Today on Polilogue, we examine the coverage and interviews that focused on the Supreme Court abortion case. This Week stands out as a show that brought in the relevant experts and facts to have a robust conversation. Other shows like State of the Union lacked any foundation-setting segments, and Face the Nation didn’t even mention the abortion case!

We also look the continued coverage of the Omicron variant, and if/how shows may be contributing to fear-mongering tone given the dearth of tangible facts and findings about the emerging variant.

Shows discussed 

• State of the Union on CNN

• Fox News Sunday on FOX

• This Week on ABC

• Face the Nation on CBS

• Meet the Press on NBC

Mentioned Links

• Polilogue featured on NPR’s All Things Considered

• CBS This Morning segment on home testing

Contact us

Email us at podcast@polilogue.com or you can send us your feedback @PolilogueCast. You can also follow us at @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Support the show: We produce Polilogue out of our own pocket. If you’d like to support the show with a one-time or recurring donation, please visit our donate page here. Or leave a review on iTunes, Apple Music, or the Apple Podcast library. Thank you!

Check out some of our other work: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com  

Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

Today we look at the new story of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.  Is the sense of panic in the headlines warranted?  How can we have responsible coverage on the Sunday shows of this and other issues?  We also look at the conversations about criminal cases on the Sunday show panels.  

Shows discussed 

• State of the Union on CNN

• Fox News Sunday on FOX

• This Week on ABC

• Face the Nation on CBS

• Meet the Press on NBC

Contact us

Email us at podcast@polilogue.com or you can send us your feedback @PolilogueCast. You can also follow us at @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Support the show: We produce Polilogue out of our own pocket. If you’d like to support the show with a one-time or recurring donation, please visit our donate page here. Or leave a review on iTunes, Apple Music, or the Apple Podcast library. Thank you!

Check out some of our other work: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com  

Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

On today’s episode, we focus in on one Sunday show—Meet the Press—and try to understand how the coverage of the economic situation serves the dual roles of informing the public and holding the Biden Administration accountable for taking action. We also talk about the rising issue of political violence.

Shows discussed 

• Meet the Press on NBC

Contact us

Email us at podcast@polilogue.com or you can send us your feedback @PolilogueCast. You can also follow us at @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Support the show: We produce Polilogue out of our own pocket. If you’d like to support the show with a one-time or recurring donation, please visit our donate page here. Or leave a review on iTunes, Apple Music, or the Apple Podcast library. Thank you!

Check out some of our other work: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com  

Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

Today on the Sunday shows we look at the Fox News Sunday interview with Brian Deese and the continued dialogue on inflation. We also do a side by side comparison with This Week and Meet the Press on how they discussed the Kyle Rittenhouse trial and acquittal.

Shows discussed 

• State of the Union on CNN

• Fox News Sunday on FOX

• This Week on ABC

• Face the Nation on CBS

• Meet the Press on NBC

Resources and Links:

• Trump’s most enduring legacy could be the historic rise in the national debt in the Washington Post

• Here's what Joe Biden can -- and can't -- do to fight inflation on CNN.com

• Fiscal Policy: Economic Effects by the Congressional Research Service

Contact us

Email us at podcast@polilogue.com or you can send us your feedback @PolilogueCast. You can also follow us at @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Support the show: We produce Polilogue out of our own pocket. If you’d like to support the show with a one-time or recurring donation, please visit our donate page here. Or leave a review on iTunes, Apple Music, or the Apple Podcast library. Thank you!

Check out some of our other work: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com  

Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

Today on Polilogue, we look at the shows’ decision to analyze the Virginia gubernatorial race. A few questions popped up multiple times:

1. Why did they only look at Virginia?

2. Where is the analysis on New Jersey?

3. Where is the DATA?

4. What do you mean when you say Democrats are too woke?

5. What does woke even mean (today)?

Shows discussed 

• State of the Union on CNN

• Fox News Sunday on FOX

• This Week on ABC

• Face the Nation on CBS

• Meet the Press on NBC

Contact us

Email us at podcast@polilogue.com or you can send us your feedback @PolilogueCast. You can also follow us at @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Support the show: We produce Polilogue out of our own pocket. If you’d like to support the show with a one-time or recurring donation, please visit our donate page here. Or leave a review on iTunes, Apple Music, or the Apple Podcast library. Thank you!

Check out some of our other work: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com  

Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

Today on Polilogue, we look at the choices that journalists and show hosts make to define a story narrative. There are dozens of small and large decisions hosts and show producers make every week to define a story narrative. It could be the questions themselves. It could be the guests themselves invited onto the show. It could be the interactions between the host and guests. It could be the angle of the story itself: do they focus on cost or impact? Do they focus on process or outcome?

