Show Notes
'I was getting people to make decisions based on misleading information that could have life or death consequences.' That's Wendell Potter, the former head of public relations for CIGNA. As the executive spin doctor for one of the biggest health insurance companies in the country, he was responsible for concocting tales that enabled CIGNA to deny coverage, discredit critics, and otherwise cast the corporate health insurance machine in a positive light. That was until the numbers in his spreadsheets became actual people with real lives. What happens when a health insurance PR executive confronts the consequences of his spin? Dive into one man's odyssey from health insurance spin doctor to activist truth teller.
More from Reckonings
For the last episode of Reckonings, none other than: Donald Trump.
If Brett Kavanaugh, Alex Jones, and Mark Zuckerberg had a crisis of conscience, what would they say? Reckonings presents Deep Reckonings — a project that uses deepfakes to take Reckonings in a *fictional* direction, and imagine public figures having a reckoning. Watch the full series and learn more about the project: deepreckonings.com This is the last Reckonings episode for a while, and maybe...the last episode.
How do we cover the communications of a president who lies, especially when those lies can be fatal? The traditional rituals of journalism don't really work with a president who doesn't tell the truth, and so, what can we do instead? Reckonings presents Infinite Lunchbox on the topic of how to tackle Trump's lies — aka *post-truth jujitsu*. NOTE: Infinite Lunchbox is better viewed than heard — watch this episode on YouTube: bit.ly/posttruthjujitsu Show Notes: • Jay Rosen on switching to an emergency setting: https://pressthink.org/2020/03/today-we-switch-our-coverage-of-donald-trump-to-an-emergency-setting • Dan Froomkin on live fact-checking: https://presswatchers.org/2020/03/how-to-turn-trumps-daily-virus-misinformation-show-into-a-vector-for-the-truth • Matt Yglesias on Trump being a master showman: https://www.vox.com/2020/3/23/21190362/trump-daily-coronavirus-briefing-fox-cnn-msnbc • Jay Rosen on sending the interns: https://pressthink.org/2018/06/its-time-for-the-press-to-suspend-normal-relations-with-the-trump-presidency • Neighbors podcast: https://bit.ly/neighpod Connect: • Infinite Lunchbox: https://www.youtube.com/c/infinitelunchbox • Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephlepp • Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephlepp
How do we change our hearts and minds? What moves us to shift our political worldviews, transcend extremism, and make other kinds of transformative change? That's the $64 million dollar question that gave birth to Reckonings. And that's the question I explore with lessons learned *from* Reckonings -- in this bonus episode with Inflection Point's Lauren Schiller. Check out additional interviews featuring yours truly: reckonings.show/press.html Connect: • Inflection Point — a show about how women rise up: https://www.inflectionpointradio.org • Neighbors — a podcast showcasing our common humanity: https://bit.ly/neighpod • Infinite Lunchbox — Reckonings' sister show: https://www.youtube.com/c/infinitelunchbox • Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephlepp • Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephlepp
Joe Biden stands accused of sexual assault. And the Democratic Party leadership, which had been loud in its support for #MeToo, is suddenly……..silent. But, is it possible to support Biden's candidacy without abandoning #MeToo? Can we take Tara Reade's allegation seriously while deeming Biden a worthy candidate for president?? In this bonus episode of Reckonings -- alas, no -- we're not doing a restorative justice dialogue between Joe Biden and Tara Reade. What we're doing is being introduced to Reckonings' new sister show: Infinite Lunchbox! And we're going to hear an Infinite Lunchbox episode on Biden, #MeToo, and the prospect of growing in public. NOTE: Infinite Lunchbox is better *viewed* than heard — watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUoBYHx_cMs Show Notes: • Rebel Wisdom -- let them know you want Reckonings to LIVE on their platform: https://twitter.com/WisdomRebel • Reckonings episode #23 -- featuring restorative justice for clergy sex abuse: http://www.reckonings.show/episodes/23 • Biden's 2019 not-quite-apology video: https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1113515882960052224 • Michelle Goldberg's 2020 NYT opinion on Tara Reade's allegation: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/13/opinion/tara-reade-joe-biden.html • Strong Feelings podcast: https://www.strongfeelings.co Connect: • Infinite Lunchbox: https://www.youtube.com/c/infinitelunchbox • Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephlepp • Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephlepp