Citations Needed
by Nima Shirazi and Adam Johnson
Latest episode
News Brief: Vance, Tucker Attempt 'Antiwar' GOP Rebrand Speed Run In…
News Brief: Vance, Tucker Attempt 'Antiwar' GOP Rebrand Speed Run In…
About this podcast
Citations Needed is a podcast about the intersection of media, PR, and power, hosted by Nima Shirazi and Adam Johnson.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 391 episodes
- News Brief: Vance, Tucker Attempt 'Antiwar' GOP Rebrand Speed Run In Record Time · 24 minIn this News Brief, we discuss JD Vance, Tucker Carlson and Don Trump Jr's plan to distance themselves from the Iran disaster by simply acting like they aren't part of Trump's…
- Election Night Livestream: Blue Megatsunami, the El-Sayed Narrative Game and the Battle Over What It All Means · 1 h 1 minThis is last night's election night Patreon live stream, recorded 9:30 ET on Nov 3 2026.
- Live Show Beg-a-Thon: Ben Shapiro, Sex-Pest Actor Comebacks, and the New Elevated Right-Wing Cinema · 1 h 15 minIn this Live Show Beg-a-Thon, "Ben Shapiro, Sex-Pest Actor Comebacks and the New Elevated Rightwing Cinema," we discuss the Daily Wire's new cinematic universe—its unhinged…
- Live Show Beg-A-Thon: Wednesday Oct 21 - Promo! · 3 minPlease join us Wednesday Oct 21 for our Beg-A-Thon live show, "Ben Shapiro, Sex-Pest Actor Comebacks, and the New Elevated Right-Wing Cinema," @ 8:00ET/7:00CT! We will be joined…
- Ep 245: The Authenticity Affect (Part III) - Left Politics as Effete, College Kid Artifice · 1 h 20 minIn part 3 of our three-part series on the uses and misuses of "authenticity" in political media, we examine the popular media trope that progressive politics are exogenous to…
- Ep 244: The Authenticity Affect (Part II) - The Dopey, Power-Flattering, Media-Created "Maverick" Politician · 1 h 8 minIn Part 2 of our 3-part series on the uses and misuses of "authenticity," we examine the media obsession with "political mavericks" who "buck party orthodoxy"—almost aways with…
- Ep 243: The Authenticity Affect (Part I) — Whistlestop Tours, Smarm, and the Art of Channeling 'Folk' · 1 h 26 minIn part 1 of our 3-part series on the uses and misuses of "authenticity," we examine the Real America "listening tour," its propaganda utility, and how it uses the superficial…
- Ep 242 - The Disempowering Politics of 'Inevitability' Part 2: US Empire as Mysterious, Teleological Force · 1 h 16 minIn this episode, we discuss how circular "inevitability" arguments have been used for centuries to justify war, expansionism and perpetual hostility — most recently against…
- Ep 241 - The Disempowering Politics of 'Inevitability' Part 1: Data Centers and LLM as 'The Future' · 1 h 28 minIn this episode, we breakdown the popular "inevitability" argument AI companies are using to bulldoze over democracy and how the "inevitability" line has been used to sell…
- News Brief: Very Serious New Yorker Article Launders Biden Officials' Responsibility for Gaza Genocide · 41 minIn this News Brief, we are joined by Kaleem Hawa to discuss David K Kirkpatrick's 10,000 word PR job that feigns criticism of Biden officials, but ultimately serves to distance…
- News Brief: Why US Media Has Evoked Israel's "Right to Exist" 1,001 Times vs Only 6 For Palestine · 29 minIn this News Brief, we dissect the Orwellian phrase "right to exist," why it only applies to Israel, what purpose it serves, and why Palestinians are never said to have such a…
- Ep 240: How the Media's "Burden," the "Straining Resources" Framing Manufactures the Expendable Other · 1 h 34 minIn this episode, we discuss the ideological work done by our media's default frame of immigrants, poor seniors, homeless people, and those with disabilities as "burdens" and…
- News Brief: Despite 9-Figure Infusion from Silicon Valley, Abundance Still Seeks Popular Support · 38 minIn this news brief, we catch up with Dylan Gyauch-Lewis, senior researcher at the Revolving Door Project, to discuss Abundance's PR problems, why this latest neoliberalism…
- News Brief: The ADL's Bogus Origin Story and Its Rise as Ideological Enforcer for Empire and Israel · 42 minIn this News Brief, we talk with Emmaia Gelman, author of The Anti-Defamation League and the Racial State, about how––despite posing a civil rights org––the ADL functions as…
- Episode 239: The Vague, Capital-Serving Co-Optation of "Affordability" Politics · 1 h 20 minIn this episode, we detail the long history of generic "affordability" discourse and how, post-Mamdani, it's become the go-to establishment buzzword justifying tax breaks for…
- News Brief: The Call to Boycott—and Delegitimize—the New York Times · 40 minIn this News Brief, we talk with Chris Mills Rodrigo from Writers Against The War On Gaza about their campaign to boycott the New York Times and remove the "paper of record" from…
