Each month, Podcast Review’s staff offers recommendations on the best new podcasts to listen to. Here are our favorites for March:
From the team behind Sweet Bobby comes a new investigation into one of the biggest media stories of the last five years. We all watched in grim fascination as the Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard defamation trial took over our social media feeds. Since the verdict, new evidence has emerged that many of the online voices who harassed Heard may have been bots. If hostile accounts have the influence to sway our justice system, it raises again the issue of disinformation during an election year.
The events of Heard’s trial extend far beyond celebrity drama. Who Trolled Amber? should be listened to critically, but the excellent Alexi Mostrous brings to light threats to online safety, democracy, and victim blaming that may get worse as social media regulation stalls.
Vox Media, the audio home of veteran tech journalists like Kara Swisher, recently announced an upstart podcast that promises to cover “the most influential stories that Silicon Valley often ignores.” Power User with Taylor Lorenz positions itself as a smart, progressive tech show for millennials — a natural, tech-inclined successor to the kind of journalism we read The Cut for. Lorenz is a sharp and dogged reporter with a critical eye on big tech. We’re hoping for strong, thoughtful takes, less the show get lost in a crowded genre.
With Valentine’s Day now in our rear-view mirror, it’s getting harder to find anything worth feeling fuzzy towards on our news feeds. A moment of respite comes in the form of a fortnightly podcast from The Boston Globe. The new series of their dating and relationship show, Love Letters, launched last month. Hosted by their advice columnist Meredith Goldstein, the show is a thirty-minute adventure into the complexities of the human heart. If you’re a fan of Modern Love, give this one a try.
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