Polilogue

This week, the political shows really buckle down to tackle a single issue in detail: guns.  After the deadliest shooting in modern American history, the Sunday political shows dive in—and we dive after them.  We examine the story from all angles: how do the hosts frame the political issue?  How do politicians from every spectrum articulate their positions on guns?  What special guests are invited on—and are their insights worth considering?  It was a Sunday worth watching—because it showcased the best of what the political shows can be. 

If you would like to listen to a specific segment from today’s episode, you can jump straight to that chapter: 

• Introduction
• Highlight/Lowlight
• Framing the Gun Issue
• The Politicians
• The Experts
• Show Rankings
• Closing

Email us at [email protected] or you can send us your feedback on Twitter: @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Check out some of our other work here: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com 
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They say presidents are made by the unexpected challenges and disasters they face. George W. Bush had 9/11 with almost 3,000 deaths and the subsequent wars in the Middle East. Barack Obama started his presidency with the American economy on the brink of financial ruin. President Donald Trump is facing both natural and manmade disasters of his own— the first disaster being the brutal hurricane season that affects two states and several territories; and the second being the worst mass shooting in American history.

The Las Vegas tragedy occurred after all the Sunday political shows aired. So this week’s Polilogue doesn’t include any of the current news coverage. But more broadly, we vehemently believe that robust dialogue isn’t just about what topics we talk about; it’s how we talk about it. We believe that ethical journalism and smart media consumption are vital components to a healthy national political dialogue. As the coverage of Las Vegas expands, and we demand solutions for America’s gun violence— Polilogue will demand even more from journalists and politicians alike. 

With that framing, we dove into the important topics that the Sunday talk shows did talk about: Puerto Rico’s recovery efforts and tax reform. If you would like to see a specific segment from today’s episode, you can jump straight to that chapter: 

• Introduction
• Highlight/Lowlight
• Puerto Rico
• Tax Reform
• Rankings
• Closing

Email us at [email protected] or you can send us your feedback on Twitter: @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Check out some of our other work: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com 
Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

Was it diversion? Why did President Trump make incendiary comments about NFL players when the latest repeal and replace health care bill is in dire straights? 

On this week’s episode of Polilogue, we divide the topics into two segments: repetition and contrast.  We noticed that several guests this week reiterated comments and explanations from previous weeks.  Is their repetition effective communication, or lazy messaging?  Later, we look at contrasts across the shows—where the same topic could lead to very different conversations.  With many hosts interviewing the same guests, we ask: who did the best job?  Who got to the heart of the issue?  And who was just phoning it in?    

If you would like to see a specific segment from today’s episode, you can jump straight to that chapter: 

• Introduction
• Highlight/Lowlight
• Repetitions
• Contrasts
• Rankings
• Closing

Email us at [email protected] or you can send us your feedback on Twitter: @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Want to stalk us some more? Check out some of our other work: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com 
Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

The gang is back. All of the shows broadcast this week and discussed a wide range of issues. Most prominently, international diplomacy took center stage as the world prepares for the U.N. General Assembly that starts on Tuesday, Sept. 19. High level Trump officials that made the rounds included UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and National Security Advisor General H.R. McMaster. In this episode, we ask whether diplomacy team will be more in sync in front of their international counterparts than they were on the Sunday shows. 

On the domestic side, we saw multiple shows explore the claim that President Trump is a centrist. Do two dinner invitations make a centrist? And lastly, we do a side-by-side comparison of the performance of two progressives: Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff and Independent Senator Bernie Sanders. 

Email us at [email protected] or you can send us your feedback on Twitter: @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Want to stalk us some more? Check out some of our other work: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com 
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Irma made everyone hide on Sunday— including some of the talk shows! Meet the Press cancelled their show. Face the Nation was only 30 minutes. This Week had a full show, but they never posted their audio. Nonetheless, we had lots to discuss. The shows weren’t really commenting on the news of the week, but rather, they were covering the developing news of the weekend. 

In this episode, we examine the hurricane coverage on the Sunday political shows. It felt very, very different, but did it work? If you’re interested in a specific segment, feel free to jump straight to it. 

SHOW CHAPTERS

• Introduction
• Irma: Correspondents in the Field
• Irma: Politicians Respond
• John McCain
• Closing

Email us at [email protected] or you can send us your feedback on Twitter: @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle. Want to stalk us some more? Check out some of our other work: 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com 
Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

Here it is!  A special edition of Polilogue!  In this first special edition episode, we talk about the origins of the show, and then dive into an evergreen segment that asks the question: what exactly is a Sunday morning political show host responsible for?  Using clips from last week’s shows, we take a first crack at what will be an ongoing exploration.  