- Episode 238: The Fictional, Racist, Paranoia-Sowing "Sleeper Cell" Media Construction · 1 h 30 minIn this episode, we detail the vague, baseless racism-sowing media coverage and pop culture obsession with so-called "sleeper cells," a construction that has consumed post-9/11…
- Live Show: 'How to Sell a Genocide' Book Talk at The Word Is Change Bookstore in Brooklyn, NY · 1 h 3 minThis is a live recording between Nima and Adam at the Word is Change Bookstore May 7, 2026. In this conversation, we discuss key findings that can be found in Adam's new book…
- News Brief: "Peak TV," Streamer Studio Accounting Gimmicks, and the Precarity of Hollywood Labor · 48 minIn this News Brief, we talk with Miranda Banks and Kate Fortmueller, authors of the new book Boom to Bust: How Streaming Broke Hollywood Workers, about rising inequality and…
- News Brief: How the Right Invented — and Exploited — the "Liberal Media" Trope · 51 minIn this News Brief, we talk with A. J. Bauer, assistant professor at the University of Alabama, about his new book," Making the Liberal Media: How Conservatives Built a Movement…
- Ep 237: How Selective, Patronizing 'Deradicalization' Discourse Pathologizes Anti-Colonial Struggle · 1 h 21 minIn this episode, we break down the long history of US media reducing recalcitrant populations' grievances to "terrorism," "hate," and "radicalism" in urgent need of re-education…
- Ep 236: Manufactured Austerity and the Media Assisted 'Public-Private Partnership' Rip-Off · 1 h 6 minIn this episode we discuss how privatization was rebranded 'Public-Private Partnerships' and unleashed decades of raiding of the public coffers by Wall Street. With guest Donald…
- News Brief: As American Troops Hide in Civilian Hotels, US Media Ignores Pentagon's Use of 'Human Shields' · 18 minIn this News Brief we examine CNN, the Atlantic, Washington Post and NYT's blatant 'human shields' double standard as reports emerge of US troops hiding from Iranian attacks in…
- News Brief: How Decades of Media Distortions and Lies about "Iran's Nuclear Program" Lead to War · 35 minIn this News Brief, we discuss a recent poll showing 70% of Americans are fundamentally wrong about the nature of Iran's "nuclear program"—including 1 in 4 who think Iran…
- "Shadow Fleets," Sanctions & Western Media's International Law-ification of Arbitrary US Dictates · 1 h 22 minIn this episode, we explore how arbitrary—often unilateral—sanctions against Enemy States are given the halo of international legal legitimacy with a combination of lies…
- News Brief: As Trump Crushes Academia, the NYT and Atlantic Still Fight 'Woke' Wars from 5 Years Ago · 46 minIn this News Brief, we are joined by Chenjerai Kumanyika and Todd Wolfson of the American Association of University Professors to discuss Trump's gutting of higher education, its…
- Ep 234: TikTok, Gen Z's Move to Social Media and Elite Panic Over Unsanctioned News · 1 h 13 minIn this episode, we examine our political class' TikTok neurosis, how Gaza fueled its sell to US and Israeli military contractors, and the long history of elite panics around…
- News Brief: ICE, Senate Dems' Counterinsurgency PR, and the Limits of Body Cam Liberalism · 40 minIn this News Brief, we detail the fundamental problems with Senate Democrats' cosmetic reforms, the strategy of letting outrage blow over and the conspicuous absence of any…
- Ep 233: How US Media Naturalizes Capital Strikes and Helps the Rich Undermine Democracy · 1 h 24 minIn this episode, we examine how billionaires and corporations threatening capital strikes and capital flight to discipline populist politicians and movements is treated as…
- News Brief: As Dem Leadership Waffles—Labor, Organizers, Immigrants Fight Back in Minneapolis · 43 minIn this News Brief, we break down Dem leadership's fatuous "body cam" and "training" response to ICE brutality, and how organizers in the Twin Cities are not settling for…
- News Brief: For Media Reporting on Iran, Trump Suddenly Morphs into Pro-Democracy Humanitarian · 25 min · Season 9In this News Brief, we discuss mainstream media coverage of ongoing protests across Iran and how nearly every major Western outlet has been uncritically framing any potential…
- News Brief: How Corporate Media Laid the Groundwork for a Rightwing Incitement Campaign in Minnesota · 28 minIn this News Brief, we detail how CBS, Fox, WSJ, and NYT promoted an essentialized, overblown narrative on the "Somali Minnesota fraud" story, teeing up a full blown rightwing…
- Ep 232: US Meddling, the Limits of 'Agency' Discourse and How Media Chooses Which 'Voices' To Center · 1 h 29 minIn this episode, we discuss the uses and misuses of liberal standpoint theory to promote US meddling, sanctions, and bombing. With guest Vincent Bevins.