Sometimes, the narrative for the week is clear — and all the shows have roughly the same focus. But sometimes, a show will take a turn. They will explore a new angle. A new stone unturned. Today on Polilogue, we celebrate the different narrative.

Shows discussed 

• State of the Union on CNN

• Fox News Sunday on FOX

• This Week on ABC

• Face the Nation on CBS

• Meet the Press on NBC

Contact us

Email us at podcast@polilogue.com or you can send us your feedback @PolilogueCast. You can also follow us at @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Support the show: We produce Polilogue out of our own pocket. If you’d like to support the show with a one-time or recurring donation, please visit our donate page here. Or leave a review on iTunes, Apple Music, or the Apple Podcast library. Thank you!

Check out some of our other work: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com  

Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

Today on Polilogue, we put a magnifying glass to bad agendas. On Meet the Press, shallow conversations about the new billionaire tax to potentially pay for the Build Back Better plan. On This Week, an insistence that the Virginia gubernatorial race is a reflection of 2022 political predictions and even emptier 2024 election forecasts.

We do note that Fox News Sunday and Face the Nation had substantial agendas with heavy, ambitious segments.

Shows discussed 

• State of the Union on CNN

• Fox News Sunday on FOX

• This Week on ABC

• Face the Nation on CBS

• Meet the Press on NBC

Contact us

Email us at podcast@polilogue.com or you can send us your feedback @PolilogueCast. You can also follow us at @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Support the show: We produce Polilogue out of our own pocket. If you’d like to support the show with a one-time or recurring donation, please visit our donate page here. Or leave a review on iTunes, Apple Music, or the Apple Podcast library. Thank you!

Check out some of our other work: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com  

Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

Today on Polilogue, we have two very different segments.

In the first segment, we look at how This Week and Fox News Sunday explained the various economic factors that are raising costs, slowing down deliveries, and impacting the labor force across the US. The interview with Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic adviser at Allianz, on Fox News Sunday stands out as one of the top explanatory interviews on the Sunday shows in months.

Then we look at how Chuck Todd and Jake Tapper each approach their shows. Chuck Todd committed to examining issues and solutions. Jake Tapper leaning hard on his emotional frustrations.

Shows discussed 

• State of the Union on CNN

• Fox News Sunday on FOX

• This Week on ABC

• Meet the Press on NBC

Contact us

Email us at podcast@polilogue.com or you can send us your feedback @PolilogueCast. You can also follow us at @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Support the show: We produce Polilogue out of our own pocket. If you’d like to support the show with a one-time or recurring donation, please visit our donate page here. Or leave a review on iTunes, Apple Music, or the Apple Podcast library. Thank you!

Check out some of our other work: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com  

Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

Today on Polilogue, we applaud Face the Nation for framing a larger trend rather than covering a single moment. In this instance, Margaret Brennan didn’t just talk about a single Trump rally, but framed the rally and Senator Chuck Grassley’s participation as an example of a larger trend within the Republican Party.

Also on Polilogue, Treasure Secretary Janet Yellen finally made an appearance on the Sunday news shows! … and she said absolutely nothing of substance.

Shows discussed 

• State of the Union on CNN

• Fox News Sunday on FOX

• This Week on ABC

• Face the Nation on CBS

• Meet the Press on NBC

Contact us

Email us at podcast@polilogue.com or you can send us your feedback @PolilogueCast. You can also follow us at @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Support the show: We produce Polilogue out of our own pocket. If you’d like to support the show with a one-time or recurring donation, please visit our donate page here. Or leave a review on iTunes, Apple Music, or the Apple Podcast library. Thank you!

Check out some of our other work: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com  

Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

Today on Polilogue, we zero in on the Democratic messaging of the reconciliation bill, or the human infrastructure bill that is currently being negotiated. In particular, we examine the costs, the motivations, and what messaging are persuasive and what kind of talking points just need to stop.

We also applaud the Covid questions on Face the Nation by Margaret Brennan and give side eye to insider Washington talk on the Meet the Press panel.

Shows discussed 

• State of the Union on CNN

• Fox News Sunday on FOX

• This Week on ABC

• Face the Nation on CBS

• Meet the Press on NBC

Contact us

Email us at podcast@polilogue.com or you can send us your feedback @PolilogueCast. You can also follow us at @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Support the show: We produce Polilogue out of our own pocket. If you’d like to support the show with a one-time or recurring donation, please visit our donate page here. Or leave a review on iTunes, Apple Music, or the Apple Podcast library. Thank you!

Check out some of our other work: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com  

Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

Today on Polilogue, we examine the focus of two interviews with DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Jake Tapper had (another) conversation about morality. Whereas Chris Wallace questioned the number of Haitian migrants that are entering the United States and asked why the Biden Administration is not using a border wall. We also look at the political messaging of Democrats during what finally seems to be Infrastructure Week (maybe).

