The Study Hall Podcast

Liam Scott's reporting has appeared in The Nation, Columbia Journalism Review, and numerous other outlets. He currently writes a newsletter for The Washington Post on press freedom. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Scott discusses his reporting on Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong-based publisher who was recently sentenced to 20 years in prison. Apple Daily, Lai's newspaper, published content in favor of the 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Scott, who profiled Lai's international defense team, contextualizes this case with Hong Kong's broader attack on press freedom. 

Read Scott's profile in The Nation: https://www.thenation.com/article/world/the-campaign-to-free-jimmy-lai/

Subscribe to the Press Freedom Desk newsletter: https://www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/press-freedom-partnership/

More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz 

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Natan Last's work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Drift, The New York Times, and Los Angeles Review of Books. He also writers the bimonthly crossword puzzles for The New Yorker. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Last chats about his new book "Across The Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of Crossword Puzzles."

More info about "Across The Universe": https://bookshop.org/p/books/across-the-universe-the-past-present-and-future-of-the-crossword-puzzle-natan-last/dfa29ea13fb78845

More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz 

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Tracy E. Gilchrist is the former editor in chief of The Advocate. She is the of the Holding Space podcast. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Gilchrist talks about the evolution of queer media, her viral moment with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, and campy pop culture. 

Check out Holding Space: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/holding-space-with-tracy-e-gilchrist/id1866733335

More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz

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Tina Vásquez is a features editor at Prism. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Vásquez discusses her work reporting on immigration, ICE raids, and workers' rights. Vásquez also talks about how movement journalism can help restore the public's trust in media and offer more holistic coverage of topics like the immigration system.

Sign up for Vásquez's movement journalism course: https://courses.outvoice.com/products/live_events/movementjournalism

More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz

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David Klion is a contributing editor at Jewish Currents and columnist at The Nation. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Klion discusses how Bari Weiss went from a polarizing opinion writer to the editor-in-chief of CBS News. Klion breaks down the origins of Weiss’s reactionary politics and analyzes her plan to transform CBS News.  

Read Klion’s deep-dive into Bari Weiss’s career: https://www.theguardian.com/media/ng-interactive/2025/sep/10/bari-weiss-cbs

Other articles cited:

More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz

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Elena Sheppard’s writing has appeared in The Cut, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and other outlets. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Elena discussed her memoir “The Eternal Forest: A Memoir of the Cuban Diaspora”, which traces her family’s history in Cuba. Elena shared insight into the memoir-writing process and how she explored her family’s story. In addition, Elena talked about the dynamic of writing a memoir about the diaspora.

More info about “The Eternal Forest” : https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-eternal-forest-a-memoir-of-the-cuban-diaspora-elena-sheppard/2167dd906e224c52?ean=9781250287687&next=t

More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz 

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Nicolas Niarchos is a reporter with work published in The Nation, The New Yorker, and The New York Times. His new book The Elements of Power: A Story of War, Technology, and the Dirtiest Supply Chain on Earth traces the origins of the metals fueling decarbonization. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Niarchos discusses his rigorous research and reporting into the green energy metal supply chain in Congo, Indonesia, and the Western Sahara. Niarchos shares his on-the-ground reporting on the exploitation taking place in Congolese mines. He also offers tips for journalists who want to report in conflict regions. 

Tarpley Hitt is an editor at The Drift. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Hitt discusses her new book Barbieland: The Unauthorized History. The book chronicles the checkered journey of Barbie from a knockoff idea to a global icon. Hitt chats about her rigorous research process and what can be learned from Mattel’s highly litigious history. 

More info about Barbieland: https://bookshop.org/p/books/barbieland-the-unauthorized-history-tarpley-hitt/3f285eff4283aec8?ean=9781668031827&next=t

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Caroline Palmer was the editor of Vogue.com and Director of Editorial, Video, and Social Media at Amazon Fashion. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Palmer discusses her novel Workhorse, which chronicles the heyday of fashion media in the early 2000s. The novel centers around an ambitious editorial assistant who lands a dream job at a prestigious fashion magazine. Workhorse explores the glamor of that era and takes an honest look at the dynamics of privilege, talent, and success. Palmer chats about the lost art of print media, fashion media’s shaky transition to online, and the life of a workhorse. 

More info about Workhorse: https://bookshop.org/p/books/workhorse-a-novel-caroline-palmer/0a4e36139fe538db

More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz 

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Sofia Quaglia is an award-winning science journalist whose work has been published in The National Geographic, The New York Times, The Guardian, New Scientist, and other outlets. In this conversation with host Daniel Spielberger, Sofia chats about how she started reporting on biodiversity and the nuances of translating complex scientific concepts for a mass audience. 

More info about the class Sofia is teaching with Study Hall on January 16th 10 AM PT/ 1 PM ET: https://courses.outvoice.com/products/courses/howtobreakintosciencejournalism

(Study Hall subscribers check last newsletter for discount code)

More info about Study Hall: studyhall.xyz 

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