Shows
Lean Out with Tara HenleyEP 178: On the Media with Aaron PeteRegular listeners of the show will recognize the name Aaron Pete. He’s a talented young broadcaster from B.C. who has guest hosted Lean Out from time to time. Last month Aaron invited Tara on his show, the Bigger Than Me podcast, to discuss some of the hot-button issues from the past few years, and how the Canadian media has handled them. Tara enjoyed their conversation so much that we are going to share it with you here today, in this special episode of the program, where we turn the tables — and Tara is the one answering the ques...2025-03-121h 02
Lean Out with Tara HenleyMassey Essay series: Freddie deBoerAs regular readers of this Substack will know, this spring I’ve been writing the Massey Essay on the state of the media — a partnership between Massey College at the University of Toronto and the Literary Review of Canada, where it’s published.The annual essay honours the legacy of the long-time CBC producer Vincent Massey Tovell. This year’s essay explores the collapse of public trust in the media. Leading up to its publication next week, I’ll be re-running podcast interviews with some of the journalists that helped shape my thinking for this essay. Including today’s co...2024-04-1431 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyMassey Essay series: Peter MenziesAs regular readers of this Substack will know, this spring I’ve been writing the Massey Essay on the state of the media — a partnership between Massey College at the University of Toronto and the Literary Review of Canada, where it’s published.The annual essay honours the legacy of the long-time CBC producer Vincent Massey Tovell. This year’s essay explores the collapse of public trust in the media. Leading up to its publication next week, I’ll be re-running podcast interviews with some of the journalists that helped shape my thinking for this essay. Including today’s co...2024-04-1337 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyMassey Essay series: Steve KrakauerAs regular readers of this Substack will know, this spring I’ve been writing the Massey Essay on the state of the media — a partnership between Massey College at the University of Toronto and the Literary Review of Canada, where it’s published.The annual essay honours the legacy of the long-time CBC producer Vincent Massey Tovell. This year’s essay explores the collapse of public trust in the media. Leading up to its publication next week, I’ll be re-running podcast interviews with some of the journalists that helped shape my thinking for this essay. Including today’s co...2024-04-1231 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyMassey Essay series: David GreenbergAs regular readers of this Substack will know, this spring I’ve been writing the Massey Essay on the state of the media — a partnership between Massey College at the University of Toronto and the Literary Review of Canada, where it’s published.The annual essay honours the legacy of the long-time CBC producer Vincent Massey Tovell. This year’s essay explores the collapse of public trust in the media. Leading up to its publication next week, I’ll be re-running podcast interviews with some of the journalists that helped shape my thinking for this essay. Including today’s co...2024-04-1134 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyMassey Essay series: Jen GersonAs regular readers of this Substack will know, this spring I’ve been writing the Massey Essay on the state of the media — a partnership between Massey College at the University of Toronto and the Literary Review of Canada, where it’s published. The annual essay honours the legacy of the long-time CBC producer Vincent Massey Tovell. This year’s essay explores the collapse of public trust in the media. Leading up to its publication next week, I’ll be re-running podcast interviews with some of the journalists that helped shape my thinking for this essay. Starting with today...2024-04-101h 00
Lean Out with Tara HenleyHow Having A Family Got So HardCanada recently reached a grim milestone — the lowest fertility rate in recorded history. We are now well below population replacement, at 1.33 births per woman. My guest on the show today has studied this crisis in family formation in the West. And he says we need to take a look at our culture.Tim Carney is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and a columnist for The Washington Examiner. His new book is Family Unfriendly: How Our Culture Made Raising Kids Much Harder Than It Needs To Be.Tim Carney is my guest, today on...2024-04-0335 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyWill The Media Change Course?On the Lean Out podcast, we’ve spent much of the past year investigating the collapse of the news media and the decline in public trust. My guest on today’s program argues that the industry is at a crossroads, but media bosses are unwilling to meet the moment, and seem determined to continue on the same trajectory — even if it means the death of their institutions.Ryan Zickgraf is an American journalist and a columnist at Compact Magazine. His new essay is “Journalism’s Slow Death Threatens Democracy.”Ryan Zickgraf is my guest, today on Lean Out...2024-03-2725 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyCanada's Pandemic Response: More Harm Than Good?In March of 2020, much of the world was in lockdown. The unprecedented pandemic response closed schools, shuttered businesses, and paused public events. My guest on today’s program says it is time to evaluate the measures that were taken and consider whether the harms outweighed the benefits. The UK charity that he leads research for has now launched working groups to examine Covid policies in a number of different countries. Including his own, Canada.Kevin Bardosh is director and head of research at Collateral Global, and an affiliate assistant professor at the University of Washington.Ke...2024-03-2029 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyA Defence of ColourblindnessWhen it comes to race relations, many of us were raised with the ethos expressed in the famed Martin Luther King Jr. quote calling on society to judge people by the content of their character instead of the colour of their skin. Western society has moved away from that ideal — and my guest on today’s program say it’s time we get back to it.Coleman Hughes is an American writer, commentator, and podcaster, and an analyst for CNN. His new book is The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America.Coleman Hughes...2024-03-1336 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyWhy Marshall McLuhan (Still) MattersCanada is embroiled in a number of high-profile political scandals, and it’s a dispiriting moment for the country. This week, we’re taking a break from the news cycle, and instead contemplating the contributions of a famed Canadian — the late philosopher Marshall McLuhan — who, my guest on today’s program says, understood our time better than many currently living through it. Benjamin Carlson is an American writer, and media strategist, and the author of the Substack newsletter, Carlson Letter. His latest essay, on Marshall McLuhan, is part of a series at The Free Press titled “The Prophets.” 