The Myth of Invincibility

How the media should handle conspiracy theories, from the presidential race to the October 7 terrorist attacks

Big week with lots to cover in Episode 16! Listen and subscribe at: Apple Podcasts (also rate and review!), Spotify (rate!) Amazon Music, or wherever else you get podcasts. It’s also at joshlevs.com, or right here:

When conspiracy theories grow, there's a crucial step that news organizations should take: They should run those theories past the myth of invincibility.

In this episode, I explain what that means, and how the same myth applies to conspiracies about the presidential race, the October 7 attacks, 9/11 and more. (Here’s a terrific piece I mention from Pamela Meyer, the nation’s top “liespotter,” in U.S. News & World Report. She explains that every country, every military, every entity can be fooled.)

Plus, now that President Biden has dropped out of the race, I lay out what we should watch for in the news, and the role that Americans desperately need the media to play. I also highlight hypocrisy in coverage of the assassination attempt at a Trump rally, and show how the coverage left out crucial context.

Meanwhile, big news on another front — Israel — has made early episodes of this show as timely and important as ever. You’ll hear why in this episode, and I’ll explore that more in a newsletter tomorrow. Be sure to subscribe to receive all of them!

Share your thoughts and any links to news stories that you want me to check out. Paid subscribers can post in comments below; everyone else can find a form at my website.

Were you affected by the global Internet outage? I was, but fortunately made it home after a two-delay. Still piecing through the backlog of work!

See you tomorrow,

JL