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Blocked and Reported

News & Politics Podcasts

Journalists Katie Herzog and Jesse Singal scour the internet for its craziest, silliest, most sociopathic content, part of an obsessive and ill-conceived attempt to extract kernels of meaning and humanity from a landscape of endless raging dumpster...

Location:

United States

Description:

Journalists Katie Herzog and Jesse Singal scour the internet for its craziest, silliest, most sociopathic content, part of an obsessive and ill-conceived attempt to extract kernels of meaning and humanity from a landscape of endless raging dumpster fires. www.blockedandreported.org

Twitter:

@thebarpod

Language:

English


Episodes
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Episode 304: Pomona College And The $300 Zine That Nearly Destroyed A Department (with Emma Pettit)

4/20/2026
This week on Blocked and Reported, Katie is joined by Chronicle of Higher Ed reporter Emma Pettit to discuss an internal civil war at Pomona College, where the literature department spiraled into years of accusations, investigations, and a whole lot of angry emails. Plus, we revisit New College of Florida, and discuss what Emma got wrong in 2020 and what she’s learned since. Some Scholars Have Long Talked About Abolishing the Police. Now People Are Listening. What Comes Next? The College That Conservatives Took Over When a Department Self-Destructs This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe

Duration:01:05:47

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Premium: Got E. coli?

4/16/2026
This week on the Primo show, Jesse and Katie discuss homesteader influencers Hannah and Daniel Neeleman of Ballerina Farm and their raw milk problems. Plus, dogs in the city. Where Does a Dog Belong? Meet the queen of the ‘trad wives’ (and her eight children) The Woman Behind Ballerina Farm, Hannah Neeleman, Makes Her Own Path - The New York Ti… To hear more, visit www.blockedandreported.org

Duration:00:19:24

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Episode 303: Interrogating Viral Wokeness: A Case Study In Discursive Misrecognition (In Canada)

4/13/2026
This week on the Primo show, Jesse and Katie discuss a series of viral videos from Canada’s cringiest. Plus, has the death of wokeness been widely exaggerated? Trans Issues Are No Conspiracy - Jesse Singal - The Dispatch Opinion | Did Wokeness Leave Us Worse Off? - The New York Times Brock Colyar on Pronouns, Identifying as Nonbinary This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe

Duration:00:59:35

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Premium: The Return Of The Return Of Facilitated Conversation

4/8/2026
This week on the Primo show, Jesse and Katie discuss the non-verbal novelist Woody Brown, the return of facilitated communication, and the reporters who apparently forgot to google it. Is Controversy Helping Lindy West Sell Books? Not as well as you might think. The Strange Case of Anna Stubblefield - The New York Times Doctors Believed Woody Brown Would … To hear more, visit www.blockedandreported.org

Duration:00:16:52

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Episode 302: It's Not Cheating. It's Leveraging Available Tools To Optimize Your Workflow.

4/6/2026
This week on Blocked and Reported, Jesse and Katie discuss a string of recent AI scandals in publishing: the Shy Girl debacle, Matt Goodwin's hallucinated data, Alex Preston's plagiarized book review, and more. Plus, controversy ensues when Washington Post columnist Megan McArdle admits to (gasp) using AI in her process. Watch Thin Skin (2023) - Free Movies | Tubi Mia Ballard on Her Horrific Feminine Rage Novel - Bookstr A.I. Is Writing Fiction. Publishers Are Unprepared. - The New York Times I Was Deemed Unfit to Be a Mother - The New York Times New York Times Cuts Ties with Book Review Writer Over AI Use | Exclusive The illusion and delusion of Matt Goodwin | The Spectator Suicide of an author’s credibility | Ben Sixsmith | The Critic Magazine Matt Goodwin and Andy Twelves caught in fiery clash over author’s new book Suicide of a Nation AI didn’t write my book | The Spectator Inside the Dirty, Dystopian World of AI Data Centers - The Atlantic A billionaire, an AI supercomputer, toxic emissions and a Memphis community that did nothing wrong • Tennessee Lookout Journalism schools are teaching fear of the future: Letter from the Editor - cleveland.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe

Duration:01:05:32

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Episode 301: Because He Got Raided