2024-03-0618 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyWhy Dismissing the Importance of Family is the Ultimate Luxury BeliefIt’s not unusual for well-heeled people to try to imagine what it might be like to grow up without money. But my guest on today’s program says it is uncommon for them to try to imagine what it might be like to grow up without a family. And his new book chronicles exactly that life — his childhood in foster care, but also, his journey from a working-class town in California to the military, Yale University and beyond.Rob Henderson is the American writer who coined the term “luxury beliefs.” His debut book is Troubled: A Memoir of...2024-02-2852 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyHow To Save Local NewsWe hear a lot of grim predictions about the future of local news, both in the United States and in Canada. But my guests on today’s program are feeling optimistic. For their new book, the pair did a deep dive into innovative local and regional news startups across America, and they say these startups are changing the media landscape, one outlet at a time. Ellen Clegg spent more than three decades at The Boston Globe. She’s co-founder of a non-profit local news outlet in Massachusetts, Brookline.News. Dan Kennedy is a journalism professor at Northeastern Unive...2024-02-2128 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyThe Case For MarriageOn the Lean Out podcast, we’ve talked a lot about plummeting birth rates in the West, about high rates of unhappiness among modern women, about the loneliness epidemic in our society, and about the crisis unfolding among men, with large numbers of suicides and overdoses. My guest on the program today says there’s a factor we should consider with each of these issues — and that is low marriage rates. And he thinks it’s time to have a conversation about the state of our unions. Brad Wilcox is a professor of sociology and director o...2024-02-1432 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyWhy You Should Never Apologize to the MobWhat does it take to speak out against orthodoxies in an age of outrage? This is something that my guest on today’s program has spent years contemplating, interviewing people from all walks of life who have managed to stick to their principles in the face of an online mobbing, and not back down.Katherine Brodsky is a Canadian writer and commentator, and the author of No Apologies: How to Find and Free Your Voice in the Age of Outrage — Lessons for the Silenced Majority.Katherine Brodsky is my guest, today on Lean Out. Transcript to c...2024-02-0732 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyThe Federal Court's RebukeCanada has, once again, made international headlines. The Federal Court has ruled the government’s invocation of the Emergencies Act, in response to the trucker protests, was illegal. My guest on today’s program argued during the crisis that the government had done something that it had no constitutional power to do — and he joins me on the program today to talk through this historic court decision. Ryan Alford is a constitutional law expert, a law professor at Lakehead University, and a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.Ryan Alford is my guest, today on Lean Ou...2024-01-3124 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyThe Collapse of the Canadian Immigration ConsensusFor decades now in Canada, there has been a bipartisan, pro-immigration consensus. But in recent weeks, we have watched that consensus fall apart. My guest on today’s program has been covering this development in his columns for The Globe and Mail. He argues that it was the Liberal government that broke the consensus — and it must be the Liberals who restore it. Tony Keller is a veteran Canadian journalist and a columnist for The Globe and Mail. Tony Keller is my guest, today on Lean Out. Transcript to come for paid subscribers.This p...2024-01-2425 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyWhere Have All the Children Gone?In Ontario, where I live, schools were closed for 135 days during the pandemic. Both here and in the United States, there was very little critical media coverage on this unprecedented public policy. But my guest on today’s program was reporting on those left behind by school closures from the very beginning. Now, he’s covering an element of the aftermath that’s not getting much attention — the crisis in absenteeism.Alec MacGillis is an author and an award-winning investigative journalist. He’s a reporter at ProPublica, and his latest piece, published both there and at The New Yorker...2024-01-1723 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyWhere Have All the Democrats Gone?2024 is an election year for the United States. And one of the stories so far is the political realignment that we’re continuing to witness — with the working class moving to the right. This is something that is also happening here in Canada. My guests on today’s program have written an entire book about the phenomenon, and what it might mean for the future of politics.John B. Judis is editor-at-large at Talking Points Memo, a former senior writer at The National Journal, and a former senior editor at The New Republic. Ruy Teixeira is a c...2024-01-1038 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyLean Out Turns Two: A Conversation on Complicating the Dominant NarrativesThe Lean Out podcast kicked off two years ago this week, aiming to push back on mainstream media conformity, to reaffirm old school journalistic values like viewpoint diversity and curiosity and respect — and, in some small way, to help widen the Overton window of ideas considered acceptable for discussion and debate. Happily, this approach seems to be resonating with a lot of you. We’re pleased to say that we now have listeners in 150 countries and close to 5,000 cities worldwide.For our anniversary episode today, I’m delighted to be joined by a journalist I admire, whose work I...2024-01-0341 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyOvercoming the Illusion of DivisionThis year has not been an easy one for a lot of people. Not only are many coping with economic instability, but our culture is polarized and often extremely hostile. But my guest on today’s program — the last episode of the year — wants to leave us with a vision of unity. And of hope for a better, and more harmonious, 2024.Monica Harris is the author of The Illusion of Division. She’s also the executive director of the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism.Monica Harris is my guest, today on Lean Out. Transcript to come for...2023-12-2031 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyHow the Pandemic Broke AmericaWith the pandemic finally in the rearview mirror, a lot of people are eager to put it behind us — and just move on. But my guest on today’s program says it’s important that we take a look at the mistakes that were made, and understand what went wrong.Joe Nocera is a veteran business journalist and a columnist at The Free Press. His latest book, co-authored with Vanity Fair’s Bethany McLean, is The Big Fail: What the Pandemic Revealed About Who America Protects and Who It Leaves Behind.Joe Nocera is my guest, t...2023-12-1334 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyHave Progressives Stopped Supporting Interracial Marriage?On Thanksgiving weekend, an essay started circulating — and it was an essay that I felt like I’d been waiting a long time to read. The essay explores a troubling trend: a renewed skepticism of interracial relationships, and, indeed, of interracial families. Its author is a white man, married to a Black woman. And while progressives had applauded their wedding back in 2007, he writes that it now felt as if he no longer had the right to parent his own children.Paul Kix is an American journalist, and the author of You Have to Be Prepared to Die...2023-12-0633 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyGeorge Packer on Activism and Bad ArtIn times of crisis, artists often feel the need to take a stand, to engage in activism. But my guest on today’s program says we should recognize that art and politics have very different agendas. “These are different realms,” he writes, “and the values of one can be inhospitable — even deadly — to the values of the other.”George Packer is a staff writer at The Atlantic, and the author of ten books. His latest essay is “Why Activism Leads To So Much Bad Writing.”George Packer is my guest, today on Lean Out.Lean Out with...2023-11-2940 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyHave the Arts Created a Culture of Fear?This week on Lean Out, we turn our attention to freedom of expression in the arts. My guest on today’s program is an acclaimed and controversial choreographer who says the UK’s creative industries are in crisis — experiencing a culture of widespread fear and intimidation. And she’s launched a new organization to address this.Rosie Kay is the CEO and artistic director of the Kay2CO dance company, and a founder of Freedom in the Arts.Rosie Kay is my guest, today on Lean Out. Transcript to come for paid subscribers.In this...2023-11-2231 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyNavigating a perilous momentThis week in New York City, a longtime defender of free speech was honoured by her peers. My guest on today’s program accepted the Judy Blume Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Coalition Against Censorship benefit. She returns to the podcast to mark that occasion — and to talk through the big issues of our current moment, including rising antisemitism. Nadine Strossen is the former president of the American Civil Liberties Union, and a senior fellow with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. Her new book is Free Speech: What Everyone Needs to Know. She also host...2023-11-1551 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyBreaking Down The Munk Debate: Is Liberalism Failing Us?