Punching Down

Punching Down - Episode 21

punchingdown@gmail.com (Punching Down) — Sat, 05 May 2012 23:49:02 +0000

The name of this week's episode is Don't Fuck With @pixplz.

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punchingdown@gmail.com (Punching Down) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:24:07 +0000

Punching Down - Episode 20 Punching Down is back with a bang! So is Susie Cagle! And just in time for the May Day General Strike, which is scheduled to kick off early Tuesday morning with an occupation of the Golden Gate Bridge (?! We'll see!), then continue with the opening of another SF Commune along with protests and direct actions around the Bay Area. Susie, our friend and independent journalist who's been doing a kickass job reporting on the Occupy movement, says this about #M1GS: "It's gonna be totally insane, all over the region. It's just gonna be nuts." Then, Susie and Justin talk about their launch of Commie J-School. Did you know that you can get a free journalism education without all the debt? Now you can! Lastly, if you've made it this far, we discuss whether some newspaper buying another newspaper is a good thing or not. Something something future of journalism!

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punchingdown@gmail.com (Punching Down) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 16:49:35 +0000

Could anything be more fun than getting kettled and cuffed by the cops for allegedly messing with a railroad? How about the SFPD busting into an urban commune (where you were charging your phone), and pointing a so-called less lethal shotgun at your face? If you happen to be a journalist, that's where the fun sort of ends, actually, in part because it's kind of difficult to report the news when your hands are zip tied and you're sitting in the sheriff bus. This week we're delighted to have as our guest independent journalist Steve Rhodes who describes in detail these true stories about getting arrested while reporting. For those that don't already know Steve, he's often seen covering the news in the Bay Area, including the spectacular April 1 takeover of an abandoned building in San Francisco by Occupy SF, and the forceful eviction by the cops the next day. Besides his two arrests, Steve also talks about the path that's led him to become one of the region's essential sources for real-time information and images.

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punchingdown@gmail.com (Punching Down) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:31:47 +0000

Punching Down - Episode 18 This week's offerings: - Fan mail. Our loyal leader (listener+reader) Joe Scales appoints himself editor of the Punching Down Fan Mail segment, to which he's also a contributor. How does one actually create a Punching Down podcast, Joe wonders. We talk about our vintage-futuristic Podcast Machine and why we're constantly yelling at it. - Occupy. This time, Justin doesn't get chased. Rather, he does the chasing - of 2 cops! A batch of OPD emails, sprinkled with references to reporters' tweets and livestreams. A brief taste of what Occupy SF might do on April 1. No #newsdesert here, only the finest #newsdessert money can buy. - Twitter bugs, like the one that made us unfollow you. - Tim's man-meat, delicately sliced. Our semi-regular guest shares the next chapter in the story about his vasectomy. - Punch. As always, copious amounts of punch.

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punchingdown@gmail.com (Punching Down) — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 17:14:41 +0000

Punching Down - Episode 17 This week we're thrilled to bring you a very special installment of Punching Down -- The Brock Keeling Story! Here's how it goes: Once upon a time, there was a kid from Orange County named Brock who loved to surf and skate. Then one day he found himself in a Bay Area bar where he met Eve Batey, although he has no memory of the encounter. Regardless, this led him to becoming editor of the beloved local blog, SFist. Somewhere along the way, Brock mastered the art of web-logging. His secret? "Just vomit onto the screen." Also, sleeping in the nude. Eventually, he kicked the morning coffee habit and got into food writing. But after the Great SF Food Truck Bubble of '13 burst and all the bloggers lost their jobs, Brock turned to making porn, starring certain members of the SF Board of Supervisors. Today, Brock is working on his latest project, in which he's hoping to cast former SF mayor Gavin Newsom. "I bet [Newsom] has a big dick," he says. We're currently soliciting possible titles for said project, so please leave your suggestions in the comments.

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punchingdown@gmail.com (Punching Down) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 18:22:24 +0000

Punching Down - Episode 16 After the world is destroyed in a nuclear war, will there be any hope left for journalism education? If anyone has the answer, it's radio reporter, podcaster and dad Eric Klein who joins us this week to share his experiences working at the ever-troubled KPFA-FM in the Bay Area, and how those experiences contrast with his volunteer work at Free Geek in Portland, where Eric lives now.

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punchingdown@gmail.com (Punching Down) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 20:30:30 +0000

Punching Down - Episode 15 What is the fundamental unit of journalism? Is it a particle or a wave? What does Operation Thunderdome mean for the future of news? This week, we're back inside a glass box inside the San Francisco Public Library Main branch to discuss these questions and more with special guest and loyal listener George Kelly, an online coordinator working for the Contra Costa Times. Besides talking about some of the digital tools he likes (Twitter, Cover It Live), does not like (Storify) and is neutral about (Facebook), George reflects on his career as an online journalist and explains why he's skipping that thing in Austin, Texas. Eve, meanwhile, would like you to take a photo of someone drinking the their morning coffee while reading a newspaper other than the fucking New York Times. Please send your pic to punchingdown@gmail.com and maybe we'll publish it on the Tumblr! You can find George Kelly online in various places including allaboutgeorge.com, notherethere.com and @allaboutgeorge on Twitter,

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punchingdown@gmail.com (Punching Down) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 23:16:56 +0000

This week: two stories about cops chasing journalists, and one about a journalist getting a vasectomy. First, you'll hear from Jessica Hollie, a student, citizen journalist and live video streamer who recently tried to film a white supremacist rally at the Capitol building in Sacramento but was chased away by a cop on a horse, apparently because of her skin color. (The cops left her white colleagues alone.) Jessica's interview leads us to discussion between Eve, Tim and Justin about the democratization of media, in particular for women, people without a lot of upper body strength, and the non-rich. Then, in our semi-regular Justin Gets Chased (not chaste) segment, Justin shares what happened when he stuck around after closing time to broadcast the occupation of an office building in San Francisco. One of those mysterious blue CHP cops grabbed the helmet-clad Ustreamer by the wrist...you'll have to listen to the podcast to find out if Justin was able to escape! And finally, did you know that if you're poor and in need of free Valiums, the State of California is more than happy to provide you with a vasectomy? Tim tells all! Show notes: 2:18 - Jessica Hollie gets chased by a cop on a horse 22:51 - Eve, Tim and Justin discuss the democratization of media 32:38 - Justin gets chased by a blue cop (the chase card of the CHP?) 50:20 - The best time Tim got a vasectomy

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punchingdown@gmail.com (Punching Down) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 17:48:54 +0000

Punching Down - Episode 13 Thank you to George Kelly for the wonderful morning coffee photo! On this week’s show, Eve praises the crime reporting by SF State grad Rigoberto Hernandez, who got the scoop on a homicide in the Mission without needing to rely on the SFPD for information. Then, Justin spends the second half of the podcast complaining about Silicon Valley startup douchespeak in the form of a recent blog post explaining the difference between a pivot and a reboot.

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punchingdown@gmail.com (Punching Down) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 18:02:51 +0000

We have a few questions: * How should news organizations deal with nasty @ mentions by mean people on Twitter? Is it better to act all stand-offish? What about occasionally getting in flame wars? Would that be acceptable? (Eve and Justin mostly fail at answering these questions, so maybe you have some ideas? Let us know by tweeting @ us!) * What should intern hopefuls not put in their emails to potential bosses? We definitely have some answers to that question! (Hint: Do not talk about burritos.) * What’s it like to learn iMovie from Jake Gyllenhall? Eve now knows! punchingdown.tumblr.com @punchingdown on Twitter

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punchingdown@gmail.com (Punching Down) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:17:11 +0000

On last week's podcast, Eve promoted a panel she was scheduled to appear on at SF State's journalism department. But because the U.S. Court of Appeal in SF struck down Proposition 8 (the voter initiative banning same-sex marriage), Eve had to work instead. So, we have a mock panel where Eve plays the part of panelist and Justin plays the moderator. Hear what Eve has to say about her favorite topic, the Future of Journalism!! You'll also get a behind-the-scenes look at Occupy Internships, which is Justin's offensive on Twitter against companies (of a certain size) that try to hire unpaid interns. Such as the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco!

