Long Live the Art of Shoe-Leather Reporting!

This summer the state of New Mexico sued the Justice department for access to unredacted files related to Jeffrey Epstein. On this week’s On the Media, an Epstein beat reporter shares her ongoing quest for accountability. Plus, an investigation into Tulsi Gabbard’s mysterious relationship with a guru, and how it may have shaped her politics. 

[01:00] Host Brooke Gladstone speaks with  Julie K. Brown, an investigative journalist at the Miami Herald, whose reporting in 2018 led to Jeffrey Epstein’s arrest. They discuss how the Epstein files that have been released reveal how prosecutors failed to bring the sex trafficker to justice for years. This conversation first aired earlier this year.

[19:08] Brooke sits down with Jon Swaine, a reporter at the Washington Post, to talk about his masterful long-form reporting on ex-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. He investigates Gabbard’s mysterious relationship with her guru, and how it could account for Gabbard’s shapeshifting from Democrat to Bernie Sanders ally to top MAGA staffer.

[36:50] Brooke continues her conversation with Jon Swaine, and they dig into the nuts and bolts of his investigation into Tulsi Gabbard’s relationship with her guru Chris Butler.  

Further reading:

• The Epstein Files by Julie K. Brown
• “Tulsi Gabbard, her guru and the mysterious messages that helped shape her political career,” by Jon Swaine

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [email protected].

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.