“Be it resolved, liberalism gets the big questions right.” That was the resolution posed at Friday’s Munk Debate in Toronto, to a group of public intellectuals from across the globe.The starting point for the debate was that liberalism is in crisis. That tensions have reached a boiling point. That its critics believe “liberalism has become an impediment to the goal of progress” — and that “humanity urgently needs a new animating ideology.” My guest on today’s program was at that debate, and he’s here to give us some analysis.Harrison Lowman is a current affairs jo...2023-11-0816 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyDid Covid-19 Erode Our Civil Liberties Forever?For some time now, there have been calls for Canada to launch an independent public inquiry into its handling of the Covid pandemic — including from the British Medical Journal. But this past week, as reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, Liberal MPs rejected an inquiry, opting for a closed-door review by advisors to the Minister of Health. My guest on today’s program says that it is essential that Canadians examine the mistakes that were made during the pandemic, and learn from them.Joanna Baron is the executive director of the Canadian Constitution Foundation and the co-author, with Christ...2023-11-0140 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyIs Cancel Culture Killing Free Speech?There are still people who believe that cancel culture does not exist. But it’s about to get a whole lot harder to make that argument publicly. My guest on today’s program has a new book out that provides irrefutable evidence that cancel culture is a serious phenomenon — that it is now a common tactic on the right and the left, that it is a threat to individuals and institutions, and that it is ultimately undermining trust. But, my guest today says, there is a solution. Greg Lukianoff is the president and CEO of the Fou...2023-10-2531 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyDoes Canada’s Justice System Need to be Dismantled?Crime in Canada is on the rise. According to recent Statistics Canada data, violent crime is at its most severe since 2007, and the murder rate is the highest it’s been since 1992. My guest on today’s program says our criminal justice system is not working — that it is expensive and ineffective and inhumane, and that the time has come to transform it. Benjamin Perrin is a professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia, and the former lead policy advisor on criminal justice and public safety for Prime Minister Stephen...2023-10-1839 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyCancelled: A Canadian Professor’s War on 'Woke'Earlier this month, a prominent Canadian academic made headlines when he announced his departure from the University of London. “Progressive conformity and cancel culture are distorting the teaching and research mission of universities,” he wrote on Twitter. “Between the extremely controversial and the progressive-controlled monoculture of academia is a vast and growing zone of unspoken truth.”Eric Kaufmann is an author and a professor of politics at the University of Buckingham, where he is set to establish the Centre for Heterodox Social Science. In January, he’ll launch a new, low-cost online public course titled “Woke: the Origins, Dyn...2023-10-1139 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyMeghan Daum: It's Up to Women to Stop Cancel CultureIs cancel culture controlled by women? It’s a question that my guest on today’s program has been asking for some time. Her conclusion is that, yes, the phenomenon is driven by women — and only women can stop it. She’s founded a community that, online and in person, has begun actively pushing back. Meghan Daum is the author of six books, including The Problem With Everything: My Journey Through the New Culture Wars. She’s the host of The Unspeakable Podcast, and co-host of the podcast A Special Place in Hell. She’s also the founder of Th...2023-10-0432 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyCan we have a reasonable conversation about trans issues?Schools across the country are back in session — and this fall, the spotlight is on trans issues in the classroom. Saskatchewan and New Brunswick have come out with new policies for parental consent on student pronoun changes, and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association has launched a lawsuit, saying this violates the Charter and human rights. Add to that, today, some parents will be marching in a cross-Canada protest against what they call gender ideology. My guest on the podcast today has been reporting on these issues for years, and she has thoughts on how we might inject so...2023-09-2031 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyThe Identity TrapBetween the years of 2010 and 2020, a new way of thinking about identity travelled from elite universities, to Internet subcultures, to social media, and to mainstream media, finally landing at many of our most important social, cultural, and governmental institutions, transforming longstanding rules and norms. My guest on today’s program is among the first to take a comprehensive look at the roots of this ascendent ideology and how it became so influential — and today we’ll hear why he believes it is ultimately a trap.Yascha Mounk is a professor at Johns Hopkins University, a senior...2023-09-1335 min
Lean Out with Tara Henley'I worry that the dike is going to burst - and we're woefully unprepared'For the past few months on Lean Out, we’ve been doing a deep-dive into the crisis in Canadian media, speaking to critics of the status quo — and asking what’s gone wrong and where we go from here. My guest on today’s program, the last episode in our summer media series, has a unique perspective on our media’s collapse. And he says government and Big Tech subsidies are compromising the vitality and validity of a free and independent press in Canada.Rudyard Griffiths is the executive director of The Hub, and the co-founder and chair of t...2023-09-0629 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyHow Elites Ate the Social Justice MovementIn the wake of the murder of George Floyd, America’s streets filled with protesters — in some of the largest demonstrations in the country’s history. But three years later, very little concrete change has been achieved. My guest on the podcast today asks: What happened? Why did this mass movement achieve so little?Freddie deBoer is an American journalist. His new book is How Elites Ate the Social Justice Movement.Freddie deBoer is my guest, to kick off the fall season at Lean Out. Transcript to come for paid subscribers.Lean Out wi...2023-09-0554 min
