#1771 They Need You in the Dark: Information, Journalism, and the Fight Against Fascism
Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy
Jay Tomlinson
4.5 • 3.4K Ratings
🗓️ 15 February 2026
⏱️ 214 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Air Date 2/15/2026
Today we explore the gap between free speech rhetoric and the reality of arrested reporters. We'll hear how a decade of cancel culture panic over college students gave way to actual government suppression of journalists, why the DOJ is perverting a law designed to fight the Ku Klux Klan to prosecute Black journalists, how the administration that promised to "bring back free speech" is maintaining lists of forbidden words, and what history teaches about humor as a weapon against authoritarianism.
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TOP TAKES
KP 1: AG Bondi Confirms FBI Executed Search Warrant at WaPo Reporter's Home - MS Now - Air Date 1-13-26
KP 2: Why Trump Arresting Journalists Is a Sign of Weakness - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 1-30-26
KP 4: Stars and Stripes in Peril Part 1 - On The Media - Air Date 1-28-26
KP 5: Humor Can Topple Dictators Part 1 - Why, America with Leeja Miller - Air Date 10-18-25
KP 6: The Effectiveness of Nonviolent Activism - Inside International Affairs - Air Date 2-28-24
(00:52:02) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On why authoritarians are so afraid of the media
DEEPER DIVES
(01:02:13) SECTION A: STATE REPRESSION
A1: One Authoritarian's Playbook - Rights & Wrongs - Air Date 6-2-25
A2: Following Independent Journalists Fighting for Free Press in Russia - Fresh Air - Air Date 2-5-26
A3: Stars and Stripes in Peril Part 2 - On The Media - Air Date 1-28-26
(01:26:49) SECTION B: LEGAL ATTACKS
(02:03:30) SECTION C: MEDIA INSTITUTIONS
C3: 'If You Can Keep It' The Future Of The Free Press Part 1 - 1A - Air Date 2-2-26
C5: 'If You Can Keep It' The Future Of The Free Press Part 2 - 1A - Air Date 2-2-26
(02:56:52) SECTION D: LAUGHTIVISM
D1: Humor Can Topple Dictators Part 2 - Why, America with Leeja Miller - Air Date 10-18-25
D3: The Power of Laughtivism | Srdja Popovic at TEDxBG - TEDx Talks - Air Date 2-14-13
D5: A Message From The Frog Resistance - The Late Show with Stephen Colbert - Air Date 10-13-25
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: Composite design of a photo of a press pass on a lanyard on a table overlaying a photo of an ICE protest in Minneapolis.
Credit: Internal design. Photo 1: "Standard Press Credentials - Minneapolis Civil Unrest" by Tony Webster, Flickr | CC BY 2.0 | Cropped & blended | Photo 2: "Protest against ICE in downtown Minneapolis" by Fibonacci Blue, Flickr | CC BY 4.0 | Cropped & blended
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Welcome to this episode of the award-winning Best of Left podcast. |
| 0:06.9 | Today we explore the gap between free speech rhetoric and the reality of arrested reporters. |
| 0:12.6 | We'll hear how a decade of cancel culture panic over college students gave way to actual government suppression of journalists. |
| 0:19.9 | Why the DOJ is perverting a law designed |
| 0:22.6 | to fight the Ku Klux Klan in order to prosecute black journalists, how the administration |
| 0:28.6 | that promised to bring back free speech is maintaining lists of forbidden words, and what history |
| 0:35.3 | teaches about humor as a weapon against authoritarianism. |
| 0:39.3 | For those looking for a quick overview, the sources providing our top takes in about 50 |
| 0:43.9 | minutes today includes MS Now, takes by Jemal Bowie, Boom Lawyard, On the Media, Why |
| 0:51.0 | America, and Inside International Affairs. Then in the additional deeper dives half |
| 0:56.3 | of the show, there will be more in four sections. Section A, state repression, followed by |
| 1:01.3 | Section B, legal attacks, Section C, media institutions, and Section D, Laftivism. But first, |
| 1:09.1 | a reminder to check out our new show solved on the best of |
| 1:11.7 | left YouTube channel. We're really proud of the show we're making and think you'll like it. And |
| 1:15.5 | you checking it out will help us find new viewers on YouTube. So thanks in advance for all of |
| 1:19.8 | your views, likes, subscribes, and comments. That's all on the best of left YouTube channel |
| 1:24.4 | linked in the show notes. And now, on to the show. |
| 1:30.0 | We're back with breaking news out of Virginia where Attorney General Pam Bondi just |
| 1:38.6 | confirmed the FBI executed a search warrant at the home of a Washington Post journalist. |
| 1:43.9 | Bondi says the journalist was |
| 1:45.4 | quote, obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information from the Pentagon contractor, |
| 1:52.1 | who she adds is currently behind bars. Hannah Natanson, who covers the federal workforce, was at her |
... |
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