Eric Deggans
@edeggans.bsky.social
Knight Professor of Journalism and Media Ethics at Washington&Lee U. Critic at Large, NPR. Blerd. Drummer. Author: Race-Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation. Media bloviator.
Pinned
If you're wondering why Sinners' success at the Oscars matters so much, check out this essay, which explains why Hollywood needs to elevate films like it to save the industry. https://loom.ly/W5inu4A
My colleague on the Society of Professional Journalists Ethics Committee - Steven Adler, director of NYU's Ethics and Journalism Initiative - has a really great column on why we're tackling a tough task: updating an unenforceable ethics code in a skeptical age. READ: loom.ly/3QYE1fQ
Updating an Unenforceable Ethics Code in a Skeptical Age - Ethics and Journalism
Why maintain a nationwide journalism code of ethics, as the Society of Professional Journalists does, when it is unenforceable and when most major news organizations have crafted excellent codes of th...
loom.ly
February 1, 2026 at 5:09 PM
My colleague on the Society of Professional Journalists Ethics Committee - Steven Adler, director of NYU's Ethics and Journalism Initiative - has a really great column on why we're tackling a tough task: updating an unenforceable ethics code in a skeptical age. READ: loom.ly/3QYE1fQ
As I saw someone else point out online, the files regarding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein also reveal sordid sexual/social connections between the superrich which transcend party lines or ideology. As this story reveals: https://loom.ly/HAADfrU
LA Olympics Chief Casey Wasserman Exchanged Racy Emails With Ghislaine Maxwell, New Epstein Files Reveal
Casey Wasserman, chairman of Los Angeles’ 2028 Olympic organizing committee, exchanged personal and often racy emails with Ghislaine Maxwell nearly two decades before she was convicted for her role in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation, according to newly released federal records related to the late disgraced financier.
www.thewrap.com
February 1, 2026 at 1:34 AM
As I saw someone else point out online, the files regarding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein also reveal sordid sexual/social connections between the superrich which transcend party lines or ideology. As this story reveals: https://loom.ly/HAADfrU
Proud have helped the Society of Professional Journalists draft its statement condemning the Trump administration’s arrest of journalists Don Lemon, Georgia Fort and other independent voices. READ: https://loom.ly/W2bH6zA
January 31, 2026 at 12:15 AM
Proud have helped the Society of Professional Journalists draft its statement condemning the Trump administration’s arrest of journalists Don Lemon, Georgia Fort and other independent voices. READ: https://loom.ly/W2bH6zA
I’m a journalism professor who contributes to NPR. My opinions are my own. Don’t try to shade the organization which occasionally uses my work to try and stifle my opinions.
I’m really struggling to care that NPR is collapsing when NPR journalists are whining Harris showed up in person at the wrong event. Good luck guys.
Wasn't at the convention in Chicago where the original in person invite was issued.
January 30, 2026 at 11:18 PM
I’m a journalism professor who contributes to NPR. My opinions are my own. Don’t try to shade the organization which occasionally uses my work to try and stifle my opinions.
You need to follow the online conversation, which started because someone seemed to imply NABJ erred in interviewing Trump on a panel at its national convention. I said the better question is why Kamala Harris didn’t come in person after Trump accepted. Now you’re caught up.
so is it about getting to ask her questions or is it about making sure she showed your guild sufficient respect?
January 30, 2026 at 11:17 PM
You need to follow the online conversation, which started because someone seemed to imply NABJ erred in interviewing Trump on a panel at its national convention. I said the better question is why Kamala Harris didn’t come in person after Trump accepted. Now you’re caught up.
RIP to Catherine O'Hara, who I have loved since my days staying up late to watch SCTV, which my local NBC station aired AFTER Saturday Night Live back in the day. I named her turns in The Last of Us and The Studio among the best performances I saw on TV in 2025. https://loom.ly/GRfj2Ic
The best 6 TV performances I've seen so far this year
NPR TV critic Eric Deggans picks his favorite performances of 2025 thus far, including Noah Wyle in The Pitt, Catherine O'Hara in The Last of Us and The Studio, and Carrie Coon in The White Lotus.
www.npr.org
January 30, 2026 at 8:49 PM
RIP to Catherine O'Hara, who I have loved since my days staying up late to watch SCTV, which my local NBC station aired AFTER Saturday Night Live back in the day. I named her turns in The Last of Us and The Studio among the best performances I saw on TV in 2025. https://loom.ly/GRfj2Ic
Wasn't at the convention in Chicago where the original in person invite was issued.