Lean Out with Tara Henley'We're against the state mandating viewpoints'One of the most important tasks for a seasoned journalist is to pass on what you know. Journalism is something that’s learned by doing, usually alongside someone who’s done it longer. I enjoyed this process while at CBC, and I am pleased to now be at a point with Lean Out that I can expand the operation to include working with up-and-coming journalists. Late last year, I had the pleasure of appearing on fellow Substacker Aaron Pete’s show, the Bigger Than Me podcast, and was impressed by his curiosity, perceptive questions, and thoughtful interviewing style. So I invi...2023-08-3017 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyThe death of a Toronto school principalThis week, the friends and family of a school principal in Toronto gathered to celebrate his life. Richard Bilkszto, sadly, took his life last month, at the age of 60, and much of the reporting on his death has focused on a DEI training and the lawsuit that he launched about it. A reminder to listeners that the claims you will hear have not been proven in court. My guest today is a reporter whose story on Richard Bilkszto has gained international attention — and our conversation grapples with a number of difficult issues, including suicide and ho...2023-08-2529 min
Lean Out with Tara Henley'Centre the interests and needs of the public'This summer at Lean Out, we’ve been doing a deep dive into the collapse of the Canadian media — and the role that new legislation, Bill C-18, has played in exacerbating the crisis. My guest on the program today is someone who has thought a lot about the media and digital policy and public broadcasting, and she has a lot to say about where our media is at, and where we go from here. Sue Gardner is a digital policy analyst, and the former executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation. She’s also the former head of cbc.ca...2023-08-2353 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyTyranny, Inc.In the past few decades, something has gone wrong in American life, leaving its citizens subject to increasing levels of coercion. That’s the thesis of a new book, and its author, my guest on today’s program, argues that what’s gone wrong is a form of private tyranny, with corporations exercising more and more control over ordinary people’s lives — eroding our freedoms and generating uncertainty, stress, and economic precarity. Sohrab Ahmari is a founder and editor at Compact Magazine. His new book is Tyranny, Inc. — How Private Power Crushed American Liberty — and What to Do Abou...2023-08-1642 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyA Heretic's ManifestoWhat does it mean to be a heretic? Why is dissent from the dominant orthodoxies of our age so important? It’s a topic my guest on today’s program has thought a lot about, as a progressive who frequently questions the thinking on his side of the aisle. And he says that, in fact, we owe much of human progress to the heretics throughout history who have dared to dissent.Brendan O’Neill is the chief political writer for Spiked, and the host of The Brendan O’Neill Show. His new book is A Heretic’s Manifesto...2023-08-0935 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyCanada's news desertThis week, in the wake of controversial new legislation, Bill C-18, Meta has announced that it will be ending news sharing on its platforms in Canada. So, for a special bonus episode of the podcast, we reached out to a Canadian academic who’s been following this story closely, to get his reaction to the development — and to hear his analysis on what it might mean for our news sector going forward. (This conversation is part of Lean Out’s summer media series. Please also check out our interviews with Jen Gerson, Peter Menzies, Marc Edge, and Holly Doan.)M...2023-08-0528 min
Lean Out with Tara Henley'Home Is Where the Revolution Is'“Once you question the food, you question everything.” That’s a quote from Rory Feek, a farmer and filmmaker in the growing homesteading movement, which is seeing numbers of Americans turn away from processed foods and rediscover how to grow what’s on their plates, sustaining their communities in the process. Feek made this comment at the inaugural Modern Homesteading Conference in Idaho — and my guest today was there to take it all in.Olivia Reingold is an American journalist, and a staff writer at The Free Press. Her latest story is “Home Is Where the Revolution Is.”O...2023-08-0222 min
Lean Out with Tara Henley'Diversity' drop-outsIn 2019, a white woman in Austin, Texas signed up for a diversity training seminar, in the hopes of better understanding growing polarization in America. But that workshop, in her view, was itself divisive. She went on to publish an essay about it, ending with a call for others to reach out to her with their own experiences — and soon got a letter from a Black man across the country that resulted in a years-long conversation on race.Jennifer Richmond is a China scholar and international relations specialist. Winkfield Twyman Jr. is a writer and former law professor. Th...2023-07-2640 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyThe collapse of Canadian media, part 2Last week on Lean Out, we heard from Canadian journalist Jen Gerson. The response from listeners was overwhelming. You asked for more coverage of the collapse of our media, including, of course, controversial new legislation. Bill C-18 aims to save journalism in this country — but my guest on today’s program argues that it has instead “accidentally pushed the news industry into the abyss.”Peter Menzies is a former newspaper executive and a former vice chair of the CRTC, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. He’s now a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and a frequent c...2023-07-1937 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyThe collapse of Canadian mediaIf you listen to this podcast, you know that the Canadian media is in serious trouble. But in recent weeks, that crisis has intensified, with wave after wave of bad news for the industry. Bell Canada laid off 1300 staff. And, when this was episode was recorded, merger talks between the two biggest newspaper publishers were ongoing — negotiations have since broken down. Add to that, in the wake of controversial new legislation, Bill C-18, Google and Facebook announced they would remove links to Canadian journalism from the platforms. (Though, just as this episode closed, Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez an...2023-07-121h 01
Lean Out with Tara HenleyA Childless WorldEarlier this spring, student protesters at the University of Cambridge successfully cancelled an event on campus, a screening of a documentary on fertility. Students accused the film of being misogynistic, despite the fact that, as student event organizer Charlie Bentley-Astor put it in The Critic magazine, this was a film “made primarily by women, with women, for women.” And, as you’ll hear on today’s episode, the film — which screened at the Chelsea Film Festival — features a remarkable degree of empathy from the sole male on the project. A Cambridge administrator has stressed that “the decision about the room...2023-07-0536 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyFree Speech and the LeftThis week Lean Out is back from our annual summer hiatus, and I am recharged and ready to get back to tackling the big issues of the day. One of the things that I did while I was away was attend Plebity’s inaugural virtual conference, Free Speech and the Left, a timely and important gathering that brought together many prominent writers and thinkers on the left. I was honoured to moderate a panel for that conference — which I enjoyed so much that I’m bringing it to you today in podcast form, featuring two former Lean Out gu...2023-06-2851 min
