Mark Jacob is the former metro editor at the Chicago Tribune, and former Sunday editor at the Chicago Sun-Times. He’s the co-author of 11 books, mostly on history.

In this episode, the first of two with Mark, he and John Cole talk about the history of the New York Times and why it has consistently missed the moment, going back to the turn of the last century.

If you’re interested in this topic, Mark has a piece on it at his Substack, called “The New York Times is on the wrong side of history”: https://www.stopthepresses.news/p/the-new-york-times-is-on-the-wrong

Mark’s Substack Stop the Presses: https://www.stopthepresses.news/

Courier is a journalism initiative that supports Mark’s Substack and other journalism: https://couriernewsroom.com/

Mark’s recommended links:

Jennifer Schulze’s Substack Indistinct Chatter: https://jenniferschulze.substack.com/

Greg Sargent at The New Republic: https://newrepublic.com/authors/greg-sargent

Pro Publica: https://www.propublica.org/

Mark Histed is a neuroscientist by day, but in his personal capacity, he has a deep interest in how to re-build and sustain local media. Today’s audio-only podcast with Mark, DougJ (NYT Pitchbot) and mistermix focuses on Mark's interests that he pursues in his personal capacity, including the concept of media as a public good, how that media could be financed, why wealthy donors probably aren’t the answer, and what can’t be done by individual reporters on their own Substacks.

Here’s Mark’s Linktree, with all of his links: https://linktr.ee/markhisted

Links to some of the sites/authors Mark discusses:

Rebuild Local News: https://www.rebuildlocalnews.org/

Micah Sifry’s Critique of the Substack model: https://theconnector.substack.com/p/the-bad-news-echo-chamber-of-pro

Elizabeth Spiers: https://linktr.ee/elizabethspiers

The Democracy Policy Network: https://democracypolicy.network/

Gary Trauner ran for Congress in Wyoming twice, and for Senate once. In 2006, he lost the closest race in the nation to incumbent Barbara Cubin. Gary talks about his history as a candidate, what it takes to run as a Democrat in a red state, and what it was like to interact with the national Democratic infrastructure. He’s dealt with both the DCCC and DSCC, as well as the consultants they wanted him to hire. He also gives us a rundown on the sad state of Democrats in the reddest state in the country, Wyoming.

This episode is something you don’t see or hear all the time: a politician who shares his frank take on his experiences with the Democratic establishment.

More about Gary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Trauner

In this episode, John Cole interviews Dr. Genevieve Guenther. Dr Guenther is a former Renaissance scholar who turned to climate research and activism after having a child and becoming increasingly alarmed about the world her son could inherit after she died. She is now an expert in climate communication. Using her training in rhetoric and cultural politics, as well as social-science research, she works to revamp the ways that we talk about the urgent need to phase out coal, oil, and methane. She is guided by the conviction that our language for the climate crisis is largely inaccurate and misleading, and that fixing this problem requires us not just to reframe talking points, but to recognize how our speech itself—what we say and what we don’t say about climate change—upholds a dangerous status quo.

Dr Guenther is the author of The Language of Climate Politics, an examination of the propaganda underlying the fossil-fuel economy.

Genevieve Guenther’s website: https://genevieveguenther.com/

The non-profit she founded: https://www.endclimatesilence.org/

Steve M of No More Mister Nice Blog has been blogging since 2002. Steve’s posts are always smart and often prescient.

On this episode of Personality Crisis, NYT Pitchbot a.k.a. Doug J interviews Steve to discuss topics including why Steve got the anti-vaxx trend right years before everyone else, and how Steve views the history of the Democratic Party.

John Cole couldn’t make the taping of this pod, but don’t worry, he’ll be back for the next one. Also, Pitchbot had a little bit of an audio issue at the start that’s fixed a few minutes in.

Oliver Willis is an OG blogger, and in this episode of Personality Crisis, another OG blogger, John Cole of Balloon-Juice talks with Oliver about the past, future and timidity of the Democratic Party. Oliver and John are joined by Kal El, Oliver’s dog.

Oliver is one of the first political bloggers in the world, launching his site in 2000. Oliver spent 13 years working for Media Matters, reporting on conservative misinformation. Today, he’s a senior writer for the American Independent.

Oliver’s links:

Substack: https://www.oliverexplains.com/

Blog: http://oliverwillis.com/

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/owillis.bsky.social

In the second episode featuring Brooke Harrington, Professor of Economic Sociology at Dartmouth, John Cole and Harrington discuss her harrowing experiences with the Danish immigration authorities. She was arrested for testifying before the Danish parliament about her academic work. The episode delves into the reasons and tactics for the Danes’ limiting immigration and prosecuting immigrants.

Harrington is the author of many articles and books on the concentration of money and power in the hands of a wealthy few. Her latest book is Offshore: Stealth Wealth and the New Colonialism, a study of “how the shadowy global system of offshore finance fuels economic crises and austerity while also undermining democracy and the rule of law.” Her prior book, Capital without Borders: Wealth Managers & the One Percent, is an account of how the 1% holds on to their wealth.

Harrington’s recent articles include Trump Is Like F.D.R.—Only in Reverse in the New York Times and What the Broligarchs Want from Trump in the New York Times. She also had an experience with the Danish immigration authorities which she related in I Almost Lost My Career Because I Had the Wrong Passport in the New York Times.

Harrington’s website: https://brookeharrington.com/

Her pinned thread on Bluesky listing all of her broligarchy work: https://bsky.app/profile/ebharrington.bsky.social/post/3lggwkxbi5c2n

Her books:

Offshore: https://brookeharrington.com/books/offshore-book/

Capital without Borders: https://brookeharrington.com/books/capital-without-borders/

Articles:

Trump is Like F.D.R. – Only in Reverse: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/25/opinion/trump-musk-doge-trust.html

What the Broligarchs Want from Trump: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/11/broligarchy-elon-musk-trump/680788/

I Almost Lost My Career Because I Had the Wrong Passport: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/03/opinion/immigration-law.html

In the first episode of two, John Cole interviews Brooke Harrington, Professor of Economic Sociology at Dartmouth. The discussion begins Harrington’s experiences as a young woman working in Silicon Valley and transitions into a discussion about the mentality and obsessions of the broligarchs who come from that place, and ends with her insights into what can be done about these guys.

Harrington is the author of many articles and books on the concentration of money and power in the hands of a wealthy few. Her latest book is Offshore: Stealth Wealth and the New Colonialism, a study of “how the shadowy global system of offshore finance fuels economic crises and austerity while also undermining democracy and the rule of law.” Her prior book, Capital without Borders: Wealth Managers & the One Percent, is an account of how the 1% holds on to their wealth.

Harrington’s recent articles include Trump Is Like F.D.R.—Only in Reverse in the New York Times and What the Broligarchs Want from Trump in the New York Times. She also had an experience with the Danish immigration authorities which she related in I Almost Lost My Career Because I Had the Wrong Passport in the New York Times.

Harrington’s website: https://brookeharrington.com/

Her pinned thread on Bluesky listing all of her broligarchy work: https://bsky.app/profile/ebharrington.bsky.social/post/3lggwkxbi5c2n

Her books:

Offshore: https://brookeharrington.com/books/offshore-book/

Capital without Borders: https://brookeharrington.com/books/capital-without-borders/

Articles:

Trump is Like F.D.R. – Only in Reverse: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/25/opinion/trump-musk-doge-trust.html

What the Broligarchs Want from Trump: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/11/broligarchy-elon-musk-trump/680788/

I Almost Lost My Career Because I Had the Wrong Passport: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/03/opinion/immigration-law.html