The Kicker is a podcast on the media and the world today. It comes out twice a month, hosted by Josh Hersh and produced by Amanda Darrach for the Columbia Journalism Review. It is available wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
A CJR Podcast
The Kicker
Back in the Whirlwind
CJR’s Jon Allsop on how the media handled Trump’s first week back—and what’s still to come.
A Wild Start to the Year
Coda’s Natalia Antelava on Meta, Trump, and how journalism can survive 2025.
How Trump Won Over the Latino Vote
A deep dive with CJR contributor Jack Herrera.
The end of endorsements at the Post
Former editor Martin Baron on Jeff Bezos and editorial independence
What Trump might do if he loses
NBC’s Ryan Reilly on the future of “stop the steal”
A manic news cycle in New York
Hell Gate’s Chris Robbins on the new New York media landscape
The power of uncomfortable ideas
Jina Moore Ngarambe on her time at Guernica
‘That’s how you run a debate!’
9News’s Kyle Clark on holding politicians accountable
A long, destructive path
Source NM’s Patrick Lohmann on the never-ending wildfire season
’68 state
Heather Hendershot and Ted Koppel on a year for the media to remember
Kamala steps up
Politico’s Eugene Daniels on a wild month of news
Spanish-speaking journalism—in Iowa
A conversation with Lorena López
What did we know and when?
Alex Thompson on Biden’s mental decline
Not even ‘no comment’
Paul Farhi on the media’s struggles with relevance
Haaretz’s unique role
How Israeli journalists are covering the country
Crisis at Columbia
A conversation with Jelani Cobb
Talking to the minds behind ‘Inside Wagner’
Video journalism unmasks Russia’s secretive mercenary group
‘Self-regulated cartels’
How to revive investigative sports reporting in the age of the athlete
