
The Kicker
The Kicker is a podcast on the media and the world today. It comes out twice a month, hosted by Josh Hersh and produced by Amanda Darrach for the Columbia Journalism Review. It is available wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Latest episodes

Mar 7, 2019 • 15min
Podcast: What counts as journalism?
ON THIS WEEK’S EPISODE, CJR Editor and Publisher Kyle Pope and Seamus Hughes of George Washington University's Program on Extremism talk about who gets to be a reporter and what counts as journalism, especially when done by institutions that aren’t traditionally journalistic.

Feb 28, 2019 • 20min
Heather Heyer’s mother: ‘I knew the press was coming’
ON THIS WEEK’S EPISODE, CJR Editor and Publisher Kyle Pope speaks with Susan Bro, whose daughter Heather Heyer died in the 2017 Charlottesville attack, and Contributing Editor Camille Bromley, who profiled Bro’s dealings with the press for our latest print edition. Bro discusses shifting the “white savior” narrative around her daughter’s death towards a focus on taking action against racism.

Feb 21, 2019 • 22min
Podcast: Who is going to pay for journalism?
ON THIS WEEK’S EPISODE, CJR Editor and Publisher Kyle Pope and Mathew Ingram, CJR’s chief digital writer discuss The Cairncross Review, a report published in the UK, and the role of tech companies like Google and Facebook on news. They are joined by Josh Young, creator of our trust-based engagement platform, Galley by CJR, who spoke about the idea behind Galley and how it is helping journalists engage in meaningful discussions.

Feb 14, 2019 • 21min
Getting to the truth in the Trump interview
This week our Editor and Publisher Kyle Pope speaks with CJR’s Lyz Lenz about the work we put in in to legitimizing this presidency and whether we are right to make Trump’s narrative coherent.

Feb 7, 2019 • 19min
Podcast: Should governments pay ransom for journalists?
ON THIS WEEK’S EPISODE, CJR Editor and Publisher Kyle Pope speaks with Joel Simon, executive director of Committee to Protect Journalists about his latest book We Want to Negotiate: The Secret World of Kidnapping, Hostages and Ransom. They were joined by Janine di Giovanni, a human rights reporter in conflict zones and a senior fellow at Yale University, as they discussed hostage policy and the ethical and legal concerns behind it.

Jan 31, 2019 • 21min
Layoffs and the argument for civic media
ON THIS WEEK’S EPISODE, CJR Editor and Publisher Kyle Pope speaks with Emily Bell, director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism, to assess recent digital layoffs and consider a new civic model for journalism.

Jan 24, 2019 • 22min
Podcast: In conversation with Jill Abramson on her new book, Merchants of Truth
Podcast: In conversation with Jill Abramson on her new book, Merchants of Truth by Columbia Journalism Review

Jan 17, 2019 • 17min
Podcast: Slate charts its survival through the digital winter
ON THIS WEEK’S EPISODE, CJR Editor and Publisher Kyle Pope speaks with David Uberti, on Slate’s survival strategy—in part as an audio production company.

Jan 10, 2019 • 22min
Podcast: How did the media handle Trump’s Oval office address?
ON THIS WEEK’S EPISODE, CJR Editor and Publisher Kyle Pope speaks with staff writer Jon Allsop about how the media handled Trump’s address from the Oval Office. They also discuss the mistakes journalists can avoid as they prepare to cover the 2020 presidential race.

Dec 20, 2018 • 29min
Podcast: A look back at 2018
Podcast: A look back at 2018 by Columbia Journalism Review