The Kicker

Columbia Journalism Review
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The Kicker is a podcast on the media and the world today. It comes out twice a month, hosted by Megan Greenwell and produced by Amanda Darrach for the Columbia Journalism Review. It is available wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

  1. 1d ago

    What Went Wrong: A first-time editor in chief reflects on a startup that didn’t work

    When The Barbed Wire debuted, in 2024, it promised “something different: a site that combines the best of savvy, new-model online journalism with Texas’s deep—and very old—association with progressive ideas.” Its goal, Olivia Messer, the editor in chief, wrote at the time, was to reach the millions of Texans who weren’t reading their local newspaper or any statewide news outlet, and to do it in a way that created a new hybrid for-profit/nonprofit revenue model for journalism.  The Barbed Wire lasted for a little under two years, publishing 725 stories. This spring, it ran out of money. All five journalists on staff lost their jobs. (Two occasional newsletters remain, written by freelancers.) The hybrid business model, it turned out, had made it more difficult to bring in philanthropy money; the roster of paid subscribers never grew big enough to keep the operation afloat. It’s easier, and more fun, to focus on what’s working in journalism: new startups, growing newsrooms, initiatives at major outlets. But I also think it’s important to dissect what hasn’t worked. In our conversation, Messer was admirably candid about what factors brought down The Barbed Wire. Listen below, or wherever you get your podcasts. Show notes: Goodbye for Now, Olivia Messer, Bluesky. Our Independent Newsroom Was Built on a Ferocious, Delusional Sense of Hope. Help Us Keep It Going, Olivia Messer, The Barbed Wire.  Are You There, Texas? It’s Me, Olivia, Olivia Messer, The Barbed Wire. ‘Gods in the Building’: How the Texas Senate Buries Sexual Harassment Complaints and Enables Bad Actors, Olivia Messer and Cara Kelly, Texas Monthly.  ‘This Is Not Hazing. This Is Rape’: Inside a Texas Town’s Football Nightmare, Olivia Messer, Daily Beast.  Credits: Host: Megan Greenwell Producer: Amanda Darrach

  2. Jul 9

    Welcome to Hell: A site with personality big enough for the city it covers.

    Since last year’s uber-competitive New York City mayoral primary, my favorite election night activity has been watching Hell Gate’s live broadcasts. CNN it is not. The Hell Gate show is available only on YouTube; correspondents hold tiny mics with a card bearing the company logo; the set includes a disco ball. During the most recent stream, during the state’s congressional primary last month, Nick Pinto, a Hell Gate reporter, delivered coverage from his bike while commuting between candidate watch parties. The effect is delightful, as the team has managed to turn one of the most staid forms of news into something lively and fun that also offers some of the smartest political coverage in the city. In just over four years, lively, fun, and smart have become the Hell Gate brand. The site, which is worker-owned and subscription-powered, boasts ambitious investigations—such as this year’s Courts of Contempt project, about the city’s broken process for selecting judges—as well as coverage of the goofy and absurd. The team also hosts events, makes memes, and generally offers something entirely different from any other local news outlet around.  I talked to Max Rivlin-Nadler, a co-owner and copublisher of Hell Gate, about professionalizing the livestreams without sacrificing personality; how reporting on Zohran Mamdani is different from covering his predecessor, Eric Adams; and the site’s coming expansion of its cultural coverage. Listen below, or wherever you get your podcasts. Show notes: Courts of Contempt, Hell Gate and Type Investigations. 2026 Primary Election — LIVE with HellGate, Hell Gate. The Hell Gate NYC 2025 Primary Night Livestream, Hell Gate. HellGate election graphics, Hell Gate. Tall Ships. TALL SHIIIIIIIPS, Hell Gate. HellGate 2025 Annual Report, Hell Gate. One Hellish Night, Lauren Watson, CJR Credits: Host: Megan Greenwell Producer: Amanda Darrach

  3. Jun 30

    Why Do You Have to Run from Us? Local reporters are struggling to get answers from the politicians they cover.

    Generations of local journalists mostly took for granted their ability to access elected officials. Talking to the local newspaper or TV station was one of the only ways to get the word out, so politicians didn’t have much choice—even if they were mad at the coverage. It’s not quite so simple these days. A mayor can talk directly to constituents through social media, or through influencers friendly to their politics. Anti-press sentiment is rampant across the political spectrum, leading some politicians to boycott reporters altogether. As Kyle Paoletta reported in a feature for CJR’s recent Access Issue, elected officials across the political spectrum seem less likely than ever to talk to journalists. Brandon Johnson, the mayor of Chicago, is one of those press-shy elected officials. Melody Mercado, a staff writer for Block Club Chicago, is one of those journalists often looking for answers. As part of a special event tied to the release of the Access Issue, I interviewed Mercado about the ever-changing relationship between Johnson and the press, why access matters for local journalism, and how she does her job without it. “It’s never good, whenever you see a line that says XYZ did not respond to questions,” as she put it. Listen below or wherever you get your podcasts. Show notes: City Paying Well More Than Typical Rent for Migrant Shelter Buildings—and Keeping Details Secret, Mick Dumke and Melody Mercado, Block Club Chicago Johnson’s ex–communications director faced misconduct complaints before firing, Mitchell Armentrout, Chicago Sun-Times Go Pound Sand!, Kyle Paoletta, CJR Credits: Host: Megan Greenwell Producer: Amanda Darrach Audio engineer: Fernando Fermino Video technician: Alex Hamm

