“The herd mentality is people just blindly buying into what someone's telling them without telling them why,” explains host Jaded. In today’s episode, hosts Jaded and Able discuss the bandwagon effect of cancel culture. By exploring different celebrities' experiences with societal backlash, Jaded and Able determine if people should be held accountable for long-past mistakes and who has the authority to make that call. Joy Behar, Joe Rogan, and Chrissy Teigen are all public figures who have had their runs in with cancel culture, some for present actions, many for things they did decades ago. Although people in the public eye can do insensitive or inappropriate things, the internet will often become outraged before understanding the whole story. Jaded and Able remind their listeners to do their research before hopping on the bandwagon to condemn others publicly. Tune into this week’s episode of Bigfoot Logic for a frank conversation on cancel culture. Learn more about how social media boosts herd mentality, the varying interpretations of cancel culture’s definition, and how the line between news and opinions editorials is being consistently blurred. Quotes • “The herd mentality is people just blindly buying into what someone's telling them without telling them why.” (4:40 - 4:46 | Jaded) • “So who decides who gets canceled and when? In large parties, the herd does, whether that herd gathers and stampedes on platforms like Facebook or Instagram, or news sites, it starts to move slowly at first and then with gathering momentum and when the dust settles, someone has been trampled.” (34:53 - 35:12 | Jaded) • “In the old days of journalism, there was a distinct delineation between editorial, which is where opinions are expressed, and news reporting, which is intended to be non-biased and factually right. Now, we're seeing more and more of those lines blurred.” (54:07 - 54:25 | Able) Links https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a39295655/vladimir-putin-cancelled-russia-sanctions/ https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/05/19/americans-and-cancel-culture-where-some-see-calls-for-accountability-others-see-censorship-punishment/ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/03/t-magazine/cancel-culture-history.html https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/why-do-we-argue-online-1.2295986 https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/magazine/07Human-t.html https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/01/media/whoopi-goldberg-the-view-suspended/index.html https://www.cbsnews.com/news/joy-behar-photo-halloween-costume-blackface-controversy-abc-the-view/ https://people.com/tv/meghan-mccain-calls-joy-behar-pathetic-for-trolling-her-valentines-day-post/ https://deadline.com/2021/05/alec-baldwin-attacks-cancel-culture-twitter-hilaria-baldwin-1234757367/ https://www.foxnews.com/media/james-carville-democrats-wasting-money-stupid https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2022/02/college-campus-free-speech-cancel-culture/621484/ https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3160837/12-celebrities-who-got-cancelled-2021-chris-noths https://medium.com/counterarts/joy-behars-homophobic-joke-was-not-okay-8e6ec2ef9d45 https://www.foxnews.com/media/the-view-joy-behar-apologizes-save-job https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/1/17/16897440/aziz-ansari-allegations-babe-me-too https://mashable.com/2018/01/15/what-is-babe-aziz-ansari-sexual-misconduct-allegation/ https://twitter.com/LevineJonathan/status/1171071092808658945?s=20 https://thefederalist.com/2019/09/11/vice-rewards-aziz-ansari-reporter-with-new-gig/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaway/ https://www.vice.com/en/contributor/katie-way https://www.vice.com/en/article/jgmvmx/happy-black-history-month-from-companies-that-make-prison-even-lonelier-securus-jpay https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/03/t-magazine/cancel-culture-history.html https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/16/technology/gamergate-women-video-game-threats-anita-sarkeesian.html www.bigfootlogic.com Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

“People that are saying I trust the science need to understand who's creating the science they trust,” host Able explains. As the pandemic continues, many people claim that the vaccine’s ingredients are irrelevant because they trust scientists. However, with Pfizer lobbyists often acting against the World Health Organization’s recommendations, it seems that science may not be the primary influence affecting public health. By deep-diving into Pfizer’s history, Jaded and Able give us a full view into the company determining vaccine science. Although it has incurred 75 different violations related to its drugs and medical equipment, Pfizer remains a respected global institution. Because the company cannot be sued for adverse vaccine reactions until 2024, Pfizer has the incentive to sell as many doses in as short a time as possible. With this in mind, Jaded and Able remind their audience that if they want to follow the science, they should evaluate the available information for themselves before forming an opinion. Tune