Shows discussed 

• State of the Union on CNN

• Fox News Sunday on FOX

• This Week on ABC

• Face the Nation on CBS

• Meet the Press on NBC

Contact us

Email us at podcast@polilogue.com or you can send us your feedback @PolilogueCast. You can also follow us at @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Support the show: We produce Polilogue out of our own pocket. If you’d like to support the show with a one-time or recurring donation, please visit our donate page here. Or leave a review on iTunes, Apple Music, or the Apple Podcast library. Thank you!

Check out some of our other work: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com  

Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

Today on Polilogue, we look at the strong performance by Dr. Francis Collins of the National Institutes of Health in dispelling booster myths and headline buzz. We also look at the vague and unfocused questions by Margaret Brennan about Afghanistan and recent news that an American drone attack accidentally killed Afghan civilians.

Shows discussed 

• State of the Union on CNN

• Fox News Sunday on FOX

• This Week on ABC

• Face the Nation on CBS

• Meet the Press on NBC

Contact us

Email us at podcast@polilogue.com or you can send us your feedback @PolilogueCast. You can also follow us at @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Support the show: We produce Polilogue out of our own pocket. If you’d like to support the show with a one-time or recurring donation, please visit our donate page here. Or leave a review on iTunes, Apple Music, or the Apple Podcast library. Thank you!

Check out some of our other work: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com  

Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

Today on Polilogue, we go back to our old show roots and identify themes across shows for guests that were on multiple programs on the same day. US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and Democratic Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia were both on State of the Union and Meet the Press. And the two guests gave similarly vague, defensive answers after being grilled by excellent questions from Dana Bash and Chuck Todd.

Shows discussed 

• State of the Union on CNN

• Fox News Sunday on FOX

• This Week on ABC

• Face the Nation on CBS

• Meet the Press on NBC

Links and Resources:

• Study finds more active-duty police officers died of COVID-19 in 2020 than all other causes combined

• Coronavirus-sniffing dogs unleashed at Miami airport to detect virus in employees

Contact us

Email us at podcast@polilogue.com or you can send us your feedback @PolilogueCast. You can also follow us at @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Support the show: We produce Polilogue out of our own pocket. If you’d like to support the show with a one-time or recurring donation, please visit our donate page here. Or leave a review on iTunes, Apple Music, or the Apple Podcast library. Thank you!

Check out some of our other work: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com  

Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

Today on Polilogue, two very different segments with very feisty takes. Naomi looks at the lack of substantive dialogue about the Texas abortion ban. Brendan examines climate change conversations and wonders who should be answering which questions.

Shows discussed 

• State of the Union on CNN

• Fox News Sunday on FOX

• This Week on ABC

• Face the Nation on CBS

• Meet the Press on NBC

Resources

• NYTimes article on NYC flash flood preparedness

• More discussion on NYC government failures during Ida

• Climate scientist Daniel Swain’s thread on a new study of the climate change effects on flooding.

• Article about the danger of water vs. wind in an hurricane

• A Q&A about extreme weather and global warming

• A full report on FEMA and funding issues

Contact us

Email us at podcast@polilogue.com or you can send us your feedback @PolilogueCast. You can also follow us at @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Support the show: We produce Polilogue out of our own pocket. If you’d like to support the show with a one-time or recurring donation, please visit our donate page here. Or leave a review on iTunes, Apple Music, or the Apple Podcast library. Thank you!

Check out some of our other work: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com  

Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

Today on Polilogue, Naomi and Brendan take on new roles as we discuss Afghanistan. Naomi is Good Cop as she acknowledges and praises good, noteworthy questions. Whereas Brendan finger wags and admonishes the bad questions on the Sunday morning shows.

Shows discussed 

• State of the Union on CNN

• Fox News Sunday on FOX

• This Week on ABC

• Face the Nation on CBS

• Meet the Press on NBC

Resources

• “What Americans Think About The End Of The Afghanistan War And Biden’s Handling Of It So Far” by Nathaniel Rakich in FiveThirtyEight

• The ABC News take on their poll with Ipsos: “Overwhelming bipartisan support for keeping troops in Afghanistan until all Americans, Afghans who aided US out: POLL”

• The Ipsos take on their poll with ABC News: “Most Americans think the end of the U.S. presence in Afghanistan makes no difference on our safety from terrorism”

Contact us

Email us at podcast@polilogue.com or you can send us your feedback @PolilogueCast. You can also follow us at @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Support the show: We produce Polilogue out of our own pocket. If you’d like to support the show with a one-time or recurring donation, please visit our donate page here. Or leave a review on iTunes, Apple Music, or the Apple Podcast library. Thank you!

