Rephonic
Artwork for The Kicker
Journalism
Donald Trump
Social Media
Disinformation
Ozy Media
Carlos Watson
Columbia Journalism Review
Gaza
Local News
2020 Election
Joe Biden
Climate Change
New Mexico
Silicon Valley
Fraud
Media Coverage
Political Journalism
January 6 Capitol Riots
The Washington Post
Wildfire Season

The Kicker is a podcast on the media and the world today. It comes out twice a month, hosted by Megan Greenwell and produced by Amanda Darrach for the Columbia Journalism Review. It is available wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes330Founded10 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
News

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Artwork for The Kicker

Latest Episodes

For a certain type of tech executive, and a certain type of fan of tech executives, the point of technology journalism is to cheerfully show off the cool new toys Silicon Valley creates.

For the staff of Wired, the point of technology journalism is ... more

YouTube

One of the most fascinating sports business stories of the moment is the explosive growth of the WNBA. TV viewership is up dramatically, multiple teams sell out regularly, and stars like Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson have become household names. This... more

YouTube

Some of the most interesting journalism experiments aren’t taking place on the websites of publications. Instead, they’re happening on Facebook and WhatsApp and Reddit and WeChat and even Nextdoor, which I didn’t realize was anything other than a pla... more

YouTube

When Ronald Reagan won the presidency, in 1980, it was a victory long in the making. For almost half a century, conservatives had plotted ways to cut taxes and undo workers’ rights. Their playbook for political influence went something like this: cre... more

YouTube

Key Facts

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Contact Information
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Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Emma Baccellieri
Staff writer at Sports Illustrated specializing in women's basketball
Sports Illustrated
Episode: Sports Illustrated’s Emma Baccellieri on covering the changing world of women’s basketball.
Ethar El-Katatney
Editor-in-Chief of Documented
Documented
Episode: How Documented is reinventing immigration coverage.
Kim Phillips-Fein
Columbia University Professor of History, author of Invisible Hands, Country of Lords
Columbia University
Episode: The Old Playbook of Power and Influence Is Different Now
Emily Sweeney
Boston Globe reporter who viralized a Beverly home invasion video
Boston Globe
Episode: The Globe’s Emily Sweeney breaks out of Boston.
Quinn Slobodian
Boston University Professor
Author of Muskism, A Guide to the Perplexed
Episode: How Elon Musk is colonizing the future.
Ben Tarnoff
Peck writer and founder of Logic Magazine
Co-author of Muskism, A Guide to the Perplexed
Episode: How Elon Musk is colonizing the future.
Spencer Hall
Founder of Every Day Should Be Saturday; Channel 6; Shutdown Fullcast
EDSBS / New American Pathways fundraiser
Episode: Taking Back Saturday: “We’re sports people. We like to score.”
Eric Gustafson
J journalism advisor at Lowell High School in San Francisco
Lowell High School
Episode: Student, Teacher: Eric Gustafson on fighting for journalistic integrity at every level.
Mike Abrams
Editor on the trust team at The New York Times
The New York Times
Episode: The Inside Look: Chatting with the New York Times’ trust editor.

Hosts

Heather Chaplin
Co-host on Journalism-focused segments with background in journalism design and digital journalism leadership.
Megan Greenwell
Co-host and lead host on The Kicker, with extensive experience in journalism and media critique.
Emily Bell
Director/leader in digital journalism initiatives, often appearing in discussions about media technology and trust.
Eric Gustafson
High school journalism advisor, discusses student press rights and classroom journalism.
Jameel Jaffer
First Amendment advocate, discusses legal protections for journalists and free speech.

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 106 ratings
  • Economic Voice of Reason

    I’ve never heard of this podcast before but I really enjoyed the most recent episode, “Kai Ryssdal Was America’s Economic Voice of Reason This Week.”

    Straight talk about an important subject from educated, thoughtful people. Who could ask for more.

