logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2024
51m 24s

The Rise of Fox News | 1. We Report. You...

Slate Podcasts
About this episode

When the Fox News Channel launched in 1996, critics called it disorganized, incompetent, and laughably inept. But it wouldn’t be a joke for long. During the 2000 election, Fox News would captivate the nation – and just maybe change the fate of American democracy.

Want more from Slow Burn? Join Slate Plus to unlock full access to all seasons, including members-only bonus episodes from The Rise of Fox News. You'll also enjoy ad-free listening to all of your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now by clicking "Try Free" at the top of the Slow Burn show page on Apple Podcasts. Or, visit slate.com/slowburnplus to get access wherever you listen.

Season 10 of Slow Burn was written and reported by Josh Levin. It was executive produced by Lizzie Jacobs.


Slow Burn is produced by Sophie Summergrad, Joel Meyer, and Rosie Belson with help from Patrick Fort, Jacob Fenston, and Julia Russo. 


Derek John is Slate’s executive producer of narrative podcasts.


This season was edited by Susan Matthews and Hillary Frey.


Merritt Jacob is our senior technical director. Mix and sound design by Joe Plourde. 


Our theme music was composed by Alexis Cuadrado. Derreck Johnson created the artwork for this season. Episode artwork by Ivylise Simones.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Sep 2024
The Rise of Fox News | 2. A Network for Normal People
Before he ran Fox News, Roger Ailes launched a very different kind of channel. America’s Talking was his vision of the future of television: a strange, slapdash, mostly apolitical cable network. When that dream got snatched away from him, Ailes went on a revenge mission—and made ... Show More
54m 5s
Oct 2024
The Rise of Fox News | 3. The Other Guy’s Hamburger
For a decade and a half, CNN was peerless and ambitious, and it understood its place in the world. At least, it thought it did—until Fox News burst onto television screens. Could CNN save itself by becoming conservative or by going tabloid? And how would CNN and Fox respond when ... Show More
51m 9s
Oct 2024
The Rise of Fox News | 4. Beacon of Truth
After 9/11, the Fox News Channel rallied a huge portion of the country around the Bush administration’s vision of the world. But as the U.S. marched to war in the Middle East, journalists, liberal watchdogs, and comedians began pushing back. Could The Daily Show, Fox News’ own li ... Show More
59m 12s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2024
Shhhh! It’s the sound and silence episode
Humans are noisy. The National Park Service estimates that all of our whirring, grinding, and revving machines are doubling or even tripling global noise pollution every 30 years. A lot of that noise is negatively affecting wildlife and human health. Maybe that’s why we’re so con ... Show More
29m 55s
May 2024
Your Mind Is Being Fracked
<p>The steady dings of notifications. The 40 tabs that greet you when you open your computer in the morning. The hundreds of unread emails, most of them spam, with subject lines pleading or screaming for you to click. Our attention is under assault these days, and most of us are ... Show More
1h 12m
Nov 2024
A star is born | Elon's Spies Ep4
When Donald Trump declared victory in the US presidential election, he told an adoring crowd that "a star is born". He was referring to Elon Musk.After months of reporting on the billionaire's use of private investigators, Alexi asks whether the insights he gained from that inves ... Show More
29m 38s
Sep 2023
Sliding doors
Kirat is a successful marketer and radio presenter. Online, she’s contacted by a man she vaguely knows called Bobby, and they start chatting. Slowly, they become close… and she’s reeled in to a scam of epic proportions.All 6 episodes are available to listen now.To get exclusive a ... Show More
31m 2s
Apr 2025
‘Our Kids Are the Least Flourishing Generation We Know Of’
<p>There’s something of a policy revolution afoot: As of March, more than a dozen states — including California, Florida and Ohio — have <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_policies_on_cellphone_use_in_K-12_public_schools" target="_blank">passed bills or adopted policies</a> t ... Show More
1h 11m
Feb 2025
334: BRYAN JOHNSON: The Controversial Anti-Aging Millionaire Determined To Live Forever
tail spinning
2h 33m
Aug 2025
MAHA Is a Bad Answer to a Good Question
<p>“Make America Healthy Again” is a great idea — somebody should try it.</p><p>A lot of the concerns animating the MAHA movement — chronic disease, the unhealthiness of the American diet, how profits warp our health care system — are serious issues. But Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has ... Show More
1h 22m