How Do We Fix It?

More than ever, we need to fight fake news and misinformation by getting out of our filter bubbles. A bitterly contested election at a time of political paralysis and partisan bickering makes the case for change even more urgent.In this episode, we look at the groundbreaking work of AllSides.com, which shines a light on media bias by offering readers a selection of daily news stories from publications that tilt left, right or center.Our guests are AllSides founder and CEO John Gable, and the site’s director of product, Samantha Shireman.AllSides is an increasingly popular media destination with many millions of page views that aims to strengthen democracy with balanced news and diverse perspectives. Today's recommendation: Richard is reading "Apeirogon", a novel by the Irish writer, Colum McCann. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the days since the 2020 election, political distrust and anxiety have only deepened. But divided government and very narrow majorities for both parties in Congress might present an opportunity for bipartisan solutions on several major issues. President-elect Biden has talked about his vision of an America that is "unified, strengthened, and healed." In this episode we discuss the case for compromise with two Members of Congress, one Republican and one Democrat. Both are members of Problem Solvers Caucus, a group of 25 members of each party who work together across rigid partisan divides. Democrat Abigail Spanberger, the U.S. Representative for Virginia's 7th Congressional District, won a second term in an area narrowly won by Donald Trump. Two days after the election she spoke out against messaging used by progressives, telling fellow House Democrats that talk of socialism and defunding the police nearly led to her defeat.  Brian Fitzpatrick is a Republican Member of Congress, representing Pennsylvania's 1st Congressional District. A moderate who distanced himself from Donald Trump, Fitzpatrick won re-election by a wide margin.Recommendation: Jim is reading the forthcoming book, "Inferno, The True Story of a B-17 Gunner's Heroism and the Bloodiest Military Campaign in Aviation History" by Joe Pappalardo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Days after the historic 2020 election, final results are still coming in. But some lessons of the vote are becoming clear. On this episode, our hosts, Richard and Jim, discuss the five lessons they learned. 1. The system is working - so far. Despite the slow pace of counting, election day was met with massive enthusiasm by voters from all sides.2. Reform opinion polls - They were wrong again. Polls in Florida, Texas and Wisconsin are among the worst examples. Many polls under-counted Trump voters.3. Stop Generalizing! The Latino vote is much more complex than many assume. Faulty generalizations are also made about the influence of money in campaigns. 4. The Woke Counter Rebellion Has Begun.Despite Trump’s unpopularity with moderates, he did better than expected. Many voters may be put off by violence in Portland, progressive calls to defund the police, and higher taxes. 5. Character Counts.  Joe Biden made this an election about character and decency. He understood the electorate better than most politicians.Jim and Richard have some lively disagreements, but they find common ground on some big election controversies.Recommendation: Richard is listening to "Uncivil War", the new album by blues singer, Shemekia Copeland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the biggest surprises of the 2020 election may turn out to be turnout. Traditionally, a smaller percentage of American voters participate in elections than in many other democracies around the world. But this year, early voting hit a record high, with tens of millions of mail-in ballots, and very long lines at many polling places.In this episode, we look at a highly innovative, successful initiative to use the internet to boost the number of voters in elections. "Our mission" says the non-profit group Democracy Works "is to make voting a simple, seamless experience for all Americans, so that no one misses an election." Democracy Works CEO and co-founder. Seth Flaxman is our guest. "At the end of the day, we think every American is going to want a sort of service, like a concierge, helping them to vote in the election," he says. "Even people who say they never miss elections sign up to get the reminders."This episode is funded with a grant from Solutions Journalism Network as part of "Renewing Democracy", to encourage reporting about how people and institutions are trying to reinvigorate democracy in communities across the country.Democracy Works is affiliated with Bridge Alliance, a coalition of over 100 organizations dedicated to U.S. revitalization. With each organization focusing on a different sector of the movement, its members represent a combined three million supporters in the burgeoning field of civic reform and civil discourse.Recommendation: Jim is listening to Commentary podcast, a daily discussion of conservative opinion by editors of the well-known magazine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If the Covid pandemic has taught us anything, it is that the government's response to a global health emergency can mean the difference between living and dying.America's woeful performance in recent months has exposed how far we have fallen behind public health systems in much of Asia. While China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore combined have recorded fewer than 1,000 cases per day since September, the U.S. is reporting over 60,000 daily cases.Our guest is Adrian Wooldridge of The Economist, and co-author of "The Wake Up Call: Why the Pandemic Has Exposed the Weakness of the West and How to Fix It.""We need to have a much more efficient government that is collectively valued by society," says Adrian. He argues that it's time to make government great again. In this episode, we discuss steps to improve government's use of technology and delivery of services while protecting individual liberty.Recommendation: Jim is listening to the podcast "50 Years of Music With 50 Year-Old White Guys"note: Here's a link to new developments in music podcasts, mentioned during this episode.