Question Everything with Brian Reed

The best documentary filmmaker in America spent nearly five years of his life making a nine-hour masterpiece for Netflix. It will never see the light of day. After a nasty estate battle, the series won't be released. No one will ever see it.In his first sit-down interview about this scandal, the filmmaker Ezra Edelman seeks catharsis – if not closure – in the fight for truth and control over the life story of Prince.Thanks to “Pablo Torre Finds Out” for this incredible interview. “Question Everything” is a production of KCRW and Placement Theory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Barton Gellman, a legendary investigative reporter and three-time Pulitzer Prize winner, now fights against authoritarianism at the Brennan Center for Justice. He shares insights from war games with military leaders about handling a second Trump term. The discussion delves into the legal tensions surrounding presidential defiance of court orders, the serious consequences of federal budget cuts, and the critical role of public activism in safeguarding democracy. Gellman also critiques media coverage and the implications of potential unconstitutional ambitions.

It’s easy to get frustrated with the charade reporters are supposed to keep up, where they pretend they don’t have opinions or feelings or any kind of human thoughts about a story they’re telling. Plenty of journalists have been trying to break out of that charade. But the decision to do that: it can be a fraught one, with real implications.Dana Ballout struggled with this on a story she was investigating about Hassan Diab – a sociology professor who’s living as a free man in Canada, yet is convicted of a terrible crime in France. Dana and her co-host Alex Atack open up about their reporting on the series The Copernic Affair, and why Dana ultimately cut her own opinions out of the show, even though her co-host and editors wanted to include them. And this prompts Brian to revisit his own experience dropping the charade in a previous podcast he made with Hamza Syed, for The New York Times and Serial: The Trojan Horse Affair. You can check out The Copernic Affair wherever you get your podcasts or at https://www.canadaland.com/shows/the-copernic-affair/.Same with The Trojan Horse Affair: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/podcasts/trojan-horse-affair.htmlTo get the phrase from Hamza’s interview that we’re asking people to remix into something danceable, sign up for Brian’s newsletter here: www.kcrw.com/questioneverything“Question Everything” is a production of KCRW and Placement Theory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you have questions for us? If so, we want to talk to you! If you have thoughts about Question Everything, critiques of our episodes, or anything you're curious about, that we're covering, or not covering…please tell us. We want to set up some conversations between listeners and Brian and our staff for an upcoming episode. Write to us at hey@placementtheory.com and someone from our staff may reach out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Carly Tate, a high school junior from a law enforcement family in Alabama, sheds light on the troubling arrest of journalists in her hometown. She discusses the chilling effect on press freedom amidst increasing tensions between the media and law enforcement. Carly shares her insights on the ethical dilemmas faced by journalists in hostile environments and the crucial role of citizen journalists. The conversation highlights the need for accountability and understanding of First Amendment rights, emphasizing the delicate balance between journalism and the legal system.

V Spehar is a dynamic social media content creator known for their engaging TikTok channel, Under the Desk News, where they deliver news in a relatable format to millions. In this discussion, V dives into the friction between traditional journalism and new media influencers, sharing insights on their recent conflict with NPR. They explore how platforms like TikTok are reshaping news consumption and trust, and emphasize the importance of personal storytelling in news reporting. The conversation highlights the evolving landscape of media and the role of audience connection.

Vicky Ward, a journalist known for her work on the Kushner family and Jeffrey Epstein, joins tech critic Edward Ongweso Jr. and futurist Douglas Rushkoff to dive into the mindset of today's billionaires. They discuss the increasing political influence of the ultra-rich and the ethical dilemmas faced by journalists covering them. The trio unpacks the paradox of immense wealth coupled with isolation and critiques modern billionaires' motivations for space exploration and philanthropy, contrasting them with past societal values.

Ben Smith tells the story of the strange controversy over a journalism award that’s been going down in a Florida courthouse.Ben is Editor-in-Chief of Semafor and co-host of the Mixed Signals podcast. He used to be The New York Times media columnist and was founding editor-in-chief of Buzzfeed News.Sign up for our newsletter to read the lengthy listener criticism that helped inspire Brian to do this episode: www.kcrw.com/questioneverything“Question Everything” is a production of KCRW and Placement Theory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Locked up, alone, accused of being a spy, reporter Jeremy Loffredo has to defend the fact that he’s a journalist. To the Israeli courts. And then…to our reporter. Part two of our special series about Jeremy Loffredo, who in October became the first American journalist arrested by Israel. If you haven't listened to part one, check that out first in your feed: "Blindfolded And Arrested On Assignment In Israel."This week in our newsletter, we'll bring you inside some disagreements we had on staff, about how to tell this story. Sign up at: kcrw.com/questioneverything“Question Everything” is a production of KCRW and Placement Theory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just a few months ago, Israel did something it has never done before. It arrested an American journalist. His name is Jeremy Loffredo.This is his story. Part one of a special, two-part series. “Question Everything” is a production of KCRW and Placement Theory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices