They Stand Corrected

Josh Levs
  • 4.9 (64)
  • News Commentary
  • Updated Weekly

Who fact-checks the news? This show does. Today’s news media prioritizes sensational clickbait over basic facts. Instead of fighting for truth, billion-dollar news giants spread misinformation from both ends of the political spectrum. They Stand Corrected is the show for people who want the truth. Josh Levs, former NPR journalist and CNN lead on-air fact checker, breaks down top stories and tells you what the media’s getting wrong. He provides links, documents, and more to prove it. Unafraid to take on news giants, hate movements, and liars of all kinds, Levs delivers the two ingredients of truth: facts plus context. Listeners call the show “the standard of truth,” “necessary,” and “an absolute must listen for all.”

  1. 19h ago

    Episode 131: Obama Exposed & Literary Blackout

    It’s time to correct something the media has been lying about for 15 years: former President Barack Obama’s record on the Middle East. The other day, he rewrote history and spewed vicious lies during a speech in Belfast, Northern Ireland (at a university where Josh once spoke). Obama poured fire onto the flaming inferno of the world’s largest hate movement, antizionism.  Today, Josh sets the record straight. During Obama’s presidency, he ignored experts and insisted that protests in Cairo were all about democracy, and would lead to a democratic revolution. They instead proved to be rape-filled hellscapes that brought the pro-terror Muslim Brotherhood to power. When it was then toppled in a military coup, the United States looked the other way. Josh also details Obama’s massive increase in covert aerial bombings and refusal to acknowledge the Islamist terrorism sweeping across the globe.  Then, Josh turns to a type of media that’s enormously influential, but has not yet come up on this show: prestigious “book review” sites. They have an outsized role in our culture, signaling to news giants which authors should be heard from. Recently, the Los Angeles Review of Books canceled an interview with author Shai Davidai (Josh’s guest in Episode 123) because the editors believed lies and distortions in the New York Times. Josh interviews Melissa Uchiyama, the writer whose story was killed. She explains the broad dangers it signals for the literary world. Plus, Josh discusses his Wall Street Journal column, Christiane Amanpour’s plan to leave CNN and PBS, new figures showing a huge number of Christians killed by Islamists in Nigeria, and how democracy takes root. Sign up: Get the facts, not the spin, about our government, through free weekly emails from sponsor USAFacts via this link. (Short link: bit.ly/4BhQ2Qr) You’ll help this show! Get the newsletter: TheyStandCorrected.com Contribute: ☕BuyMeACoffee.com/joshlevs, PayPal.me/JoshLevs Bookings, web form: joshlevs.com Please subscribe✅, rate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, and review✍️!

  2. Oct 14

    Episode 130: Party Over Country & 3 ‘Isms’

    A lawmaker has responded to Josh’s recent episode — and her response shows what’s wrong with our politics. Today, Josh digs into a “party over country” mentality that’s damaging society. Rep. Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat, accurately called antizionism a hate movement. But she also endorsed Abdul El-Sayed, who would lead that hate movement in the Senate. In a note on Josh’s social media, Stevens tried to justify the decision. But in a sane political system, no one would think to do something like this. Where is the media? Josh explains that news agencies claim to stand for “country over party,” but they’re ignoring this story. Along the way, we hear from Hillary Clinton and a presidential historian. Plus, the media is building an ideological Tower of Babel by playing games with language. Re-airing a popular deep-dive from Episode 49, Josh dissects three controversial “isms” in the news: transgenderism, feminism, and Zionism. Why do media organizations follow dictionary definitions for some words, ignore them for others, and allow activists to weaponize the confusion? Josh examines how a double standard distorts public discourse and erases history. Get the newsletter: TheyStandCorrected.com. Contribute: ☕BuyMeACoffee.com/joshlevs, PayPal.me/JoshLevs Bookings, web form: joshlevs.com Please subscribe✅, rate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, and review✍️!

