sneak preview of an incredibly urgent, deeply compelling piece of audio journalism from Radio France. It was originally broadcast in French and was heaped with critical acclaim including the most prestigious prize in radio, The Prix Italia. It has now been translated into English and we have the privilege of bringing it to you. It's called Inside Kabul.In the summer of 2021, the Taliban returns to power in Afghanistan and the destinies of two young women, Raha and Marwa, are forever changed. As they contemplate their futures, Raha and Marwa exchange and record hundreds of voice notes with noted French journalist Caroline Gillet.What emerges is a raw and incredibly intimate chronicle of two young women coming of age amidst the collapse of the world they had known. Inside Kabul tells a universal story of friendship, bravery and the meaning of home. Shows like this cannot get made without you. Become a supporter and binge the entire season now, ad-free.You can listen ad-free on A
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The Last Ambulance
15/07/2024 Duration: 34minFor forty years, Hal Newman worked in Emergency Medical Services. After retiring, he decided to start an online platform, The Last Ambulance, where he investigates the problems he saw in the EMS system. Messages started pouring in from EMS workers from across the country. Now his platform has become a voice for many health care and emergency service workers who are demoralized, exhausted, hanging on by a thread – and who are afraid to speak publicly about what is happening inside the system. Despite having worked in the system for so long, he didn’t realize just how broken it was until he started publishing The Last Ambulance.Host: Karyn PuglieseCredits: Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), max collins (Production Manager), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)Additional music by Audio NetworkFurther reading:Chaque second compte — The Last AmbulanceYet Another Preventable Tragedy in Montreal — The Last AmbulanceA Child Dies as Ambulances Stall o
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(Short Cuts) Pudd’nhead POTUS
11/07/2024 Duration: 43minOver the past two weeks, the media has suddenly become experts in diagnosing neurodegenerative disorders following Biden’s stumbles at the debate. Canadian Youtuber J.J. McCullough joins Justin Ling to dissect this presidential testing of our patience. Then, the Liberals are serious about stemming disinformation, and that’s why they’re paying social media influencers to spread government messages. Why this approach to disinformation won’t work and some ideas on what might.Host: Justin LingCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), max collins (Production Manager), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)Guest: J.J. McCullough Further reading: The media has been breathlessly attacking Biden. What about Trump? | Margaret Sullivan | The Guardian Parkinson’s Expert Visited the White House Eight Times in Eight Months - The New York Times Will the online harms bill add enforcement, or just bureaucracy? PBO says Canadians will decide | CBC News Michael Taube: Google par
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Dear Taliban: Part Three
09/07/2024 Duration: 32minIn the spring of 2023, The Michener-Deacon Fellowship for Investigative Reporting was awarded to then CTV W5 correspondent, Molly Thomas, for her special project on education in Afghanistan.Then, as part of a series of nation-wide cuts from Bell Media, Molly was laid off and the story was shelved.That’s where Canadaland stepped in.We’ve teamed up with Molly and the Michener-Deacon Fellowship to produce Dear Taliban, a new three-part investigation. Today we share episode two.Dear Taliban spans three continents, taking listeners from the vice-regal pomp and ceremony of Rideau Hall, to one of the toughest hostile-training programs in the world — all to prepare her for a complex and volatile area of South Asia.Host: Karyn PuglieseCredits: Molly Thomas (Reporter), Riley Nimens (Associate Producer), Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor) Max Collins (Production Manager), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)Additional music by Audio Netwo
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Dear Taliban: Part Two
08/07/2024 Duration: 39minIn the spring of 2023, The Michener-Deacon Fellowship for Investigative Reporting was awarded to then CTV W5 correspondent, Molly Thomas, for her special project on education in Afghanistan.Then, as part of a series of nation-wide cuts from Bell Media, Molly was laid off and the story was shelved.That’s where Canadaland stepped in.We’ve teamed up with Molly and the Michener-Deacon Fellowship to produce Dear Taliban, a new three-part investigation. Today we share episode two.Dear Taliban spans three continents, taking listeners from the vice-regal pomp and ceremony of Rideau Hall, to one of the toughest hostile-training programs in the world — all to prepare her for a complex and volatile area of South Asia.Host: Karyn PuglieseCredits: Molly Thomas (Reporter), Riley Nimens (Associate Producer), Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Max Collins (Production Manager), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)Additional music by Audio NetworkSponsors: Douglas: Cana
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(Détours) Une guerre en chasse une autre
06/07/2024 Duration: 38minEn février 2022, les grands médias occidentaux envoyaient des journalistes en Ukraine couvrir les premiers temps de l’invasion russe. Émissions spéciales, directs avec l’Ukraine et dossiers consacrés à la guerre fleurissaient dans les journaux, à la radio et au téléjournal. Qu’en est-il aujourd’hui, alors que le conflit israelo-palestinien occupe les esprits? Emilie reçoit Pierre Alonso, journaliste indépendant installé à Kyiv, pour faire le point sur deux années de journalisme de guerre et sur la vie quotidienne dans un pays encore sous les bombes. Dans la deuxième partie de l’émission, Emilie et Pierre s’intéressent aux journalistes ukrainiens et à leur travail. Limités par la loi martiale imposant des contraintes éditoriales, les journalistes locaux réinventent leur rôle tout en menant une lutte acharnée contre la corruption.In February 2022, major Western media outlets sent journalists to Ukraine to cover the early stages of the Russian invasion. Special shows, direct broadcasts with Ukraine and long piec
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(Short Cuts) Populism Trumps Biden and Trudeau
04/07/2024 Duration: 39minIt’s been a tough week for leadership in North America, with calls for resignation dominating the headlines on both sides of the border. Paul Wells joins Emilie Nicolas to discuss the larger global context around Trudeau’s recent struggles, and how the international rise of the far right is an important and underreported factor in Canadian politics. Then, Biden loses the debate and the New York Times. Unpacking the editorial board’s call for the president to step aside. Host: Emilie NicolasCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), max collins (Production Manager), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)Guest: Paul Wells Further reading: I know the inside story of the Liberal revolt against Justin Trudeau. How? I overheard it in a train station - Toronto StarThe West Misunderstands Its Own Far Right - Foreign PolicyPush it to the limit: What might be too extreme for Europe's far-right parties? | Euronews DiEM25 | @yanis.varoufakis on the political situation in F
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Brain Disease ‘Mystery’ Still Unsolved, Scientists Say
01/07/2024 Duration: 27min“All I will say is that my scientific opinion is that there is something real going on in New Brunswick that absolutely cannot be explained by the bias or personal agenda of an individual neurologist.” Those are the words of Dr. Michael Coulthart, a microbiologist employed by our federal government, specifically by Public Health Canada. He’s talking about the mysterious neurological disease that is striking down people in New Brunswick. We were not supposed to read his words. They are from a leaked email obtained by Canadaland, first published by the newspaper The Guardian.Then there was another leaked email. Doctor Samuel Weiss, a neuroscientist and the scientific director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. In his leaked email, he states, “I felt incredibly optimistic that an all out government effort to unravel the mystery was in the cards. However, in short order, the scientific effort was shut down at the request of the governments.”It’s nine years since the first case was documented. The numb
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(Short Cuts) Global: Spanked, Not SLAPPed