January 30, 2026 at 8:23 PM
Wasn't at the convention in Chicago where the original in person invite was issued.
Not during the convention and not in person.
Don’t she meet with them?
January 30, 2026 at 8:14 PM
Not during the convention and not in person.
As I noted in my column on Trump's appearance, as troubled as I was by the appearance of Harris Faulkner - who is not an NABJ member -- among the questioners, I also couldn't deny that she got some interesting answers out of him. www.npr.org/2024/08/01/n...
January 30, 2026 at 7:47 PM
As I noted in my column on Trump's appearance, as troubled as I was by the appearance of Harris Faulkner - who is not an NABJ member -- among the questioners, I also couldn't deny that she got some interesting answers out of him. www.npr.org/2024/08/01/n...
NABJ doesn't usually accommodate presidential candidates' requests to do virtual appearances at the convention because they demand in person appearances. If they want the prestige of addressing the group, they have to show up in person.
April Ryan and Roland Martin might take issue with your assertion she "didn't accept her invite." Leaving aside the fact that she DID meet with the org and take questions in September, her nascent campaign has said, and NABJ members confirmed, that NABJ initially rejected her request to do virtual
January 30, 2026 at 7:45 PM
NABJ doesn't usually accommodate presidential candidates' requests to do virtual appearances at the convention because they demand in person appearances. If they want the prestige of addressing the group, they have to show up in person.
I think journalists invite newsmakers to places where they can interrogate them. And that's what NABJ did when it invited Trump, as it has invited every major party presidential nominee for decades. I'd be more interested in asking Kamala Harris why she didn't accept her invite.
Interested to learn what @karenattiah.bsky.social & @edeggans.bsky.social think of this in the context of Trump’s 2024 invite to NABJ in Chicago. #curious
January 30, 2026 at 7:27 PM
I think journalists invite newsmakers to places where they can interrogate them. And that's what NABJ did when it invited Trump, as it has invited every major party presidential nominee for decades. I'd be more interested in asking Kamala Harris why she didn't accept her invite.
I think, if they can convict Don Lemon or some of the other journalists who don't have his resources, they will certainly take that win. This is about making sure opponents of this administration pay a heavy price for their opposition, including any legal penalties they can manage.
This isn’t about convicting Don Lemon. It’s unlikely that will happen. It’s about intimidating journalists & making them censure themselves out of fear of consequences. It’s about eroding the free press because the administration can’t afford the criticism.
January 30, 2026 at 6:33 PM
I think, if they can convict Don Lemon or some of the other journalists who don't have his resources, they will certainly take that win. This is about making sure opponents of this administration pay a heavy price for their opposition, including any legal penalties they can manage.
The National Association of Black Journalists chapter in Minnesota is calling the arrest of their VP Georgia Fort by the Trump administration a violation of the First Amendment. WATCH: https://loom.ly/ccuWyoc
January 30, 2026 at 6:29 PM
The National Association of Black Journalists chapter in Minnesota is calling the arrest of their VP Georgia Fort by the Trump administration a violation of the First Amendment. WATCH: https://loom.ly/ccuWyoc
Thanks for the information!
Not there, that's for sure.
Apparently there's a list they're running down.
bsky.app/profile/thel...
Apparently there's a list they're running down.
bsky.app/profile/thel...
Minnesota based Independent Journalist GEORGIA FORT has been arrested for filming a protest of the church pastor that works as an ICE manager. SPREAD THE WORD! Georgia has been doing outstanding reporting from ground zero!
January 30, 2026 at 2:06 PM
Thanks for the information!
Wait Wait is distributed as a podcast. But I don't know how the Golden Globes defined a podcast.
Speaking of NPR pods, would Wait Wait Don't Tell me be considered one, or would it be in a different category of show?
January 30, 2026 at 1:57 PM
Wait Wait is distributed as a podcast. But I don't know how the Golden Globes defined a podcast.
Now the Trump administration is arresting journalists, taking former CNN anchor Don Lemon into custody in Los Angeles. Where will the assaults on press freedom end? https://loom.ly/kD5S7Po
Former CNN Anchor Don Lemon Arrested Over Anti-ICE Church Protest
Lemon spoke to protestors, congregants and a pastor on a livestream during the protest.
www.hollywoodreporter.com
January 30, 2026 at 1:27 PM
Now the Trump administration is arresting journalists, taking former CNN anchor Don Lemon into custody in Los Angeles. Where will the assaults on press freedom end? https://loom.ly/kD5S7Po
Given that many awards shows have entry fees, I think that's the message for most of them.