  3. Oct 7

    Episode 129: Oct. 7: What the World Lost

    On this third anniversary of the October 7 massacres, Josh highlights something the media forgets entirely: the story of what does not happen. The story of that day, and Am Yisrael (The People of Israel, a.k.a. “Jews”) having to fight the latest war for survival, isn’t just about death and destruction. It’s also about what the terrorists and their supporters have stolen from humanity. Antisemitism — including its most popular current incarnation, antizionism — is the story of our species shooting itself in the foot. When members of this tiny peoplehood, 0.2% of humanity, aren’t being hunted, they deliver extraordinary contributions far out of proportion to other groups. Why? Because of a culture that prizes learning facts, hard work, and rebuilding from scratch no matter what people do to you. In this episode, you’ll hear from Albert Einstein (literally), Mark Twain, author Norman Lebrecht, “son of Hamas” Mosab Hassan Yousef, and more. Josh has an update on saxophonist Erez Yatzkan, who lost his hands when Gazan terrorists tried to bomb their way into a safe room to slaughter him and his family on a kibbutz filled with peaceniks. Plus, new revelations about so-called “journalists” killed in Gaza show that the media has become a tool of propagandists. And Josh shares inspiring reasons for hope — including how we can all be a part of the good fight. Get the newsletter: TheyStandCorrected.com. Contribute: ☕BuyMeACoffee.com/joshlevs, PayPal.me/JoshLevs Bookings, web form: joshlevs.com Please subscribe✅, rate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, and review✍️!

  4. Sep 30

    Episode 128: Laundering Antizionism: Inside A Hate Movement with Adam Louis-Klein

    How did the mainstream media become a tool of today’s biggest hate movement? Today, a leading expert joins Josh to explain how the Antizionist Hate Movement used the nexus between academia and journalism to launder its lies. An academic and expert on how societies develop, Adam Louis-Klein is now leading the Movement Against Antizionism. His own story is instructive. He was a Communist and left-wing activist who went off to do research on an indigenous community. When he reconnected to the world two days after the October 7 massacres, he discovered his communities celebrating the terrorists. “Antizionist narratives were there from the beginning — the entire complex of the delegitimization of Israel, the erasure of Jewish peoplehood,” he explains. In this eye-opening, mind-expanding interview, Adam explains why fighting this hate movement requires a whole new strategy. He argues that it’s time to stop explaining why it’s antisemitic, and start making clear to the world that Israel-loathing is an “abusive complex.” He describes how academia, NGOs and the media have turned “epistemic authority” into a “tool of power.” Plus Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan faces calls for her death for saying something true. And the Boston Globe’s hilarious, viral story about a lesbian bar shows how hate movements turn on themselves.  Visit the newsletter at the new, shorter domain! TheyStandCorrected.com. Contribute: ☕BuyMeACoffee.com/joshlevs, PayPal.me/JoshLevs Support the show by using these unique links, thanks to sponsors: Subscribe for updates on Disputed Territory, a new podcast on Israel: bit.ly/4xRtSSa Jewish? Discover Hebrew with the Shema Initiative: bit.ly/4g78Acv Bookings, web form: joshlevs.com Please subscribe✅, rate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, and review✍️!

  5. Sep 23

    Episode 127: Macklemore, Mahdawi and the Media

    When the media decides to present someone as a victim, there’s almost always no turning back. No matter how wrong they turn out to be, no matter how much evidence disproves the narrative, the media doubles down. We’ve seen that in recent days with a rapper known as Macklemore. Today, Josh explains that the media is completely wrong about him.  Macklemore praised violent pro-terror mobs at Columbia University. A leader of that movement is also a media darling, Mohsen Mahdawi. A new 100-page report proves that the media’s portrayals of him are pure fiction. In this episode, independent journalists David Collier and Rachel Feldman join Josh to talk about how they uncovered the truth. They discuss “crickets” from the media, historic failures, and how people can get the word out. Interestingly, it involves local school boards. Plus the New York Times blames an editing error for an offensive, wildly wrong claim in a report. But why is it that the Times’ supposed mistakes always point in the same direction? And Josh breaks down the hypocrisy in the battle over press access to the White House. Visit the newsletter at the new, shorter domain! TheyStandCorrected.com. Jewish? Discover Hebrew with the Shema Initiative. Thanks to a sponsor, you’ll help support the show. bit.ly/4g78Acv Contribute: ☕BuyMeACoffee.com/joshlevs, PayPal.me/JoshLevs Bookings, web form: joshlevs.com Please subscribe✅, rate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, and review✍️!

  6. Sep 16

    Episode 126: America’s Most Unpopular

    If you picture America as the news describes it, which political figures do you think are popular? A new survey shows the actual popularity — in most cases, unpopularity — of political figures. It exposes the massive disconnect between the media and reality. Media darlings are among the most unpopular political figures in America. Today, Josh explains why this is such an important reality check about where Americans really stand.  Also, the Wall Street Journal has run a new, anonymously-sourced hit piece on Senator John Fetterman. Josh digs up what the paper’s top editor has said about anonymity, and explains why allowing it in this case doesn’t seem to make sense. Plus, the giant part of the Fetterman story that just about everyone leaves out. It’s a sign not just of what one lawmaker faces, but of today’s political culture. Plus, a researcher from an elite university publishes a new report quantifying the New York Times’ bias, and a listener asks Josh about comment sections. Thanks to sponsors: Simply open this news article, and Alums for Campus Fairness will help support the show: bit.ly/4yul45s Jewish? Discover Hebrew with the Shema Initiative: bit.ly/4g78Acv Get the newsletter at TheyStandCorrected.substack.com. Wish Josh/the show a happy new year by locking in a full year at a meaningful rate! Contribute: ☕BuyMeACoffee.com/joshlevs, PayPal.me/JoshLevs Bookings, web form: joshlevs.com Please subscribe✅, rate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, and review✍️!

  7. Sep 9

    Episode 125: 9/11 ‘Terror’ Walkback

    A powerful news agency heard people’s complaints and changed its stance on 9/11. Now, it says, its journalists may call the September 11th attacks what they were: terrorism. But that doesn’t solve the problem. In fact, with its new guidance, the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) just showed how its rules make no sense.  Today, Josh explains that this is a hole news agencies have dug for themselves by trying to create an imaginary world in which they can’t simply call terrorism by its name. He talks through the two simple options news agencies have, and how their constant failure to make a choice skews their coverage of global events. As the 25th anniversary arrives, Josh explains what we’re likely to see, and not see, from the media. Plus, how U.S. and Israeli intelligence are essential in thwarting terror attacks. To those of you who lost loved ones on 9/11, thoughts with you. Also in this episode, hear a U.S. official attempt to blow a shofar! To those of you who celebrate the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, wishing you a sweet new year. 🍎🍯  Wish the show a happy new year (“shanah tovah”) by getting a one-year subscription for a special, meaningful rate: TheyStandCorrected.substack.com Support: ☕BuyMeACoffee.com/joshlevs, PayPal.me/JoshLevs Bookings, web form: joshlevs.com Please subscribe✅, rate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, and review✍️!

  8. Sep 2

    Episode 124: Natural Disasters & Democracy

    The flooding in Nepal and Tibet is the latest in a string of natural disasters showing the vulnerability of so many people. In news coverage, the media is missing what may be the most important point of all: what it takes to strengthen societies against these events.  Today, Josh explains why democratic societies do a much better job of protecting and saving lives in natural disasters. As the United States faces growing anti-democratic forces from both the right and the left, it isn’t just our societal structures that could topple; it’s our buildings, too.  Plus, as the anniversary approaches, a news giant has told its reporters not to refer to the 9/11 attacks as terrorism. Josh breaks down the many things wrong with that decision, and discusses why it’s a reflection of a dangerous shift at the heart of society. Josh has sent the news agency a series of questions, which he shares today. Also, more from last week’s guest, Professor Shai Davidai. He and Josh discuss a trick news agencies sometimes play.  Get the Newsletter: TheyStandCorrected.substack.com Support: ☕BuyMeACoffee.com/joshlevs, PayPal.me/JoshLevs Bookings, web form: joshlevs.com Please subscribe✅, rate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, and review✍️!

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About

Who fact-checks the news? This show does. Today’s news media prioritizes sensational clickbait over basic facts. Instead of fighting for truth, billion-dollar news giants spread misinformation from both ends of the political spectrum. They Stand Corrected is the show for people who want the truth. Josh Levs, former NPR journalist and CNN lead on-air fact checker, breaks down top stories and tells you what the media’s getting wrong. He provides links, documents, and more to prove it. Unafraid to take on news giants, hate movements, and liars of all kinds, Levs delivers the two ingredients of truth: facts plus context. Listeners call the show “the standard of truth,” “necessary,” and “an absolute must listen for all.”

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