3/30/2026
This week on Blocked and Reported, Jesse and Katie discuss American icon Afroman and the defamation trial that briefly broke the Lindyverse. Plus, a California court puts internet addiction on trial. Social media trial: Meta and Google found negligent : NPR Jury sides wtih Afroman in defamation trial w/ Ohio deputies Police Raided Afroman Searching for a ‘Dungeon.’ His Record Label Says He Doesn’t Even Have a Basement Sheriff Under Scrutiny over Drug Money Spending : NPR The Rise of Civil Forfeiture | The New Yorker Sheriff Under Scrutiny over Drug Money Spending : NPR https://substack.com/@ymeskhout This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe

Duration:01:00:51

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Strange Bedfellows + An Offer from Longview

3/26/2026
The episode you’re about to hear is the first in a new series from our friends at Longview Investigations, the podcast company run by Matt Boll and Andy Mills, both familiar voices if you’ve been listening to our show for a while. The series is called Strange Bedfellows, and when Andy first asked if we’d be interested in sharing it with our listeners, I said absolutely not, because I’m still bitter that the Moose likes Andy better than me and because every time we drop something new into the feed, at least a couple of you complain and then Jesse starts crying and sweating and it’s this whole thing. But after hearing the first episode, I changed my mind. Strange Bedfellows is exactly the kind of thing Blocked and Reported listeners will be into. It’s about how LGB became LGBTQ, what brought that sometimes uneasy coalition together, and why it now seems to be coming apart. The series is hosted by Ben Kawaller (also a BAR alum), and it’s smart, funny, and genuinely thought-provoking. And here’s the bonus offer: Andy and Matt have generously offered three months free of Longview’s membership program for our Primo subscribers. If you take them up on that and subscribe now, you’ll get access to the full three-part series before it’s released publicly. This offer is only available to Primos and the link to join is right… To hear more, visit www.blockedandreported.org

Duration:00:42:23

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Premium: You Are A Bitter, Untalented Mean Girl

3/24/2026
This week on the Primo show, Jesse and Katie discuss the continuing fallout from Lindy West’s throuple memoir. Featuring: Aham’s very angry email. Note for Puget Sound listeners: The April BAR Pod meet-up will be in the Port Townsend area on April 25th. If you would like to attend, please email blockedandreportedpodcast@gmail… To hear more, visit www.blockedandreported.org

Duration:00:14:15

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Episode 300: Pamela Paul Answers For Her Crimes

3/21/2026
This week on Blocked and Reported, Jesse is joined by Wall Street Journal Writer-at-Large Pamela Paul to discuss the disappearing male therapist, the politicization of the literary world, that Andrea Long Chu essay, and more. Pamela stayed on after the free show to answer questions submitted by our Primo subscribers. To hear the full episode, join us. Wha… To hear more, visit www.blockedandreported.org

Duration:01:19:23

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Premium: Help! Help! I'm Being Harassed

3/19/2026
This week on the Primo show, Jesse and Katie discuss a good old-fashioned internet pile-on, this time targeting New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie on Bluesky. Plus, a tad more L***y W**t. Lindy West’s marriage was broken. Did polyamory fix it? To hear more, visit www.blockedandreported.org

Duration:00:19:07

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Episode 299: The Politics of Misery

3/16/2026
This week on Blocked and Reported, Jesse and Katie discuss the intersection of politics, social media, and mental health and debate the question: Why are young libs so depressed? Plus: Jake Lang’s anti-Muslim protest, Zohran Mamdani’s very bad tweet, and Bluesky’s CEO steps down. USA v. Lang Conservative Influencer Chased From Minneapolis Streets by Counterprotesters - The New York Times Pardoned Jan. 6 Rioter Back in Jail for Destroying Anti-ICE Sculpture | The New Republic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe

Duration:00:53:15

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Live with Katie Herzog & Jesse Singal

3/11/2026
Thanks to everyone who joined our live chat this afternoon. ’Twas great fun, and yes, Jesse was in a fancy bathroom. These live video hangouts are a perk for our Primo subscribers. To get access to the entire video—and much more—join us. To hear more, visit www.blockedandreported.org

Duration:00:24:59

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Episode 298: Miss Finland And The Slitty-Eyed Picture

