According to Katie Herzog, getting to know your neighbors is the key to a more unified country and we agree with her.

“Quit your job and start a podcast!” This week on The Divided States of Media, Dan sits down with someone who actually “walks the walk” — Katie Herzog, reporter & Co-Host of the podcast “Blocked and Reported”. As a former journalist and new Podcaster, Katie discusses freedom and gratitude for independence amid shifting journalistic norms, and why after being canceled and harassed multiple times, she made the switch from traditional journalism (as a writer for The Stranger) to podcasting. From her show to her neighborhood, Katie’s on a mission to bring us all together — and that journey begins with empathy.

Highlights:

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• 2:56 – Don’t yield to the pressure to conform
• 11:40 – “Cancel Culture” can only emerge from your own side
• 17:29 – Diversity of THOUGHT is what’s really important right now
• 23:09 – People hate reading, but they don’t hate listening to podcasts
• 39:31 – Imagine a world where we lose party labels and “befriending your neighbor” as a metaphor for social civility
• 46:57 – The “Unsolicited Advice” Game
• 48:48 – Why you need to get off Twitter
• 55:16 – The Collapse of “The Old Guard”