Posting Through It 054: Who the Hell is Matt Taibbi? feat. Eoin Higgins
Nov 17, 2025
Join writer and journalist Eoin Higgins as he unravels the intriguing transformation of Matt Taibbi, once a celebrated critic of Wall Street. They dive deep into Taibbi's early years in Russia and the controversial Exile magazine, touching on his rise at Rolling Stone amid the financial crisis. Eoin discusses Taibbi's pivots towards reactionary politics post-Russiagate, his embrace of anti-vax sentiments during COVID, and the fallout from the Twitter files. This conversation is a revealing look at the complexities of modern journalism and Taibbi's unique place within it.
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Left-To-Right Pivot As Gateway
- Matt Taibbi represents a cohort of former left-leaning journalists who pivoted right and now validate conservative audiences.
- His shift matters because he can act as a gateway, laundering far-right talking points to independent-minded readers.
Reporting In Post-Soviet Chaos
- Taibbi studied in St. Petersburg and returned to Russia to report during the chaotic 1990s transition.
- He described the period as anarchic, with Americans feasting on the corpse of the USSR.
Mongolian Pro Basketball Stint
- Taibbi played professional basketball in Mongolia for the Mountain Eagles and became a local celebrity.
- He later got pneumonia, nearly died, and returned to Moscow to join the expat tabloid scene.
