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Question Everything

Question Everything

Brian Reed 72 Episodes Aug 20, 2026

Question Everything is a weekly investigation into how the truth gets buried, distorted, and denied, and the ways people are fighting to make it matter again. Hosted by Brian Reed, of S-Town and This American Life. The podcast has won a Webby Award, an Ambie Award, and a Signal Special Achievement Award for pushing the boundaries of the medium.

Episodes

A Gen Z Reporter Questions Jonathan Haidt, author of ‘The Anxious Generation’
A Gen Z Reporter Questions Jonathan Haidt, author of ‘The Anxious Generation’ Aug 20, 2026 3865 Over the past few months, we’ve been closely covering the major lawsuits against Meta over the ways its apps have hurt young people.  This week, we’re sharing a special episode of "Left To Their Own Devices", a Peabody-nominated series hosted by Gen Z reporter and tech-safety advocate Ava Smithing. Recorded live on stage shortly after the recent jury verdicts
Judge Compares Meta to a Factory Emitting ‘Noxious Pollution’ in a Landmark Ruling
Judge Compares Meta to a Factory Emitting ‘Noxious Pollution’ in a Landmark Ruling Aug 13, 2026 2253 Just hours after we dropped last week’s episode on New Mexico’s landmark trial against Meta, Judge Bryan Biedsheid issued his ruling on what changes the company would have to make to Facebook and Instagram to better protect kids. He ordered Meta to pay New Mexico $567 million, on top of the earlier $375 million jury penalty. He also mandated that Meta make unpreced
We Went to the Trial That Could Force Meta to Change its Ways
We Went to the Trial That Could Force Meta to Change its Ways Aug 6, 2026 3115 Back in 2023, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez filed a historic lawsuit against Meta, arguing that the tech giant has enabled the exploitation of children on its apps for years.  This year, that case finally went to trial in a Santa Fe courthouse. The state argued that Meta has knowingly harmed kids and should be forced, through a court order, to change how
Is A Billionaire Bromance Capturing Our Media?
Is A Billionaire Bromance Capturing Our Media? Jul 30, 2026 2055 Wall Street Journal reporter Emily Glazer investigates the rich and powerful, and recently, she got a tip that she couldn’t get out of her head: sources told her that Donald Trump and billionaire Larry Ellison are genuine friends. She found it hard to believe – in all her experience reporting on the wealthy, she’s used to hearing about transactional relations
The Sunscreen Paradox
The Sunscreen Paradox Jul 16, 2026 1344 In June, disgraced former Florida Congressman turned right-wing One America News Network anchor Matt Gaetz peddled a novel and dangerous conspiracy to his audience: that using sunscreen causes skin cancer. Gaetz’s guest was Nicholas Hulscher, a prominent voice in the COVID anti-vaccination movement and co-author of one of the most prolific medical disinformation newslett
The Sting That Exposed How Meta Endangers Kids
The Sting That Exposed How Meta Endangers Kids Jul 9, 2026 2955 If you're new to our show and liked this episode, let us suggest a couple of our other recent stories you might enjoy -- check out "How Meta Is Making Billions from Scam Advertising", "I Was 11 When Instagram Took Over My Life", "The Talented Ms. Goldiee" and "Why Did ICE Lock Up This Pro-Trump Reporter?" In a windowless room in Albuquerque, a small team of New Mexico inv
Ashley St. Clair is Fighting X – And Tried To Stop This Episode
Ashley St. Clair is Fighting X – And Tried To Stop This Episode Jun 25, 2026 4283 If you're new to our show and liked this episode, let us suggest a couple of our other recent stories you might enjoy -- check out "I Was 11 When Instagram Took Over My Life", "The Talented Ms. Goldiee" and "Why Did ICE Lock Up This Pro-Trump Reporter?" Last week, host Brian Reed interviewed former MAGA influencer and the mother of one of Elon Musk’s children, Ashle
How a Tiny Newsroom Helped Bring Down Hungary’s Authoritarian Leader
How a Tiny Newsroom Helped Bring Down Hungary’s Authoritarian Leader Jun 11, 2026 2841 Viktor Orbán’s authoritarian grip on Hungary became a model for the American right. He hollowed out the country’s democracy and turned much of the media into a government megaphone. Then a small newsroom called Direkt36 exposed a plot against the opposition party involving a mysterious political operative, a young IT worker, a raid on a boat in the Danube an
From Drilled: Carbon Cowboys
From Drilled: Carbon Cowboys Jun 4, 2026 1896 While we’re heads down working on a bunch of great new episodes, we’re sharing the first episode of the new season of Drilled. In it, award-winning climate journalist Amy Westervelt exposes how Republican corn ethanol mogul Bruce Rastetter sold "sustainable aviation fuel" to world leaders from North Dakota to Brazil. The problem is, his “clean energy” p
‘Kick Him Off The Bench.’ A Judge in Trump’s Pulitzer Case Gets a Prize
‘Kick Him Off The Bench.’ A Judge in Trump’s Pulitzer Case Gets a Prize May 28, 2026 2386 The Freedom of the Press Foundation just filed an ethics complaint against Florida Judge Jeffrey Kuntz, who has been nominated by President Trump for a lifetime federal court appointment. They want him stripped of his gavel and his law license. Why? Judge Kuntz was one of the judges who ruled in Trump’s favor in his peculiar defamation lawsuit against the Pulitzer Prize
Can a Chatbot Convince Conspiracy Theorists of the Truth?
Can a Chatbot Convince Conspiracy Theorists of the Truth? May 21, 2026 1609 If you're new to our show and liked this episode, may we suggest a couple of our other recent stories you might enjoy? Check out "I Was 11 When Instagram Took Over My Life", "The Talented Ms. Goldiee" and "Why Did ICE Lock Up This Pro-Trump Reporter?" Like millions of others, Gordon Pennycook’s older brother has leapt down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories, and
Claude’s Russian Propaganda Problem
Claude’s Russian Propaganda Problem May 14, 2026 1907 According to the fact-checking company NewsGuard, Claude has been a very reliable and accurate chatbot. But in the last month or so, users have started complaining that it seemed to be getting slower, stupider, and less trustworthy. So NewsGuard AI analyst Isis Blachez ran a test on Claude, to see if it is actually getting worse. And running this test revealed a whole new iter

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