The first major shift in news consumption occurred with the advent of the radio. Newspapers had a monopoly on news coverage — I mean, it’s in the name — with little exception. After taking office in 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt realized the potential of the radio as a direct line of communication and initiated his fireside chats. These 30 radio addresses during FDR’s tenure as president addressed broad existential issues to the United States, and are credited for calming Americans during the “anomie” of the Great Depression.
Since the 1930s, network television news (NBC, CBS and ABC), cable news (Fox News, CNN and MSNBC) and social media sites have all shaped and continue to shape the way Americans consume news. Approximately 62 percent of people get news from social media and 18 percent overall say they do so often. However, the problem with social media is that it involves so much interacting and endless scrolling. Many will argue that it is better than the generally bland and prescription drug advertisement-ridden television news. Therefore, people are left with two options with major flaws. This helps to explain the rise of political podcasts.
Political podcasts are an ode to radio news but with a modern, smartphone-enabled twist. As a group, they are quite diverse and enable the listener to multitask in different ways. I currently subscribe (without cost) to more than several podcasts. Here’s a day in the life of my podcast listening.
As I wake up and perform my morning routine, I turn on the “The Daily,” The New York Times’ podcast about today’s major news stories. Then, on my journey to and from the College of Arts and Sciences, I play “Freakonomics Radio,” which takes an interesting twist on economic orthodoxy. After that, when I scramble to eat lunch at the dining hall, I listen to “Pod Save the World” as I get and eat my food. At night, as I do some homework assignment that doesn’t involve heavy reading, I put on my headphones and play “The Global Politico” for an interview with Madeleine Albright.
One could argue my whole life now runs around political podcasts. When I returned home for spring break, I was shocked to learn my father sometimes walks a half hour to work without listening to anything. I immediately gave him a sales pitch about podcasts. Why do anything boring, like walking or folding laundry, without listening to something interesting? Any podcast distracts you and informs you at the same time. After he decided to try some podcasts, I immediately set him up with some of my favorites. But that was an issue, because I had to choose my favorites. In all, I have nine weekly or biweekly podcasts with episodes that range from 30 minutes to two hours. The fact that I find the time to listen to all the podcasts is remarkable. I can’t remember the last time I showered without a podcast playing in the background, and don’t worry, I shower at least once a day.
Most of the podcasts involve multiple hosts. They make you feel like you’re sitting at a table with the speakers (much like the fireside chats). A perfect example of this is “Pod Save America.” I’ll just quote its website, which I wholeheartedly agree with. “Pod Save America” is “a no-bullsh-t conversation about politics where you can laugh, cry, scream, ridicule us daily, share your ideas, and hopefully decide that you want to help fix this mess too.” This podcast obviously has a liberal slant, but it doesn’t pretend not to, unlike Fox News (“fair and balanced” is the lie of the century) and MSNBC. The “Pod Save America” hosts are upfront with their biases and clear that they want to incite peaceful activism.
But if you’re craving something a bit more classical and unbiased, my favorite group host podcast for that is National Public Radio’s “Politics Podcast.” With a weekly roundup in addition to special episodes about major news topics, this podcast will undoubtedly certify you as an “I’m informed” person.
While I would love to give you a detailed description about all my favorite political podcasts, I’ll just leave you with a list, because I must go listen to a podcast.
“1947: The Meet the Press Podcast”
“Pod Save the World”
“The Global Politico”
“Pod Save America”
“The Daily”
“MSNBC Morning Joe”
“NPR Politics Podcast”
“Can He Do That?”
“Freakonomics Radio”
