logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2025
1h 29m

Can Kara Save The Washington Post From J...

VOX MEDIA
About this episode

For months, Kara has been assembling a group of investors to buy The Washington Post. Although it's not actually for sale, the ongoing exodus of journalistic talent, combined with Bezos's decision to kill an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris days before the 2024 presidential election, made it both plausible that Bezos might entertain a bid and crucial that someone step forward. Now, after watching Bezos remake the opinion section in ways that seem designed to curry favor with President Trump, the chances of persuading him to sell seem increasingly remote.

Nonetheless, Kara’s quixotic quest continues, and in this episode, she talks to some of the people she’s turned to for advice, including: Cameron Barr, a former senior managing editor at the Post who resigned in the wake of the new changes; Tina Brown, a pioneering journalist and media executive who has led multiple publications, including Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, Newsweek, and The Daily Beast; Oliver Darcy, a former CNN senior media reporter and currently the founder and lead author of Status.news; Sally Quinn, the first woman to anchor a CBS News morning show, and a best-selling author, and longtime Post columnist who was married to the late Ben Bradlee, a legendary executive editor at the Post; and Amanda Katz, a writer, editor and translator who worked as a senior assignment editor for the opinion section of the Post until she resigned last year (and wife to Kara Swisher).  


And make sure to watch "Becoming Katharine Graham," a new documentary about the former Post publisher's extraordinary life and journalistic courage (now streaming, ironically enough, on Amazon Prime).

Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Instagram, TikTok and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Aug 4
Robert Reich on Democrats’ Failures, Trump’s Fascism & Populism
Democrats have abandoned the working class, according to former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, leading working people to fall for President Trump’s hollow and hateful cultural populism. But he argues that an economic populist message that exposes how corporations and wealthy peopl ... Show More
54m 24s
Jul 31
Journalists or Creators? How Media Entrepreneurs Are Reshaping News
Legacy media isn’t dead, but journalists are leaving traditional outlets in swarms to launch their own newsletters, podcasts and social media ventures, and they may be forcing a reboot. As one of the early media entrepreneurs (and a trusted advisor to many of those who aspire to ... Show More
1 h
Jul 28
Epstein, Trump & the MAGA Meltdown — Sorting Fact from Fiction
Ever since Trump was re-elected in 2024, his MAGA base has been eagerly awaiting the release of the Epstein files. So it came as a shock when, in July, a Justice Department memo said they had reviewed the matter and determined that there was “no basis to revisit the disclosure of ... Show More
55m 46s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2023
The Science of Achievement, With Adam Grant
Today, we’re taking a break from war to talk about the science of human potential and a new book on that subject from the psychologist and bestselling author Adam Grant. In 'Hidden Potential,' Grant shares stories and studies across sports, religious history, coaching, and econom ... Show More
44m 28s
Feb 2025
Power, purpose, and the American presidency with Jared Cohen | from ReThinking with Adam Grant
What do the most powerful people in the world do after they've achieved success? Jared Cohen is a history buff and a presidential historian. His latest book, “Life After Power,” is a fascinating exploration about what seven American presidents did after leaving the most influenti ... Show More
35m 27s
Jan 2025
Sunday Pick: Sam Altman on the future of AI and humanity | ReThinking with Adam Grant
Each Sunday, TED shares an episode of another podcast we think you'll love, handpicked for you… by us. Sam Altman is the CEO and cofounder of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. In this episode of ReThinking with Adam Grant, another podcast in the TED Audio Collective, Sam and Ad ... Show More
40m 51s
Feb 2025
Power, purpose, and the American presidency with Jared Cohen (from ReThinking with Adam Grant)
What do the most powerful people in the world do after they've achieved success? Jared Cohen is a history buff and a presidential historian. His latest book, “Life After Power,” is a fascinating exploration about what seven American presidents did after leaving the most influenti ... Show More
35m 29s
Jul 21
Can college survive Trump?
American higher education is under attack. Project 2025 laid out the battle plan pretty clearly: Get rid of the Department of Education, shut off federal funding, take control of the accreditation system, and take down diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. And in the end, ch ... Show More
57m 42s
Aug 2022
Steve Hsu - Intelligence, Embryo Selection, & The Future of Humanity
Steve Hsu is a Professor of Theoretical Physics at Michigan State University and cofounder of the company Genomic Prediction.We go deep into the weeds on how embryo selection can make babies healthier and smarter.Watch on YouTube. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other p ... Show More
2h 20m
Jun 26
A Mind-Bending Conversation with Peter Thiel
The billionaire Peter Thiel is unimpressed with our pace of innovation. In this episode, he critiques artificial intelligence, longevity science and space travel — and warns that our lack of progress could lead to catastrophic outcomes, including the emergence of the Antichrist.0 ... Show More
1 h
Sep 2023
How the Media Creates Delusional Tribes - Tim Urban
Tim Urban is a blogger who writes about a wide range of topics, from science and technology to psychology and philosophy. He is known for creating minimalist stick-figure illustrations to help explain complex concepts in a simple way. His musings are collected on his website, ‘Wa ... Show More
59m 32s
Nov 2024
What Do Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and Joe Rogan Have in Common? (The Saad Truth with Dr. Saad_762)
This clip is based on an XSpaces that I hosted on November 27, 2024: https://x.com/GadSaad/status/1861937944409313283 _______________________________________ If you appreciate my work and would like to support it: https://subscribestar.com/the-saad-truth https://patreon.com/GadSa ... Show More
31m 47s