In 2018, journalist Brian Reed found himself entangled in a lawsuit concerning his most acclaimed project. The podcast S-Town, which he hosted and produced, had quickly become a phenomenon the previous year.
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| Brian Reed Cristian Candamil |
It shattered listenership records, earned widespread acclaim, and ignited debates around issues of consent and privacy regarding its deceased subject. However, the Peabody Award-winning series faced a legal challenge from the estate of the podcast’s subject, alleging a violation of Alabama's right of publicity law.
"In order to win their case, [the complainants] had to argue that S-Town wasn’t legally journalism," Reed explains. "And it forced me to reconsider the very essence of what journalism is, in ways I hadn’t done before."
The lawsuit was settled in 2020, with the estate’s executor stating that they no longer had concerns with the podcast. However, Reed continued reflecting on the questions raised during the ordeal. This experience fueled his latest project, a deep dive into the current state — and shortcomings — of journalism. Question Everything, debuting Thursday from KCRW and Placement Theory, explores the ethical dilemmas, pressures facing journalists, individual codes of conduct, and the impact of nonfiction storytelling at a time when public trust in media is at an all-time low.
Reed opens the podcast by scrutinizing his own work, particularly S-Town. In the pilot episode, he speaks with one of the podcast's harshest critics, Australian journalist Gay Alcorn, who described it as “morally indefensible” in a 2017 Guardian article. They discuss Alcorn’s concerns about consent after the subject, John B. McLemore, took his own life during the early stages of reporting. Reed also reflects on the decision-making behind revealing intimate details of McLemore's life and why this private citizen’s story was worth telling.
"It’s not a mea culpa for S-Town," Reed notes about the conversation, adding that he remains “comfortable and proud” of the work he and his team did. "That said, it was eye-opening to see how two seasoned journalists could view the same story so differently."
Subsequent episodes address how prominent reporters are navigating a landscape marked by political bias, distrust, and rampant misinformation. In one episode, a journalist roundtable takes place over drinks at a Brooklyn wine shop, where This American Life host Ira Glass recalls entering journalism with the belief that facts could sway audiences and drive change. Now, “I feel like what I’ve seen is that’s not true,” he admits.
In another episode, Reed interviews Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Barton Gellman, who helped expose NSA surveillance based on Edward Snowden’s leaks in 2013. Gellman left journalism earlier this year to join NYU Law’s Brennan Center for Justice. “He basically experienced a minor crisis of confidence in the power of truth and journalists’ ability to make a difference,” Reed says.
Future episodes will feature Tangle News founder Isaac Saul, whose newsletter is bridging political divides in American families, and two Alabama newspaper staffers who were arrested after publishing a controversial story in 2023.
Throughout his conversations, Reed has found that some core tenets of journalism, such as accuracy, transparency, and accountability, are broadly accepted. But other values, like objectivity and impartiality, are more contentious: “In some places, these are sacred, while in others they’re seen as laughable or even harmful, certainly counterproductive.”
Reed's goal is to create a platform where journalists can be introspective, open to criticism, and self-reflective, as he outlines in the first episode of Question Everything. When asked how well this approach has been received so far, Reed responds, “jury’s still out.” He adds, “We’ve had enough successes that I’m encouraged.”
One group Reed has been particularly focused on engaging is journalists he holds in high regard. He’s been taken aback by the emotions he’s encountered. “There’s something profound happening in journalism right now, but the depth of it is greater than I anticipated,” he says. Some sources he once considered “high priests of journalism” are now expressing uncertainty about the current state of the profession. Reed remarks, “It’s oddly reassuring to know that people I respect, who have thought about this longer than I have, are also worried and unsure, but it’s troubling too.”
The podcast will release biweekly, with 26 episodes slated for its first year, and Reed hopes it will evolve into a long-running series with many more episodes to follow. It’s the inaugural project from his new company, Placement Theory, co-founded with fellow This American Life alum Robyn Semien.
The company’s mission is to nurture innovative, forward-thinking audio stories. One key principle: “Every story we produce is told by a reporter or host who is uniquely qualified to tell that story — or at least that version of it,” Reed says.
So, why is Reed the right person to tackle this inquiry into the state of journalism? “This show is fueled by my own mid-life, mid-career existential crisis about what my profession really is,” Reed confesses.
“It stems from genuine uncertainty, fear, and confusion about the career I’ve devoted my life to.” He adds, “The way this show is told, the lens through which it views the world, is largely shaped by my personal experience.”
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