Graham Platner, the former Maine Democratic candidate for senator, had a troubled campaign. He was a four-tour vet that served at Abu Ghraib prison, fought in Fallujah, bragged about killing people and signed up for the successor company to the infamous Blackwater mercenary group. Then, it was revealed he had a Nazi tattoo. Then, multiple women revealed his troubling and misogynistic outlook, with one claiming he physically assaulted her. Despite all this, he maintained support from a significant portion of journalists and media personalities... until a woman accused him of rape. In this extra episode, Julie S. Lalonde, award-winning women’s rights advocate and public educator, joins Scott to extrapolate the culture surrounding Platner that led to this point and how Canada maintains a similarly dismissive view of women's safety.

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Bystander Intervention Seminars by Julie S. Lalonde

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Sources and further reading:

https://readthecatch.ca/misogyny-canada-graham-platner-ft-julie-s-lalonde-podcast

Artwork by Zo at Studio Bonjourhi

Intro Music: Vigilante - Cross Dog

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For those who pay close attention to the news media in Canada, one company becomes quickly notorious for its openly ideological project. Postmedia, a company owned by a New Jersey hedge fund, is the largest owner of newspaper outlets across the country. Their flagship publication, the National Post has increasingly pushed the bounds of acceptable political opinion to the far-right. From openly praising anti-trans sentiment, Zionist violence and laundering climate change denial, Postmedia has made its presence in Canada a known quantity. Journalist Jeremy Appel joins Scott to discuss his latest article on Postmedia's right-wing mission, how it affects Canadian politics and why we should all be worried about this behemoth's influence on news in local communities, as well as the national stage.

‘Dumpster fire’: Postmedia’s decade of pushing Canada’s politics to the right

Check out Jeremy's work at The Orchard.

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Sources and further reading:

https://readthecatch.ca/postmedia-is-dragging-us-all-to-the-far-right-ft-jeremy-appel-podcast

Intro Music: Vigilante - Cross Dog

Artwork by Zo at Studio Bonjourhi

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With legacy news outlets becoming increasingly out of touch and propagandistic, critics in the news media sphere have been more necessary than ever. While there's certainly a vacuum left by one of the largest outlets losing all credibility, there are still principled voices doing thoughtful critique. Toronto journalist Emma Paling has joined the sphere. Launching Second Scoop, a news media criticism newsletter with The Maple, Paling delivers thoughtful, witty critique of how news media has covered events with more context and thoughtful analysis not found anywhere else. Paling joins Scott to discuss the newsletter, two big news stories worthy of the critique and even for a reflection on their first discussion nearly two years ago, about where we are in regards to news media coverage of the ongoing Palestinian genocide.

Sign up for Second Scoop here

Emma Paling on X

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Sources and further reading:

https://readthecatch.ca/the-maples-second-scoop-vs-news-media-ft-emma-paling-podcast

Artwork by Zo at Studio Bonjourhi

Intro Music: Vigilante - Cross Dog

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Cuba passed some of the most significant economic reforms since the 1960s in response to economic warfare waged on them by the US. Carney, and Canada more broadly, have been silent. So what is the relationship to Cuba in this country? Scott goes through Canada's economic relationship and the framework legacy news media operates in when covering the country.

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Sources and further reading:

https://readthecatch.ca/monologue-on-canadas-role-in-cuba-podcast

Artwork by Zo at Studio Bonjourhi

Intro Music: Vigilante - Cross Dog

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Scott was on vacation last week, so he hasn't been keeping up with the news. Ontario reporter for PressProgress Eric Wickham was also on vacation last week, so he hasn't been keeping up with the news. So what happened? In a very casual episode, Eric and Scott discuss some important headlines they missed to return to the grind, what they mean and their first impressions.

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Check out his reporting for PressProgress.

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Intro Music: Vigilante - Cross Dog

Artwork by Zo at Studio Bonjourhi

Sources and further reading at:

https://readthecatch.ca/

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After Prime Minister Mark Carney's announcement on combating antisemitism, right-wing Zionist rumblings in news media claimed he wasn't doing enough. Often cited as an example of the extreme state of antisemitism that Canada is the choice of Montreal professor Gad Saad to leave for Mississippi. Saad's book, often cited as a number one nonfiction seller in Canada, Suicidal Empathy is a fundamental component of the fascist outlook. This week, Eiynah, host of the Polite Conversations podcast and someone who covers the new atheist movement and the darlings of the right-wing media sphere joins Scott to discuss Saad, his impact and the state of media when he is treated seriously.

Note: This episode was recorded June 10, 2026.

Polite Conversations on Spotify

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Sources and further reading:

https://readthecatch.ca/right-wing-news-media-loves-this-extremist-ft-eiynah-podcast

Artwork by Zo at Studio Bonjourhi

Intro Music: Vigilante - Cross Dog

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On May 27 to 28, CANSEC, the country's biggest arms expo, brought together Carney ministers and top arms manufacturers in a time of vast military spending. The Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI), the organization that puts it on, prevented some journalists from attending. The Maple was denied for unspecified reasons and another reporter was declined due to timelines, despite the fact that at least one other journalist was let in after the deadline. Christy Somos, award-winning Canadian journalist, producer, analyst and writer behind The State of Things, a newsletter focused on national security and extremism in Canada was that reporter. She joins Scott to discuss the process of her accreditation being denied, the worsening conditions for press freedom and how denying critical voices reveals a weakness in the arms industry.

The State of Things

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Sources and further reading:

https://readthecatch.ca/barred-from-canadas-biggest-arms-expo-ft-christy-somos-podcast

Artwork by Zo at Studio Bonjourhi

Intro Music: Vigilante - Cross Dog

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There's been seemingly breathless coverage of a hantavirus outbreak that happened on a Dutch cruise ship. Everyone's asking "Is this the new COVID pandemic?" Journalists, especially. Health officials say no, but what does the coverage of hantavirus reveal when compared to that of Ebola or, more pressingly, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic? Daniella Barreto, public health advocate, award-winning podcast producer and host of the podcast Public Health is Dead, joins Scott to discuss the current state of public health and how news covers these issues.

Public Health Is Dead

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Sources and further reading:

https://readthecatch.ca/meet-the-new-pandemic-same-as-the-old-pandemic-ft-daniella-barreto-podcast

Artwork by Zo at Studio Bonjourhi

Intro Music: Vigilante - Cross Dog

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