
Blocked and Reported
Journalists Katie Herzog and Jesse Singal scour the internet for its craziest, silliest, most sociopathic content, part of an obsessive and ill-conceived attempt to extract kernels of meaning and humanity from a landscape of endless raging dumpster fires. www.blockedandreported.org
Latest episodes

Dec 8, 2023 • 14min
Premium: Prep School Revolutionary
This week on the Primo edition of Blocked and Reported, Jesse and Katie discuss Calla Walsh, a young activist who got her start stumping for establishment Democrat Ed Markey before pivoting to a career as a freedom fighter. Plus, Communist heir Fergie Chambers. To hear more, visit www.blockedandreported.org

Dec 4, 2023 • 1h 6min
Episode 193: NaNoWriMo's Diaper-Lover Dumpster Fire
Diaper-lovers drama in NaNoWriMo fandom, Deadspin writer and Portland anarchists in trouble, Jesse turns 40 with an eggplant parmesan story, Christian support for Israel, controversies and popularity of NaNoWriMo, complex identities of Danny and Claudia, concerns about Claudia's inappropriate behavior, false claims and stalking of a former NaNoWriMo moderator, confusion and shutdown of the forums.

Nov 29, 2023 • 20min
Premium: Paddy Cosgrave Will Not Relent Until He Will
This podcast explores the controversies surrounding Paddy Cosgrave and the Web Summit, including his feuds with the Irish government and leaked emails. It also discusses a case of misinformation on Twitter about imaginary nurses dying from COVID and the implications of controversial tweets. Furthermore, it highlights Paddy's attack on the Prime Minister of Ireland and his involvement in funding investigative journalism.

Nov 27, 2023 • 1h 12min
Episode 192: Andrea James's Stalking Website Transgender Map Sure Is Creepy
Trans activist Andrea James and her controversial website are discussed. Other topics include gay furry hackers targeting a nuclear lab, cancel culture, controversial tweets, and the controversy surrounding auto-gynephilia theory.

Nov 18, 2023 • 1h 11min
Episode 191: A Man in a Dress in a Pile-On
This week on Blocked and Reported, Jesse and Katie discuss the furor over a self-described autogynephile who wore a dress to a gender conference. Also, Zoomers discover 9/11. To support the show and get extra content and much more, become a Primo. To buy our very popular merch, shop here.Nat Geo: “‘The perfect revenge'? Birds are building fortresses from anti-bird spikes”Yashar with some breaking 9/11 newsTablet: “The Franklin Prophecy”Osama bin Laden’s Letter to AmericaAlice Dreger: “Galileo's Middle Finger: Heretics, Activists, and One Scholar's Search for Justice”Genspect: The SplitPhil sent Jesse the following as part of a longer email, which we’re going to include for completion’s sake:Good-Vibe CertificationI'm not surprised that you and others felt no weird vibes from me, as even hardened GCs who have prejudice toward autogynephilic males also agreed that my vibes were fine. In addition to your three examples, I also submit five more:From Heather Heying's piece about this:The night before the conference began, many of us were in the vicinity of the hotel bar, and I saw a man walking around in a dress. I would later learn that this was Phil. I did a double-take. I asked the woman sitting next to me—am I seeing this correctly? She looked, nodded. Yep. I was unnerved. What did I not know? Did this person believe himself to be a woman, or not? Why did the answer to that question matter to me?The next night Phil approached my table, offered me a copy of his book, which I accepted, and we talked for a bit. I came away with some answers and intuitions: No, he does not think that he is actually a woman. And no, he does not seem like a creep. None of my hackles were raised. I detected no malice, no glint in the eye, no smirk, outer or inner, that he was having one over on all of us. Of course I could be wrong about these things, as anyone’s intuition can mislead them. One of the despicable truths about gender ideology is that women are being told to stop trusting the very intuitions that we have always relied on, when walking alone, when entering a bathroom or a locker room or a parking garage, when approached by a person we do not know. It is not bigoted to cross the street if you feel a tingle at the base of your skull as you see a man approaching you. It is smart. I have traveled far and wide, often exploring places alone that women are expected not to explore alone, and I have honed my intuition, although I am well aware that I can and do make mistakes. Nothing about Phil alarmed me.Lisa Jones, who I talked with a while one of the nights, officially awarded me zero points on a 10-point scale of creepiness:Now, some people online are accusing Phil of being a creepy AGP because he wore dresses at Genspect.On the AGP creepiness scale, I award my doorstep AGP five out of ten stars for moderate creepiness. Phil, by contrast, wins zero stars. I felt no creepiness from Phil Illy.Laura Becker, the detrans woman who was next to me in the photo that kicked of the controversy, also felt safe around me:I’m the young female detransitioner in the photo. I have CPTSD from male abuse. I have vulnerabilities, but I never felt vulnerable around Phil. In fact, we had a strong connection discussing sexuality and gender.How is it that a traumatized young woman like myself can find value in the sexual theory and research of this man’s book, but Genspect gets called unsafe as an organization for allowing him to have discussions about it?That’s far too broad a brush.Leslie Elliot, a centrist YoutTuber, also said my vibes were fine:From the same video, therapist Pamela Garfield-Jaeger, also weighed in. We hung out for a few hours and also shared a ride to the airport. She said that even though she admittedly had some prejudgement about me because I was a man in a dress, she also said I wasn't being creepy at all:I'm sure there are more examples of people saying my behavior was fine, but I think the point is made: my vibes were officially acceptable. To hear more, visit www.blockedandreported.org