Lean Out with Tara Henley'The DEI Industry Needs to Check Its Privilege'In recent years, we have seen the diversity, equity, and inclusion industry explode in popularity and prevalence. But my guest on today’s program says that at its worst, DEI runs from useless to counterproductive. And he thinks companies would be better off giving the lavish DEI consulting fees directly to the poor.Conor Friedersdorf is a staff writer at The Atlantic, and the founding editor of The Best of Journalism, a Substack newsletter that highlights exceptional non-fiction writing. Last week, he published a piece at The Atlantic titled “The DEI Industry Needs to Check Its Privilege.”C...2023-06-0726 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyHell to Pay“What do falling fertility in the United States, a plague of loneliness and lack of friendship, bitter conflicts over racial and gender identity, and a politics of culture wars and moral panics have to do with one another?” The answer to that question, according to a compelling new book, is too many bad, low-wage jobs.Michael Lind is a bestselling author, a columnist at Tablet Magazine, and a co-founder and fellow at the New America think tank. His latest book is Hell to Pay: How the Suppression of Wages Is Destroying America.Michael Lind is my g...2023-05-3152 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyOn Politicization and TrustPeople on the left have been reaching out to me for years, saying that they feel like the mainstream media has become politicized, is biased in favour of the left — and they no longer trust it to report the news fairly. Now, a group of international scholars has published an interesting research paper that addresses this dynamic. It finds that when people perceive institutions to be politicized, they lose trust. Even if they happen agree with its politics.Azim Shariff is a professor and Canada 150 Research Chair of moral psychology at the University of British Columbia. The pr...2023-05-2420 min
Lean Out with Tara Henley'An epidemic of loneliness and isolation'Life in North America is becoming increasingly lonely — and this trend is impacting all areas of our lives, including our physical health. So much so, in fact, that the United States Surgeon General recently issued an advisory on loneliness, characterizing it as a critical public health concern. But my guest on today’s program says that that report fails to grapple with the drivers of our loneliness epidemic, including economics. Brendan Case is the associate director for research at the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University. His response to the Surgeon General’s report appears at Compact Magazine...2023-05-1724 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyRethinking FeminismOne of the questions of this podcast has been: How do we begin to rethink feminism — given the fact that, in the current era, so many women are so unhappy? A group of powerhouse writers and thinkers gathered at Harvard last month to contemplate that very question. My guest on the podcast today moderated that panel, which, one could argue, marked a major turning point in feminist thought.Erika Bachiochi is an American legal scholar and author, and a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. She’s also the founder and director of the Wollstonecraft Proj...2023-05-1032 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyGood GirlsSince the pandemic, we’ve been hearing more and more about the mental health crisis impacting teenaged girls. My guest on the program today is a journalist with a special interest in the well-being of young women. In her own adolescence, she was hospitalized nine times for anorexia — which she’s written about in a new book — and in recent years, she has dug into the issue of gender dysphoria, trying to understand the surge of cases among teen girls. It was coverage of gender issues that ultimately led her to part ways with The Guardian, after 22 years with the pape...2023-05-0334 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyGenerationsWith the rising tensions in our society has come increased conflict, including generational conflict. There are now lots of stereotypes being thrown around about existing generations, from Boomers to Millennials. But my guest on today’s program prefers to deal in facts. Her latest book analyses data from 39 million people, debunking dominant ideas about generational cohorts — and, in a departure from the consensus within her field, points to technology rather than major current events as the main driver of generational differences.Jean Twenge is a professor of psychology at San Diego State University. Her new book...2023-04-2627 min
Lean Out with Tara Henley'As much pain as progress'In recent weeks, on the Lean Out podcast, we’ve been exploring the issue of declining fertility in rich countries. And Canada is not exempt from this trend. Canada’s fertility rate has been dropping for years, and is now at 1.4 births per woman — well below population replacement levels. My guest on the program today argues that these statistics represent a world of hidden personal pain. The think tank she’s a fellow at recently conducted research that found that “nearly half of Canadian women at the end of their reproductive years have had fewer children than they wanted.”Andrea...2023-04-1925 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyFeminism Against ProgressLiberal feminism is predicated on the idea that more is always better. More freedom, more technology, more autonomy. But my guest on today’s program says this ethos is dissolving the bonds between men and women, between women and children, and between women and their bodies. And she argues that it’s time to rethink feminism.Mary Harrington is a columnist and contributing editor at UnHerd, and a fellow Substacker. Her new book is Feminism Against Progress.Mary Harrington is my guest, today on Lean Out. Transcript to come for paid subscribers.Lean...2023-04-1239 min
Lean Out with Tara Henley'A crisis of heterosexuality'On the Lean Out podcast, we delve into the subjects that don’t get talked about enough in society. And one of the topics that’s still considered third rail is women’s fertility — even as the birth rate in Canada has dropped to a record low. My guest on the podcast today writes a lot about this issue. She recently published a fascinating piece on South Korea, which has the lowest fertility rate in the world. Anna Louie Sussman is an award-winning journalist who reports on gender, economics, reproduction, and health. Her recent piece for The A...2023-04-0529 min
Lean Out with Tara Henley'Most people don't believe the more extreme woke stuff'One of the goals of the Lean Out podcast is to complicate the dominant narratives. And my guest on today’s episode does this all the time in his work. He’s an independent thinker, a prolific essayist — and, as we’ll hear, his conclusions are often surprising, rarely conforming to the orthodoxies on either the left or the right.Wilfred Reilly is a political science professor at Kentucky State University. His latest book is Taboo: 10 Facts You Can’t Talk About.Wilfred Reilly is my guest, today on Lean Out. Transcript to come for paid subsc...2023-03-3041 min
Lean Out with Tara Henley'An existential threat to universities'Earlier this month, a federal court judge went to speak to students at Stanford Law School. Judge Kyle Duncan has referred to the explosive protest that ensued as a “struggle session,” while student hecklers have defended their actions as counter-speech. My guest on today’s program has some thoughts on this free speech controversy — and where the university should go from here.Alex Morey is a First Amendment attorney and the director of campus rights advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.Alex Morey is my guest, today on Lean Out.Lean O...2023-03-2234 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyUncoveredIf you’re a regular listener of the Lean Out podcast, you know that it has not been a good couple of years for the media. From the lab leak theory to the Hunter Biden laptop, we in the press have gotten a lot of big stories wrong. My guest on the program today is a media veteran, and he has some insights on how this all has happened — and where we go from here. Steve Krakauer is the executive producer of The Megyn Kelly Show and the host of The Fourth Watch podcast. His new book is Unc...2023-03-1530 min