Check out some of our other work: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com  

Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

In today’s episode of Polilogue, we examine and question the leading voices criticizing the Afghanistan withdrawal. With the exception of an excellent interview on This Week, almost all the shows relied on war hawks and other thought leaders that have preferred and advocated for an American military presence in Afghanistan.

Shows discussed 

• State of the Union on CNN

• Fox News Sunday on FOX

• This Week on ABC

• Face the Nation on CBS

• Meet the Press on NBC

Resources

• The media's systemic failure on Afghanistan by Judd Legum on Popular Information

• Where are the anti-war voices? by Judd Legum, Tesnim Zekeria, and Rebecca Crosby on Popular Information

• Michale Chrichton’s Travels (Amazon)

• America’s Afghan War: A Defeat Foretold? by Adam Nossiter (NYT)

• Intelligence Warned of Afghan Military Collapse, Despite Biden’s Assurances by By Mark Mazzetti, Julian E. Barnes and Adam Goldman (NYT)

• The Biden admin’s cold logic on boosters and Afghanistan (Politico Playbook PM)

Contact us

Email us at podcast@polilogue.com or you can send us your feedback @PolilogueCast. You can also follow us at @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Support the show: We produce Polilogue out of our own pocket. If you’d like to support the show with a one-time or recurring donation, please visit our donate page here. Or leave a review on iTunes, Apple Music, or the Apple Podcast library. Thank you!

Check out some of our other work: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com  

Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

In this special episode, we take a look at a movie that tops many lists of the best movies about journalism: 1999’s “The Insider.” Directed by Michael Mann and starring Russell Crowe and Al Pacino, the film closely follows the real-life events of a tobacco industry insider who becomes a source on 60 Minutes. Complete with audio clips and our usual critical eye, we discuss the film’s portrayal of the news business and ethical questions about sources and journalistic integrity.

Next week, Polilogue will return to examine the Sunday shows we normally discuss. Likely to include a BIG discussion about the events in Afghanistan.

Shows (usually) discussed 

• State of the Union on CNN

• Fox News Sunday on FOX

• This Week on ABC

• Face the Nation on CBS

Contact us

Email us at podcast@polilogue.com or you can send us your feedback @PolilogueCast. You can also follow us at @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Support the show: We produce Polilogue out of our own pocket. If you’d like to support the show with a one-time or recurring donation, please visit our donate page here. Or leave a review on iTunes, Apple Music, or the Apple Podcast library. Thank you!

Check out some of our other work: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com  

Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

Today on Polilogue, we look at important stories and segments that have been too easy to overlook in the last few weeks. We look at critically important issues like substance abuse, overdoses, and climate change that took a backseat to the COVID and infrastructure stories.

Next week, Polilogue will go to the movies for a special discussion on the journalism movie “The Insider.” Check it out this week if you’d like to watch before that episode—or follow along as we discuss the movies with clips and critical commentary.

Shows discussed 

• State of the Union on CNN

• Fox News Sunday on FOX

• This Week on ABC

• Face the Nation on CBS

Contact us

Email us at podcast@polilogue.com or you can send us your feedback @PolilogueCast. You can also follow us at @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Support the show: We produce Polilogue out of our own pocket. If you’d like to support the show with a one-time or recurring donation, please visit our donate page here. Or leave a review on iTunes, Apple Music, or the Apple Podcast library. Thank you!

Check out some of our other work: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com  

Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

Today on Polilogue, we discuss the takeaways and actionable information that was shared by public health officials about delta, the new Covid variant. We also discuss how Republicans are valuing (or not) the select committee to investigate the January 6 insurrection.

Shows discussed 

• State of the Union on CNN

• Fox News Sunday on FOX

• This Week on ABC

• Face the Nation on CBS

Contact us

Email us at podcast@polilogue.com or you can send us your feedback @PolilogueCast. You can also follow us at @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Support the show: We produce Polilogue out of our own pocket. If you’d like to support the show with a one-time or recurring donation, please visit our donate page here. Or leave a review on iTunes, Apple Music, or the Apple Podcast library. Thank you!

Check out some of our other work: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com  

Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

In too many ways, journalists are missing the opportunity to be rigorous in their questions. Today on Polilogue, we discuss Covid strategies and vaccine mandates. We also discuss the select committee to investigate the January 6 insurrection.

Shows discussed 

• State of the Union on CNN

• Fox News Sunday on FOX

• This Week on ABC

• Face the Nation on CBS

Recommendations

• Explainer on efforts to establish a special commission to investigate the insurrection on January 6 (Vox)

Contact us

Email us at podcast@polilogue.com or you can send us your feedback @PolilogueCast. You can also follow us at @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Support the show: We produce Polilogue out of our own pocket. If you’d like to support the show with a one-time or recurring donation, please visit our donate page here. Or leave a review on iTunes, Apple Music, or the Apple Podcast library. Thank you!

Check out some of our other work: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com  

Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org