So does that mean “It is an honor just to be nominated” translates to “I’m glad my money didn’t go to waste”?
January 30, 2026 at 2:22 AM
Given that many awards shows have entry fees, I think that's the message for most of them.
No idea. But I think it helps NPR's brand as a leading podcast platform to be among the very first podcasts nominated for a golden Globe.
I acknowledge the entry fee isn't even nominal. I am glad that NPR pursued the opportunity. I am just curious if the media exposure grew the audience of Up First and NPR in general.
January 29, 2026 at 11:10 PM
No idea. But I think it helps NPR's brand as a leading podcast platform to be among the very first podcasts nominated for a golden Globe.
Most awards shows charge entry fees to create another revenue stream for the event.
Do you think the purpose is to limit the number of entries? The fees are low enough to feel like they’re just meant to deter time wasters.
January 29, 2026 at 10:47 PM
Most awards shows charge entry fees to create another revenue stream for the event.
He should have just admitted the truth. It was a lose-lose proposition for him. If he won, it would be expected. If he lost, he wouldn’t look like the king anymore. That’s why he didn’t enter.
That's not frugality, it's an admission that he'd lose to two women talking about true crime in their living room.
January 29, 2026 at 10:18 PM
He should have just admitted the truth. It was a lose-lose proposition for him. If he won, it would be expected. If he lost, he wouldn’t look like the king anymore. That’s why he didn’t enter.
Not sure what the purpose of this question is. Most awards have entry fees. The cost to enter the Peabody awards radio/podcasting category - a category NPR has won many times - starts at $450.
I have a question on a related matter. By playing the Golden Globes Game for the Up First podcast, did NPR realize any audience gains or justify an increase in underwriting rates?
January 29, 2026 at 10:16 PM
Not sure what the purpose of this question is. Most awards have entry fees. The cost to enter the Peabody awards radio/podcasting category - a category NPR has won many times - starts at $450.
So let me get this straight…a guy who signed a $250 million Spotify contract didn’t compete for the first Golden Globes award in podcasting because he didn’t want to pay a $500 entry fee? Riiiight! https://loom.ly/A4JZWVc
Joe Rogan Reveals the Real Reason His Podcast Wasn’t Nominated at Golden Globes — And It’s Not Politics
Joe Rogan revealed the real reason his podcast wasn't nominated at the Golden Globes amid chatter among supporters that he was snubbed over politics.
www.mediaite.com
January 29, 2026 at 9:46 PM
So let me get this straight…a guy who signed a $250 million Spotify contract didn’t compete for the first Golden Globes award in podcasting because he didn’t want to pay a $500 entry fee? Riiiight! https://loom.ly/A4JZWVc
My Substack essay on how misguided "visionaries" and negligent owners are threatening journalism at two of media’s most important news outlets: CBS News and The Washington Post. https://loom.ly/gqt822g
January 29, 2026 at 7:32 PM
My Substack essay on how misguided "visionaries" and negligent owners are threatening journalism at two of media’s most important news outlets: CBS News and The Washington Post. https://loom.ly/gqt822g
My take on how misguided visionaries and negligent owners are threatening journalism at two of media’s most important news outlets. https://loom.ly/gqt822g
How misguided visionaries and negligent owners threaten journalism at CBS News and The Washington Post
At a time when the public needs strong, trustworthy journalism more than ever, why do strategies unfolding at CBS News and The Washington Post seem to undermine their work more than uplift it?
open.substack.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:06 PM
My take on how misguided visionaries and negligent owners are threatening journalism at two of media’s most important news outlets. https://loom.ly/gqt822g
NYTimes has a new video analysis of Alex Pretti shooting saying ICE used lethal force against a target which was not a threat https://loom.ly/w9mmavo
Video: New Video Analysis Reveals Flawed and Fatal Decisions in Shooting of Pretti
A frame-by-frame assessment of actions by Alex Pretti and the two officers who fired 10 times shows how lethal force came to be used against a target who didn’t pose a threat.
www.nytimes.com
January 27, 2026 at 2:18 PM
NYTimes has a new video analysis of Alex Pretti shooting saying ICE used lethal force against a target which was not a threat https://loom.ly/w9mmavo