Podcast

They Stand Corrected

News, News Commentary, Science, Social Sciences

Who fact-checks the news? This show does. Today’s news media prioritizes sensational clickbait over basic facts. Instead of fighting for truth, billion-dollar news giants spread misinformation from both ends of the political spectrum. They Stand Corrected is the show for people who want the truth. Josh Levs, former NPR journalist and CNN lead on-air fact checker, breaks down top stories and tells you what the media’s getting wrong. He provides links, documents, and more to prove it. Unafraid to take on news giants, hate movements, and liars of all kinds, Levs delivers the two ingredients of truth: facts plus context. Listeners call the show “the standard of truth,” “necessary,” and “an absolute must listen for all.”

Episodes
134
Releases
Weekly
Typical length
33 min
On air since
2024
Latest episode
4 days ago

Episodes

134 episodes, newest first

  1. Episode 132: Double Haters & Rage Bait

    Show notes

    Voting is underway in the U.S. midterm elections. The race is driven largely by so-called “double haters” who are fed up with both major parties. New data shows their numbers skyrocketing. The media talks about this group, but doesn’t tell the full story.

    Today, Josh shows how Americans are becoming more angry at and dissatisfied with the parties, candidates and incumbents. He asks a crucial question the media ignores: Why are people electing candidates who make them angry, rather than ones who make them happy? The answer lies largely with the media itself.

    A similar phenomenon is taking place across Western democratic nations. In the process, populations are losing a sense of cohesiveness. New figures show the number of people writing off national identity is growing rapidly. Josh explains how this shift empowers propagandists from anti-democratic nations like Russia, China, Iran and Qatar.

    Then: How did the media become a driver of so much bitterness and division? Josh was interviewed by the political podcast Face Forward. He was asked about media shifts across the decades and why so many interviewers seem unfamiliar with the topics they’re discussing. He shares a chunk of that interview.

    Plus: Two vile campaign ads (one by Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, the other by a PAC supporting Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed) are given vastly different treatments in the media… Josh answers listeners’ questions on Gaza, how to respond to a lawmaker, and something he should mention about the Michigan race… And why news giants can’t be trusted to cover elections in Israel.

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    32 min
  2. Episode 132: Double Haters & Rage Bait

    Show notes

    Voting is underway in the U.S. midterm elections. The race is driven largely by so-called “double haters” who are fed up with both major parties. New data shows their numbers skyrocketing. The media talks about this group, but doesn’t tell the full story.

    Today, Josh shows how Americans are becoming more angry at and dissatisfied with the parties, candidates and incumbents. He asks a crucial question the media ignores: Why are people electing candidates who make them angry, rather than ones who make them happy? The answer lies largely with the media itself.

    A similar phenomenon is taking place across Weatern democratic nations. In the process, populations are losing a sense of cohesiveness. New figures show the number of people writing off national identity is growing rapidly. Josh explains how this shift empowers propagandists from anti-democratic nations like Russia, China, Iran and Qatar.

    Then: How did the media become a driver of so much bitterness and division? Josh was interviewed by the political podcast Face Forward. He was asked about media shifts across the decades and why so many interviewers seem unfamiliar with the topics they’re discussing. He shares a chunk of that interview.

    Plus: Two vile campaign ads (one by Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, the other by a PAC supporting Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed) are given vastly different treatments in the media… Josh answers listeners’ questions on Gaza, how to respond to a lawmaker, and something he should mention about the Michigan race… And why news giants can’t be trusted to cover elections in Israel.

    Sign up TODAY: Get the facts, not the spin, about our government, through free weekly emails from sponsor USAFacts via this link. (Short link: http://bit.ly/4BhQ2Qr) You’ll help this show!

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    32 min
  3. Episode 131: Obama Exposed & Literary Blackout

    Show notes

    It’s time to correct something the media has been lying about for 15 years: former President Barack Obama’s record on the Middle East. The other day, he rewrote history and spewed vicious lies during a speech in Belfast, Northern Ireland (at a university where Josh once spoke). Obama poured fire onto the flaming inferno of the world’s largest hate movement, antizionism.