Lean Out with Tara Henley'I thought we had more of an open forum for discussion'One of the themes of the Lean Out podcast is open inquiry. And my guest on the program today has some thoughts on this. He’s concerned about the suppression of discussion and debate and viewpoint diversity in the field of addiction — and he points to specific actions from the B.C. government and the B.C. Centre on Substance Use. But, as we’ll learn at the end of today’s episode, both view the issue quite differently. (See below for statements.)Julian Somers is a clinical psychologist, a distinguished professor at Simon Fraser University, and the direc...2023-03-0847 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyAn Emergency in OttawaAfter much anticipation, Justice Paul Rouleau has released his final report for the Public Order Emergency Commission, finding that the Canadian government’s use of the Emergencies Act against the trucker convoy was appropriate, but noting that he came to this conclusion reluctantly. My guest on the program today had a front row seat — for both the convoy protests in Ottawa and the Commission — and he joins me today to talk about what this report means for Canada going forward. Paul Wells is an award-winning Canadian journalist, the author of a popular Substack, and the host o...2023-03-0132 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyPrimal ScreamsWho am I? What am I here for? These are fundamental questions in life — and throughout human history, they’ve often been answered through relationships to kin. But with the collapse of the family unit and the atomization of individuals, my guest on today’s program argues, we have become unmoored. And we are now experiencing a crisis in identity, “a psychic howl” that’s shaping our culture and politics in profound ways.Mary Eberstadt is an American essayist, novelist, and cultural critic. Her latest book is Adam and Eve After the Pill, Revisited. But today we’re...2023-02-1529 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyThe Year the World Went MadIn July of 2020, in The New Statesman, my guest on today’s program wrote, “I fear that history will judge lockdown as a monumental mistake on a truly global scale.” At that time, there was surprisingly little debate over an unprecedented public health intervention. But that dialogue is starting to happen now, and my guest’s recent book is one reason why.Mark Woolhouse is a professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh. He’s also the author of The Year the World Went Mad: A Scientific Memoir.Mark Woolhouse is my gues...2023-02-0832 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyThe New PuritansThis past week in Canada, a controversy erupted around the National Arts Centre’s plans to reserve an upcoming theatre performance for Black audience members, with many questioning why any organization would want to open the door for racial segregation, in any form. (And indeed, since this podcast was recorded, the NAC has issued an updated press release, indicating “everyone is welcome at all our shows.”)It’s the latest example of a movement that, as my guest on today’s program argues, presents itself as progressive — when, in fact, its ideas are deeply regressive.Andrew Doyle...2023-02-0133 min
Lean Out with Tara Henley'If you have the wrong opinions, it will cost you'Without freedom of expression, there can be no great art. Artists must have the ability to express themselves fearlessly, and take risks, in order to create authentic work. So, what happens when this fundamental value is eroded within our culture?It’s a question that my guest on the podcast today has thought a lot about — and one he tackles in his first Substack newsletter, dedicated to a recent incident which saw London’s Field Day Festival rescind a booking request for the rapper M.I.A. in the wake of online comments.Winsto...2023-01-2530 min
Lean Out with Tara Henley'As scientists, we have strong criteria for what we accept is true'On the Lean Out podcast, we’ve talked a lot about the state of open debate in our society. The public conversation these days frequently involves highly contentious and nasty arguments — and science is no exception.Michael Powell at The New York Times recently reported out one such example, involving the naming of a telescope after a late NASA head, and allegations of homophobia.Several of the scientists behind the movement to rename the telescope have issued a statement since The New York Times piece came out, arguing that Powell “has attempted to transf...2023-01-1836 min
Lean Out with Tara Henley'Journalists are not supposed to be liked'In recent weeks on the Lean Out podcast, we’ve been doing a deep dive into the rise of independent journalism, and looking at some of the big stories that independent journalists broke this past year.My guest on today’s program, taped in December, saw several of her own pieces draw international attention in 2022 — including her reporting on the trucker convoy crisis in Ottawa, and, as we’ll discuss today, her reporting around Canada’s controversial Medical Assistance in Dying program, also known as MAID.Rupa Subramanya is a staff writer at The Free Press, and...2023-01-1128 min
Lean Out with Tara Henley'You feel the desperation of people who are understanding their own irrelevance'One year ago today, the Lean Out podcast launched with an interview with the American journalist Batya Ungar-Sargon. Now, 12 months later, Lean Out has listeners in 135 countries and 2900 cities. To mark this milestone — our first anniversary — I invited Batya back on the show to talk through some of the big stories of 2022.Batya Ungar-Sargon is the deputy opinion editor at Newsweek, and the author of Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy. I’m thrilled to have Batya Ungar-Sargon as my guest, to kick off a whole new year on the Lean Out po...2023-01-0530 min
Lean Out with Tara Henley'There’s a lot of people just trying to hold on to their jobs'Throughout the month of December, here on Lean Out, I’ve been having conversations with the independent journalists that I admire. Today, I’m happy to welcome back to the podcast a writer and thinker whose work kept me sane during the pandemic.Meghan Daum is an essayist and author. She’s a former columnist for the L.A. Times, host of The Unspeakable podcast, and with Sarah Haider, co-host of the podcast A Special Place In Hell.Meghan Daum is my guest — for Lean Out’s last episode of 2022. Transcript to come for paid s...2022-12-2831 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyMerry Christmas from Lean OutToday is a day of rest and reflection for many of us — and, with any luck, of joy and gratitude and communal celebration as well. With that in mind, we have a surprise bonus episode of Lean Out, featuring a special guest. He’s here to offer us all a little hope and inspiration for Christmas, and for the year to come. Christopher White is the minister at Kedron United Church in Oshawa, Ontario, in the greater Toronto area.I’m thrilled to have Reverend Christopher White as my guest, for this special Christ...2022-12-2519 min
Lean Out with Tara Henley'Politically homeless'What does it mean to be politically homeless? My guest today describes herself this way, and jokes that her tribe is tribeless. I relate. A lot.This month at Lean Out, I’ve been speaking with independent journalists who are changing the media landscape. Today’s guest is an opinion writer that always makes me think — and laugh.Bridget Phetasy is a comedian, writer, and podcaster in Los Angeles. She’s a columnist and contributing editor at The Spectator, and host of the shows Dumpster Fire, Walk-Ins Welcome, and Factory Settings. Her Substack is Beyond Parody.2022-12-1451 min
Lean Out with Tara Henley'The whole media crawled into a very narrow hole - and is still there'This summer on her podcast, Bari Weiss described my guest today as one of the best writers in America. I think she’s right.During the month of December, here at Lean Out, I’m speaking with independent journalists that I admire. And I’m particularly pleased to bring you today’s conversation, with a Substack writer who’s had a big impact on my thinking.Freddie deBoer is an independent journalist in Brooklyn, New York. He’s the author of The Cult of Smart: How Our Broken Education System Perpetuates Social Injustice, and he writes an ep...2022-12-0930 min
