Ink Stained Wretches

Nebulous Media

Eliana Johnson and Chris Stirewalt love the news business but they hate a lot of what’s happening to it these days. Using their decades of experience in print, digital and TV news they tell the story behind the stories, always on the lookout for bias, sloppy reporting and, well, just plain wretched journalism. Every week they help you to be a better, smarter news consumer.

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Top 10 Ink Stained Wretches Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Ink Stained Wretches episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Ink Stained Wretches for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Ink Stained Wretches episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

RICO Suave

Ink Stained Wretches

08/18/23 • 93 min

Eliana is out this week, but we have the great Kevin Williamson stepping in for her. We’re jumping into indictment coverage from the Washington Post and then moving onto Fox News woes, local news “solutions” and closing out the front page with BBLs (Brazilian butt lifts). Wretch on!

Time Stamps:

09:16 Front Page

1:13:13 Obsessions

1:21:24 Reader Mail

1:27:27 Favorite Item of the Week

If you have a story you want us to talk about, e-mail us at [email protected].

Show Notes:

WaPo: Trump insults D.C. to get his trial moved. The city rolls its eyes.

Hollywood Reporter: CNN Overhauls Lineup: Abby Phillip Takes 10 p.m., Laura Coates to Host 11 p.m., New Morning Show Hosts and Weekend Programs

NYT: Fox’s Top Lawyer, Viet Dinh, Will Depart

Yahoo: 'A dangerous decision': Canadian news is disappearing from Instagram, Facebook

The Atlantic: The Local-News Crisis Is Weirdly Easy to Solve

Kansas Reflector: Police stage 'chilling' raid on Marion County newspaper, seizing computers, records and cellphones

The Dispatch: The Perils of Activist Journalism

Cincinnati Enquirer: Retired Reds beat writer John Fay's life story is a love story

Axios: As BBLs grow more popular, deaths rise in South Florida

APNews: Armed Utah man shot by FBI last week carried AR-15 in 2018 police encounter, records show

The Fire: Don’t tread on my editorial independence

NYTimes: The Frothy Saga of the Jacuzzi Family

The Spectator: Wolves and the Greens: why Germans are flocking to the AfD

Consider the Source

Ink Stained Wretches

12/22/23 • 63 min

Tune in this week to hear the latest on the plagiarism accusations against Claudine Gay. We’re also unpacking the Senate sex tape, Colorado’s Supreme Court ruling against Trump, and enjoying a fun new musical. Wretch on!

Time Stamps:

1:47 Front Page

47:05 Obsessions

59:47 Reader Mail

1:03:35 Favorite Item

If you have a story you want us to talk about, e-mail us at [email protected]. Sign Up for the Newsletter: https://nebulouspodcasts.com/shows/ink-stained-wretches

Show Notes:

NYT: Harvard Finds More Instances of ‘Duplicative Language’ in Claudine Gay’s Work

CNN Business: Harvard president’s corrections do not address her clearest instances of plagiarism, including as a student in the 1990s

WFB: Fresh Allegations of Plagiarism Unearthed in Official Academic Complaint Against Claudine Gay

NBC News: Senate staffer alleged by conservative outlets to have had sex in a hearing room is no longer employed

Washingtonian: Horny on the Hill: Staffers React to the Sex Tape

The Hill: Cardin ‘angry,’ ‘disappointed’ with ex-staffer after sex tape reveal

Semafor: U.S. House quietly investigated separate sex tape scandal

WaPo: James Biden’s dealmaking caught on FBI tapes in unrelated Mississippi bribery probe

NYT: Trump, Attacked for Echoing Hitler, Says He Never Read ‘Mein Kampf’

ABC: Speaker Mike Johnson and daughter were profiled attending 'purity ball' in 2015 German TV news segment

Rollingstone: ‘Gwyneth Goes Skiing’: Gwyneth Paltrow’s Ski Trial as a Gonzo Musical

Obsessions:

AP News: 'Fat Leonard,' a fugitive now returning to the US, was behind one of the military's biggest scandals

WaPo: Opinion | The Supreme Court should toss the Colorado case

Reader Mail:

WaPo: Opinion | Was the Boston Tea Party an act of terrorism? It depends.

Favorite Items:

WSJ: Swimming Pools and Granite Countertops: How College Dorms Got So Expensive

YouGov on Twitter: "Father Christmas" is being replaced in British English by "Santa Claus". % who use [x] more...

