Episode 200: Canadaland Founder Jesse Brown Should Be Held Accountable For His Troubling Anti-Anti-Semitism Stance
Jan 27, 2024
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Jesse Brown, Canadaland founder and host, discusses the attempted cancelation of Canadaland over allegations of anti-anti-Semitism stance. They also mention controversies surrounding Jesse Brown, the feud with John Kay, and the rise in anti-Semitic hate crimes.
Jesse Brown's controversial views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict caused a decline in his credibility and support.
Jesse Brown emphasizes the dangers of mob mentality and the importance of critical thinking amidst cancel culture.
Katie Herzog announces a temporary leave from the podcast to focus on writing a book about the youth gender medicine fight.
Deep dives
Jesse Brown's History with Canadaland
Jesse Brown started Canadaland in 2013 with the intention of criticizing Canadian media. He gained recognition for breaking stories, such as the Peter Mansbridge payment scandal and the Jian Ghomeshi sexual assault allegations. Over the years, Brown's brash and abrasive style has caused disputes with fellow journalists, leading to criticism and distancing from his views.
Controversial Tweets and Reactions
In recent times, Jesse Brown has faced backlash for his tweets regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He called out individuals for their views and was met with negative responses. His progressive audience criticized him, and Canada Land's new editor felt the need to distance the company from his views. Brown received threats, faced calls for his resignation, and dealt with potential boycotts.
Is Jesse Zionist?
Amidst the controversy, Jesse Brown released a podcast episode titled 'Is Jesse Zionist?' Although he doesn't directly answer the question, he discusses his experiences with anti-Semitism and points out the negative impact of false allegations. Brown acknowledges the power of group influence but highlights the dangers of mob mentality. He reflects on cancel culture and ethical standards, emphasizing the need for principles and critical thinking.
Rise and Fall of Jesse Brown's Reputation
The podcast episode discusses the rise and fall of Jesse Brown's reputation in Canadian media. Brown, known for his podcast Canada Land, faced controversy when his former allies turned against him and his audience became deeply unhappy with his statements on anti-Semitism. The episode explores how Brown's handling of the Israel-Palestine conflict and his opposition to anti-Semitic attacks led to a decline in his credibility and support. Despite the backlash, Brown remained steadfast in his views and rejected the idea that support from certain individuals or groups dictates the correctness of one's stances.
Katie beginning book leave and future of the podcast
Katie Herzog announces her partial book leave to focus on writing a book about the youth gender medicine fight. While she takes a leave from the podcast, guest co-hosts will fill her place for premium episodes in February, March, and April. Herzog expresses gratitude for the show's audience and support, acknowledging the show's success and the opportunity to have meaningful conversations. She expresses confidence in the podcast and its continued growth during her absence.
This week on Blocked and Reported, Jesse and Katie discuss the attempted cancelation of Canadaland publisher and host Jesse Brown over allegations that he’s a genocidal monster. Plus, news from the very online state of Oklahoma, Dear Prudence revisits the past, and a podcast announcement. (Update, 1/28/2024: At around 59:56 in the original version of this episode published for premium subscribers, in a brief digression that touched upon violent hate crimes linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict in the United States rather than Canada, we mentioned the Palestinians shot in Vermont. As it turns out, at the moment there’s little evidence to support the idea that this was a hate crime; the alleged perpetrator seemed to struggle with mental illness, had a violent past, and his politics were all over the place, including, based on his social media posts, sympathy for the Palestinian cause. Since the segment in question was about Canada rather than the U.S. anyway, we’ve simply snipped the whole brief mention out, and the free version of the episode won’t contain it. -Jesse)
NOTE: After this episode went out for Primos, Jesse Brown requested we clarify that the pilot in which he fabricated a scene for the CBC was never published (it was killed after he told the executive producer about the re-creation, as he explained in an interview). He also requested that we update the episode with additional context about Mark Bourrie, who Jesse claims has a personal vendetta against him because Canadaland published allegations that Bourrie took money from embattled politician MIke Duffy. (You can read Canadaland’s piece here and Bourrie’s response here.) The episode has been updated and I apologize to Jesse and the listeners for missing that context. KH