  4. Jun 23

    No Fanboys Need Apply: Wired bares real teeth.

    For a certain type of tech executive, and a certain type of fan of tech executives, the point of technology journalism is to cheerfully show off the cool new toys Silicon Valley creates. For the staff of Wired, the point of technology journalism is to hold the most powerful companies and people in our society accountable for the decisions they make. That has made the magazine remarkably unpopular with many people in the tech world (including newly minted trillionaire Elon Musk) and more popular than ever with everyone else: the magazine added more than two hundred thousand subscribers in the past year. Tim Marchman, Wired’s senior director of science, politics, and security, loves accountability journalism and has a particular fondness for scoops showing the tight ties between our government and Bay Area tech leaders. With his colleague Leah Feiger, the senior politics editor at Wired, Marchman dramatically expanded the magazine’s politics staff and oversaw its award-winning coverage of how Musk and a group of teenagers ran a buzzsaw through the federal government, and what havoc they wreaked in the name of “efficiency.” Earlier this month, I interviewed Marchman at Jimmy’s Corner during an event to celebrate the release of CJR’s new special issue, about what access means in journalism today. Listen below to hear him discuss why going hard on politics was a natural choice for a tech magazine, explain how his team got so many scoops about DOGE, and respond to the haters.  Show Notes: A 25-Year-Old with Elon Musk Ties Has Direct Access to the Federal Payment System, Vittoria Elliott, Dhruv Mehrotra, Leah Feiger, and Tim Marchman, Wired. The Young, Inexperienced Engineers Aiding Elon Musk’s Government Takeover, Vittoria Elliott, Wired. Inside Elon Musk’s ‘Digital Coup,’ Makena Kelly, David Gilbert, Vittoria Elliott, Kate Knibbs, Dhruv Mehrotra, Dell Cameron, Tim Marchman, Leah Feiger, Zoë Schiffer, Wired. Credits: Host: Megan Greenwell Producer: Amanda Darrach Audio engineer: Fernando Fermino Video technician: Alex Hamm

  5. Jun 11

    Sports Illustrated’s Emma Baccellieri on covering the changing world of women’s basketball.

    One of the most fascinating sports business stories of the moment is the explosive growth of the WNBA. TV viewership is up dramatically, multiple teams sell out regularly, and stars like Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson have become household names. This year, the players’ union won a groundbreaking new contract, including their first-ever revenue share and a 4x jump in minimum salaries. The league’s recent surge in popularity has also brought new questions of access. The WNBA was the only major pro league that didn’t reopen its locker rooms to reporters after COVID closures, and many media outlets have clamored for a way to talk to players that doesn’t require going through team PR. The Indiana Fever stripped a press credential from a longtime beat writer after disagreeing with his framing of a Clark injury. For years, women’s basketball was enough of a backwater that journalists had more or less free rein; now everyone is trying to figure out what meaningful coverage looks like in a transformed world.  Last week, as part of a special daylong event tied to the release of CJR’s new Access Issue, Sports Illustrated staff writer Emma Baccellieri—one of the best reporters out there focusing on women’s sports—stopped by to talk about how covering the league has changed. I interviewed her about how her job has evolved, why it’s more difficult than ever to ask questions of WNBA players, and what’s happening with college players getting paid through name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals. Listen below—or wherever you get your podcasts. Show notes: For Veterans Like Alysha Clark, This New WNBA Era Just Means More, Emma Baccellieri, Sports Illustrated Should We Be Worried About Caitlin Clark and the Fever? Clare Brennan, Dan Falkenheim, Blake Silverman, Emma Baccellieri, Sports Illustrated Expect Officiating to Be a Recurring Storyline During This WNBA Season, Emma Baccellieri, Sports Illustrated Fever reporter claims credential revoked over Clark reporting, Michael Voepel, ESPN Megan Greenwell, host Amanda Darrach, producer Fernando Fermino, audio engineer Alex Hamm, video technician

  6. May 21

    How Documented is reinventing immigration coverage.

