Topic: Columnists

New York Times columnist David Brooks published a piece titled "If Democrats want to beat MAGA, it's not enough to say Orange Man Bad," using a phrase frequently popularized by the podcast. The usage suggests that mainstream media figures or their staff may be monitoring independent media for cultural terminology.

Time Magazine named "The Guardians," including Jamal Khashoggi, as Person of the Year, sparking a debate over the definition of a journalist versus a columnist. Professor Chris Chambers of Georgetown University argued that the distinction disappears when a writer is targeted by powerful interests. Critics of the choice suggest that Khashoggi's role was more akin to a political operative or essayist than a traditional investigative reporter.

Chris Hedges warns that Section 1021 of the NDAA contains no exemptions for journalists, potentially allowing the state to label reporters as "fifth columnists" for interviewing groups on the State Department's terrorism list. He draws parallels to his experience covering conflicts in El Salvador and Nicaragua.

John C. Dvorak recounts a story about IDG founder Pat McGovern using fake columnists in trade publications like InfoWorld. These fictional personas would write scathing critiques of major companies like IBM to provoke a reaction; when the companies complained, McGovern would "fire" the fake columnist to appease the advertiser, only to replace them with a new fictional entity to target a different company.