    Today, Josh sets the record straight. During Obama’s presidency, he ignored experts and insisted that protests in Cairo were all about democracy, and would lead to a democratic revolution. They instead proved to be rape-filled hellscapes that brought the pro-terror Muslim Brotherhood to power. When it was then toppled in a military coup, the United States looked the other way. Josh also details Obama’s massive increase in covert aerial bombings and refusal to acknowledge the Islamist terrorism sweeping across the globe.

    Then, Josh turns to a type of media that’s enormously influential, but has not yet come up on this show: prestigious “book review” sites. They have an outsized role in our culture, signaling to news giants which authors should be heard from. Recently, the Los Angeles Review of Books canceled an interview with author Shai Davidai (Josh’s guest in Episode 123) because the editors believed lies and distortions in the New York Times. Josh interviews Melissa Uchiyama, the writer whose story was killed. She explains the broad dangers it signals for the literary world.

    Plus, Josh discusses his Wall Street Journal column, Christiane Amanpour’s plan to leave CNN and PBS, new figures showing a huge number of Christians killed by Islamists in Nigeria, and how democracy takes root.

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    33 min
  4. Episode 130: Party Over Country & 3 ‘Isms’

    Show notes

    A lawmaker has responded to Josh’s recent episode — and her response shows what’s wrong with our politics. Today, Josh digs into a “party over country” mentality that’s damaging society.

    Rep. Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat, accurately called antizionism a hate movement. But she also endorsed Abdul El-Sayed, who would lead that hate movement in the Senate. In a note on Josh’s social media, Stevens tried to justify the decision. But in a sane political system, no one would think to do something like this.

    Where is the media? Josh explains that news agencies claim to stand for “country over party,” but they’re ignoring this story. Along the way, we hear from Hillary Clinton and a presidential historian.

    Plus, the media is building an ideological Tower of Babel by playing games with language. Re-airing a popular deep-dive from Episode 49, Josh dissects three controversial “isms” in the news: transgenderism, feminism, and Zionism. Why do media organizations follow dictionary definitions for some words, ignore them for others, and allow activists to weaponize the confusion? Josh examines how a double standard distorts public discourse and erases history.

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    31 min
  5. Episode 129: Oct. 7: What the World Lost

    Show notes

    On this third anniversary of the October 7 massacres, Josh highlights something the media forgets entirely: the story of what does not happen. The story of that day, and Am Yisrael (The People of Israel, a.k.a. “Jews”) having to fight the latest war for survival, isn’t just about death and destruction. It’s also about what the terrorists and their supporters have stolen from humanity.

    Antisemitism — including its most popular current incarnation, antizionism — is the story of our species shooting itself in the foot. When members of this tiny peoplehood, 0.2% of humanity, aren’t being hunted, they deliver extraordinary contributions far out of proportion to other groups. Why? Because of a culture that prizes learning facts, hard work, and rebuilding from scratch no matter what people do to you.

    In this episode, you’ll hear from Albert Einstein (literally), Mark Twain, author Norman Lebrecht, “son of Hamas” Mosab Hassan Yousef, and more. Josh has an update on saxophonist Erez Yatzkan, who lost his hands when Gazan terrorists tried to bomb their way into a safe room to slaughter him and his family on a kibbutz filled with peaceniks.

    Plus, new revelations about so-called “journalists” killed in Gaza show that the media has become a tool of propagandists. And Josh shares inspiring reasons for hope — including how we can all be a part of the good fight.

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    36 min
  6. Episode 128: Laundering Antizionism: Inside A Hate Movement with Adam Louis-Klein

    Show notes

    How did the mainstream media become a tool of today’s biggest hate movement? Today, a leading expert joins Josh to explain how the Antizionist Hate Movement used the nexus between academia and journalism to launder its lies. An academic and expert on how societies develop, Adam Louis-Klein is now leading the Movement Against Antizionism.