If you’re interested in a specific segment, feel free to jump straight to it. 

SHOW CHAPTERS

• Introductions
• Origins
• Moderator Responsibilities 
• Closing

Email us at [email protected] or you can send us your feedback on Twitter: @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Wanna know more about us? 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com 
Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

Hurricane Harvey floodwaters are still rising in Texas. All of the Sunday news shows led with the storm, and we anticipate the coverage to continue, especially as aid and recovery spreads over the coming weeks and months.

So this week on Polilogue, we ask, “how effective are the shows at covering events like natural disasters?" Hurricane Harvey is of course newsworthy— and there are people on the ground affected by the devastation— but should a weekly political show cover the storm differently than a daily show? We examine hosts and guests to determine the quality of a shifting conversation. We also discuss Trump’s pardon of Sheriff Joe Arpaio. 

This week, we’re also introducing show chapters! If you’re interested in a specific segment, feel free to jump straight to it. Show chapters are supported by nearly every podcast player except the default one from Apple — so we encourage you to use a different podcast player.  Here's a link to our favorite podcast player that supports chapters (and it's free!): Overcast available on the App Store. Visit: https://overcast.fm

SHOW CHAPTERS

• Introduction 
• Highlight/Lowlight 
• Hurricane Harvey 
• Joe Arpaio Pardon 
• Rankings 
• Closing

SHOW LINKS

• Face the Nation
• This Week
• State of the Union
• Meet the Press

Email us at [email protected] or you can send us your feedback on Twitter: @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Wanna know more about us? 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com 
Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

After the emotionally charged week of Charlottesville and President Trump’s bombastic press conference, all the hosts knew this week’s episode mattered. But it was Martha Raddatz’s performance on This Week that demonstrated the full power of Sunday morning political shows. Her performance is precisely why we value this medium! She brought stern journalism, a carefully-curated guest list, and an illuminating perspective to an extremely sensitive issue.

On this week’s episode of Polilogue, we examine the successes and challenges of race-driven conversations across the shows… but we commit the bulk of our episode to Raddatz on This Week.

SHOW LINKS

The four shows we looked at this episode were:

• Face the Nation
• This Week
• State of the Union
• Meet the Press

If you like the show, don't forget to share it with friends and family!  

Email us at [email protected] or you can send us your feedback on Twitter: @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Wanna know more about us? 

Brendan: www.armisticedesigns.com 
Naomi: www.startwithaquestion.org

This week we look at what happens when the Sunday morning talk shows have to flip the script. The tragic and disturbing events in Charlottesville, Virginia saw the shows scrambling for guests and context. At the same time, the long simmering events in North Korea bubbled over this week, demanding more in-depth commentary than we’ve seen in the past. 

On this episode of Polilogue, we take a critical eye to these critical events, which showcase the strong and the timid in anchors, guests, and panelists. 

SHOW LINKS

The four shows we looked at this episode were:

• Face the Nation
• This Week
• State of the Union
• Meet the Press

Email us at [email protected] or you can send us your feedback on Twitter: @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Wanna know more about us? 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com 
Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

In this episode, we dive deep into the Kellyanne Conway interview.  Kellyanne was a GOP darling on the Sunday morning talk shows during the 2016 election. However, after some flubs earlier this year, she took a break from Sunday talk. This week, Kellyanne was back—on ABC’s This Week. Moderator George Stephanopolous pushed back on her cool and confident answers. This interview had sass, pivots, strong follow up questions, and awkward pauses that stretched for days. The pauses were so long, we measured it. Most of Kellyanne’s responses come a little more than a second and a half after George’s questions because she was filmed by satellite.  But after some of George’s toughest questions— that silence stretched to nearly 3 seconds.  It may not sound like a lot, but when you hear it—and hear it from Kellyanne no less—it’s shocking.  

Also in this episode, we look at party dynamics. There is infighting and tension within both political parties. We critique how those conversations are going and analyze the Sunday morning guests at the forefront of these shifting political dynamics. 

SHOW LINKS 

The four shows we looked at this episode were:

• Face the Nation
• This Week
• State of the Union
• Meet the Press

Email us at [email protected] or you can send us your feedback on Twitter: @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.

Wanna know more about us? 

Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com 
Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org