Best Annalee Newitz Podcasts (2024)

1
Want to Understand Today’s Political Debate? Study PsyOps: Sci-fi Author & Science Journalist Annalee Newitzs 41:13

17h ago41:13

41:13

Find this week's episode description below... Join Eric's 'Truth, Disinformation & The 2024 Election' Class at The University of Chicago It’s open to everyone via Zoom. It will discuss what’s going on in the coverage of the election, with a wonderful collection of guest speakers, educators, prominent political reporters and polling experts. It will…

1
Dinosaurs and Furries, with Riley Black 57:31

5h ago57:31

57:31

We're learning so much about dinosaurs lately — there are incredible new species, discoveries about how they had sex, and more detailed evidence about what happened during their final days on Earth. To find out more, we talk to Riley Black, author of the award-winning book The Last Days of the Dinosaurs. Riley also tells us about being a furry, and…

1
Immigration law in space, with Victor Manibo 44:32

2d ago44:32

44:32

What is the point of absurdist storytelling in a world that feels absurd? We talk about science fiction that gets silly, satirical, and weird -- and why we need it desperately. From The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to The Onion, we analyze absurdism as readers and writers. Then we're joined by Victor Manibo, author of the brilliant new novel Es…

1
Using the Tools of Tech to Hold Big Tech Accountable with Pulitzer-Winner & Proof News Founder Julia Angwin 40:11

14d ago40:11

40:11

Misinformation, rumor, psy-ops and propaganda--whatever you want to call the four horsemen of today’s media apocalypse—have been with us as long as the media itself. But you have to admit that the arrival of digital technology, led by social media, has given all of those forces outsized power. We still haven’t quite come to terms with how tech has …

1
Secrets of the Planet of the Apes with Josh Friedman 54:54

24d ago54:54

54:54

The Planet of the Apes franchise spans decades and formats: it started as a French novel in 1963, and then jumped the Atlantic to become a long-running series of movies, TV shows, a cartoon, and even videogames. We talk about the politics of the story, and why some versions succeed while others fail. Then we're joined by Josh Friedman, who wrote Ki…

1
The Original Fact Checker: How To Know What's True with The Post's Glenn Kessler 40:05

25d ago40:05

40:05

Finding your way to the truth is the informal job of the 21st-century citizen. All of us. Unless you want to be manipulated, you need some check on the claims you hear uttered by powerful people or repeated, innocently or not, by others. For a few thousand people in this era, correcting the record is a profession, even a calling, and today’s guest …

1
Romancing the Dragon, with Moniquill Blackgoose 47:18

2M ago47:18

47:18

We’re obsessed with dragons, and for good reason. These gigantic creatures soar through many cultures and genres — and they feel more relevant than ever today. We talk to author Moniquill Blackgoose about why, and discuss her Nebula-award winning novel To Shape A Dragon’s Breath. Then we have a completely non-awkward conversation about dragons and …

1
The Lost Art of Civil Discourse with Clea Conner CEO of Open to Debate 45:51

1M ago45:51

45:51

Any institution that aspires to get at the truth needs a process for testing what it believes to be true. Central to the judicial system, for example, are lawyers challenging their opponents’ arguments. In science, claims must be peer-reviewed, and experiments have to be replicated. But in politics and culture, any kind of rule-based, civil testing…

1
Summer Entertainment Guide: What to Watch and Read this Summer! 55:18

2M ago55:18

55:18

The summer entertainment season is upon us! Many of our favorite TV shows are back, and there are a few movies we're excited about as well. Not to mention a flood of truly incredible books by many of our favorite authors. Here's our select guide to the stuff we're most pumped about this summer, and all the latest trends in entertainment.…

1
The Logic Behind Illogical Ideologies: Pepperdine University's Jason Blakely 31:49

2M ago31:49

31:49

The political landscape in the US has fragmented into a handful of beliefs, the adherents to which have less and less in common, other than a profound inability to comprehend others’ beliefs. This, unfortunately, is not news. In a fascinating new book, today’s guest attempts to pierce the incomprehensibility cloak. The guest is Jason Blakely, an as…

1
How Surveillance Dystopias Came True (with Wole Talabi) 1:05:15

3M ago1:05:15

1:05:15

You are being watched. Pop culture used to be full of vivid warnings about Big Brother watching you. What does it mean that we're now under constant surveillance for real? Plus we talk to Wole Talabi about his new story collection Convergence Problems.