    His own story is instructive. He was a Communist and left-wing activist who went off to do research on an indigenous community. When he reconnected to the world two days after the October 7 massacres, he discovered his communities celebrating the terrorists. “Antizionist narratives were there from the beginning — the entire complex of the delegitimization of Israel, the erasure of Jewish peoplehood,” he explains.

    In this eye-opening, mind-expanding interview, Adam explains why fighting this hate movement requires a whole new strategy. He argues that it’s time to stop explaining why it’s antisemitic, and start making clear to the world that Israel-loathing is an “abusive complex.” He describes how academia, NGOs and the media have turned “epistemic authority” into a “tool of power.”

    Plus Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan faces calls for her death for saying something true. And the Boston Globe’s hilarious, viral story about a lesbian bar shows how hate movements turn on themselves.

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    34 min
  7. Episode 127: Macklemore, Mahdawi and the Media

    Show notes

    When the media decides to present someone as a victim, there’s almost always no turning back. No matter how wrong they turn out to be, no matter how much evidence disproves the narrative, the media doubles down. We’ve seen that in recent days with a rapper known as Macklemore. Today, Josh explains that the media is completely wrong about him.

    Macklemore praised violent pro-terror mobs at Columbia University. A leader of that movement is also a media darling, Mohsen Mahdawi. A new 100-page report proves that the media’s portrayals of him are pure fiction. In this episode, independent journalists David Collier and Rachel Feldman join Josh to talk about how they uncovered the truth. They discuss “crickets” from the media, historic failures, and how people can get the word out. Interestingly, it involves local school boards.

    Plus the New York Times blames an editing error for an offensive, wildly wrong claim in a report. But why is it that the Times’ supposed mistakes always point in the same direction? And Josh breaks down the hypocrisy in the battle over press access to the White House.

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    33 min
  8. Episode 126: America’s Most Unpopular

    Show notes

    If you picture America as the news describes it, which political figures do you think are popular? A new survey shows the actual popularity — in most cases, unpopularity — of political figures. It exposes the massive disconnect between the media and reality. Media darlings are among the most unpopular political figures in America. Today, Josh explains why this is such an important reality check about where Americans really stand.

    Also, the Wall Street Journal has run a new, anonymously-sourced hit piece on Senator John Fetterman. Josh digs up what the paper’s top editor has said about anonymity, and explains why allowing it in this case doesn’t seem to make sense. Plus, the giant part of the Fetterman story that just about everyone leaves out. It’s a sign not just of what one lawmaker faces, but of today’s political culture.

    Plus, a researcher from an elite university publishes a new report quantifying the New York Times’ bias, and a listener asks Josh about comment sections.

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    32 min
  9. Episode 125: 9/11 ‘Terror’ Walkback

    Show notes

    A powerful news agency heard people’s complaints and changed its stance on 9/11. Now, it says, its journalists may call the September 11th attacks what they were: terrorism. But that doesn’t solve the problem. In fact, with its new guidance, the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) just showed how its rules make no sense.

    Today, Josh explains that this is a hole news agencies have dug for themselves by trying to create an imaginary world in which they can’t simply call terrorism by its name. He talks through the two simple options news agencies have, and how their constant failure to make a choice skews their coverage of global events.

    As the 25th anniversary arrives, Josh explains what we’re likely to see, and not see, from the media. Plus, how U.S. and Israeli intelligence are essential in thwarting terror attacks. To those of you who lost loved ones on 9/11, thoughts with you.

    Also in this episode, hear a U.S. official attempt to blow a shofar! To those of you who celebrate the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, wishing you a sweet new year. 🍎🍯

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    15 min
  10. Episode 124: Natural Disasters & Democracy

    Show notes

    The flooding in Nepal and Tibet is the latest in a string of natural disasters showing the vulnerability of so many people. In news coverage, the media is missing what may be the most important point of all: what it takes to strengthen societies against these events.