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More than half of American voters expect to see a rise in violence after election day, according to a recent poll. Only 49% said Americans will largely accept the results.These findings and others suggest that American democracy is facing intense stress. President Trump has repeatedly refused to say whether he would accept the official results. "Trump and Biden supporters have deep disagreements over several aspects of the election and voting process – including whether it will be clear which candidate won even after all the votes are counted," says Pew Research Center.This episode examines how our current problems compare to past outbreaks of political turmoil. Professor Suzanne Mettler, co-author of the new book, "Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy" is our guest.The four threats are: polarization, racism and nativism, economic inequality, and excessive presidential power. "Today, for the first time ever, all four of these threats to democracy have come together," Suzanne tells us.Richard and Jim, who calls himself "the pushback guy" in this episode, also have a lively discussion about the book's findings.Recommendation: Richard is reading “All the King’s Men” - first published in 1946 and written by Robert Penn Warren. The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel portrays the dramatic rise of Governor Willie Stark, a cynical left-wing autocratic populist in the South. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you get supporters of Donald Trump and Joe Biden in the same room at the same time working together on something political? It sounds almost impossible, but even at a time of hyper-partisan division, progress and trust can be achieved on a local level. In this episode, we look at the groundbreaking work of CivicLex, a non-profit civic education and solutions journalism group based in Lexington, a Kentucky city of nearly 400,000 people. Civic Lex has three main goals: Improve access to information, Change the processes that govern how the city interacts with residents, and Democratize political power. Our CivicLex guests are: Executive Director, Richard Young, who has worked on civic engagement and community development projects for almost a decade, and Director of Programs, Megan Gulla, who has worked and volunteered in a variety of fields, including creative, local journalism. CivicLex has won funding from The National Endowment for the Arts, Knight Foundation, Facebook Journalism Project and other major donors. "There's something brilliant" in the mission of CivicLex, says Danielle Allen, Director of the Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University. "They're foregrounding the importance of relationships." This show and several other recent episodes on local initiatives are funded with a grant from Solutions Journalism Network. We thank them for their support and encouragement. Recommendation: Richard (our-co host!) is listening to the new podcast series, hosted by author and historian Jon Meacham, "Hope Through History." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does your career stay on track at a time of very high unemployment, great technological change and enormous uncertainty? We explore these questions and much more with one of the advertising industry's most successful commercial directors. When he was 23, Bruce Van Dusen was desperate for a job. For the next 40 years, he thought that every commercial that he made would be his last. With a mix of audacity, determination, and hard work, plus a dash of deep personal insecurity, Bruce developed a remarkable knack for crafting stories that could be told in 30 seconds. His wise and highly entertaining new book is "60 Stories About 30 Seconds: How I Got Away With Being a Pretty Big Commercial Director Without Losing My Soul (Or Maybe Just Part of It)."We discuss some lessons Bruce learned along the way-- lessons that he wished he had known when he started out in his crazy, fast-changing industry. Such as: Go to a meeting any time anywhere; Treat all famous people like they're not; Nothing lasts forever unless you tinker with it all the time.Listen to Crazy Eddie "I Know He's Crazy, But Is He Alive?", one of the many hilarious stories from Bruce's book here.Recommendation: Jim is reading "Made Men. The Story of Goodfellas", by Glenn Kenny. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anger, fear and loathing cut across our deeply divided, hyper-partisan political divide. From The White House and the streets of cities, to furious posts on social media, many of us objectify others. Those belong to the wrong tribe are often the objects of personal scorn.In a recent Twitter post, our guest, Chloé Valdary, says: "if you do not possess the power to love, and especially love your enemies, then you don't really have the power."In this episode, Chloé talks about her antiracism program, Theory of Enchantment, which uses pop culture as an educational tool, teaching social and emotional learning in schools, and diversity and inclusion in companies and government agencies. The three key principles involve:1. We are human beings, not political abstractions.2. Use criticism to uplift, not tear down.3. Lead with love and compassion.Recommendation: Jim is reading the new book, "Utopia Avenue" by British novelist, David Mitchell. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Massive wildfires in the west have burned through more than five million acres, forced tens of thousands of people from their homes, and spread smoke and air pollution across many states. This year's historic wildfire season prompted calls for reforms of the nation's fire management policies, and are a clear sign that the impacts of climate change are now being felt. Changes in the weather leading to temperature extremes and drought are no longer a theory.We discuss the causes of raging wildfires, including forestry management, climate, and the movement of people, as well as practical steps can be taken now to reduce the destruction to property and people's lives. Our guests are Guardian journalists Alastair Gee and Dani Anguiano, authors of the new book, “Fire In Paradise: An American Tragedy", a harrowing account of the most destructive wildfire in a century. Both Dani and Alastair reported extensively on the Camp Fire in 2018, and this year's megafires in California, Oregon and Washington. Jim writes about The West's fires in City Journal: "Wildfire Hype and Hope".Recommendation: Jim is feeding his recent passion for birdwatching, reading "A Season On The Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration" by Ken Kaufman. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.