Episode

8/23 News For The Rich And White w/ Dr. Nikki Usher

August 23, 2021

Emma hosts Dr. Nikki Usher, professor of journalism in the College of Media at the University of Illinois, to discuss her recent book, News for the Rich, White, and Blue: How Place and Power Distort American Journalism, on the troubles of both the supply and demand sides of mainstream US media. Dr. Usher and Emma use the recent media coverage on the Afghanistan withdrawal as a jumping-off point on how the media isn’t like the other girls (or the rest of us), and, frankly, loves the divide, before they into the importance of looking at the supply side of new media, as its much easier to control what your newsroom and news output look like than it is to control how it’s received. Nikki and Emma look into how the current state of news media has bolstered the biggest institutions, thus limiting the geographical and financial access to the industry (largely to upper-class folks in DC and NYC), and what younger generations are doing to push back against this continued homogenization of newsrooms. Next, Dr. Usher moves into the importance of drawing from local pools of experience, not just major cities media operatives, and how that differs from engaging with the current liberal romanticization of local news outlets, and then she and Emma round out the interview with a discussion on the developments in media over the last few years, particularly in the context of their coverage of BLM and last summer’s protests, and where it still fails, particularly in its complete commitment to upholding the opinions and reporting of the US Police State, from the Pentagon’s pushback on the Afghanistan withdrawal to trusting Police Depts. to report on their own controversies. Emma wraps up the first half with updates on vaccination approval (the ever-important stamps from the FDA and DJT) and the Nabisco strike.

And in the Fun Half: Emma, Matt, and Bradley chat about how entertainment’s reflections on real-life events, even when altered, can inspire important discussions, Cameron from MS asks the crew for their least favorite alt-right talking point, and they also look into the attempt by conservatives to balance wanting to BE the Taliban with their fear of Islam. Phil from the Chicago suburbs calls in to outline his new Charlie Kirk x Thomas Sankara impression (thankfully with no example) the crew chats Current Affairs and why cooperative workspaces, just like people having access to healthcare, ARE indeed part of the leftist agenda, Alex from NY gives his daily EmMajority Report matchups, plus, your calls and IMs!

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