Honestly with Bari Weiss By cover art

Honestly with Bari Weiss

By: The Free Press
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  • Summary

  • The most interesting conversations in American life now happen in private. This show is bringing them out of the closet. Stories no one else is telling and conversations with the most fascinating people in the country, every week from former New York Times and Wall Street Journal journalist Bari Weiss.
    © 2021 Honestly with Bari Weiss
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Episodes
  • How ‘Vice’ Went from a $6 Billion Media Empire to Bankruptcy

    How ‘Vice’ Went from a $6 Billion Media Empire to Bankruptcy
    May 30 2024
    Fifteen years ago, Vice was the envy of the media industry. While other outlets were shrinking, the edgy multimedia organization with a knack for virality was growing. At its peak, Vice had a reported value of $6 billion. At one point, Disney offered to buy the company for $3.4 billion. The CEO said no. Something even bigger was on the horizon. Except. . . it never came. No one else approached with another offer and the company started to collapse. Last year, Vice filed for bankruptcy. The media narrative of what happened at Vice was that they simply made a series of business mistakes and the economic model of the business crumbled. But Michael Moynihan says that’s not the whole story. Michael—who Honestly listeners know as a frequent guest host here—is a longtime journalist who spent a decade at Vice. He was a correspondent for Vice’s flagship series on HBO. Today, he published a revealing insider story in The Free Press about how Vice really lost its way. Spoiler: apologizing for the gonzo journalism that fueled the business to begin with, and caving to an identity politics–obsessed staff of twentysomethings, isn’t exactly a recipe for success. Vice didn’t just bleed cash. It also bled its backbone and its ethos. And the thing that replaced it? Well, no one wanted to consume it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    59 mins
  • Jerry Seinfeld on the Rules of Comedy—and Life

    Jerry Seinfeld on the Rules of Comedy—and Life
    May 28 2024
    The first episode of Seinfeld aired in 1989. Thirty-five years later, the show remains at the apex of American culture. People speak in Seinfeld-isms, they flirt on dating apps over Seinfeld, they rewatch old episodes of Seinfeld when they’re feeling down. And, in the case of the Weiss family, Lou still watches it every night from 11 pm to 12 am on the local Pittsburgh station before he goes to sleep. People around the world even learn English watching Seinfeld! It is not hyperbole to say that Seinfeld is one of the most influential shows of all time. Seinfeld was supposedly a show about nothing, but that’s what made it so universal. Everyone can relate to trying to find your car in a parking garage. Everyone knows the feeling when their book is overdue at the library and they don’t want to pay the overdue fee. Everyone can relate to the frustration of waiting for a table at a restaurant. If you didn’t—or don’t—laugh during Seinfeld, something was wrong with you. All of which is why it was a bit strange and unexpected when a few months ago Jerry Seinfeld suddenly became “controversial.” In early October, Jerry—along with 700 other Hollywood stars—signed a letter condemning Hamas and calling for the return of the hostages. For that crime—the crime of saying terrorism is bad and innocent people should be released—crowds started protesting the events he was attending, the speeches he was giving, and heckling him in public. A few weeks ago, when Jerry gave the commencement address at Duke University, some students walked out in protest. Then, his standup set was disrupted by protesters, to which Seinfeld quipped: “I love a little Jew-hate to spice up the show.” The crowd applauded. Jerry Seinfeld made the most successful show about a Jew to ever exist. This was no small feat. In fact, one NBC executive, after watching the Seinfeld pilot for the first time in 1989, didn’t think it should even go to air. He said it was “too New York and too Jewish.” And yet…it worked. And as Seinfeld spent years making Jewishness an iconic part of American pop culture, Jerry says he experienced not a drop of anti-Semitism. But now, during a time that is supposed to be the most inclusive, the most sensitive, the most accepting, and the most tolerant time in human history, Jerry Seinfeld is targeted for being a Jew. Jerry often says that the audience is everything. That’s the whole point of comedy. There is no joke if nobody laughs. But today on Honestly, we ask Jerry if he still trusts the audience in an age where the audience can start to feel like a mob? You’ve probably heard or seen Jerry somewhere recently—from The New Yorker to GQ to… every podcast in the world. That’s because he has a new movie out called Unfrosted, which you should definitely go watch on Netflix. It’s hilarious, heartwarming, and you will love it. But today’s conversation with Jerry is unlike the ones you’ve heard. He’s unfiltered. He’s emotional. And he’s speaking his mind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    55 mins
  • Is Israel's War Just? Eli Lake and Michael Moynihan v Briahna Joy Gray and Jake Klein

