New York City! I'm onstage tonight with Radiolab's Jad Abumrad (Swarthmore, you're next!)

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/09/27/pulitzer-hall-5pm.html

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Was listening to a critique of Radiolab, and they said something that struck me:
Jad and Robert Krulwich are smart people pretending to be dumb.

If you take this and run with it, you’ll notice how evident this is, how this is their “hook” to explain the topic at hand. And, it also kind of detracts from it, since there is an inherent deception/insincerity in their method.

They never know a thing about what theyre investigating. They go to experts to “explain” and “teach” them about the current topic. They play goofy sound effects whenever there’s some technical phrase or term of art (which, again, they’re always completely unfamiliar with). Of course, a lot of journalists do something like this, but they dont display the abject, goofy ignorance Jad and Robert often do.

Recognizing their hook while their story is unfolding is kind of like watching a magic trick and knowing the gimmick.

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