Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael
Society & Culture
On this edition of Parallax Views, Brian Karem, renowned journalist. National Press Club Freedom of the Press Award recipient, host of the "Just Ask the Question" podcast, and White House correspondent for Playboy (who made waves for questioning the Trump administration quite pointedly at White House pressers), joins Parallax Views to discuss his new book Free the Press: The Death of American Journalism and How to Revive It and his career as a journalist from questioning George H.W. Bush about the failure of the War on Drugs to working on America's Most Wanted. We begin the conversation with Brian explaining how he got into reporting and being mentored legendary White House Correspondents as Sam Donaldson of ABC News and Helen Thomas (whose advice to Brian to "Just Ask the Question" has stuck with Brian over the years. From there we delve into the problems facing journalism today and its decline. Part of this decline, Brian argues is a lack of "diversity of ownership" in media. In other words, the corporate monopoly on news media today. Brian explains how government, especially since the Presidency of Ronald Reagan, has contributed to the decline of the press in the United States. This leads us to exploring a number of different issues related to the problems of the press today and their historical origins including the demise of the Fairness Doctrine, the impact of Fox News and its late Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes, lack of experience amongst many young journalists just out of university, the tethering of news media outlets to capitalism and profit demands, "Combat TV" and infotainment, Ronald Reagan and his allies' planting of fake journalists in the press in the 1980s, the fall of community news outlets with a local focus, access journalism, the early 20th century journalistic gadfly H.L. Mencken's adage about how members of the press are easy to fool and the reason why journalists get dupped at times, and more. Additionally, Brian and I talk about some of his experiences as a journalist such as his infamous confrontations with the Trump administration (ie: being called "that Playboy reporter" by Kayla McEnany; Brian's infamous run-in with Sebastian Gorka in which Gorka refered to Brian as a "punk" and "not a journalist), grilling George H.W. Bush over the failure of the War on Drugs (and a primer on the ways in which the Drug War has contributed to many social problems today, especially south of the U.S. border), his personal memories of Watergate burglar G. Gordon Liddy, working with grieving families and taking an ethical approach to speaking with them during his time with America's Most Wanted, and various other recollections form his storied career. The conversation even manages to get in some reference and/or remember such figures and events of years past to the noted antiwar "Maverick Marine" Gen. Smedley Butler and his seminal short book War is a Racket, the Iraq War and Judith Miller, the problems with the way some elements of the press covered the Steele Dossier (aka the "Trump pee-tape" story), the Capitol breach of January 6th, 2021 (Brian was in Washington, D.C. as it happened), covering an Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) scandal, the concept of the "Fourth Estate" and the need for it, and much, much more!
Wall Street Eyeing Israel-Hamas War Profit-Making Opportunity, Monopoly Capitalism and the Weapons Industry, & Middle East Turmoil Risks w/ Eli Clifton
Israel/Palestine, the Gaza War, Intelligence Distortion, and Blowback w/ Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski
Hezbollah and the War in Gaza w/ Ali Rizk, Beirut Reporter
The Bombing of Gaza, the U.S.-Israel Special Relationship, and the Israel Lobby w/ Amb. Chas Freeman
Israel-Palestine, the Oct. 7 Intelligence Failure, Gaza, and U.S. Foreign Policy w/ Ex-CIA/State Dept. Analyst Melvin Goodman
Israel/Palestine, U.S. Foreign Policy, and the War in Gaza w/ Col. Lawrence Wilkerson
Israel/Palestine, Gaza, and the Great Game for Oil w/ Charlotte Dennett
The Anti-Defamation League’s Civil Rights Track Record, the Targeting of Arab-Americans, & Israel/Palestine w/ Emmaia Gelman
NYPD Using Drone Surveillance Against Pro-Palestinian Protesters + NY State Ties to the West Bank Occupation w/ Ali Winston
Corman/Poe: Roger Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe Films + Horror Talk Shop w/ Delirium Magazine’s Chris Alexander
The Art of the Horror Movie Edit w/ Faneditor LastSurvivor
A Sequel to Wes Craven’s New Nightmare?: Inside Dylan’s New Nightmare w/ Cecil Laird
THE BARN Duology Serves Up the Perfect Halloween Double Feature w/ Justin M. Seaman and Zane Hershberger
EXCLUSIVE: Israel Security Source ”Security Cabinet Orders Murders of Senior Hamas Leaders and Their Families”? w/ Richard Silverstein
The History of Israel/Palestine, the Motivations of the Hamas Attack, Israel’s Bombing of Gaza, and More w/ Prof. James Gelvin
Israel/Palestine, Gaza, Hamas, and the Need for a Political Solution w/ William Dowell (Former TIME Magazine Correspondent in Cairo)
Israel/Palestine and What Comes After Hamas? w/ Steve Simon
Perspective from Israel: Israel Political Turmoil, West Bank Settlements, Gaza Bombing, Hamas, and More w/ @tamars
Israel/Palestine, U.S. Foreign Policy Failures, and Gaza w/ Prof. Stephen M. Walt
Huwaida Arraf, Co-Founder of the International Solidarity Movement/Jeff Halper, Head of the Israeli Commitee Against House Demolitions
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