    Today, Josh explains why democratic societies do a much better job of protecting and saving lives in natural disasters. As the United States faces growing anti-democratic forces from both the right and the left, it isn’t just our societal structures that could topple; it’s our buildings, too.

    Plus, as the anniversary approaches, a news giant has told its reporters not to refer to the 9/11 attacks as terrorism. Josh breaks down the many things wrong with that decision, and discusses why it’s a reflection of a dangerous shift at the heart of society. Josh has sent the news agency a series of questions, which he shares today.

    Also, more from last week’s guest, Professor Shai Davidai. He and Josh discuss a trick news agencies sometimes play.

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    31 min
  11. Episode 123: Fighting Back When the Media Targets You, with Shai Davidai

    Show notes

    What do you do if you’re interviewed and want to make sure your words don’t get twisted? Or what if you’re not even interviewed, but suddenly find yourself in the news anyway? That can happen to anyone at any time. Today, Josh highlights examples, and explains why in this era, people need to be empowered about how to handle the media.

    He talks through it with a man who learned the hard way. Shai Davidai was a professor at Columbia. When radicals who support Islamist terror overtook the campus, he tried to get the word out. But a news giant declared him a controversial figure — which led to threats and dangers.

    In this conversation, Shai divulges details no one knows about what he went through with The New York Times, 60 Minutes under the previous CBS leadership, and other outlets. He explains how he recently got the Times to correct a story almost immediately. “They’ve realized from my track record that I don’t keep my mouth shut, and I stand up to bullies,” he says. He has a new book coming out, American Intellectual Antisemitism.

    Plus: why Josh can’t stop laughing about a tragicomic lawsuit, the ways major publishers are effectively boycotting Jewish truth-tellers, and have elite universities gotten any better?

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    36 min
  12. Episode 122: Secret Plane Switch

    Show notes

    It’s a big story involving alleged life and death stakes: Were the Secret Service and the president willing to risk the lives of journalists and staffers? Before taking off from Turkey recently, President Trump and a few aides were secretly snuck out of the plane and into another military aircraft, amid a security threat from Iran.

    Members of the media say the president and Secret Service used them, as well as other White House staffers, as decoys, endangering them. But presidents have done similar things before. How different was this case? The reporting has been filled with conjecture. Today, Josh pieces through the claims to find the facts. He speaks with Joe Lockhart, who was press secretary for President Clinton in 2000 during another plane switcheroo.

    Then, Josh explains how the media missed a giant opportunity to educate people about big developments in American security, foreign threats, and a world-shaping event in the 20th century.

    Plus, another group is caught stealthily removing terrorists from its list of so-called “journalists” killed in Gaza. But it’s leaving others on the list. Josh shows why these two stories together demonstrate how the media is endangering its own safety.

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    31 min
  13. Episode 121: El-Sayed & Existential Threats

    Show notes

    The narrow victory of left-wing candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary exposed a fault line in America. Some people who recognize his problems with antisemitism say Democrats should now support him anyway. They argue that MAGA is an “existential threat” to the United States, so any Democrat will do.

    Today, Josh shatters that myth, laying out how a left-wing movement presents an existential threat to the nation, and El-Sayed is their new poster child. Josh pieces through the candidate’s blatant lies that fuel violent antisemitism, “shocking” video that pretends Islamist terrorism doesn’t exist, funding from groups linked to terror, and more.

    Then, Josh shares the truth about the Democratic Socialists of America, which backs El-Sayed. The DSA openly calls for the American democratic system of government to no longer exist. It also celebrates the terrorists who carried out the October 7 massacres. The central political battle is no longer left versus right, Josh says. It’s about people who stand for democracy against those who don’t.

    Plus, an update on the war between Russia and Ukraine; the U.N. makes a big admission about Gaza; and a new, horrific attack on Christians in Africa.

