Andy Mills: Quitting The New York Times and Making The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling

This week's guest is Andy Mills, the co-creator of Reflector, a new documentary podcast. Reflector's early episodes delve into controversial treatments for alcoholism and the free speech implications of the trial of rapper Young Thug, whose lyrics are being used by prosecutors to build a RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) case. Mills is a legend in podcasting circles. He helped create The New York Times podcast The Daily, one of the most listened-to shows on the planet, and he produced the wildly popular and controversial The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling for The Free Press. Reason's Nick Gillespie and Mills discuss why podcasting is having such a moment, his tumultuous tenure at the Times (which ended with his resignation in 2021), and whether there is a market for investigative journalism that isn't done in the service of partisan politics.

0:00—Introduction

1:03— Reflector: Andy Mills' new podcast

3:47— Reflector Episode 1: Naltrexone for alcoholism

7:00— Reflector Episode 2: Drill rap on trial

18:16— Economics of podcasting

22:22— Has the podcast era peaked?

25:28— Starting The Daily at The New York Times

29:06— Spotify's bad Meghan Markle bet

31:04— The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling

37:15— Caliphate controversy and The New York Times part 1

41:06—  Ad: Lumen

43:09— Caliphate controversy and The New York Times part 2

45:33— What does healthy media consumption look like?

47:46— Andy Mills' rural Christian upbringing

52:50— 'Wokeness' at The New York Times

1:00:24— Q&A

Today's sponsors:

• Students for Liberty
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• New York City premiere of Reason's Backpage documentary and panel discussion, Tuesday, July 23. Was the federal prosecution of online classified ad site Backpage.com a win for opponents of sex trafficking or a loss for First Amendment rights? View a new documentary by Elizabeth Nolan Brown and Paul Detrick and participate in a panel with Brown and Old Pros' Kaytlin Bailey about the case moderated by Nick Gillespie. Tickets are $10 and include beer, wine, soft drinks, and a light buffet. Seats are limited. Details here.

• Video Editor: Ian Keyser