2015 All Over Again

Ink Stained Wretches

04/07/23 • 44 min

It’s another historic week by the media’s standards as they try to chase ratings with Trump’s arraignment. The press was also busy reacting to 60 Minute’s newest special and reacting to Women’s NCAA White House plans. All of this and more on this week’s episode. Tune in!

If you have a story you want us to talk about, e-mail us at [email protected].

Time Stamps:

03:05 Front Page

30:07 Obsessions

37:57 Reader Mail

39:53 Favorite Items of the Week

Show Notes:

Free Beacon: Chase Those Ratings: Watch the Media's Obsessive Coverage of Trump's Arraignment Journey

WaPo: On ‘historic’ Trump indictment day, media scrambled to show us something

NYT: Trump will be arraigned today. Clinton will be honored.

Washington Examiner: The Washington Post's gross partisan practice when reporting on alleged sex crimes

WaPo:Opinion | Fox News's Dominion 'cherry-picking' defense is rotten - The Washington Post

Semafor: Fake news’ no more: Marjorie Taylor Greene’s journey to 60 Minutes

WSJ: Evan Gershkovich — Reporter at The Wall Street Journal

The Spectator: The Wall Street Journal’s curious DEI hire

NYT: For Lower-Income Students, Big Tech Internships Can Be Hard to Get

The Atlantic: Angel Reese Meets the Same Old Stereotypes

TMZ: Elon Musk's Twitter Strips New York Times of Verified Checkmark

NYPost: Meet the Whittakers: Inside 'America's most inbred family' that speaks in grunts

NYT: When Climate Change Melts Your Relationship

National Day Calendar: NATIONAL HUG A NEWSPERSON DAY - April 4

Obsessions:

Politico: How to tell what's real online

WaPo:ChatGPT invented a sexual harassment scandal and named a real law prof as the accused

Favorite item:

NYT: ‘Hot Ones’ Was a Slow Burn All Along

Variety: Don Lemon's Misogyny at CNN, Exposed: Malicious Texts, Mocking Female Co-Workers and 'Diva-Like Behavior'

Media Bites Back at Biden

Ink Stained Wretches

07/27/23 • 58 min

We’re early this week! And in case you haven’t heard, DeSantis is cooked . . . or at least that’s the latest take from the media. We’re breaking down the latest 2024 news, controversial curriculum in Florida, Hunter Biden, and stick around for great moments in fact-checking.

Time Stamps:

41:03 - Style Section

47:36 - Obsessions

53:30 - Reader Mail

54:59 - Favorite Items

Show Notes:

NBC: Note cards and shorter stairs: How Biden's campaign is addressing his age

NYPost: Biden’s dog Commander sent Secret Service officer to hospital, bit 6 others after replacing first pooch Major

CNN: DeSantis cuts additional campaign staff in effort to ‘streamline operations’

Politico: New Florida teaching standards say African Americans received some ‘personal benefit’ from slavery

Washington Examiner: Truth is the first casualty of liberal media’s war on DeSantis

Politico: Political consultant backing Tim Scott spewed the N-word during card game

Washington Post: Tuberville’s tales about his father in World War II have false elements

New York Times: Study of Elite College Admissions Data Suggests Being Very Rich Is Its Own Qualification

New York Times: In Florida, Swimmers Brave an Ocean That Feels Like Steamy Syrup

Washington Post: Five ways to sleep better during a heat wave without blasting the AC

New York Times: Would You Drink Wastewater? What if It Was Beer?

Washington Post: Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s charged mission of healing

Variety: Inside the Battle for CNN: Jeff Zucker, David Zaslav, Chris Licht and 18 Months of Crazy Backstabbing

Washington Post: Black Lives Matter images deleted from Jason Aldean’s ‘Small Town’ video

Washington Post: Tracy Chapman, Luke Combs and the complicated response to ‘Fast Car’

The Atlantic: What’s the Matter With Barbie?

New York Times: I Saw ‘Barbie’ With Susan Faludi, and She Has a Theory About It

Wall Street Journal: How Allbirds Lost Its Way

New York Times: Is the Cure to Male Loneliness Out on the Pickleball Court?

Business Insider: Exclusive: Hunter Biden's gallery sold his art to a Democratic donor 'friend' whom Joe Biden named to a prestigious commission

AP News: ‘Mama bears’ may be the 2024 race’s soccer moms. But where the GOP seeks votes, some see extremism

Chalkbeat: Politicians and pundits sa...

They Don’t Wanna Ronna

Ink Stained Wretches

03/29/24 • 60 min

Watch this episode on YouTube

Would you like a perfect encapsulation of why DC fails? Come listen to a story about the T-Ball scandal that rocked our nation’s capital. Additionally, we'll delve deep into the Ronn McDaniel-NBC saga, explore the latest drama at The Daily Wire with Candace Owens, and discuss the growing impact of Climate Cafes. Wretch on!

Time Stamps:

2:00 Front Page

42:28 Obsessions

50:55 Reader Mail

55:42 Favorite Items

If you have a story you want us to talk about, e-mail us at [email protected]. Sign Up for the Newsletter: https://nebulouspodcasts.com/shows/ink-stained-wretches

Show Notes:

Cnn: NBC News journalists vexed by MSNBC’s move to hire White House press secretary Jen Psaki

Semafor: NBC braces for the backlash to the backlash after hiring and firing Ronna McDaniel

Commentary Magazine: The Hateful Candace Owens

NYT: Chasing Clicks in the Jungle: Right-Wing Influencers Descend on the Darién Gap

The Atlantic: The British Right’s Favorite Sex Offender

WaPo: Qatari royal invested about $50 million in pro-Trump network Newsmax -

Politico: Republicans fixate on messy Afghanistan withdrawal

NYT: Can Climate Cafes Help Ease the Anxiety of Planetary Crisis?

NYT: Republicans Who Do Not Regularly Watch Fox Are Less Likely to Back Trump

APNews: LSU coach Kim Mulkey lashes out at Washington Post, threatens legal action

WSJ: Little League Scandal Roils Washington, D.C., Elite

WSJ: How Much More Ranch Can America Take? Hidden Valley Seeks Total Domination

Obsessions:

The Atlantic: The War at Stanford

Free Beacon: ‘Run by the Mob’: How Anti-Semites Took Over Stanford’s Campus

National Review: Well, Well, Well . . . If It Isn't the Consequences of Your Own Actions

Andrew Sullivan on Substack: What Have I, What Have I Done To Deserve This?

Favorite Items:

The New Yorker: Among the A.I. Doomsayers

NYT: Opinion | James Carville, the Cajun Who Can’t Stop Ragin’

Dems In The Doge House

Ink Stained Wretches

11/14/24 • 59 min

Much has happened since our last episode—or so we’ve heard. Get ready as we dive into it all: Trump’s ‘landslide’ victory, key takeaways for Democrats, Trump Administration 2.0, Elon Musk, and, of course, the American news media’s reaction to the election results. Wretch on!

Time Stamps:

1:19 - Front Page

49:25 - Obsessions

54:10 - Reader Mail

56:33 - Favorite Items

Show Notes:

Daily Mail: Election results breakdown reveals how Trump won by a landslide - taking both the popular vote and the crucial electoral vote

Politico: Trump Has Humiliated His Foes

Axios: Elon Musk becomes the most powerful (unelected) man ever

Politico: ‘Who the f--k is this guy?’: Defense world reacts to Trump’s surprise Pentagon pick Axios: Scoop: Trump expected to shake up White House briefing room

Abc News: Trump and Biden both call for smooth transition in historic Oval Office meeting

New York Times: Democrats Ignored Gaza and Brought Down Their Party

Washington Post: Pro-Hamas messages intensify on college campuses

Slate: The One Thing Democrats Need to Embrace to Survive

Semafor: A tale of two jets: The old media grapples with its new limits

Reuters: New York Times Tech Guild to return to work, negotiations will go on

The Washington Free Beacon: Fighters, Failures, and Freaks: The Definitive List of Winners and Losers of the 2024 Election

BBC: Monkeys will never type Shakespeare, study finds

The Wall Street Journal: Pro Take: Less Jobs Data Is Going Into the Jobs Report

The Wall Street Journal: Voters Reject the Party of Scold

Tom Elliot on X: “If Jonestown had recorded a final video”

Newsroom Rebellions

Ink Stained Wretches

04/19/24 • 64 min

The NPR rebellion continues this week on Ink Stained Wretches. We’re also covering infighting at The New York Times, Trump trial coverage and the emerging trend of sexless marriages. Wretch on!

2:29 Front Page

50:27 Obsessions

57:39 Reader Mail

4:34 Favorite Items

If you have a story you want us to talk about, e-mail us at [email protected]. Sign Up for the Newsletter: https://nebulouspodcasts.com/shows/ink-stained-wretches

Show Notes:

NPR: NPR editor Uri Berliner resigns with blast at new CEO

NYPost: NPR's new CEO Katherine Maher scrubs hyper-partisan posts: 'Trump is a racist'

NPR: From NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher: Thoughts on our mission and our work

Politico: The Real Reason NPR Squashed Uri Berliner

I Might Be Wrong on Substack: GUEST COLUMN: Who the Fuck Did You THINK Ran NPR?

