Reckonings

If Trump conceded, what would he say? This episode is part of Deep Reckonings — a series of explicitly-marked deepfake videos that imagine Mark Zuckerberg, Brett Kavanaugh, and other public figures having a reckoning. Here, an imaginary Donald Trump concedes the 2020 election. Want to see Trump give a real concession speech? Tweet: ".@realDonaldTrump here's some actual fake news. Only you can make it real with @stephlepp: www.deepreckonings.com/trump #deepreckonings" Watch the full Deep Reckonings series: www.deepreckonings.com If you appreciate Reckonings, support the Infinite Lunchbox!: www.patreon.com/stephlepp

If Brett Kavanaugh, Alex Jones, and Mark Zuckerberg had a crisis of conscience, what would they say? Reckonings presents Deep Reckonings — a project that uses deepfakes to take Reckonings in a *fictional* direction, and imagine public figures having a reckoning. Watch the full series and learn more about the project: deepreckonings.com This is the last Reckonings episode for a while, and maybe...the last episode.

How do we cover the communications of a president who lies, especially when those lies can be fatal? The traditional rituals of journalism don't really work with a president who doesn't tell the truth, and so, what can we do instead? Reckonings presents Infinite Lunchbox on the topic of how to tackle Trump's lies — aka *post-truth jujitsu*. NOTE: Infinite Lunchbox is better viewed than heard — watch this episode on YouTube: bit.ly/posttruthjujitsu Show Notes: • Jay Rosen on switching to an emergency setting: https://pressthink.org/2020/03/today-we-switch-our-coverage-of-donald-trump-to-an-emergency-setting • Dan Froomkin on live fact-checking: https://presswatchers.org/2020/03/how-to-turn-trumps-daily-virus-misinformation-show-into-a-vector-for-the-truth • Matt Yglesias on Trump being a master showman: https://www.vox.com/2020/3/23/21190362/trump-daily-coronavirus-briefing-fox-cnn-msnbc • Jay Rosen on sending the interns: https://pressthink.org/2018/06/its-time-for-the-press-to-suspend-normal-relations-wit

How do we change our hearts and minds? What moves us to shift our political worldviews, transcend extremism, and make other kinds of transformative change? That's the $64 million dollar question that gave birth to Reckonings. And that's the question I explore with lessons learned *from* Reckonings -- in this bonus episode with Inflection Point's Lauren Schiller. Check out additional interviews featuring yours truly: reckonings.show/press.html Connect: • Inflection Point — a show about how women rise up: https://www.inflectionpointradio.org • Neighbors — a podcast showcasing our common humanity: https://bit.ly/neighpod • Infinite Lunchbox — Reckonings’ sister show: https://www.youtube.com/c/infinitelunchbox • Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephlepp • Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephlepp

Joe Biden stands accused of sexual assault. And the Democratic Party leadership, which had been loud in its support for #MeToo, is suddenly……..silent. But, is it possible to support Biden's candidacy without abandoning #MeToo? Can we take Tara Reade's allegation seriously while deeming Biden a worthy candidate for president?? In this bonus episode of Reckonings -- alas, no -- we're not doing a restorative justice dialogue between Joe Biden and Tara Reade. What we're doing is being introduced to Reckonings' new sister show: Infinite Lunchbox! And we're going to hear an Infinite Lunchbox episode on Biden, #MeToo, and the prospect of growing in public. NOTE: Infinite Lunchbox is better *viewed* than heard — watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUoBYHx_cMs Show Notes: • Rebel Wisdom -- let them know you want Reckonings to LIVE on their platform: https://twitter.com/WisdomRebel • Reckonings episode #23 -- featuring restorative justice for clergy sex abuse: http://www.reckonings.show/epis

He built Facebook’s business model. Then he went on to become the President of Pinterest. And then he realized: he was addicted to his phone. And later: he was complicit in his own — and all of our — addictive relationships with technology. How does an architect of Facebook’s business model grapple with the impact of what he built? What is he doing to help us renegotiate our relationship with technology? This is the odyssey of Moment CEO Tim Kendall. SF BAY AREANS: Tim Kendall and Stephanie Lepp will be speaking at the Institute for the Future on September 26th from 6:30-8pm. Check here for details.

'In writing this apology, I moved him from monster to apologist…and in doing that, he lost power over me.' That's Eve Ensler, talking about her recent *masterpiece* of a book, The Apology. In it, she imagines the apology her father never gave her for the abuse he inflicted on her as a child. It echoes the imaginary Pope in Reckonings episode #22 — except that Ensler did it for her own father. Ensler was recently interviewed about the book by Lauren Schiller on Inflection Point, and their conversation had SO MUCH resonance to Reckonings, that I'm bringing it to you right here, in the feed. Enjoy! And when you're done, please tell Eve that she'd enjoy Reckonings — on Instagram @TheApology :)

Let's take a quick peek behind the curtain on a few things, including the question: where is Reckonings going?