    Is Israel's War Just? Eli Lake and Michael Moynihan v Briahna Joy Gray and Jake Klein
    May 26 2024
    A few weeks ago, there was an awesome event in Brooklyn in partnership with UnHerd called Dissident Dialogues. It was exactly what it sounds like: debates and discussions on the most pressing questions facing our society today. Questions like: Have we reached peak woke? Can universities be saved? Can liberalism be saved? Is government censorship justified? Is this the end of mainstream media? and What is the future of feminism? So basically, just the light stuff. But probably the most contentious debate of the weekend was: Is Israel’s war on Hamas a just war? This is not an easy debate. Emotions run hot, the stakes are high, people’s morality is called into question, and there are a lot of competing narratives. Which is all the more reason to debate the topic in public, something we always advocate for at The Free Press. Arguing no, that Israel’s war on Hamas is not a just war, are Briahna Joy Gray and Jake Klein. Briahna was the national press secretary for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign, and is host of the Bad Faith podcast. Arguing alongside Briahna is Jake Klein. Jake is a content creator for the Foundation for Economic Education, and he is a co-founder and editor at The Black Sheep. Arguing yes, that Israel’s war on Hamas is a just war, are two of our very own Free Pressers, Eli Lake and Michael Moynihan. Eli is a columnist at The Free Press and a longtime journalist covering foreign affairs and national security. And Michael Moynihan, who you’ve heard guest-host Honestly, is a veteran journalist, having spent years at Vice, The Daily Beast, and Reason magazine. He is also a host of The Fifth Column podcast. The debate is moderated by the one and only Russian British satirist, co-host of the Triggernometry podcast, and Free Press contributor, Konstantin Kisin. Facebook: Dissident Dialogues Instagram: @dissident_dialogues X: @diss_dialogues YouTube: @dissidentdialogues-qm3gm?si=f-hldBmIK9CnGqRn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 5 mins
Politics & Government Social Sciences
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Profile Image for Mao Dom

The 9nly way in 2022...

...to get the news from a serious journalist is to go directly to the journalist, their substance or podcast. Bari Weiss is one of the best.

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Profile Image for Ryan

Excellent Interview with A Small But Good Overview

Of RFK Jr. First time listener but will be listening to more Bari in the future.

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Profile Image for Jen

Thank you so much

I broke down crying in relief while listening to this, thank you so much for standing up for free speech and reality. This is the first podcast I've come across where I've felt so heard, and I'm not a gay man, I'm a textbox 90s Tomboy and, through my own personal experience as a youth and teen, feel genuine worry and concern for today's youth, knowing what path I very likely would have gone down had I been born only a decade or two later. I've felt erased and been called alt right, by people I thought were close friends, so again, thank you.

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Profile Image for Bill Lauderback

Asbury

Bari:
Your Podcast on the Revival that recently took place on the campus of Asbury University was superb. I was particularly impressed by the young reporter you chose to cover the story. Her honesty about that absence of God in her life and yet her profound appreciation for what she witnessed at Asbury was, dare I say, beautifully moving — as if God were speaking through her despite her lack of cognitive recognition of him doing so. When that happens, it is a miracle.
Peace.
Bill

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Profile Image for Chris

Podcastly

Bari's intent with this podcast is noble. She wants to bring an honest perspective to issues of the day. (And we have some very troubling issues in America!) While her questions are probing and her topics are the furthest thing from softballs, I find that her guests have a consistent bias in their thinking, which I will leave to you to determine. It reminds me of NPR 15 years ago where the reporting was well-intentioned, interesting, and topical, but you might have wondered what you weren't hearing? I really enjoy her style and she seems like someone I would want to get a beer with; I value the perspective she brings. But her guests' perspectives are just one angle and I need more. I suspect she would 100% advocate getting more angles and that is why I listen to her. Give her a try if you haven't.

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