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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

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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

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Hobbes' podcasts have received positive reviews from media outlets such as Vulture, The Atlantic, and the New York Times."[16][17][18] In 2022, his podcast Maintenance Phase won a Webby Award for best podcast series.[19]

Writing about Hobbes' departure from You're Wrong About in 2021, Vulture media critic Nicholas Quah called the show with Hobbes "deeply researched, funny, and heartfelt" and praised both hosts for their "level of self-knowledge" and "moral clarity."[10]

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.[20][21] Jonathan Chait called Hobbes a "bad-faith media critic" who reflexively criticized stories inconvenient to left-wing causes.[22]

Personal life

[edit]

Hobbes is gay.[23][24] He has lived in Seattle, Berlin, the United Kingdom and Denmark.[25][10]

References

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  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 f 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. ^ Dibdin, Emma (January 27, 2022). "For an Antidote to Diet Culture, Try These 6 Podcasts". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 8, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  17. ^ Quah, Nicholas (June 6, 2023). "The Best Podcasts of 2023 (So Far)". Vulture. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  18. ^ Giorgis, Hannah (June 12, 2023). "A Podcast About the Airport Best Sellers We Can't Escape". The Atlantic. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  19. ^ "NEW Webby Gallery + Index". NEW Webby Gallery + Index. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ Reese, Isaac (October 21, 2019). "Reese: Solving Gay Loneliness by Finding Community". The Daily Utah Chronicle. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  24. ^ Hobbes, M., Why Didn't Gay Rights Cure Gay Loneliness?, retrieved January 20, 2023
  25. ^ Wilson, Gemma (January 2, 2018). "Millennial Provocateur Michael Hobbes". City Arts Magazine. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
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