Citations Needed is a podcast about the intersection of media, PR, and power, hosted by Nima Shirazi and Adam Johnson.
https://www.facebook.com/citationsneeded/
News Brief: Detailing the Connection Between Gentrification and Racist Police Harassment
One point brought up in Episode 116, highlighting the connection between real estate interests and over-policing, solicited a lot of feedback from listeners. In this News Brief, we wanted to expand upon this topic by interviewing an academic source we...
Episode 116: The Pro-Gentrification Aspirationalism of HGTV's House-Flipping Shows
The popularity of HGTV house-flipping TV shows can’t be overstated: In the second week of July, HGTV was the fourth highest rated cable network, behind only Fox News, MSNBC and CNN, making it the highest rated entertainment network in the United...
Ep. 115: Hollywood & Anti-Muslim Racism Part III - How the Pentagon & CIA Sponsor American Mythmaking
For over a hundred years, the American film industry has been promoting and glorifying U.S. foreign policy, initially working with the military and Department of Defense, and eventually, the CIA as well. From its origins as a producer of wartime...
Episode 114: Anti-Muslim Racism in Hollywood (Part II) - Oscar-Bait Imperialism
Our cultural context for understanding what we see on the news and hear in our politics, is often informed by the films and TV shows we’ve grown up watching. Pop culture is powerful and...
News Brief: The Harper's Letter and Our Extremely Narrow, Self-Serving Definition of Cancel Culture
A bizarrely vague, cliquish letter demanding everyone be open-minded has no interest in explaining what, precisely, it wants.
Episode 113: Hollywood & Anti-Muslim Racism (Part 1) - Action and Adventure Schlock
The United States and its close allies Saudi Arabia and Israel have been bombing and occupying large sections of the so-called “Muslim world” for decades – drastically ramping up after the 9/11 attacks and seemingly with no end in sight. The...
Episode 112: How "Polarization" Discourse Flattens Power Dynamics and Says Nothing
"Polarization Is Dividing American Society, Not Just Politics,” laments The New York Times. “The Constitution Is Threatened by Tribalism,” frets The Atlantic. “American politics has reached peak polarization,” declares Vox. After the past...
Episode 111: How “Small Business” Rhetoric Is Used to Protect Corporate America
“Obama lauds small business owners in his State of the Union,” announced The Washington Post. “I have always said that there is nothing more optimistic – perhaps maybe getting married – than starting a small business,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi...
News Brief: The Growing Pushback to Copaganda
In this News Brief we recap the recent mainstream pushback against pro-police pop culture, and discuss how this pushback is raising fundamental questions about the supposed firewall between creators and the political content they produce.
News Brief: Cops Push “Outside Agitator” Line, Exploit Real Fears of Far Right Violence to Delegitimize Protests
In this News Brief we examine the old––and new––ways police and government officials seek to undermine and divide the George Floyd protests.