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    37 min
  14. Episode 120: Fauci’s Fame/ Jonah Platt

    Show notes

    In recent years, news giants have vowed to do a much better job of representing minorities. But there’s an obvious exception. They’ve doubled down on misrepresenting Jewish Americans, who compose about 2% of the country. They seek out the token few who support AZHM (the antizionist hate movement) and ignore virtually everyone else.

    Today, Josh speaks with Jonah Platt, an actor and singer who created Being Jewish, a show for Jewish celebrities and others to share their stories. “Most people on planet Earth have never met and will never meet a Jew,” he says. “The only thing they know is whatever 12 seconds of the news they catch.” The two discuss fears gripping Hollywood, why Jonah’s show is like Harry Potter’s train to Hogwarts, and the new TV show Boston Blue, which centers on a Black Jewish family.

    Plus, Josh calls out Variety for a fawning interview with actress Melissa Barrera that portrayed her as a victim while hiding the vile antisemitic propaganda she spreads. And he shows how the fallout from Boy George’s new song supporting the Israeli people disproves the media’s “cancellation” narrative.

    But first, Anthony Fauci, the chief scientist who advised the U.S. government on the Covid response, is facing new criticism. So are Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, two of Josh’s former CNN colleagues, for off-air interactions with Fauci. He details why this story shows what happens when the media fails to do its job and loses America's trust.

    32 min
  15. Episode 119: Popularity Trap

    Show notes

    A scene in an old Robin Williams movie highlights a dangerous pattern people fall into -- one that's more widespread than ever today: the popularity trap. In this episode, Josh shows its unprecedented scale. He explains how the media is falling into the trap and dragging society down with it. But we can break out of it.

    Then, should a member of a terror group count as a journalist? The answer is an obvious no. But a group that the media cites all the time just voted yes, almost unanimously. That explains the ongoing, nonsensical claims about Israel killing so many “journalists” in Gaza.

    The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) published a statement attempting to justify its decision. The statement is packed with lies, nonsensical claims, and at least one assertion that's physically impossible. Josh breaks it down.

    Plus an Islamist terrorist attacked a pride parade in Berlin. NPR actually admitted that in a headline! Perhaps the broadcast giant is finally responding to what Josh and TSC listeners have been demanding. But the New York Times, of course, still hid the key fact from its headline.

    30 min
  16. Episode 118: The Media’s One-Night Stand

    Show notes

    When some news agencies chose not to air Trump’s primetime speech live, they noted that he was likely to lie. Then right afterward, they resumed booking lawmakers and pundits to lie and not be fact checked. Today, Josh explains how the media’s hypocrisy hurts us all, and how the news business should tackle the problem. He also shows why the “sky is falling” freakouts about CBS were disproven yet again.

    The night also exposed another gaping hole in the news landscape: The media has failed to inform America about China’s influence campaigns. So when Trump makes allegations, people don’t know what to believe. Josh pieces through what’s known about Beijing’s efforts targeting the media -- including retaliations against journalists’ families.

    Then, he answers listener questions. One involves 350,000 Haitians losing legal status in the United States this week. The other involves what legal scholars are calling “the most aggressive movement of settler populations into occupied territory in current times.” Josh explains that news giants avoid that story because it turns their favorite victim narrative on its head.

    Plus: The New York Times brings back its favorite blood libelist for round two… A court battle over subpoenas gets an update… And Josh explains why virtually all organizations doing great work get ignored by the media.

    34 min
  17. Episode 117: Independents Ignored & NYT Subpoenas

    Show notes

    We've all seen it so many times that most of us don't even think about it. The media talks politics and presents “the two sides” -- a Democrat and a Republican. In reality, a much larger slice of America does not identify with either party. The American plurality, close to a majority, is treated as an afterthought. And that’s just one way the media fails to cover independents.

    Today, Josh speaks with a leader in the fight for this ignored community: Chad Peace of the Independent Voter Project, a group changing how elections work across the country. The two discuss how the media’s political narratives block reality; how coverage of California’s gubernatorial race and New York socialists fit in; and what journalists are afraid to say.

