As a conservative, I am skeptical of new things. This "technology," for example. I don't own a Kindle. I deleted my Facebook account over a decade ago. It took me years to adopt Twitter, which I did under duress and to my unending regret. I do not play games on my phone, or really do anything on my phone other than email, text, and make calls. I want to restrain and even break up the tech giants, not for economic reasons so much as for political ones. They are growing too concentrated and too powerful. Such amalgamations trigger my populist-republican sensibilities.
Today, though, I am making an exception to my anti-tech rule. The Washington Free Beacon now has a podcast: "Right and Righter," brought to you by the Ricochet Audio Network. I urge you to subscribe to us on iTunes, and to leave a review—but only positive ones!
So why have we succumbed to the podcast monster? Mainly because I grew tired of hearing my employees—and myself—appear on other podcasts. Also, because, let's face it, there's no future in journalism. Pretty soon algorithms will take over the digital media; there will be no need for human beings to produce Kate Upton blogs when a machine can do it. We are still a long while away, however, from AI simulating pundits. It will be centuries before computers sound as wrong as Sonny Bunch.
Another reason for the growth in podcasts is demand. People would much rather listen to sizzling takes than read them. It's much easier to multitask while consuming pods. They are more accessible, and less dangerous, than trying to read on your phone during the commute to work.
Finally, the Free Beacon identified a glaring space in the podcast market. There are interview shows, chat shows, and debate shows between left, right, and center. But there is no show where the conversation and debate is between someone on the right and someone else who is even farther to the right. Let's cut out the extraneous positions and concentrate on the real tension in this country: the GOP elite versus the folks who believe WWE Raw is authentic.
Which brings us to "Right and Righter." Our host is senior writer Elizabeth Harrington. I am on the right. And Free Beacon president Aaron Harison is to my right. The top of the show is politics, the bottom is culture. In between Liz interviews staff writer Natalie Johnson. The first episode even contains some reporting. But don't worry: It's news about the "Bachelor Winter Games." Episodes will appear on Tuesdays and Fridays.
We hope you enjoy it. More importantly, we hope you listen to it. And let us know what you think.
You can listen below or download the MP3 file, but, again, the best way to listen is to subscribe via iTunes (and leave us a 5-star review while you're there).