    I’ll be listening to more episodes in the future.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    JTI O1
    United Statesa year ago
  • Superb

    This is a Peabody-worthy podcast - a phantasmagorical tale - that’s real - told well with humor and sympathy, to a point. The format suits the listener with a wonderful Q&A format with mind boggling detail. Susie Banikarim is a superstar and Josh Hersh is a fantastic foil. I great listen without the usual tedious podcast repetition.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    EmRoo7
    United Statesa year ago
  • Engrossing

    Great listen - very well done.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    arp83
    United Statesa year ago
  • Ozy Media

    Really enjoying the episodes about the downfall of Ozy Media - thank you!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    kbm422
    United States2 years ago
  • Captivating

    Great interviews + fantastic series that goes deep on the rise and fall of Ozy media. Thoughtful and well-reported.

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    ……………..y2k
    United States2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Guests from academia, nonprofit media, and major outlets provide diverse viewpoints.
Listeners appreciate in-depth discussions on trust, press freedom, and journalism models.
Community-focused and volunteer-driven journalism topics resonate with audiences.
Shows strong credibility with well-sourced analysis and guest expertise.
Host delivery and audio quality are mixed across episodes but content remains valuable.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Sports Illustrated’s Emma Baccellieri on covering the changing world of women’s basketball.
Q: What has been the impact of the NIL era and social media on the way players brand themselves and how you cover them?
She notes players built brands and monetized through social media, which altered how stories are told and what audiences expect from coverage.
Sports Illustrated’s Emma Baccellieri on covering the changing world of women’s basketball.
Q: How did you go about sourcing and building your beat in the early days of covering women's basketball, and what changed as the game exploded in popularity?
She describes showing up, writing about the sport itself, and balancing coverage of the game with larger structural questions like league organization and TV deals as demand grew.
Sports Illustrated’s Emma Baccellieri on covering the changing world of women’s basketball.
Q: First, can you tell us a little bit about how you got to where you are and pivot from baseball to covering women's basketball?
Emma explains that her shift happened gradually due to interest and opportunity, not a grand strategic plan, and that she pursued breadth—covering both game action and structural issues—to carve out a lane in the beat.
Taking Back Saturday: “We’re sports people. We like to score.”
Q: How did the fundraiser grow from a small charity push to the massive week-long event it is today?
The community expanded organically as more donors learned about the cause and the bowl layered in competitive, school-specific scoring, which made giving feel like participating in a sports rivalry. Holly Anderson led the growth, building infrastructure, live score widgets, and a dedicated donor base that kept contributing year after year, turning it into a sustainable, scalable fundraiser.
The Inside Look: Chatting with the New York Times’ trust editor.
Q: Why is seeking comment important for accuracy, and how does it relate to trust?
Seeking comment is foundational to accuracy because it ensures you verify claims against multiple perspectives and documents, which strengthens the credibility of the reporting and helps readers see that the journalism is fair and well-sourced.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
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Age Range
Household Income
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Frequently Asked Questions About The Kicker

What is The Kicker about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show centers on media, journalism, and the evolving information landscape, often anchoring discussions in the economics of news, trust in institutions, and the role of technology in shaping public discourse. Guests range from journalists and editors to scholars and industry thinkers, offering historical context, media policy debate, and practical insights for reporting in a changing ecosystem. Notable is the blend of rigorous analysis with accessible storytelling, plus a focus on local and nonprofit journalism, reader trust, and the business models that sustain public-interest news. This mix makes it useful for listeners who want sharp, well-sourced perspectives on how news is produced, distributed, and funded today, and for potential g... more

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To see how many followers or subscribers The Kicker has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Kicker?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Kicker:

1. On the Media
2. The New Yorker Radio Hour
3. The Ezra Klein Show
4. The Daily
5. This American Life

How many episodes of The Kicker are there?

The Kicker launched 10 years ago and published 330 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Kicker?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

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What guests have appeared on The Kicker?

Recent guests on The Kicker include:

1. Emma Baccellieri
2. Ethar El-Katatney
3. Kim Phillips-Fein
4. Emily Sweeney
5. Quinn Slobodian
6. Ben Tarnoff
7. Spencer Hall
8. Eric Gustafson

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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