    Plus, just last week, Josh told us about how the Obama administration had subpoenaed journalists. Now the Trump administration has done so. The case involves security questions surrounding the new Air Force One plane, a giant gift from Qatar. Josh explains how the story reflects not only encroachments on press freedom, but also media failures.

    32 min
  18. Episode 116: Pseudo-Ethics & Press Freedom

    Show notes

    Two mainstream news giants are using recent screwups to pretend to care about ethics and guidelines. One is NPR, where iconic reporter Nina Totenberg falsely reported that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was retiring. The other is the New York Times, where sports journalist Diana Russini has left the company following a so-called “scandal” involving her relationship with an NFL figure and her actions during a traffic stop.

    Today, Josh digs into these stories and explains what they expose about the hypocrisy of Big Media. It’s as though news agencies are showing great concern about a smudge on a penthouse window, while ignoring the fact that the entire building is on a shaky foundation.

    Then, a look at America at 250. Virtually every country promises freedom of expression, including press freedom, in its constitution. What distinguishes democracies is the system that gives the people the power to enforce it. It's up to every generation to carry on that fight. Josh explains why that makes today's media failures so inexcusable. He cites how the annual White House Correspondents Association dinner and a joke from Obama factor in.

    Plus, a new breaking twist in the saga of the disastrous Democratic Senate candidate in Maine, Graham Platner. Why that isn’t just a political story -- it’s a media story.

    33 min
  19. Episode 115: Kindled Brains

    Show notes

    When the news shows people certain images, particularly of war and suffering, it creates physical changes in their brains. It triggers part of the mind so intensely that they often can’t think straight. Propagandists take advantage of this. Their greatest weapon is the media.

    Today, a leading expert joins Josh to explain. Clinical and neuropsychologist Orli Peter introduces us to “the kindled brain,” and what it means for us all. She explains the dangers of the mental state so many people are in; how terrorist groups have mastered the Western mindset; and why the last three years have been unlike anything she’s ever seen.

    Also, Josh explains how a clip from the old TV show M*A*S*H fits in, and why an attack from decades ago suddenly has new relevance. And Orli discusses her experience responding publicly to New York City First Lady Rama Duwaji, who celebrated the October 7 massacres and denied the sexual assaults that day. The denial harms patients, Orli says. Big media wouldn’t listen, but she found another place that did -- and it “went viral.”

    37 min
  20. Episode 114: Iran Ignorance/ Rape Gangs

    Show notes

    Looking at the disastrous coverage of the Iran deal, Josh asks, “What imaginary mental world is the media living in? It's as though the whole thing boils down to just gas prices, the Strait of Hormuz, maybe a mention of Iran's nuclear threat, and of course, imaginary big, bad Israel having a magic ability to force the U.S. into a war.”

    Today, Josh lays out the reality. Iran presents the greatest current threat to humanity, and the Islamic regime is conducting global efforts in the effort to control as much of the world as possible. The real story involves so much shaping the world and the lives of Americans, he explains. It's about drugs, immigration, assassination plots on U.S. soil, Islamist terrorist attacks, threats to U.S. water supplies, the safety of U.S. children's hospitals, other shipping channels like the Panama Canal and the Red Sea, genocidal attacks on Christians, and the the safety of the world's largest democracy (which isn’t the U.S.).

    All this and more are wrapped up in what seems to be a disastrous capitulation to Tehran. And if this deal is as bad as it seems to be, that would be totally unsurprising given the reality of Trump's history.

    Then, Josh tackles a story the media is hiding altogether: The Rape Gang Inquiry, a big new report on the systemic, horrific rape of young girls across the United Kingdom. The government has long turned a blind eye to it because acknowledging it was deemed “racist” and “Islamophobic.” A man was even jailed for talking about it. The media is a big part of the problem.

    Plus, a trip to LA, JOMO, and Josh’s appearance on the Unapologetically Jewish podcast in conversation with host Shana Meyerson.

    33 min

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