Beth Macy: "When the Local Paper Dies, the Community Follows"
The Gist
Mike Pesca
4.4 • 3.6K Ratings
🗓️ 30 October 2025
⏱️ 47 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Journalist Beth Macy, author of Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America, returns to her Ohio roots to chart what's been lost in the hollowing-out of middle America. Paper Girl: A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America follows Macy's hometown of Urbana through addiction, poverty, and political drift, and her effort to reconnect with a onetime boyfriend turned conspiracy devotee. She also tells the story of Silas, a trans drum major fighting impossible odds in a collapsing public school system. Plus: New Jersey's governor's race, Mikie Sherrill vs. Jack Ciattarelli, where the air war is fought over college cheating scandals, helicopter piloting, and saying "um" too many times in one answer.
Produced by Corey Wara
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hola! Einstein here, talking into tacos and the best business advice with my friend Deborah Meiden. |
| 0:06.3 | Because like a recipe, in business you've got to get the basics right. |
| 0:10.1 | Indeed, and a smart meter can help you track your energy use and costs over time. |
| 0:15.4 | Miscalculated the hot sauce! |
| 0:17.2 | That's more control of your business budgeting, at least. |
| 0:20.8 | Join the nine out of ten small business owners happy with their smart meter. |
| 0:24.3 | Search get a smart meter. |
| 0:25.7 | Eligibility may vary. |
| 0:26.7 | Consumer action required. |
| 0:27.6 | Ninety three percent of small businesses surveyed in 2024 were happy. |
| 0:33.5 | It's Thursday, October 30th, 2025 from Peachfish Productions. |
| 0:37.2 | It's the gist I'm Mike Pesca. |
| 0:39.2 | The New Jersey governor's race is kind of close. |
| 0:42.4 | They'll tell you, it's an al-biter. |
| 0:44.5 | It's deadlocked. |
| 0:45.6 | It's kind of close. |
| 0:47.0 | With Congresswoman Mikey Cheryl, having a small lead in most polls within the margin of error, |
| 0:52.5 | Congresswoman Mikey Cheryl. Remember that title, |
| 0:55.4 | because neither she nor her opponent wants to emphasize that credential. For Jack Chittarelli, |
| 1:01.7 | Mikey Sherrill, is a dottering dishonest, environmental nitwit. Here is ad one. |
| 1:06.8 | We need to move into clean power. It's going to question arm and a leg, but if you're a good person, you'll do it. |
| 1:12.0 | Unbelievable. Talk about out of touch. |
... |
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