27/06/2024 Duration: 35minWhat’s going on in Han Dong’s defamation case against Global News? Last week, Ontario Superior Court Justice Paul Perell made a decision in that case. And, rightly or wrongly, it was scorching.With The Epoch Times at the centre of a fraudulent money-laundering crypto scam, what does that mean for the Canadian columnists who write for them? Jonathan dives into the strange world of Shen Yun, Falun Gong, and propaganda rags.Host: Jonathan GoldsbieCredits: Aviva Lessard (Producer), Sam Konnert (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)Guest: Lisa Taylor Further reading: Judge finds no documentation to support Global News' reporting on Han Dong allegations - The Canadian PressDong v. Global News Reasons for Decision - Ontario Superior Court of Justice (via Polley Faith)Han Dong was warned by Liberal Party member that CSIS was watching him, national security source says - The Globe and MailGlobal News defends reporting in face of Han Dong lawsuit (2023) - The Canadian Pres
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How They Crushed Wikileaks
24/06/2024 Duration: 42minThis was a time when Assange and other punks like him were running circles around governments. It seemed like the ability for the powers that be to keep secrets was over. It was just done. Thanks to Assange et al we were going to know if a cell phone company was surveying everyone. We were going to know if a government assassinated a bunch of people who turned out to be journalists. We were going to know. And between Anonymous and Wikileaks and Edward Snowden, it was happening in a way that felt like it was a force of nature, and there was no containing it. The authorities, what could they do? Information wanted to be free.Then, it all ended. Julian Assange has been rotting away in Belmarsh prison in the UK. Edward Snowden tweets from Russia. Wikileaks. When's the last time they released anything? The Empire struck back. There were arrests, there were accusations, and the machine was surprisingly effective and merciless in containing the free flow of information and government secrets. That's what happened to
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(Détours) France: Tapis rouge pour l'extrême droite
22/06/2024 Duration: 42minAprès des résultats record aux élections européennes, l’extrême droite française est en passe de remporter les législatives. Si certains sont surpris, plusieurs observateurs ont remarqué que les idées d’extrême droite sont omniprésentes dans les médias depuis des années maintenant, notamment sur la chaîne télévisée CNews. Comment se déroule ce processus de banalisation? Quelles stratégies sont employées par les journalistes et les éditorialistes de CNews pour encourager la montée de l’extrême droite? Le journaliste de Médiapart Yunnes Abzouz en parle avec Emilie et démonte, brique par brique, la méthode CNews. Dans la deuxième partie de l’émission, on se tourne vers l’éditorialiste québécois préféré des médias français, et en particulier de CNews: Mathieu Bock-Côté. Yunnes explique comment le chroniqueur, auteur et sociologue emploie les mêmes stratagèmes que CNews, levant le voile sur les ressorts discursifs de la désormais célèbre “méthode MBC”.After record results in the European elections, the French
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(Short Cuts) Did Beijing Tamper With the Globe and Mail?
20/06/2024 Duration: 48minCan a newspaper commit treason? The NSICOP report singles out China as the biggest foreign influence on Canadian media (and it’s more than just advertorial inserts.) Joanna Chiu joins us to unpack the scale and scope of foreign propaganda campaigns in Canada. Is the daily coverage of campus protest encampments a form of bias, and what sorts of stories are getting missed as a result? Jesse responds to some tough questions about bias in the coverage of the war in Gaza.Clarification (June 21, 2024, 12:20pm ET): an unclear statement in an earlier version of this episode could be interpreted to mean that Shree Paradkar spread messages advocating for the ethnic cleansing of Jews from Israel, which she did not. This statement should have been that Shree Paradkar spread messages from someone (Amanda Gelender) who has advocated for the ethnic cleansing of Jews from Israel.Host: Jesse BrownCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Max Collins (Production Manager), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chi
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Nature is SO Gay
17/06/2024 Duration: 31minWhen Canadaland commissioned its new series “A Field Guide to Gay Animals” (listen to it here), the topic wasn’t really in the news. But since then, it’s started to take the world by storm. From rage on the extreme right, a documentary series on Peacock, to the first photos of humpback whale sex being male-male.And the relevance is more important than ever, legislation across Canada and the United States regularly denies queer rights, sometimes based on old-school notions that sex is about reproduction and the animal kingdom proves it. Except it doesn’t… 25 years ago, one Canadian scientist wrote a book that detailed the history and science of gay animals: Biological Exuberance.Today, podcast hosts Owen Ever and Laine Kaplan Levenson join Jesse to talk about the wonderful world of gay animals.Host: Jesse BrownCredits: Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)Additional music by Audio NetworkFurther reading:Biological Exuberance
