The conversation on this episode of The Intercept Briefing focuses on the challenges faced by journalists and advocates in fighting against the erosion of democracy under President Donald Trump's administration. The discussion centers around the impact of Trump's authoritarian tendencies, his use of government power to dismantle the free press, and the role of corporate interests in shaping the media landscape.
Adam Serwer, a senior writer at The Atlantic, and Adam Goodman, an investigative journalist at The Intercept, share their perspectives on these issues and discuss potential ways to push back against Trump's attacks on democracy. They emphasize the importance of sustained pressure from below, including from the public, advocacy groups, and journalists, in order to hold elected officials accountable for their actions.
The conversation also touches on the challenges faced by independent media outlets like The Intercept, which rely on donations and subscriptions to remain financially sustainable. Goodman discusses how the outlet plans to grow its reporting capacity in 2026 in order to better address the crisis facing democracy.
Throughout the episode, there is a sense of urgency and frustration among the hosts and guests, who acknowledge that the stakes are high and that the situation requires immediate attention. However, they also maintain an optimistic tone, emphasizing the importance of collective action and the potential for meaningful change.
Key quotes and takeaways from the conversation include:
* "We're not just talking about a president with bad habits; we're talking about a president who's fundamentally transforming the role of the executive branch and creating a system that is unaccountable to anyone." - Adam Serwer
* "The most effective way to push back against this is to create more pressure from below, and that means getting out there and making your voice heard." - Adam Goodman
* "We need to grow our reporting capacity in time to hit the ground running in 2026. We can't just be reacting to events; we need to be proactively covering what's happening." - Ben Muessig
Overall, this episode of The Intercept Briefing offers a thought-provoking analysis of the challenges facing democracy and the importance of collective action in pushing back against authoritarianism.
Adam Serwer, a senior writer at The Atlantic, and Adam Goodman, an investigative journalist at The Intercept, share their perspectives on these issues and discuss potential ways to push back against Trump's attacks on democracy. They emphasize the importance of sustained pressure from below, including from the public, advocacy groups, and journalists, in order to hold elected officials accountable for their actions.
The conversation also touches on the challenges faced by independent media outlets like The Intercept, which rely on donations and subscriptions to remain financially sustainable. Goodman discusses how the outlet plans to grow its reporting capacity in 2026 in order to better address the crisis facing democracy.
Throughout the episode, there is a sense of urgency and frustration among the hosts and guests, who acknowledge that the stakes are high and that the situation requires immediate attention. However, they also maintain an optimistic tone, emphasizing the importance of collective action and the potential for meaningful change.
Key quotes and takeaways from the conversation include:
* "We're not just talking about a president with bad habits; we're talking about a president who's fundamentally transforming the role of the executive branch and creating a system that is unaccountable to anyone." - Adam Serwer
* "The most effective way to push back against this is to create more pressure from below, and that means getting out there and making your voice heard." - Adam Goodman
* "We need to grow our reporting capacity in time to hit the ground running in 2026. We can't just be reacting to events; we need to be proactively covering what's happening." - Ben Muessig
Overall, this episode of The Intercept Briefing offers a thought-provoking analysis of the challenges facing democracy and the importance of collective action in pushing back against authoritarianism.
. We need to take a stand and make some noise! 
. The problem is, one slice (gov't power) is getting too big and eating up all the other slices. This means we're losing our freedom to speak out and get accurate info 
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. But they can't do it alone! We need to support them (and all independent media outlets) with donations and subscriptions 
. 
. It's like we're upgrading our fact-checking superpower 
!
they're talking about how trumps admin is destroying democracy and its like no joke we need to wake up ppl!!! Adam Serwer is literally right the president is not just bad but he's changing the whole system to be unaccountable and its terrifying Ben Muessig is so right too we need to invest in our own media outlets like The Intercept or else we'll never know whats going on 
The thing that really got me is how many people rely on donations and subscriptions for an outlet like The Intercept to stay afloat 
. I mean, think about it - if you're talking about holding elected officials accountable, you need the resources to actually cover it 
.