Slate: NPR: The public broadcaster’s problems are deeper than “wokeness.”

WSJ: New York Times Bosses Seek to Quash Rebellion in the Newsroom

USA Today: Media is playing right into Trump's hands with jury selection as jurors become targets

NYTimes: Can a Sexless Marriage Be a Happy One?

NYTimes: One Thing Parents Can Control

WSJ: She’s One of the Greatest Basketball Players Ever. She’s an Even Better Coach.

NYTimes: The Biden Guide to Dressing Younger

Axios: Exclusive: Grindr plans to offer a pocket "gayborhood"

ABC News: Red Lobster eyes bankruptcy option after $11M in losses from endless shrimp

WaPo: They criticized Israel. This Twitter account upended their lives.

Commentary Mag: Media Revive the Classic ‘Jewish Oppressor’ Stereotype

The Atlantic: What the Upper-Middle-Class Left Doesn’t Get About Inflation

SNL: Beavis and Butthead

WSJ: A Day in the Life of a Walmart Manager Who Makes $240,000 a Year

Thanksgiving Special

Ink Stained Wretches

11/26/21 • 81 min

Happy Thanksgiving! We hope you enjoy the greatest hits of Ink Stained Wretches

To Know Hur is to Love Hur

Ink Stained Wretches

02/16/24 • 67 min

How dare you question the President’s memory. At the least thats what The New York Times is telling readers this week. We’re breaking down coverage around the Hur report, Tucker and making budget suggestions for CNN. Wretch on!

Watch this episode on YouTube

Time Stamp:

02:39 Front Page

52:53 Obsessions

1:00:25 Reader Mail

1:03:31 Favorite Items

If you have a story you want us to talk about, e-mail us at [email protected]. Sign Up for the Newsletter: https://nebulouspodcasts.com/shows/ink-stained-wretches

Show Notes:

Axios: Special counsel Robert Hur making plans to testify to GOP panel about Biden

WSJ: Let’s See the Biden-Hur Interview Transcript

NYT: Opinion | Biden Must Win. But How Can He?

NBC News: Biden attacked Hur for asking him when Beau died. That didn't happen, sources say.

NYT: Memory Loss Requires Careful Diagnosis, Scientists Say

Andrew Sullivan on Substack: The Ruth Bader Ginsburg Syndrome

NYPost: Bloodbath at Paramount claims 800 jobs including CBS News journalists embroiled in controversy

Commentary Magazine: Don’t Blame Us. We’re Journalists.

WSJ: Rafah Is Already in a Humanitarian Crisis. Now, an Israeli Offensive Looms.

The Crimson: More Than 30 Harvard Students Hunger Strike for 12 Hours in Solidarity With Brown Protesters

The Hill: Tucker Carlson: Moscow ‘so much nicer than any city in my country’

The Dispatch: The Full Duranty - Kevin D. Williamson

NYT: What Is Solo Polyamory, and Does It Just Mean You’re Single?

Newsweek: Christian Super Bowl Commercial Outrages Conservatives

WSJ: Men Used to Have Wives. Now They Have Personal Stylists

WSJ: What’s the Tooth Fairy Leaving These Days? $100 Bills and Louis Vuitton Bracelets

Obsessions:

The Wrap: CNN Looks to Slash Budgets, Star Salaries as Mark Thompson Digs In

Ap News: Democrats embrace tougher border enforcement, seeing Trump's demolition of deal as a 'gift'

Favorite Items:

Commentary: The Power Broke Her

WSJ: The $1 Billion Art Collection That’s Tearing a Family Apart

McCarthyites, Amirite?

Ink Stained Wretches

11/11/23 • 71 min

We are lucky to have Christine Rosen, of Commentary Magazine and AEI, return as a guest host this week. She helps Chris break down this week’s GOP debate, Tuesday’s election results and a new era at the Washington Post. Wretch on!

3:57 Front Page

57:42 Obsessions

1:03:01 Reader Mail

1:05:15 Favorite Items

Show Notes:

WaPo: RNC shifts away from establishment media for the fourth GOP debate

NBC News: Key takeaways from the 2023 elections: Democrats show strength beyond Biden

The Atlantic: Donald Trump’s Gift to Adam Schiff

WaPo: In Israeli-Palestinian battle to sway Congress, only one side wins

NYT: Jewish Viewers Find a Refuge in Fox News

WaPo: Washington Post deletes editorial cartoon criticized as racist

NYT: Will Lewis Named C.E.O. of The Washington Post