1
Destroying The Internet In Order To Save It: Project Liberty's Frank McCourt 31:07

2M ago31:07

31:07

The guests who come on In Reality come prepared to talk about big issues. Truth, polarization, the information ecosystem: these are not exactly niche issues. Today’s guest though, may have the biggest embrace of anyone I’ve had on the show... You may know Frank McCourt as the billionaire real estate magnate and owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers base…

1
How to turn a story into a deadly weapon 53:34

3M ago53:34

53:34

Psyops are used by the military against foreign enemies, but now these dangerous weapons of demoralization and chaos are being used in culture wars between Americans. In this episode, Annalee tells us about their new book Stories Are Weapons, a history of psychological warfare in the U.S. (yes, it includes scifi!) -- and an exploration of the ways …

1
How Newsrooms Decide What's True: Former Editor of the Washington Post Martin Baron 49:11

3M ago49:11

49:11

To figure out what’s true and what’s not in today’s chaotic, fragmented, contradictory information environment, all of us news consumers have to think like journalists: is that story I’m seeing backed by evidence, is the headline fair, is the coverage biased? Well, we could do worse than to think like the journalist who is today’s guest. Until his …

1
Fascism and Book Bans (with Maggie Tokuda-Hall) 56:59

4M ago56:59

56:59

Science fiction has been warning us about fascism for decades — so why haven't we listened? How did Nazis become just another monster in our stories, like werewolves or cyborgs? Plus we talk about the new wave of book censorship with Maggie Tokuda-Hall, co-founder of the new organization Authors Against Book Bans. Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorr…

1
The Turing Test is bullsh*t (w/Alex Hanna and Emily M. Bender) 48:21

4M ago48:21

48:21

We're talking about the Turing Test, the grandmother of all tests for AI sentience. Joining us are AI researchers Alex Hanna and Emily M. Bender, hosts of the Mystery AI Hype 3000 podcast. We discuss why the Turing Test is so influential in both fiction and reality – and why it is completely wrong. Later in the episode, we’ll talk about another thi…

1
The Saboteurs Within: University of Michigan's Barbara McQuade 47:15

4M ago47:15

47:15

For decades, America’s foreign adversaries have used disinformation to undermine American democracy, to sow division and create confusion about what is even true. But who needs foreign adversaries when so many Americans, for whatever reason, have embraced the same tactics and same apparent goal? Today’s guest, Barbara McQuade, is a professor at Uni…

1
Queer Horror! (with Dr. Chuck Tingle) 50:48

5M ago50:48

50:48

It's a scary time for LGBTQIA+ folks — and many of us are turning to horror stories that take our real-life terrors and make them even more monstrous. To find out why, we talk to Dr. Chuck Tingle, the author of Camp Damascus and Bury Your Gays, and we geek out about why queers love to be scared. Also, we talk about horror movie soundtracks — and th…

1
Why We're Losing the Misinformation War: The Information Futures Lab's Claire Wardle 37:39

5M ago37:39

37:39

It was eight years ago, when Brexit and the US Presidential election showed how misinformation enables real-world damage. Since then, researchers, content managers, regulators, journalists and others sprang into action to counter misinformation and now misinformation pollutions is even worse. Why? Claire Wardle has some ideas. She’s been in the fig…

1
Videogame movies are officially better than comic book movies 52:36

5M ago52:36

52:36

At last, videogame movies have defeated comic book movies. We learn about why from Evan Narcisse, who writes for comic books and videogames, as well as being a journalist and critic. Then we rant about why so many people are obsessed with psychoanalyzing villains, and are flocking to stories that reveal the innermost traumas of bad guys. Why do we …

1
Encore Episode: Let's Obsess Over the Politics of Dune! 44:33

5M ago44:33

44:33

The long-awaited Dune sequel is in theaters now — and it's a huge hit. To celebrate, we're resurfacing one of our favorite episodes from the past. Is Dune a white savior fantasy? A subversive eco-parable? To find out, we talk to Haris Durrani, author of an influential essay about Dune.

