Podcast Recommendation: American Thought Leaders, with host Jan Jekielek
Available on iTunes, Sketcher, and YouTube
I won’t go back. Nope, nope. You can’t make me. In a good podcast, the interviewer introduces the guest, asks a question, and then shuts up and waits while the guest talks. And then he asks another question, and the guest talks some more. Sometimes, it even turns into a conversation.
On typical news programs, journalists seem to ask questions, but they are really fishing for certain answers. Guests get a few sound byte seconds to explain, complain, and condemn. That’s only enough time for an expert or politician to say, “I agree” or “I disagree,” with a few other words, followed by the approved political slogan.
How can you tell anything from such snippets? Are the interview subjects sincere? Knowledgeable? Does she believe what she’s saying? Can she defend her position?
After listening to long-form thought explorations and interesting conversations, how could I go back to superficial reality skits on broadcast news? If you think about it, it’s kind of insulting. For decades, the mainstream media trained the American public toward accepting smaller and simpler bits of information as complete and accurate windows to the world.
And we learned NOT to think for ourselves.
What does this have to do with American Thought Leaders? Jan Jekielek is a patient and curious interviewer, making him a great podcast host. He talks with authors, politicians, and community activists, among a variety of other fascinating people. They state their positions, how they arrived at those viewpoints, and what they are doing about them. Unfettered by an agenda or tiny time slots, they have time to explain, extrapolate, and reveal. Hypocrisy and muddy thinking are harder to hide.
Previous guests include:
- Author, attorney, and filmmaker Larry Elder
- Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe
- Former NFL player and Utah congressional candidate Burgess Owens
- Head investigative reporter for The Epoch Times Joshua Phillip
- FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr
They understand their communities, and seek to teach people to fish, not give them bread. I like learning about the fish and then deciding to go get ’em or not. You might too.
American Thought Leaders is affiliated with The Epoch Times, the last print and online journalism based on real investigative reporting.
Stop being satisfied with what others tell you to think about issues or people. Get more information. Hear the entire discussion. Form your own opinions.
Be careful. You too may lose dumb-news tolerance and its serving of pinhole reality.
Featured photo by Ben Wilkins on Unsplash
Thought Ripples by Wendi 