- News Brief: BBC's Gaza Double Standard and Western Liberalism's Crisis of Legitimacy · 45 minIn this News Brief, we interview journalist Daniel Trilling and discuss his investigation into the BBC's systemic anti-Palestinian bias.
- Ep 231 - How To Oppose Genocide Without Opposing Genocide (Part 2): AIPAC Dems' Fake Israel Criticisms · 1 h 17 minIn this episode, we detail the buyers' market for superficial Gaza critiques that permit ambitious Democrats to look pro-Palestine without the downside of actually being so. With…
- Ep 230 - How To Oppose Genocide Without Opposing Genocide (Part 1): Biden World's Reputation Laundering PR Tour · 1 h 41 minIn this episode, we detail recent attempts by former Biden officials to rewrite history and absolve themselves of responsibility for the horrors of Gaza, and lay out the emerging…
- Citations Needed Live Show Beg-a-Thon: MAHA, TikTok and the Rise of Health-Branded Fascism · 55 minIn this Live Show Beg-a-Thon from 10/13, we are joined by Justin Feldman to discuss the rise of MAHA, the broader Granola-to-Fascist Pipeline and how corporate-written food…
- News Brief: As Trump Attacks Venezuela, Media Takes His Absurd "Drug War" Pretext at Face Value · 23 minIn this News Brief, we detail how the AP, Atlantic, Washington Post and New York Times are accepting Trump's framing that his attacks on Venezuela and Colombia are about "going…
- News Brief: Media Helps Sell ICE Raids with Zero Dark Thirty Ride-Along Schlock · 31 minIn this News Brief, we are joined by Matthew Cunningham-Cook to discuss his recent media analysis of "embedded reports" of ICE raids that prime the public for brutal crackdowns…
- News Brief: The Billionaire-Backed Groups Working to Push Dems Right in 2026 and 2028 · 30 minIn this News Brie, we detail the major factions seeking to rewrite the history of the 2024 election as "woke" Gone Too Far, downplay Gaza, and prevent economic populism at all…
- Live Show Beg-A-Thon Monday 10/13 - Promo! · 2 minPlease join us Monday, Oct 13 for a Beg-A-Thon live show @ 9:30ET/8:30CT! We will be joined by Justin Feldman to discuss the rise of MAHA, the broader Granola-to-Fascist Pipeline…
- Ep 229: Sociopathic 'You Got To Hand it To 'Em' Punditry and the Rise of Politics as Sport · 1 h 14 minIn this episode we detail the rise of detached "who's winning and who's losing" political analyses that reduces high stakes life and death issues to fodder for ESPN-style…
- Ep 228 - Billionaires as Insta-Experts: How Our Media Conflates Extreme Wealth with Expertise · 1 h 24 minIn Ep 228, "Billionaires as Insta-Experts: How Our Media Conflates Extreme Wealth with Expertise," we break down the media convention of assuming the rich are per se experts on…
- News Brief - NYT, BBC, Guardian: Starvation in Gaza Doesn't Really Count if Victim Has Preexisting Condition · 40 minIn this News Brief, we detail recent "updates," "clarifications" and "added context" pro-Israel crybullies have pressured Western media outlets to make (some more willingly than…
- Ep 227: The Importance of 'Seriousness,' or Why Palestinians Can't Be Witness to Their Own Genocide (Part II) · 1 h 33 min"Exclusive Look at Life in War-Ravaged Gaza," reads the title for a CNN interview with correspondent Clarissa Ward. "'It's a Killing Field': IDF Soldiers Ordered to Shoot…
- Ep 226: The Importance of 'Seriousness,' or Why Palestinians Can't Be Witness to Their Own Genocide (Part I) · 1 h 8 min"12 UN Relief Works Agency staff members are accused of involvement in Hamas' attack against Israel," reports NPR. "Details Emerge on U.N. Workers Accused of Aiding Hamas Raid,"…
- Ep 225: How US Media Frames Democracy that Actually Helps People as 'Buying Votes' · 1 h 4 min"Student loan forgiveness is a bribe for young voters," shouted Newsweek in 2022. "Harris's call for price controls on groceries is more pandering than policy," declared The Hill…
- Episode 224: Corporate Self-Regulation and the Fine Art of 'Preempting" Public Outrage · 1 h 11 minIn this episode, we detail the classic PR gambit of corporations anticipating regulation, offering to "self-police," implementing token or superficial reforms, waiting for the…
- News Brief: ADL, Corporate Media, Dem Elites Manufature "Antisemitism" Scandal to Discipline Mamdani · 38 minIn this News Brief, we break down recent bad faith attacks on Zohran Mamdani, the ADL's DO YOU CONDEMN extortion racket, and the broader "antisemitism scandal" playbook to derail…