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(Short Cuts) If I Had $100,000,000 (From Google)
13/06/2024 Duration: 49minWith Jesse away, Justin Ling takes over to talk about Google’s $100 million payment for Canadian news and how a ragtag group of independent publishers will end up deciding who gets the money. Is Google trolling us? Plus, Canada has entered its foreign interference era, but are we too polite to name names? Paul McLeod helps unpack new allegations of treason in Ottawa, and what we should do about it.Host: Justin LingCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Max Collins (Production Manager), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)Guest: Paul McLeod Further reading: Google signs deal with organization to distribute $100M to Canadian news companies | Politics | thecanadianpressnews.ca Canadian Journalism Collective to represent Canadian news businesses under Online News Act - The Canadian Journalism CollectiveHow we’re moving forward with the Canadian news ecosystem - Google The Behind-the-Scenes Bill C-18 Battle: How Newspapers, Big Broadcast
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Dear Taliban: Part One
10/06/2024 Duration: 42minLess than a year ago, Investigative Reporter and former Network Anchor Molly Thomas had her dream job as a Correspondent for CTV’s flagship show, W5; with the backing of this team, she applied for the most prestigious fellowship in Canadian journalism, the Michener-Deacon Award.Molly won the Michener-Deacon fellowship for her special project on education in Afghanistan, the only country in the world where women and girls can't go to school. Then, as part of a series of nation-wide cuts from Bellmedia (who owns CTV), Molly was laid off and the story was shelved.That’s where Canadaland stepped in. We’ve teamed up with Molly and the Michener-Deacon Fellowship to produce Dear Taliban, a new 3-part investigation that begins today.Dear Taliban spans three continents, taking listeners to the vice-regal pomp and ceremony of Rideau Hall, to one of the toughest hostile training programs in the world - all to prepare
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(Détours) Femmes en politique: Femmes en péril?
08/06/2024 Duration: 39minEn politique municipale, provinciale et fédérale, les départs de femmes s’enchaînent. En cause, l’intimidation dont elles sont victimes, la remise en question de leurs compétences, ou encore leur relégation à des rôles de moindre importance. Emilie reçoit l’autrice, essayiste et activiste Alexa Conradi pour mieux comprendre les racines du problème et les obstacles qui se dressent devant les femmes politiques. Dans la deuxième partie de l’émission, Alexa Conradi explique ce que signifierait faire de la politique en féministe, et comment intégrer pleinement les valeurs de ce mouvement dans notre paysage politique actuel. Women keep leaving municipal, provincial and federal politics, due to intimidation, the questioning of their skills, or their relegation to less important roles. Emilie sits down with author, essayist and activist Alexa Conradi to better understand the roots of the problem and the obstacles that stand before female politicians. In the second part of the show, Alexa Conradi explains what it
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(Short Cuts) 34 Trump Street
06/06/2024 Duration: 41minTrump’s 34 felony convictions made history in the U.S., but will his efforts to undermine the Rule of Law have an effect on Canadian attitudes towards the legal system? And the CBC is (once again) accused of anti-Palestinian bias, this time in its documentary division. Lawyer and journalist Julie Sobowale helps us unpack the legal and labour implications of a series of inflammatory tweets.Host: Jonathan GoldsbieCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Max Collins (Production Manager), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)Guest: Julie Sobowale Further reading: Democracy is at risk when courts come under fire, Canada's top judge warns - Toronto StarOpinion: Donald Trump is a criminal – and his conviction is a catastrophe for America - The Globe and MailHAMMER: Post-Trump verdict, will the American Right finally wake up? - Toronto SunDon’t save local journalism – reinvent it - The Philanthropist JournalTop Canadian scientist alleges in leaked emails he was barred from studyin