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punchingdown@gmail.com (Punching Down) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:04:15 +0000

Dear listeners in the Pacific and Mountain time zones: You might still be able to enjoy the latest Punching Down podcast with your morning coffee and your Sunday Times, because as you frequently remind us, you like the way it feels in your hands. On this week’s episode, freelance journalist Chris Roberts talks about (what else!) getting punched down, such as the time he was working on a medical marijuana story and someone told him that his ass was grass. Then, in an extended version of the semi-regular Justin Gets Chased segment, Justin talks about getting chased -- and shot at, and kettled, and gassed -- by the cops during Occupy Oakland’s Move-In Day on Jan. 28. That experience inspired Justin to go out and do some shopping: [pixplz in riot gear] Lastly, Eve promotes an upcoming SF State Journalism panel on which she’s scheduled to appear. If she’s a crazy, combative, bitter bitch on the panel, will it ruin the department? (Full disclosure: Justin works there, so let’s hope not!)

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punchingdown@gmail.com (Punching Down) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:39:46 +0000

What’s it like for an independent journalist to endure arrest by the cops, low pay from employers, and annoying questions from your colleagues in the mainstream media? Allow our friend and multi-talented reporter Susie Cagle to explain, in Punching Down’s long-awaited return to your Internet Website! Listen as Susie talks about her recent experiences chronicling Occupy Oakland, which she calls a “story of a lifetime.” Speculate with us whether Susie will risk arrest again during today’s planned takeover of a vacant building. And hear about Susie’s idea for creating an independent oasis for journalism in the “news desert” that is Oakland.

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punchingdown@gmail.com (Punching Down) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 16:59:46 +0000

Punching Down - Episode 8 We start our ninth (we know!!) podcast with another Justin Gets Chased segment, except this time, the Muni fare inspector that Justin ran from decided not to give chase. Weak, Muni. Weak! Then, in a discussion about the murky business of anonymous sources, Eve talks about her struggle over whether or not to wait on publishing a story about unconfirmed allegations that SF sheriff-elect Ross Mirkarimi physically abused his wife. In possibly one of the best gross-out moments of the Punching Down podcast, special guest Tim shares an anecdote about the best time his dog rolled on a foam rubber rectum. And, speaking of discarded sex toys, we congratulate former Chronicle editor Phil Bronstein for his successful escape from the struggling legacy newspaper. Show notes: 2:29 - Justin could've been chased, but he wasn't! 8:10 - Eve could've beat Matier and Ross, but she didn't! 26:33 - RSS feeds: full or truncated? 45:46 - The best time Tim's dog rolled on a foam rubber rectum 47:43 - Congrats to Phil Bronstein!

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punchingdown@gmail.com (Punching Down) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 07:58:53 +0000

Punching Down - Episode 7 On the 8th (we know!) and final episode of the Punching Down podcast for the year, Eve and Justin reflect on their favorite local media stories of 2011. Justin’s hands-down favorite of 2011 was #opBART, the spectacular series of online and street protests last summer in response to BART’s unannounced blackout of cellular and wi-fi service in a number of its train stations. Whose BART? Our BART! (The protester, if you recall, was Time magazine’s Person of the Year.) Eve’s top story of 2011 was the numerous arrests of journalists locally and around the country, a notable example being Susie Cagle, the reporter, writer, cartoonist and woman arrested Nov. 2 while covering Occupy Oakland. Eve also makes a prediction about the financial future of well-funded, non-profit news organizations, while failing to get Justin to predict anything about 2012. (Justin does, however, make a wish for the new year and hints at his designs for a new mobile reporting device called the #PIXPLZ9000.) And -- at or around the time of publication -- the search continues for Banana Sam, the squirrel monkey abducted this week from the San Francisco Zoo, and who’s now tweeting from his very own fake Twitter account! Anonymous sources tell us that Banana Sam may have been recruited by teh CabinCr3w and/or may be living in an adorable, squirrel-monkey-size tent at Occupy SF Zoo. Whose zoo? Our zoo! Happy New Year, everybody. Show notes: 0:12 - #opFindBananaSam: There’s a cash reward! 4:11 - #opBART: Born of spilled innocent blood and banned airwaves, begat the downfall of a transit agency’s spokesperson 27:08 - The best year if you’re a journalist who wants to get arrested 49:37 - Eve's and Justin's wishes for 2012

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punchingdown@gmail.com (Punching Down) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 02:24:44 +0000