Lean Out with Tara Henley'They see their role as fighting for social justice'On the Lean Out podcast this year, we’ve talked a lot about the failings of the mainstream media, and the reasons why the press has lost the public’s trust.But for the month of December, we’ll be focusing on one of the bright spots of the media landscape — and that is the independent press. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be speaking with some of the journalists that I most admire, who are doing fantastic work, at Substack and elsewhere.We kick off this series today with Leighton Woodhouse. He’s an independe...2022-12-0721 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyShopomaniaOn the Lean Out podcast, we spend a lot of time delving into the big problems of our age. But one thing we haven’t paid enough attention to is the forces that distract us all from solving these problems.What are the bread and circuses of our time?My guest on the podcast today argues that we are in thrall to shopping — and that this shapes our culture in profound ways.Paul Berton is an award-winning Canadian journalist and the editor-in-chief of The Hamilton Spectator. His new book is Shopomania: Our Obsession With...2022-11-3022 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyMen Without WorkOn the Lean Out podcast, we’ve been talking about the state of the modern male.And today, my guest on the podcast is going to walk us through his landmark study on an invisible crisis afflicting prime working-aged men in America — and that is the collapse of work.Nicholas Eberstadt holds the Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute. His latest book is Men Without Work. It’s recently out in a post-pandemic edition.Nicholas Eberstadt is my guest, today on Lean Out. Transcript to come tomorrow for paid s...2022-11-2334 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyOf Boys and MenThere’s a group of people in our society who are in deep trouble. They lag behind in education and employment — and disproportionately die of suicides and overdoses.Who am I talking about? I’m talking about boys and men.My guest on the podcast today says that while this issue has long been taboo, it’s time for a conversation about it, as its impacts are felt all around us.Richard V. Reeves is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, where he directs the Boys and Men Project. His new book is calle...2022-11-1636 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyLiterature and the New Culture Wars“I hate it when I find myself agreeing with people with whom I usually disagree.” These are the opening lines of a book written by my guest on the podcast today. She’s a progressive professor, but she now finds herself breaking ranks with the left over which works of literature are acceptable to be read and discussed in America’s classrooms. Deborah Appleman is the Hollis L. Caswell Professor of Educational Studies at Carleton College, and an instructor at the Minnesota Correctional Facility - Stillwater. Her latest book is Literature and the New Cult...2022-11-0937 min
Lean Out with Tara Henley'The woke mob took my job but gave me my voice'On the Lean Out podcast, we’ve been diving into pandemic school closures — and trying to get to the bottom of why there was so little debate over this.My guest on the podcast today has some insights to share. She’s a mother of four and an open schools advocate, and she’s been outspoken on the issue from the very start.Jennifer Sey is an American author, former gymnast, filmmaker, and business executive. Her new book is called Levi’s Unbuttoned — The Woke Mob Took My Job But Gave Me My Voice.Jennifer S...2022-11-0235 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyThe Stolen YearWhen schools were closed at the beginning of the pandemic, we did not have a robust public debate. The issue, unfortunately, was politicized — and it has only been recently, with the data now emerging, that a mainstream conversation has been possible.Back in 2020, my guest on the podcast today warned what school closures could mean for children, and particularly for the most vulnerable kids.Anya Kamenetz is a former education reporter for NPR. Her new book is The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children’s Lives, And Where We Go Now. Anya...2022-10-2626 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyPortrait of a Prime MinisterThe Lean Out podcast has just celebrated its 50th episode. So, today, for episode 51, we have a special Canada-themed show for you. We’re going to be hearing from a much-respected Canadian broadcaster who’s written a riveting biography about a much-discussed Canadian politician, former Prime Minister John Turner, Canada’s version of JFK.As we take a trip back in time — hearing about John Turner’s role in the invocation of the War Measures Act, and his liaisons with Princess Margaret and Marilyn Monroe — my guest on the podcast today will reflect on how things have...2022-10-1939 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleySo much for #MeTooIt’s hard to believe that it has been five years since #MeToo. The culture has moved on many times since then. But it’s worth returning to the movement, to take stock of what it did, and did not, accomplish — and how it’s influenced the moment we now find ourselves in.My guest on the podcast today does just this in a new piece for The Spectator, “So much for #MeToo.”Phoebe Maltz Bovy is a Toronto writer, editor, and contributing columnist at The Globe and Mail. She’s also co-host o...2022-10-1420 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleySecret CityWashington is known to be a city of secrets. And, for many decades, one of the most dangerous secrets was that of homosexuality. Its spectre haunted the halls of power, and the true stories are only now coming to light.My guest on today’s podcast has written a sweeping history of gay involvement in government. And he has much to say about the past’s lessons for the present moment — for free speech, for open debate, and for a free press.James Kirchick is an American journalist and a columnist at Tablet magazine. He’s also t...2022-10-1238 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyThe Rise of the New PuritansThe American journalist H. L. Mencken once said that “puritanism is the haunting fear that someone, somewhere may be happy.” This comment resonates now more than ever, with the emergence of a new sanctimonious, humourless movement that targets all of the things that make life most worth living, from sports and comedy to art and food and special occasions.My guest on the podcast today argues that history will likely not remember these “woke” zealots well — and that, at the heart of their movement, there is a deep distrust of humanity.Noah Rothman is the associate...2022-10-0531 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyHow Woke WonWe talk a lot on this podcast about the ascendent woke ideology. But there is not yet anything like consensus on what this political movement actually is, what values define it — and, indeed, who advances its agenda. My guest on the podcast today has tackled these questions in a new book. She argues that woke ideology is an elite phenomenon. That it has breathed new life into old prejudices like sexism, racism, and homophobia. And that elites are unaware how unpopular these ideas are with the public.Joanna Williams is founder of the Cieo independent thi...2022-09-2832 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyThe War on Objectivity in American JournalismOne of the big debates in journalism right now is over the role of objectivity. Is this an ideal worth upholding — or should we be moving on to other models, like the “moral clarity” ideal recently proposed in the New York Times?This debate resurfaced last week at a panel discussion hosted by the Columbia Journalism School, “The Objectivity Wars.” My guest on the program today was on that panel.David Greenberg is a professor of history and of journalism and media studies at Rutgers University. He’s also a columnist at Politico. He recently published a...2022-09-2133 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleySchool in the time of CovidAdvocates against pandemic school closures have been ringing the alarm for some time. They were all but ignored two years ago. But the tide is now starting to turn, with mainstream media outlets reporting on the impacts of these closures on