Diversity Hire

Hello and welcome to episode 49 of Diversity Hire.

Today we talked to Arit John, who is a lifestyle reporter for the LA Times. We talked about the surprising similarities between politicians and Tik Tok stars, covering the 2016 campaign, how awful the three media capitals - NYC, LA, DC - truly are, appearing on C-SPAN, and much more.

Kevin and Arjun talked about the end of Gemini season and a special birthday. Thanks for listening.

Arit’s work:

Some Democratic Candidates Face a Reckoning in a Diverse Field

The Future Teen Stars of America Live on TikTok

Meet the influencers who actually stayed home during the pandemic

Inside TikTok’s effort to open doors for its Black rising stars

Arit on C-SPAN

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diversityhire.substack.com

Hello and welcome to episode 48 of Diversity Hire

Kevin and Arjun dished on: boat parties, roof parties, gallery parties, the Deans list (Baquet, Blunt, & Kissick), the NBA playoffs, friends leaving NYC for LA, giving up on veganism, the A**a W*nt*ur picket, Bugbee/Sicha Freaky Friday, the future of the Styles desk, dating, practicing ad reads for when we get bought, our new favorite coffee startup, and a whole lot more.

Thanks for listening!!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diversityhire.substack.com

Hello and welcome to episode 47 of Diversity Hire. Today we talked to Tyler Tynes who is the staff sports writer at GQ. Our conversation covered annihilating objectivity in order to cover athletes and the politics of sports more honestly, Tyler’s stint as a local beat reporter in Atlantic City, the commodification of protest, why sports reporting always seems to lack a much-needed dose of nuance, and much more. Kevin and Arjun talk about how it sucks to be busy as the season of Summer Friday approaches. Thanks for listening!

Tyler’s writing discussed in the episode:

* Leave Naomi Osaka Alone

* “This Has to Happen for Change to Happen”: A Night of Protest, Pain, and Peace in Brooklyn

* The Great NBA Awakening

* Colin Kaepernick’s NFL Exile Feels Like Forever

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diversityhire.substack.com

Hello and welcome to episode 46 of Diversity Hire.

Today we talked to Julia Carrie Wong, who is a reporter at the Guardian US. Much of our conversation focuses on Julia’s incredible reporting on Facebook’s abuses of power and oversight all around the world. If you wanted to hear about just how evil Facebook is—from its colonial disposition to its thirst for global power—this is the podcast for you. But we also talked about the state of freelance journalism, the long shadow of the Karen meme, and burning out from tech reporting. Kevin and Arjun talk about partying in the 2010s and Facebook’s role in that too.

Thanks for listening!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diversityhire.substack.com

Hello and welcome to episode 45 of Diversity Hire.

Today’s guest was New York Times sports reporter Andrew Keh. We talked about the meaning of sports and competition in our times, how bad the food in Berlin is, what it’s like to travel around the world to cover every kind of sport imaginable, how Andrew practices a kind of reporting that looks beyond boxscores, the Olympics and protest, and much more. Kevin and Arjun talked about the arrival of shorts weather, complicated feelings about experiencing Indian culture in Dimes Square, and demystifying some big stories in the world of freelancing and media unions.

Thanks for listening!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diversityhire.substack.com

Hello and welcome to our 44th episode.

Today we talked to Terry Nguyen, who is a reporter at the Goods by Vox. Our conversation covered generational politics and why they are rooted in whiteness, the feeling of being caught between generations (AKA cusp-fucked), talking to our Asian American elders, memes, crushes, and much more. Arjun and Kevin talked about the narcissism of differences that define young millennials and elder millennials and how the only real difference between generations is how each shows their ass.

Thanks for listening!

Terry’s writing:

* what if gen z picks the red pill

* How thrifting became problematic

* How social justice slideshows took over Instagram

* Support for Trump is tearing apart Vietnamese American families

* The torturous delight of having a pandemic crush

* The challenge of combating fake news in Asian American communities

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diversityhire.substack.com

Hello and welcome to 43 of Diversity Hire.

Today we talked to Justin Ellis, who is the special projects editor at Defector and is also at work on a book about Black life in Minneapolis. We talked about reporting from his hometown in the last year, what it was like to be at the courthouse when the decision from the Chauvin trial was made public, the unsavory and exhausting but sometimes necessary task of being asked to report on your identity and race, how reporting on the media during the heyday of the pivot broke his brain, if the Minnesota Timberwolves will ever be good in our lifetimes, and much more.

Thank you for listening!

Justin’s writing:

* Minnesota Values White Comfort More Than Black Lives

* Minneapolis Had This Coming

* Rich People Are Never Going to Save Media

* Exit music (for content): Parting #hottakes on the life cycle of the media business

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diversityhire.substack.com

Hello and welcome to episode 42 of Diversity Hire. (This episode is rated M for Mature. Listener discretion is advised.)

Today we talked to New York Magazine’s Allison P. Davis, America’s greatest commentator on sex, love, dating, and the myriad ways those forces intersect with power and celebrity. Our conversation covered Allison’s incredible skills as a host, dating during COVID, the different definitions and expressions of being horny, the life and death of the celebrity profile, celibacy, intimacy, touching, making out, and much much more. Arjun also opens up about his sexuality, or, lack thereof.

Thanks for listening and please take Allison’s horny census.

Allison’s writing:

* ‘Yeah, I’m Not for Everyone.’ Lena Dunham comes to terms with herself, 2019

* Are You Ready to Be Touched?, 2020

* Dating in Captivity, 2020

* Living With Karens, 2020

* The End of Kimye’s Wild Ride, 2021

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diversityhire.substack.com

Hello and welcome to the 41st episode of Diversity Hire.

Today we talked to Joshua Hunt, a globe-trotting freelance reporter, who originally hails from Petersburg, Alaska.

We talked about Josh’s winding path to journalism, the consequences of the personal essay economy, writing from an Indigenous perspective, how and why first-person experience can affect reporting, ageism, hype beasts and sneakerheads, why you shouldn’t wear Nike, and a lot more.

This was a really fun conversation and a bit different from our previous ones, so hope you stick around to the end. Kevin and Arjun also talked about our promise to stop talking about Dimes Sq, feeling incoherent, and the worst feeling of all: being perceived. Thanks for listening!

Joshua’s writing:

* We Didn’t Stand a Chance Against Opioids, TNR, 2019

* The Art of Eviction, The Nation, 2020

* To Catch a Counterfeiter, California Sunday, 2017

* Sneakerheads Have Turned Jordans and Yeezys Into a Bona Fide Asset Class, Bloomberg, 2021

* University of Nike, HOW CORPORATE CASH BOUGHT AMERICAN HIGHER EDUCATION, Penguin Random House, 2018

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diversityhire.substack.com

Hello and welcome to episode 40 of Diversity Hire.

We had planned to release a wonderful interview (which will come out next week), but instead, we decided to give ourselves some breathing room and talked about media, perception, and being seen/scene.

No guest this week, just vibes, mostly bad ones! Twitter sucks (Kevin just deactivated!!) Work sucks. And most of all Kevin and Arjun hate being perceived right now. So pull up a chair, and listen to our 20-minute rant about why we need a break this week.

Thank you for listening :) We have an incredible guest lined up for next week, and until then we hope you enjoy two idiots talk about LIFE.

As always, if you have questions: [email protected]

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit diversityhire.substack.com