Topics currently dominating news programs and newspapers were brought up in conversations ranging from the 2024 election to racism in America today.And naturally, that was the focus of the live recording of the podcast left, right, centerKCRW’s weekly political show hosted by David Greene.
The show brings together people with different political viewpoints and aims to show that productive, peaceful conversations are possible without changing the subject, such as what you had for breakfast or what the weather is like. I am.
Greene was also joined on Saturday by Dispatch senior editor Sarah Isgur and Moe Elashi, a Justice Department spokeswoman during the Trump administration and Democratic National Committee spokesperson during the Obama administration.
The conversation began by addressing the first elephant in the room. Nationwide university student protests He called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
Despite some differences in their positions on the conflict, El-Rachy and Isgur agreed that the Gaza conflict is connected to larger U.S. themes about free speech and hate speech.
They reached the following agreement: campus protests They are steering public sentiment away from the plight of the Palestinians with dramatic actions such as closing the Golden Gate Bridge.
“I think we fundamentally agree that this is a much bigger problem, a culture of mistrust and mistrust in our institutions, and that political motivations are adding fuel to that fire. ,” Elaisii said.
Isgur said students are choosing to limit free speech on campus, express free speech only when it aligns with their beliefs, and avoid speaking in the media. .
The conversation turned to the larger topic of public distrust in the media, particularly with its coverage of the 2024 presidential election. Isgur said the media wasn’t curious enough to shed light on the stories surrounding either candidate, and the conversations within the newsroom were completely different from what they were producing.
She gave an example in which a reporter asked for information about an extramarital affair between two Justice Department employees after they left their jobs at the agency.
“The reporter who reported the story called me to confirm details that I didn’t know,” Isgur said. “He was trying to placate me and was like, if there’s anything, it’s very important. We need to be careful with this story because it’s going to help Donald Trump.”
Elysee said one way to regain public trust is to hire more people of color and people from rural America to “pop the bubble” and hire journalists with diverse life experiences in newsrooms. He said that the goal is to diversify. He also advised the media to stop blurring the line between analysis and editorial.
“I don’t need you as a reporter to tell me what’s not a threat to democracy. What I want you to do is tell me what’s going on, what they said, what they did, and Please tell me what the consequences will be and let me decide,” Eleissie said.
Hear more of the conversation, which will be broadcast on Cascade PBS on May 15 at 7 p.m., or streamed the next day on cascadepbs.org and crosscut.com.