3/9/2026
This week on Blocked and Reported, Jesse and Katie discuss an international incident surrounding a Finnish beauty queen and an allegedly racist photo. Plus, updates on Lindy West, Chuck Johnson, CHOP/CHAZ, and Bryan Johnson. Lindy West Thought She Couldn’t Handle Polyamory. She Was Wrong. - The New York Times Abolish the Police? Those Who Survived the Chaos in Seattle Aren’t So Sure - The New York Times How Blueprint Founder Bryan Johnson Sought Control Via Confidentiality Agreements - The New York Times The slitty eyed pics https://x.com/nauru_japan This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe

Duration:00:55:08

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Premium: Huda Kattan vs. Diaspora Iran

3/4/2026
This week on the Primo show, Jesse and Katie discuss the online reaction to the bombardment of Iran and what happened when beauty influencer Huda Kattan dropped some controversial takes. Iranians’ Political Preferences in 2024” – Gamaan To hear more, visit www.blockedandreported.org

Duration:00:15:38

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Episode 297: Throuple Trouble (with Helen Lewis)

2/28/2026
This week on Blocked and Reported, Katie is joined by Helen Lewis to revisit 2010s online feminism and discuss Lindy West’s new throuple memoir, Adult Braces: Driving Myself Sane. Plus, the BAFTAs slur and shocking allegations from Rupert Lowe’s rape inquiry. The Genius Myth Influencers With Tourette’s Find a Niche … To hear more, visit www.blockedandreported.org

Duration:01:21:50

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Premium: Weird! Turns Out The Science Of Youth Gender Medicine Isn’t Settled After All

2/25/2026
This week on the Primo show, Jesse and Katie discuss trans shooters, the medical association pivot, and bathroom backlash. What a Trans Shooter Doesn’t Mean - Jesse Singal - The Dispatch HRC Foundation | The Epidemic of Violence Against the Transgender and… Gender Identity: The Career of a Category | Theory and Social Inquiry Position Statement on Gender S… To hear more, visit www.blockedandreported.org

Duration:00:14:37

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Episode 296: Loving Pound Cake

2/23/2026
This week on Blocked and Reported, Jesse and Katie discuss a major scandal in the sphinx cat subreddit. r/sphynx video r/dechonkers rest in peace Sweet Pound Cake the big reveal This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe

Duration:00:57:14

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Premium: Unshrunk with Laura Delano

2/22/2026
The first meeting of the Blocked and Reported Challenging Books Book Club met earlier today to discuss Unshrunk: A Story of Psychiatric Treatment Resistance with author Laura Delano. We did experience some technical difficulties, so no video this time—sorry about that—but you can listen to the conversation here. To hear more, visit www.blockedandreported.org

Duration:00:25:59

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Episode 295: Gone Broke? Go Woke!

2/16/2026
This week on Blocked and Reported, Jesse and Katie discuss Tyler Austin Harper’s recent Atlantic piece on the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, an $8 billion behemoth whose grantmaking now plays an outsized role in the humanities. Plus, more Epstein (sorry). Jeffrey Epstein Is a Horrifying Person, But That Doesn’t Mean He’s a Pedophile - The Stranger The Tide Goes Out on Youth Gender Medicine - The Atlantic What Is the Mellon Foundation Doing to Higher Education? - The Atlantic I am the wrong kind of Black professor - The Boston Globe No Freedom Without the Second Amendment - The Atlantic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe

Duration:00:55:17

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Bonus: The Personals Section

2/13/2026
Back by (somewhat) popular demand, we present to you… the Official Blocked and Reported Low-Effort Matchmaking Service. Thanks to everyone who submitted a personal ad. We got a great selection this year, and if you all get together, this could be the largest polycule and/or chlamydia circle outside of Portland. If you failed to submit your personal ad on time, or are newly single/ready to mingle, feel free to leave one in the comments. Reminder: BAR Pod and its affiliates assume no legal responsibility for any bad dates, emotional damage, unwanted pregnancies, and/or murders that may result from participation in this service. This is legally binding. Have fun, be smart, and good luck! To hear more, visit www.blockedandreported.org

Duration:00:12:17