The Kicker

Over the past several months, Donald Trump has mounted a series of legal attacks against the media, including a libel case against ABC, an FCC investigation into CBS, and a lawsuit accusing an Iowa pollster (and the newspaper that publishes her) of “election interference.”The sometimes far-fetched claims in these cases notwithstanding, the maneuvers are having an effect. The parent company of ABC settled the libel case, over the objections of many news staffers, and CBS has turned over internal documents to the FCC. And as Lynn Oberlander, this week’s guest and a longtime media lawyer, explains, the legal assault is already creating a chilling effect in many newsrooms. Read More:*The lawsuit against Iowa pollster Ann Selzer and the Des Moines Register. Selzer’s attorneys have fought back.  *ABC pays $15 million to settle a libel lawsuit, over the objections of news staffers.*CBS turns over raw transcripts in FCC probe.*FCC commissioner Brendan Carr described his aggressive strategy at a recent Semafor media conference.

In January, the Baltimore Banner released an investigation into the star kicker of the Baltimore Ravens, in which multiple women accused him of sexually inappropriate behavior during massages, dating back years. (The player denies the accusations.)It was an example of a rare kind of journalism these days: hard-hitting accountability reporting on sports. Over the past several years, numerous investigative sports outlets have folded, replaced largely by soft-focused content produced by players and teams themselves.Small, community-based publications like the Banner face the highest toll for doing this kind of work—boxed out of access from teams, they risk losing a pivotal connection they have with subscribers. But Chris Korman, the paper’s sports editor, says it’s worth it anyway.Read more:*The Banner’s investigation into Ravens kicker Justin Tucker*From the CJR archives: Can sports journalism survive in the era of the athlete? (2024)Hosted by Josh HershProduced by Amanda Darrach

András Pethő, a Hungarian journalist and co-founder of Direkt36, discusses the alarming erosion of press freedom in Hungary under Viktor Orbán's regime. He shares insights on the powerful film 'The Dynasty,' which uncovers the wealth of political elites. Pethő emphasizes the severe challenges journalists face against censorship and the importance of independent media in defending democracy. He warns that the situation could mirror trends in the U.S., urging journalists to adapt and resist pressures while remaining vigilant for the future.

Jon Allsop writes and edits The Media Today, CJR’s daily newsletter. There, he’s closely watched as the American press has struggled to respond to, and cover, the barrage of news that pours out of Donald Trump.As a frenetic new term begins, Jon joins The Kicker to share his thoughts on what the media gets wrong—and how the political press might begin to chart a new relationship with the presidency and the public.Read More:*Jon’s latest newsletter, on Trump’s first week back in office*Jon’s 2020 essay on how the media handled Trump’s first term*Chris Hayes on attention, on Ezra Klein’s podcast*Susan Glasser on Trump’s exhausting litany of outragesSign up for The Media Today, CJR’s daily newsletter.

Natalia Antelava spent many years as a correspondent for the BBC, before starting her own media company, Coda Story, in 2016. She’s covered wars in the Middle East and the rise of authoritarianism across Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. For the past year, she was a Knight Fellow at Stanford, where she examined how journalism might survive in an era of AI and tech supremacy.Antelava joins The Kicker to talk about Meta’s decision to do away with fact-checking, preparing for a second Trump administration, what mainstream reporters can learn from conservative podcasters—and why she’s still optimistic about what journalism can achieve in the year to come.Read more:“Noise Is the New Censorship” — Antelava on disinformation and authoritarianism“Grieving California” — Coda’s 2018 essay on the Tubbs FireHosted by Josh HershProduced by Amanda Darrach

In the finale, Carlos Watson takes the stand—and the jury reaches a verdict.“The Unraveling of Ozy Media” is a special three-part series of The Kicker, on the trial of Carlos Watson and the excesses of the digital media age, presented by the Columbia Journalism Review.Hosted and coproduced by Josh Hersh and Susie BanikarimProduced and edited by Amanda Darrach 

The trial of Carlos Watson reveals shocking practices that drove Ozy Media to decline, likening it to the chaotic Fyre Festival. Speakers share their experiences in media startups, shedding light on the normalization of exaggeration and questionable metrics. The narrative exposes the legal troubles surrounding Watson, highlighting securities fraud and identity theft. A key witness's testimony uncovers a stunning fraudulent call to Goldman Sachs, laying bare a web of deceit. This captivating tale warns of the dire consequences of desperation in the media landscape.

Carlos Watson’s media startup arrives on the scene—and insiders reveal a dark reality under its glossy veneer.“The Unraveling of Ozy Media” is a special three-part series of The Kicker, on the trial of Carlos Watson and the excesses of the digital media age, presented by the Columbia Journalism Review.Hosted and coproduced by Josh Hersh and Susie BanikarimProduced and edited by Amanda Darrach 

Starting on December 9, the Columbia Journalism Review presents a special three-part series of The Kicker: “The Unraveling of Ozy Media,” on the dramatic rise and fall of Carlos Watson, the cofounder of the digital media company Ozy. In 2023, Watson was charged with fraud after it was revealed that one of his partners had masqueraded as a YouTube executive, during a call with potential investors. But Ozy’s failure is about more than one man. It’s a story about an era of profligate growth and overpromises in digital media that have left many wondering whether there’s any business model that will work for journalism today.Join hosts Josh Hersh and Susie Banikarim as they follow Watson’s trial and ask how much of digital media was built on a lie.

Nearly half of all Latino voters put their support behind former president Donald Trump this week, according to exit polls—a 14 percent increase from 2020.Those results surprised many, but not Jack Herrera, who has been reporting on the shifting voting habits of Latino communities across the country for years.Herrera joins The Kicker to talk about what he’s learned from his journalism in Pennsylvania, Iowa, and the border counties of Texas. Read More:Herrera’s article for CJR’s Election Issue on Lorena López, the editor of Iowa’s La PrensaHerrera’s 2024 reporting on Latino voting in Pennsylvania, Texas, and Iowa