A Podcast About the Thorniest Problemsin Journalism

HOSTED BY EMILY BELL + HEATHER CHAPLIN

Journalism may be a pillar of democracy, but how can it compete with the persuasive design tactics that serve up everything from Instagram posts to dating apps? Examining persuasive design through the lenses of psychology, anthropology, ethics and history, Emily and Heather try to unpack what the attention economy is doing to journalism and to society.

Tricky is on hiatus until further notice. You can find past episodes below, or on Spotify.

Episodes

Season Two Finale: Is This Thing On?

For our season two finale, Emily and Heather are joined by “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” writer Mike Drucker to talk about all things comedy and journalism: How do the...

And The (Tech) Beat Goes On

In the past few years, coverage of Silicon Valley in the press has shifted away from techno-utopian boosterism towards increasingly critical analysis. On this week’s episode, we hear some advice...

The Rise Of Unions In Digital Media

Gawker unionized in 2015, setting off a wave of digital newsroom organizing that has since only been invigorated by layoffs and politics that leave journalists feeling embattled. Emily and Heather...

Print Is Dead! Long Live Print!

BuzzFeed, Vice and other leaders in digital media have laid off over 2,000 people so far this year. It seems that nobody can bring in enough revenue from digital advertising...

Can We Count On Audience Metrics?

How do we measure the reach and impact of online journalism? Does audience data belong in the newsroom? Though the meaning of audience metrics is often opaque, their effects on business and editorial decisions are...

Platforms & Publishers, Part 2

In the second part of Tricky’s deep-dive into the relationship between news publishers and tech platforms, Jezebel founding editor Anna Holmes joins Heather and Emily to talk about the glory...

Justice for Jamal Khashoggi

Journalist Mehdi Hasan joins Heather Chaplin and Emily Bell to discuss the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and explore what its coverage says about the American media’s evolving relationship...