Strong Message Here Fist Emoji, Flag Emoji, Fire Emoji (with Ava Santina Evans)
Apr 3, 2025
Ava Santina Evans, political editor of Politics Joe, joins comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis to dissect the strange landscape of political language. They delve into how casual communication, even emojis, has infiltrated politics and what that means for seriousness. Ava discusses efforts to engage younger audiences through new media and the web of controversies surrounding political journalism. The trio also examines the bizarre legacy of scandals labeled with 'gate' and reflects on the intersection of humor and politics in contemporary discourse.
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Signalgate
- Helen Lewis's boss, Jeff Goldberg, was unexpectedly added to a Signal group chat discussing sensitive security information.
- This breach, dubbed "Signalgate," highlighted the casual approach to communication in politics.
Silicon Valley and Washington
- The casual use of commercial platforms like Signal for sensitive government communications is concerning.
- This reflects a blurring of lines between Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C.
Casualness in Missile Strike Communication
- A chilling example of casual communication was a text about a successful missile strike.
- The text casually mentioned the target's girlfriend and the building collapse, raising questions about civilian casualties.