    Some of the most interesting journalism experiments aren’t taking place on the websites of publications. Instead, they’re happening on Facebook and WhatsApp and Reddit and WeChat and even Nextdoor, which I didn’t realize was anything other than a place for Karens to complain about loitering. Documented, an eight-year-old digital outlet that covers and serves immigrants in New York City and beyond, is behind many of these experiments—from producing a Chinese-language newsletter on WeChat to starting conversations on Nextdoor with Haitian Creole speakers in Flatbush, Brooklyn. In her first eighteen months at Documented, Ethar El-Katatney, the editor in chief, has elevated the publication’s investigative work and begun an expansion into video, but she refuses to lose sight of the mission: to give immigrants the information they need on the platforms they use. I interviewed El-Katatney about the common threads between Documented’s guides to city living and its long investigations, how differently her reporters work depending on what community they serve, and why Documented is expanding its ambitions to help other newsrooms.  Show notes: Documented Gears Up for Trump, Lauren Watson, CJR The Lost Prisoners of Chinatown’s Gang Era, April Xu, Documented Fake Immigration Courts Take Advantage of Immigrants Desperate for Answers, Rommel H. Ojeda, Documented. Guide of Resources for Immigrants, Nicolás Ríos, Documented Megan Greenwell, host Amanda Darrach, producer

  7. May 14

    The Old Playbook of Power and Influence Is Different Now

    When Ronald Reagan won the presidency, in 1980, it was a victory long in the making. For almost half a century, conservatives had plotted ways to cut taxes and undo workers’ rights. Their playbook for political influence went something like this: create a think tank, publish reputable reports, build relationships with journalists and politicians, and disseminate free-market ideas to the public, creating a new common sense.  Today, the art of political influence is rather different. Think tanks no longer claim the power they once did and, since the rise of social media, newspapers and traditional journalists have lost their grip on public opinion. Perhaps this new state of affairs was best captured by Elon Musk when, shortly after taking over Twitter, in 2023, he declared that all press inquiries would receive an automated reply with the poop emoji. That is not the move of someone who believes the press is an essential tool in influencing public opinion. In this episode of the Journalism 2050 podcast, cohosts Emily Bell and Heather Chaplin are joined by two guests: Kim Phillips-Fein is a renowned historian of American conservatism and capitalism and the author of Invisible Hands: The Making of the Conservative Movement from the New Deal to Reagan, among other books. Samuel Earle is the author of Tory Nation: The Dark Legacy of the World’s Most Successful Political Party and a PhD candidate at Columbia Journalism School. Together, they ask: How has the nature of political influence changed? What are the implications for journalism? And what, if anything, can the left learn from the right’s success? Producer: Amanda Darrach Research: Samuel Earle Production Assistant: Riddhi Setty Art Director: Katie Kosma Illustrator: Aaron Fernandez Music: Henry Crooks

    The Old Playbook of Power and Influence Is Different Now

  8. May 7

    The Globe’s Emily Sweeney breaks out of Boston.

    “WHOA. Ohhhh. Freaking huge,” one of my favorite recent news videos opens. Emily Sweeney, a Boston Globe reporter, stands in the Museum of Fine Arts, gazing up at a thirteen-foot-tall, thirteen-thousand-pound Roman sculpture. Sweeney can’t hide her awe at seeing the statue the museum calls Juno, but that Sweeney knows from her teenage years as Gloria. Until a month ago, Sweeney was a rank-and-file breaking news reporter and the author of three books about Boston, her hometown. On March 31, though, her video about a dramatic home invasion at an estate north of the city made her a bona fide viral star. Dressed in a navy Adidas track jacket, with spiky platinum-blond hair and two silver hoops in each ear, she looks and sounds like the Platonic ideal of a native Bostonian, dropping R’s like they’re poisonous. Nearly three thousand people, including Ava DuVernay, the director, chimed in on Instagram, many of them saying they wanted more Sweeney videos. More than ninety-six thousand liked the video on TikTok. The Globe listened: Sweeney is now a regular on the paper’s social platforms—always in a different track jacket, always reading the news in that thick Boston accent.  I talked to Sweeney about thinking she couldn’t be on camera because she doesn’t have the right look, her obsession with the weirdest parts of her hometown’s history, and what she’s learned about building relationships with readers. Listen below, or wherever you get your podcasts. Show notes: “What’s the story behind this statue at the MFA?” Emily Sweeney, Boston Globe, Instagram video  “What we know about the mysterious Beverly mansion robbery.” Emily Sweeney, Boston Globe, Instagram video Dropkick Murphy: A Legendary Life. Emily Sweeney. Megan Greenwell, host Amanda Darrach, producer

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About

The Kicker is a podcast on the media and the world today. It comes out twice a month, hosted by Megan Greenwell and produced by Amanda Darrach for the Columbia Journalism Review. It is available wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

Information

  • Creator
    Columbia Journalism Review
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2026
  • Episodes
    333
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Columbia Journalism Review
  • Show Website
    The Kicker

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