children.My guest today has been speaking out about these policies since 2020. And he recently published a powerful paper arguing that extended school closures were, in fact, a moral catastrophe — and one that we must ensure never happens again.Shamik Dasgupta is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley....2022-09-1633 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyAgencyWith school back in session for the year, it’s a good time to take a look at the lessons that we’re passing on to the next generation of children.Are we giving them the tools that they need to succeed in life? My guest on the program today thinks there’s room for improvement. And his new book takes aim at the “blame the system” and “blame the victim” cultural narratives that he believes impede kids’ ability to recognize, and harness, their own agency. Ian Rowe is an educator and entrepreneur, and the founder...2022-09-1434 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyAn Immigrant's Love Letter to the WestThe fall is here, and the Lean Out podcast is back — renewed, refreshed, and ready to dive in on the debates of the day.There’s no better way to kick off the season than with our brilliant guest today, who’s been ringing the alarm on pessimism about the West. He grew up in the Soviet Union under communism, and moved to the UK in his youth, forging successful careers as a translator, a comedian, a political commentator, and most recently, a podcaster. Konstantin Kisin is co-host of the Triggernometry podcast. His new book is An I...2022-09-0738 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyThe New Workers' Movement“Workers across the developed world have been moving away from traditional working-class parties, while the left has shed most of its connections to anyone outside the email economy, and working-class concerns increasingly meet with progressive resentment and hostility…”These are the opening lines of a recent piece from my guest on today’s podcast, titled “The New Workers’ Movement” and published in Compact Magazine. In it, he argues that by 2022, this has all become pretty obvious. And that the really interesting question is: What comes next for working-class politics?Malcom Kyeyune is a writer, podcaster, and political...2022-08-1220 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyOn Critical Race TheoryIn recent years, Canada — like the United States — has been engaged in a national conversation on race. But my guests on today’s program say that that conversation does not always acknowledge the diversity of opinion within communities of colour. Particularly when it comes to critical race theory. Jamil Jivani is a lawyer, an author and a columnist at the National Post. He’s also a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, where he helped found the Speak For Ourselves initiative. It recently published a series of essays on critical race theory, including one from Samuel Sey. Samuel Se...2022-08-1041 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyThe End of SolitudeIn 2008, at the age of 44, my guest on today’s program left Yale University, where he taught English, and became a full-time writer. In the years since leaving academia, he’s amassed an impressive body of work — much of it challenging the status quo.I knew I had to talk to him when I read his recent essay in UnHerd, “Escaping American tribalism,” about his defection from the progressive left.William Deresiewicz is an essayist and cultural critic, and the author of Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful...2022-08-0329 min
Lean Out with Tara Henley'Cancel Culture: It's real and on the rise'When Dave Chappelle’s recent show at First Avenue in Minneapolis was cancelled amid protests, it reignited the debate around cancel culture, with all of the old arguments resurfacing once again.So the timing could not have been better for my guests on today’s podcast, who published a comprehensive essay that same week on Substack, titled “Cancel Culture: It’s real and on the rise, on the left and the right.” The piece examines the dominant myths about this phenomenon — and debunks them.Jeff Snyder is professor of educational studies at Carleton College, and Amna Khalid...2022-07-3029 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyThe Case Against the Sexual RevolutionSince the sexual revolution, women’s lives have undergone dramatic changes. The dominant narrative is that liberal feminism has freed women in profound ways. So why does data show that women’s happiness has actually declined?My guest on the podcast today argues that the sexual revolution has, in fact, failed women.Louise Perry is a British writer and activist. She’s a columnist at The New Statesmen and a features writer for The Daily Mail. Her brilliant debut is called The Case Against the Sexual Revolution: A New Guide to Sex in the 21st Centur...2022-07-2739 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyThe Constitution of KnowledgeHow do we arrive at truth? My guest on the podcast today argues that it is through reality-based communities — in government, media, the law, and science and academia — which collectively determine truth through trial and error, rules and norms, and discussion and debate. All together, he calls this system “the constitution of knowledge.”But this system is under threat, he says, from both the right and the left. On the right, through the flooding of the public sphere with what’s called “a firehose of falsehoods.” And on the left, through cancel culture. (You can find his useful cancel...2022-07-2052 min
Lean Out with Tara Henley'Who Really Benefits From the First Amendment?'Those on the political left have long seen free speech as a core tenet — so it’s been bizarre for many of us to watch the left abandon it, and, in many cases, now even campaign against it. My guest on the podcast today has written a new piece for Tablet Magazine arguing that, in fact, this trend is not particularly new. The essay is titled “Who Really Benefits From the First Amendment?,” and it takes a look back in history at attacks on free speech originating on the left — and stresses that the left needs to remember that...2022-07-1519 min
Lean Out with Tara Henley'Sensitivity Readers Are the New Literary Gatekeepers'If you’re a fiction reader and you’ve noticed that novels are getting more political — and more overtly aligned with the progressive political project in particular — there’s a reason for this. Big publishing houses are increasingly hiring what are called “sensitivity readers,” to vet authors’ work to ensure that it doesn’t cause offence. My guest on the podcast today has written a piece about this trend for Reason Magazine. It’s titled “Sensitivity Readers Are the New Literary Gatekeepers,” and it argues that overzealous language policing on race and gender is shaping the publishing industry in profound ways...2022-07-0716 min
Lean Out with Tara HenleyCanceling Comedians While the World BurnsIf you’re a regular listener of the Lean Out podcast, you know I’m pretty concerned about the state of the left. Here’s a clip of the kind of thing that drives me crazy, from a 2019 conference of the Democratic Socialists of America. In it, the forum is derailed by interruptions from delegates who recite their pronouns and then demand that audience members stop whispering (it upsets those who are prone to sensory overload and triggers those with anxiety), stop clapping, stop waving banners, and stop using gendered language like “guys.” My guest on today’s...2022-03-3037 minLean Out with Tara HenleyEP 1: Bad NewsBatya Ungar-Sargon, deputy opinion editor at Newsweek, is Tara Henley's guest for the inaugural episode of the Lean Out podcast. If you follow media, you know that Newsweek’s opinion section is home to some of the most robust debate in America’s mainstream media. Now, Batya Ungar-Sargon has published a powerful book, Bad News: How Woke Media is Undermining Democracy. For anyone puzzling over the woke press, this lively conversation helps make sense of the phenomenon.You can find Tara Henley on Twitter at @TaraRHenley, and on Substack at tarahenley.substack.com2022-01-1826 min