Brian Reed is the host and producer of KCRW’s “Question Everything,” a podcast and newsletter that is exploring the media industry. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Reed chats about why he’s advocating to reform Section 230, a law that protects big tech platforms from defamation lawsuits. Reed chats about why he believes this law gives platforms too much immunity and how he came to the conclusion that it needs to be changed to protect users from disinformation. In addition, Reed discusses what it’s like being a journalist advocating for a cause.

More info about Question Everything: https://www.kcrw.com/shows/question-everything/latest

More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz

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Kevin Nguyen is the features editor at The Verge. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Nguyen chats about his novel "My Documents." The dystopian satire is set in a near-future United States where following a terrorist attack, Vietnamese Americans are imprisoned in interment camps. The novel explores how journalism can both shed light on trauma and crucial stories, while also being a tool of exploitation. In addition, "My Documents" lampoons the clickbait digital media boom and sensationalist misinformation.

More info about "My Documents": https://bookshop.org/p/books/my-documents-a-novel-kevin-nguyen/3caae9bd30ea2b93

More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz

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Ellen Huet is a reporter at Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Businessweek. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Huet discusses her new book Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult. The book chronicles the story of OneTaste, a wellness company that’s been accused of manipulation and abuse. Huet exposed the true story of the company for Bloomberg. Empire of Orgasm builds off that reporting.

In this conversation, Huet chats about her reporting process, the evolving definition of a cult, and the ominous parallels between cults and startups. She also shares tips on how to navigate personal boundaries while reporting on an intense topic.

More info about Empire of Orgasm: https://bookshop.org/p/books/empire-of-orgasm-sex-power-and-the-downfall-of-a-wellness-cult-ellen-huet/d314d91af397b2e4?ean=9780374604196

More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz

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On this special bonus episode, Daniel Spielberger chats with Lauren Harris, an editor at The New Yorker and a co-chair of The New Yorker Union. The New Yorker Union and Condé United are both part of the NewsGuild of New York. Harris discusses recent events at Condé Nast. On Wednesday, in response to Condé management’s decision to fold Teen Vogue into Vogue and lay off employees at Teen Vogue, a group of unionized Condé employees confronted Condé’s head of HR, Stan Duncan, to question him about these decisions. Subsequently, Condé management fired four of these employees, one of whom worked at The New Yorker. Though Condé management argues that these four employees were engaging in “extreme misconduct,” the Guild disputes this claim. In this conversation, Harris discusses why the unions are alleging that these terminations were illegal and retaliatory. Additionally, she contextualizes these terminations with a broader hostility towards organized labor during the second Trump era.

Here’s the petition to reinstate The Fired Four: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-conde-bosses-to-reinstate-the-fired-four-reverse-the-suspensions-and-end-the-union-busting

A GoFundMe to support The Fired Four: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-fired-four-alma-ben-jake-jasper

More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz

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P.E. Moskowitz’s writing has been published in New York Magazine, The Nation, and numerous other outlets. They write the newsletter “Mental Hellth.” In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Moskowitz chats about their new book “Breaking Awake: A Reporter's Search for a New Life, and a New World, Through Drugs.” Moskowitz discusses their reporting on the mental health crisis, pharmaceutical drugs, raves, isolation, and social media.

More info about Breaking Awake: https://bookshop.org/p/books/breaking-awake-a-reporter-s-search-for-a-new-life-and-a-new-world-through-drugs-p-e-moskowitz/f376145199400c4a?ean=9781668007778&next=t

More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz

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Zito Madu’s writing has appeared in The Nation, Flaming Hydra, GQ, and other outlets. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Zito chats about his personal approach to sports writing, the influence of the gambling industry on sports journalism, and his criticism of Stephen A.'s decisive coverage.

Follow Zito on Twitter/X: https://x.com/_Zeets

Read Zito's Flaming Hydra essay: https://flaminghydra.com/football-in-palestine/

More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz

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Jourdain Searles is a film critic whose work has appeared in Bustle, Los Angeles Review of Books, Indiewire, and other outlets. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Searles chats about her approach to film criticism, the significance of film reviews in the age of aggregation sites like Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes, and how she handled people upset over her negative reviews.

Follow Jourdain on X: https://x.com/judysquirrels

More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz

Music by KT The Terrible