into this week’s episode of Bigfoot Logic for an objective exploration into the Pfizer company. Learn more about Pfizer’s sordid legal history, why PR professionals are not liable for sharing inaccurate information, and the power pharmaceutical companies have over our everyday lives. Quotes • “So the Bigfoot Logic is: I don't know what’s in those things. So, I'm going to trust this thing because it's similar, but it's not similar. And it's not similar because you don't have the same protections.” (07:05-07:17) • “People today are obsessed with whether something has gluten or 20 years ago it was MSG. It's the sugar substitutes and all these things that people are concerned about putting in their bodies, and they're very public about those things. And yet, when it comes to the COVID vaccine, they don't care. They want to pretend like they're making a decision based on science, but it's not.” (08:01-08:34) • “Pfizer is making billions and billions of dollars from the US government. The government has fined them over $1 billion for lying to them. The people saying I trust the science need to understand who's creating the science they trust. And the company at the forefront of this is a company called Pfizer.” (10:58-11:17) • “Trusting the science means you have to trust the scientists who work for a company that's been sued time and time again and worked out with the government that they can't be sued about this vaccine.” (29:23-29:38) • “The Intercept, The British Medical Journal, The Wire. Can you believe anything you’ve read in these publications? Are they credible? You have to decide that, just like you have to decide if an article in CNN or MSNBC is credible. Is an article giving you facts and letting you decide, or is an article cutting through your logic center to appeal to your emotions to get you ramped up or riled up and clicking through to read more?” (36:22-36:46) • “You have to look at the connections of these people in power because remember: fairytales are meant to keep people in power.” (40:53-41:00) www.bigfootlogic.com Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

“Maybe there's a shortage in the number of hospitals, hospital beds, or doctors. And it's possible that that's really the root of the problem, not that we have fewer nurses than are needed,” host Able explains. Since the pandemic, there has been a widespread US nurse shortage narrative, despite the rise of traveling nurses. Today, Jaded and Able discuss whether this perceived issue holds weight or is just another example of “follow the money.” By dissecting data related to hospital staffing, both global and domestic, Jaded and Able determine the accuracy of the nurse shortage narrative made popular by mainstream news. When comparing both for-profit and nonprofit hiring trends, the issue does not appear to lie in nurse staffing itself, but rather in the lack of hospitals, hospital beds, and doctors made available during a pandemic. With the US government subsidizing hospitals to hire more traveling nurses, a role that is usually higher-paid, it appears as though the government is just throwing money at the problem rather than finding long-term solutions. Tune into this week’s episode of Bigfoot Logic for an honest investigation into the US nursing shortage. Learn more about the issues within the US healthcare system, the reasons behind the traveling nurse trend, and how the government may be trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. Quotes • “One of the topics we've discussed previously is just what the government is willing to pay in terms of putting band-aids on situations as opposed to actually addressing a situation that exists, that could be solved through workforce development or other avenues that have long term positive effects over time, as opposed to throwing money at a problem.” (02:49-03:16) • “Throughout US history, there's been this pattern of for-profit industries being left to their own devices, to a point where it gets to impact public health and then the government has to step in.” (06:48-07:05) • “The news will focus on the nursing shortage, but maybe there's a different issue. And maybe there's a shortage in the number of hospitals, hospital beds, or doctors. And it's possible that that's really the root of the problem, not that we have fewer nurses than are needed.” (17:19-17:37) • “The hype around traveling nurses is that all of a sudden, these nurses are no longer available locally. But the reality is they are made locally; they've just reclassified themselves as a different type of worker.” (20:05-20:15) • “The government is funding this; the hospitals are using COVID relief funds to pay these higher premiums for the traveling nurses. So the Bigfoot Logic is you using government money to address a nursing shortage that doesn't exist.” (21:33-21:48) • “We talked about Bigfoot Logic and how if you follow the money, sometimes things aren't as they seem. Like you were pointing out how the government spends money to bail out private institutions and line the pockets of some, yet it doesn't seem to address any of the long-term issues. So, when the next pandemic hits, when hospitals are maxed out, are we really going to be any better off paying traveling nurses more? I don't think so. I think we'll be in a similar situation.” (30:52-31:22) www.bigfootlogic.com Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