She was sexually abused by her Catholic school teacher, a former nun. As a young priest, he sexually abused boys in his parish. Buckle your seat belts for an *uncommon conversation* about clergy sex abuse. Enormous gratitude to the National Association of Community and Restorative Justice (https://nacrj.org), and to The Gilead Project (https://gileadproject.org) -- a 501(c)3 devoted to healing and preventing sexual abuse.

If the Pope had a reckoning, what would it sound like? And then after you listen.....if you're curious *why* this was made, go to episode #23.5 and scroll to 01:18 for an explanation.  

‘I wanted him to be standing with me, and telling our story with me, in a way that didn't just write us into the categories of angelic survivor and evil assaulter. And I think I even told the audience -- if this person comes forward to tell his story, I hope that you’ll listen to him.’ That’s Anwen, speaking about Sameer. What does it sound like for a survivor to get her needs met? What does it sound like for a perpetrator to take responsibility for his sexual abuse of power? Heartfelt thanks to the Friend Foundation, Varda Rabin, and David Karp at the Campus PRISM Project, which helps universities explore the possibility of applying restorative justice to sexual assault: www.skidmore.edu/campusrj/prism.php

Alternative facts. Fake news. How are journalists grappling with this moment?? Dive into one journalist’s reckoning with truth.

'Behind The Mic' is a series of short pieces I produce periodically, to bring you behind the microphone and reveal a bit of what’s going on back here. This time, I’m pulling the curtain on three things: a new creative adventure, the *kinds* of change Reckonings is interested in, and how to bring you more stories more often.

‘I could have been a left-wing guerrilla in Columbia. Whatever would have grabbed me at the right time, I was ready for.’ What ended up grabbing Frank was neo-Nazism. What ended up grabbing Jesse was jihadi extremism. What do we see when we look beyond ideology? This episode was produced with generous support from the Gen Next Foundation (www.gennext.com), which leverages a venture philanthropy framework to build paradigm-shifting social ventures with a wide footprint of impact. Their partnership with

"Very earlier on, Roger called me Ailes Junior. He told my dad, 'I've never met anyone more like me than Joe.'" As the protégé of Fox News chairman Roger Ailes, Joe Lindsley was closer to the man who built Fox News than any Fox executive. He helped write Ailes' speeches, sat next to him at executive meetings, and went to church with his family on Sundays. What moved the ambitious twenty-something to abandon the conservative media titan? For a deeper dive into his epic odyssey, check out Joe's memoir — Fake News / True Story: www.inkshares.com/books/fake-news-true-story

'I can say to climate skeptics on the right, 'I used to believe what you believe. Hell, I wrote your talking points, and for 20 years, I was there! But let me tell you why I'm not there anymore.'' As the head of the Cato Institute’s climate and environmental policy shop, Jerry Taylor was a leading spokesperson for climate skepticism. He waged TV battles against climate activists on the likes of CNN, NBC, and Fox, and says he won all of them. And yet, he's the only paid climate skeptic who's ever flipped. Why did he shift not just his views on climate change, but his relationship with his views more broadly? This is a joint episode with Inquiring Minds, a podcast exploring where science, politics, and society collide (motherjones.com/topics/inquiring-minds). To hear our previous joint episode about worldview transformation in the 2016 presidential election, visit: www.reckonings.show/episodes/inquiring-minds

'When I'm angry and I don't know how to get it out, I take it out on other people. I call people names, I say they're ugly, I talk about the way they dress. And when I get into fighting mode, I just start swinging.’ When she was in high school, Halley built a reputation for herself as a bully. So did Chris, who even bullied his teachers, going so far as to break one teacher's jaw. Why do we bully? And what moves us to stop?

'I was getting people to make decisions based on misleading information that could have life or death consequences.' That’s Wendell Potter, the former head of public relations for CIGNA. As the executive spin doctor for one of the biggest health insurance companies in the country, he was responsible for concocting tales that enabled CIGNA to deny coverage, discredit critics, and otherwise cast the corporate health insurance machine in a positive light. That was until the numbers in his spreadsheets became actual people with real lives. What happens when a health insurance PR executive confronts the consequences of his spin? Dive into one man's odyssey from health insurance spin doctor to activist truth teller.

‘Behind The Mic' is a series of short pieces I produce periodically, to share what's going on behind the scenes. This time, I'm bringing y'all behind the microphone on two things: 1) an event Reckonings hosted back in December, inviting voters to take a post-election stroll in each other’s shoes (short video: bit.ly/2s7OuGD), and 2) the wondrous reason the show has been on hiatus. With that, Reckonings is BACK, and the next episode is imminent…

'You have all these plans, all these dreams, and then it hits you: my daughter's no longer a daughter, she's a son.' In struggling to accept her daughter as a transgender man, Rita DiNicola had to surrender dreams of wedding dress shopping and biological grandchildren. Similarly, in accepting her son as a trans woman, Catherine Hyde had to reckon with the fact that — as a tomboy from a young age — she'd always wanted, and believed she'd gotten, a son as her only child. Together, Rita's and Catherine's stories provide a hopeful window into what might help other parents, and other people more broadly, overcome transphobia and expand our understanding of gender.