Philip Balboni has done it all. Victory & tragedy. Built his own cable network. Co-founded GlobalPost & World Political Review. Board & Executive Member of Columbia School of Journalism. Won every major award in American Journalism. Lost a reporter, Jim Foley, to an ISIS execution video.

We asked him the questions everyone else is too polite to ask.

• Did the legacy networks drift left first, or did Fox and GB News just find the audience they’d already lost?

• Who actually runs a newsroom now. Journalists. Politicians. Or Big Tech?

• Can “independent and nonpartisan” survive when journalism and academia lean left?

• What losing Jim Foley taught GlobalPost about the real cost and value of journalism.

He didn’t dodge one of them.

Arsonist or fire department. You decide.

In Search of Sanity. Listen now.

Fly the Stars and Stripes today and you’re either a patriot or a problem, depending on who’s watching. Put up a St George's Cross in England and you're either patriotic or prejudiced. What changed?

This week we discuss record-low patriotism numbers in America, a lamppost flag war in Britain, a Church of England warning shot, and a straight answer to the question nobody’s asking plainly enough: Why did the flag stop being ours, and start being a side?

Conversations over confrontations. Ideas over ideology. Make sure to subscribe to our free Substack if you enjoy the content.

You already know the algorithm is playing you. What nobody tells you is you can play it right back.

This week on iSoS, we dig into the actual science of why outrage spreads faster than good news online. Then we discuss some concrete moves that flip the script and start feeding you content that makes you feel like a person again, not a gladiator.

Discussed: Media Literacy, Social Media, Politics, Bipartisanship, Online Discourse.

Mark and Clive dive into two local issues - redistricting (aka gerrymandering) and allowing voters to choose vacant elected positions. It seems that more and more the body politic want to adjudicate issues in the courts or in the chamber and view the idea of voting as inconvenient and unnecessary. Their commentary wont surprise you as they advocate for the supremacy of voters, but the origin of the term 'gerrymandering' might!

Mark & Clive are scratching their heads that Neil Young, an icon of freedom and anti-establishment protests, appears to have become infected with cancel culture complex and a victim of the outrage industrial complex. This is not the behavior of sane or reasonable people. At least let's hope not because we love Neil and respect Joe even if we don't always agree with everything they sing or say.

Mark & Clive take a brief look at the recent Cato Institute annual report: 'Freedom in the 50 States' and how California fares. No prizes for guessing where it ranks, although the 'most free' State might surprise you. It's hard not to be partisan when those adjudged to be 'most free' are all governed by Republicans, while those 'least free' by Democrats. Perhaps it all depends on what freedom means to you!

While President Biden & President Trump continue their slanging match, Mark & Clive look forward and ponder what we can learn from the seismic events of 6/1/21. Whatever your political leanings there is something in this podcast for everyone. Unless you are a member of the body politic, in which case there are some questions to be asked and opportunities to be grasped. It's time to move on. Can someone tell the politicians that?

When Mark & Clive applaud AOC, you know you're in for a thought provoking and entertaining 15 minutes. Today they take a closer look at the profiteering politicians who make money from buying and selling stock while privy to information not easily available to us mere mortals. As always, they have a few choice words for those on the gravy train and suggest some reasonable and pragmatic solutions to solve the problem. Don't expect any of them to be adopted anytime soon!