“The coverage of presidential candidates and presidents and past presidents is supposed to be based on relevant information, not entertainment,” host Jaded explains. Since Donald Trump first ran for president, he has received a disproportionate amount of news coverage that has not wavered since he left office. Today, Jaded and Able discuss the motivation behind the media’s obsession with Trump and why it’s yet another example of “Bigfoot Logic.” During Trump’s term, many news outlets such as MSNBC and Fox received a significant boost in ratings and revenue. With money to be made, the incentive to churn out Trump-related stories remains, even when Trump’s outlandish behavior veers more toward entertainment than relevant information. By evaluating today’s for-profit media climate, Jaded and Able remind their audience that what’s good for business may not always be good for the news itself. Tune into this week’s episode of Bigfoot Logic for an unbiased exploration of the Trump news cycle. Learn how the media benefits from the constant Trump coverage, why society has developed a news addiction and the critical distinction between opinion editorials and authentic journalism. Quotes • “The coverage of presidential candidates and presidents and past presidents is supposed to be based on relevant information, not entertainment.” (06:34-06:44) • “They excite the base, they exaggerate things, they use data and studies to make very specific points about the President's policies, whether it's Obama or Trump, but it's really not to inform you. It's to excite you and to get you coming back to read more so they can sell more ads.” (11:26-11:44) • “The media cuts through your logic centers and goes right to your emotions to get you upset. Because when you're upset, you react more, you read more, and you get more addicted to the news.” (20:09-20:25) • “It's a slippery slope when you start allowing reporters to inject opinions into how they cover things.” (29:41-29:48) • ‘The real focus of this episode is why the media continues to give airtime to these types of fringe ideas, and why they continue to give so much airtime to Trump, and that's because Trump is good for business. Trump is not good for news. Trump is good for business.” (32:56-33:11) • “We have a shared responsibility in stopping the spread of misinformation. It's as simple as before you share a news article, before you share a meme, before you share someone else's comment that offers an opinion, do a quick Google search to see if you can verify it. See if you can find another source that says the same thing. It doesn't take a lot of time, but it helps stop the spread of misinformation.” (40:00-40:28) Links https://shorensteincenter.org/patterson-2020-election-coverage/ https://www.cleveland.com/news/2021/03/when-candidates-make-reckless-statements-just-to-get-attention-should-they-get-attention-letter-from-the-editor.html https://www.cleveland.com/open/2021/07/jd-vance-used-to-admonish-donald-trumps-xenophobic-appeals-to-voters-until-he-decided-to-run-for-senate.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/27/us/politics/trump-false-claims-media.html https://theconversation.com/you-are-the-new-gatekeeper-of-the-news-71862 https://theconversation.com/how-to-consume-news-while-maintaining-your-sanity-160070 https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1778&context=asc_papers https://www.wgbh.org/news/commentary/2021/01/27/for-five-years-trump-outrage-has-fueled-media-profits-so-now-what www.bigfootlogic.com Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Welcome to Bigfoot Logic, where hosts Jaded and Able expose the myths, legends and lies in the news today. In today’s inaugural episode, our hosts discuss how the rise of the Omicron variant coincides with the mainstream push for booster vaccines. With their backgrounds in public relations and crisis communications, Jaded and Able dissect the Omicron variant’s media timeline to give a critical lens to the messaging that influences our everyday lives. Both vaccinated, Jaded and Able are far from COVID conspiracy theorists. However, although they recognize the difficulty of managing a global pandemic, certain events surrounding the Omicron variant’s narrative seem to surpass logic and tap into our collective fear. With the World Health Organization and university scientists delivering conflicting information to pharmaceutical companies, Jaded and Able objectively go through the Omicron timeline and encourage their audience to draw their own conclusions. Tune into this week’s premiere episode of Bigfoot Logic for an enlightening conversation about the Omicron variant and the media attention surrounding it. Learn more about the hosts’ definition of “Bigfoot Logic,” how pharmaceutical lobbyists affect public perception, and how to decipher fact from fiction in the media. Links https://reliefweb.int/report/world/pfizer-biontech-and-moderna-making-1000-profit-every-second-while-world-s-poorest www.bigfootlogic.com Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm