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Michael Hobbes

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Michael Hobbes
Occupation(s)Journalist and podcaster
Known forMaintenance Phase,
You're Wrong About,
If Books Could Kill
Websitehttps://rottenindenmark.org/

Michael Hobbes is a journalist and podcast host.[1] He was formerly a Senior Enterprise Reporter for HuffPost.[2][3] His writing has also appeared in Pacific Standard,[4] The New Republic,[5] and Slate.[6]

Hobbes currently co-hosts the podcast Maintenance Phase, which criticizes the science behind health and wellness fads,[1] and the podcast If Books Could Kill, which critically examines the premises of various popular non-fiction books.[7][8] He also previously co-hosted You're Wrong About, which explores the truth behind popular narratives about well-known historical events and phenomena.[9]

Career

Before beginning his writing career, Hobbes worked in human rights for 11 years.[10] He was previously a reporter for the Huffington Post,[2] where he covered the new economy.[3] He also writes journalistic and personal essays for publications including Pacific Standard,[4] The New Republic,[5] and Slate.[6] His article on the plight of millennials[11] was nominated for a National Magazine Award.[12] He has also appeared in multiple episodes of WNYC's On the Media.[10][13]

Michael Hobbes, along with co-host Sarah Marshall, started the podcast You're Wrong About in May 2018.[14] Each episode centers a historical event or concept and breaks down the common myths and misconceptions that surround it. Unlike many history podcasts, one co-host researches the episode and the other blind-reacts to the information.[14] During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns the podcast gained a cult following.[14][10] Hobbes decided to step away from the podcast in October 2021, citing his wish to end his involvement on a high note.[10]

Hobbes and Aubrey Gordon have co-hosted the podcast Maintenance Phase since October 2020.[15] The show examines the myths and "junk science" behind health, nutrition, and wellness trends, and have discussed topics including popular diets and diet foods, anti-fat bias, and eating disorders.[1]

In November 2022, Hobbes and lawyer Peter Shamshiri launched If Books Could Kill, a podcast that breaks down popular non-fiction books like Freakonomics in the same style as Maintenance Phase and You're Wrong About.[7]

Reception

Hobbes questioned the veracity of a 2024 essay in The Atlantic by a former New York Times editor who said he had been chastised by human resources due to eating at Chick-fil-A, given the CEO's position against same-sex marriage. The Atlantic asserted that the story had been fact-checked and confirmed with multiple Times employees, and journalists Robby Soave and Erik Wemple also supported the magazine.[16][17] Jonathan Chait called Hobbes a "bad-faith media critic" who reflexively criticized stories inconvenient to left-wing causes.[18]

Personal life

Hobbes is gay.[19][20] He has lived in Seattle, Berlin, the United Kingdom and Denmark.[21][10]

References

  1. ^ a b c Petersen, Victoria (September 9, 2021). "Breaking Down the 'Wellness-Industrial Complex,' an Episode at a Time". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Michael Hobbes", podchaser.com, retrieved January 20, 2023
  3. ^ a b "Michael Hobbes", podchaser.com, retrieved January 20, 2023
  4. ^ a b Hobbes, M. (September 16, 2018), The Afterlife of Big Ideas in Education Reform, retrieved January 20, 2023
  5. ^ a b Hobbes, M. (2014), "Stop Trying to Save the World", The New Republic, retrieved January 20, 2023
  6. ^ a b Hobbes, M. (2014), "How My Parents Accidentally Got Caught Up in the Iranian Revolution", Slate, retrieved January 20, 2023
  7. ^ a b Quah, N. (2022), Process the World Cup With These Podcasts, retrieved January 20, 2023
  8. ^ McCann, Fiona. "If Books Could Kill: Sharp takedowns of dumb takes". The Irish Times. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  9. ^ "Michael Hobbes", bigthink.com, retrieved January 20, 2023
  10. ^ a b c d e Quah, N. (2021), "Why Michael Hobbes Won't Tell You You're Wrong Anymore", vulture.com, retrieved January 20, 2023
  11. ^ Hobbes, M., "Generation Screwed", Huffington Post, retrieved January 20, 2023
  12. ^ "ELLIES 2018 FINALISTS ANNOUNCED". www.asme.media.
  13. ^ "Who Is The Bad Art Friend? Why Not Both?", WNYC, retrieved January 20, 2023
  14. ^ a b c Syme, R. (2020), "How We Lie to Ourselves About History", The New Yorker, retrieved January 20, 2023
  15. ^ Quah, Nicholas (December 29, 2021). "The Best Podcasts of 2021, According to People Who Make Podcasts". Vulture. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  16. ^ Soave, Robby (February 29, 2024). "New York Times Staffers Bullied a Conservative Writer". Reason. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  17. ^ Wemple, Erik (March 7, 2024). "New York Times employees fighting over Chick-fil-A? Sounds about right". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 7, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  18. ^ Chait, Jonathan (March 1, 2024). "The 'Fake' New York Times Chicken-Sandwich Story Turns Out to Be Quite Real". New York. Archived from the original on May 12, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  19. ^ Reese, Isaac (October 21, 2019). "Reese: Solving Gay Loneliness by Finding Community". The Daily Utah Chronicle. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  20. ^ Hobbes, M., Why Didn't Gay Rights Cure Gay Loneliness?, retrieved January 20, 2023
  21. ^ Wilson, Gemma (January 2, 2018). "Millennial Provocateur Michael Hobbes". City Arts Magazine. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
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