New chapters
Good Sunday morning! I have some book news to share… but first… Vanity Fair’s weekly “Inside the Hive” podcast is going daily for the Democratic National Convention. I will be interviewing some of the VF writers who are on assignment in Chicago for the Kamala Harris coronation. The first episode will drop Tuesday morning.
On the most recent edition of the pod, Anand Giridharadas analyzed the sudden outburst of Democratic “joy” and explained why, in politics, emotions sometimes matter a whole lot more than policy arguments. I thought the episode was hugely insightful.
Over at The Atlantic, I wrote about all the times when Donald Trump has said, in effect, “Who you gonna believe? Me, or your lying eyes?” I asked: If Trump is so shaken by Harris that he will insist her thousands of supporters don’t exist, what else will he say and do to deny reality?” Here’s the essay.
I also discussed the crowd size lie with Kaitlan Collins on CNN and Stephanie Ruhle on MSNBC.
And speaking of… The paperback edition of my book NETWORK OF LIES is now available for preorder. I have added four new chapters with fresh reporting about Fox and Trump. I have also removed a couple of chapters about Tucker Carlson because, well, he’s a lot less relevant than he was a year ago.
I told TheWrap that we’re seeing the same “cloud of confusion” techniques from 2020 being employed again in this election season, so I wanted to bring the book forward into 2024. It will go on sale on September 17, one day before Trump “is expected to face sentencing on his hush money trial conviction,” TVNewser’s writeup noted. You can preorder a copy here.
Updating the book was a joy, but some of my absolute favorite writing assignments – in the past two years of freelance life – have had nothing to do with politics at all. Take this recent feature for FORTUNE magazine. I interviewed Disney parks boss Josh D’Amaro and toured Imagineering HQ in Glendale, California to understand how the company develops new attractions. The imagineers even let me try out a lightsaber:
I think this story contains lessons about/for every major media company.
Time to pick up the kids from ninja warrior class. I’ll Instagram the highlights 😊
–Brian