1
We Don't Give a F*ck About Canon 45:48

5M ago45:48

45:48

Science fiction and fantasy fans love to argue about canon — both meanings of the word. Which stories in a fictional universe really "happened"? Which stories deserve to be enshrined as the best of the genre? We don't think either of those things is worth yelling about! Also, did you know that tsunamis can happen in lakes, rivers and even creeks? W…

1
Stopping Misinformation At The Gate: News Literacy Project's Peter Adams 39:36

5M ago39:36

39:36

Welcome to In Reality, the podcast about truth, disinformation and the media with Eric Schurenberg, a long time journalist and media executive, now the founder of the Alliance for Trust in Media. There are two ways to fight misinformation: One is to debunk falsehoods after they have surfaced. The other is to help create media literate news audience…

1
The world's humblest heroes, from plumbers to tardigrades 46:43

6M ago46:43

46:43

Inspired by The Super Mario Bros Movie, we're talking about a humble class of heroes whose lives are devoted to infrastructure maintenance and repair. There are heating engineer rogues and space janitors and, of course, plumbers. Later in the episode we’ll head down to Antarctica, where our guest Ariel Waldman spent her summer vacation studying the…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Annalee Newitz Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

51
Our Opinions Are Correct

Our Opinions Are Correct

1
In Reality

New Thinking

1
Periodic Talks

Gillian Jacobs & Diona Reasonover

1
The SF in SF Podcast

SF in SF

1
Want to Understand Today’s Political Debate? Study PsyOps: Sci-fi Author & Science Journalist Annalee Newitzs 41:13

1
Dinosaurs and Furries, with Riley Black 57:31

1
Immigration law in space, with Victor Manibo 44:32

1
Using the Tools of Tech to Hold Big Tech Accountable with Pulitzer-Winner & Proof News Founder Julia Angwin 40:11

1
Secrets of the Planet of the Apes with Josh Friedman 54:54

1
The Original Fact Checker: How To Know What's True with The Post's Glenn Kessler 40:05

1
Romancing the Dragon, with Moniquill Blackgoose 47:18

1
The Lost Art of Civil Discourse with Clea Conner CEO of Open to Debate 45:51

1
Summer Entertainment Guide: What to Watch and Read this Summer! 55:18

1
The Logic Behind Illogical Ideologies: Pepperdine University's Jason Blakely 31:49

1
How Surveillance Dystopias Came True (with Wole Talabi) 1:05:15

1
Destroying The Internet In Order To Save It: Project Liberty's Frank McCourt 31:07

1
How to turn a story into a deadly weapon 53:34

1
How Newsrooms Decide What's True: Former Editor of the Washington Post Martin Baron 49:11

1
Fascism and Book Bans (with Maggie Tokuda-Hall) 56:59

1
The Turing Test is bullsh*t (w/Alex Hanna and Emily M. Bender) 48:21

1
The Saboteurs Within: University of Michigan's Barbara McQuade 47:15

1
Queer Horror! (with Dr. Chuck Tingle) 50:48

1
Why We're Losing the Misinformation War: The Information Futures Lab's Claire Wardle 37:39

1
Videogame movies are officially better than comic book movies 52:36

1
Encore Episode: Let's Obsess Over the Politics of Dune! 44:33

1
We Don't Give a F*ck About Canon 45:48

1
Stopping Misinformation At The Gate: News Literacy Project's Peter Adams 39:36

1
The world's humblest heroes, from plumbers to tardigrades 46:43

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