Punching Down - Episode 6 We’re delighted to bring you the Punching Down Holiday Special, featuring SF Appeal ad salesperson Tim Ehhalt, who shares his feelings about putting boobs and advertisements for Jägermeister on the front pages of newspapers. But first, we ponder what the future holds for a well-funded Bay Area news organization, now that its wealthy financier has passed away. Eve reminds us that one downside of being able to feel a thing in your hands is how that thing, unfortunately, can be stolen. She also has some information about a job opening at a local alt weekly. Plus: Tim and Justin reminisce about their first jobs, which happened to be working for newspapers. Hey, take a few more sips of that #morningcoffee! Drink!! Show notes: 0:21 - Warren Hellman RIP 15:37 - Boobs and Jägermeister, and the way they feel in your hands 22:45 - The Great Bernal Heights Newspaper Theft 31:33 - The best time a potential newspaper subscriber threatened Justin with bodily harm 37:34 - The SF Bay Guardian is hiring!

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punchingdown@gmail.com (Punching Down) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 16:21:00 +0000

Punching Down - Episode 5 On this week's podcast, Justin shares -- perhaps for the second time! You think we listen to our own podcast? Ha! -- an anecdote about what it was like to work for the late Christopher Hitchens. Then, Eve talks about the best time someone from a journalism school called her on the phone to try and get her to join a journalism contest. You'll also get to hear (oh boy!!) about the latest creeper who chased Justin on Market Street after the Dec. 7 police raid on Occupy SF's campsite.

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punchingdown@gmail.com (Punching Down) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 16:56:42 +0000

Punching Down - Episode 4 On this week’s podcast, Eve has some gossip about some personnel changes at a well-funded Bay Area news organization. Then, we critique the redesign of both the Web and mobile versions of Twitter. (We like the Web redesign, but not the new mobile application.) We also talk j-school, which leads us to ask our journalism student listeners whether or not it’s OK to write about someone without making an effort to contact them first. As an example, Eve points to a recent blog post on Jezebel that questioned whether Xeni Jardin could have been diagnosed with breast cancer the same day as her mammogram. Show notes: 0:19 - New business gossip 5:18 - #NewNewTwitter 17:47 - Journalism school 25:23 - Jezebel / Xeni Jardin

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punchingdown@gmail.com (Punching Down) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 16:02:48 +0000

Punching Down is a podcast (and some accompanying notes) on media from Justin Beck and Eve Batey. In Episode 3 (which is actually our fourth podcast! and it's an hour long!) we meet with author, columnist and podcaster Violet Blue in her kitchen to talk about how she navigates the online hive of scum, villainy and sexist trolls. But before that, Eve leads a discussion on the future of the San Francisco Examiner, which was recently bought by a Canadian newspaper company. You'll also get to hear Justin, under the influence of doctor-prescribed muscle relaxants, try (and fail!) to utter a coherent sentence. Show notes: 4:18 - Examiner sale 28:14 - Trolls vs. women 55:03 - Justin squeals with delight upon learning about Eve's Game Boy Camera

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punchingdown@gmail.com (Punching Down) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 19:21:08 +0000

Punching Down is a podcast (and some accompanying notes) on media from Justin Beck and Eve Batey. In Episode 2 (which is actually our third podcast!), Justin describes a recent encounter with an observer of an Occupy SF rally who didn't appreciate having his picture taken in public. Then, Eve shares some highlights from the 2010 tax return (made from real paper that you can hold in your hands!) of a well-funded Bay Area news organization.

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punchingdown@gmail.com (Punching Down) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 15:34:41 +0000

Punching Down is a podcast (and some accompanying notes) on media from Justin Beck and Eve Batey. In Episode 1 we talk about some modest improvements made to the new Google Reader, as well as Justin's unpleasant reminder by Occupy Oakland that four legs good, two legs bad! And, we'll needlessly speculate whether or not occupiers of SF attacked members of the San Francisco Police Department during a recent march in solidarity with Egypt. Call our Google Voice number at 415-8PUNCH0 (415-878-6240) and make fun of morning coffee. We'll play the best voicemails on our next show!

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punchingdown@gmail.com (Punching Down) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 01:24:16 +0000

A podcast (and some accompanying notes) on media from Justin Beck and Eve Batey. In Episode 0 we talk about some upsetting changes to Google Reader, the origins of the Punching Down podcast, and a recent example of punching down by a Bay Area journalist.