Nov 15, 2023 • 14min
Premium: Animal Attraction
This week on the Primo epsiode of Blocked and Reported, Jesse and Katie decuss a new article in the Journal of Controversial Ideas and decide once and for all if zoophiles should be imprisoned far from animals for life or given a paw print on the Pride flag. To support the show and get extra content an… To hear more, visit www.blockedandreported.org

Nov 10, 2023 • 1h 7min
Episode 190: Saint Buffy Loses Her Wings
This week on Blocked and Reported, Jesse and Katie discuss a stunning revelation about Indigenous icon Buffy Sainte-Marie. Plus, New York Times Magazine witer Jazmine Hughes is forced out after taking a political stand. Again. (Guys, this will be the last episode with audio problems on my end, I promise — it is too boring a story to bother telling but by this time tomorrow I will almost be back at my home setup, where I never have these problems. I am sorry for all the pops. -Jesse ‘Plosive’ Singal)To support the show and get extra content and much more, become a Primo. To buy our very popular merch, shop here.NYT: “New York Times Writer Resigns After Signing Letter Protesting the Israel-Gaza War”Jesse: “Why Did “On The Media” Stoke The Moral Panic Against Innocent New York Times Journalists Rather Than Investigate It?”CBC: “Who Is the Real Buffy Sainte-Marie?”Buffy Saint-Marie responds on FacebookBSM responds on TwitterSekwan Wabasca on birth certificates Jesse: “The Internet Accused Alice Goffman of Faking Details in Her Study of a Black Neighborhood. I Went to Philadelphia to Check.”www.karendian.com To hear more, visit www.blockedandreported.org

Nov 9, 2023 • 10min
Premium: A Cross-Dressing Mayor, A Deranged Professor, Hunger-Striking Students, And Jesse's Best Story Ever
This podcast discusses the controversial story of a cross-dressing mayor in Alabama who engaged in explicit online activities and wrote violent erotica. They also debate the newsworthiness of outing and the responsibilities of public figures. The tragic case explores the mayor's suicide, the shame he felt, and the trauma experienced by women. Overall, an intriguing podcast that delves into culture wars and societal issues.

Nov 6, 2023 • 58min
Episode 189: Everyone Is Greenpoint-ing Fingers About Anti-Semitism And Street Crime
Topics include a hilarious mattress sponsorship deal, lack of engagement during a university talk, controversy around free speech and the free Palestine movement, reflections on the tragic story of Moose and dog naming, assault and harassment in the Greenpoint neighborhood, and criminal justice reform and the dysfunctionality of bureaucracies.

Oct 30, 2023 • 59min
Episode 188: The House Of Saud Meets The House Of Sonic
This week on Blocked and Reported, the Saudi Royal family lures an elite group of cosplayers to Riyadh to whitewash their reputation. Plus, a non-elite podcaster attempts to memory-hole history (it’s Jesse). To support the show and get extra content and much more, become a Primo. To buy our very popular merch, shop here.Jesse’s UCLA talkReuters: “Twitter is losing its most active users, internal documents show” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe