Robert Scheer
Former Co-founder & Editor in Chief (2005-2020)
Latest
Politics
U.S. Occupation Is Worse Than Hussein
Dec 1, 2005 It is time we called a halt to our mindless messing in the Iraqi people's lives.“The People of Fallujah Love Cindy Sheehan”
Dec 1, 2005 Sunni leaders who plan to participate in the Dec. 15 Iraq elections told Marines that they are encouraged by the actions of activist Cindy Sheehan and others who are calling for a U.S. withdrawal. Sheehan should be congratulated for showing the Iraqi people and the rest of the world what democracy is all about.Welcome to Truthdig
Nov 29, 2005 Check out the quote at the top of the page from legendary media critic A.J. Liebling and you'll know why we've launched this website. Publisher Zuade Kaufman states our goals in the About Us section. As for me, it just feels good to be an owner of this little corner of the media world, playing host to fine journalists like the ones you'll find on this page.Scheer: Brought to You by the NRA
May 13, 2000 The National Rifle Association and gun manufacturers are right -- if George Bush is elected president, they've got it madeThe gun sellers who want to add to the national supply of 200 million guns in civilian hands have broken off negotiations for new safety measures in the hopes of a kinder Bush administration Only last week, NRA First Vice President Kayne Robinson boasted that if Bush wins the White House, "We'll have a president where we work out of their office -- unbelievably friendly relations".
Another Christmas on Death Row
Dec 25, 2019 Efforts by the inmate's legal team and journalists lead California's governor to order a re-examination of the case. Cooper tells his story here.
Politics
Lawrence Ferlinghetti Is Still Revolutionary at Age 100
Mar 24, 2019 The legendary poet, who is now 100 years old, can be described by nearly enough epithets for every year he's been alive.
The Rise and Fall of Female Moviemakers in Hollywood (Audio)
Aug 10, 2018 Award-winning critic and historian Carrie Rickey debunks the most common rationalizations for women's underrepresentation behind the camera.
‘Do You Know Your Right of Publicity?’ (Audio and Transcript)
Jun 23, 2018 "Scheer Intelligence" podcast host Robert Scheer and guest Jennifer Rothman cover a topic that was once the concern of a relatively few famous and powerful people but has now become just about everybody's business.
‘We Live in a Golden Age of Surveillance’ (Audio and Transcript)
Jun 10, 2018 Robert Scheer talks with Nate Cardozo, the attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, on the struggle to protect free expression, privacy and innovation in a hyperconnected world.
The ‘Two Bobbys’: The Short, Complicated Political Life of RFK
Jun 5, 2018 Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer was the last journalist to interview Robert Kennedy moments before the candidate was fatally wounded on this date 50 years ago.
Filmmaker Sara Driver on Jean-Michel Basquiat (Audio and Transcript)
Jun 2, 2018 Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer discusses the American artist with the director of a film titled “Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat."
We the Corporations (Audio and Transcript)
May 19, 2018 Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer welcomes Adam Winkler, a professor of constitutional law at UCLA's School of Law, to discuss the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision.
Sasha Abramsky on the Decline of Empathy and the Future of Democracy (Audio and Transcript)
May 12, 2018 Robert Scheer speaks with the journalist and professor about his latest book, on how fear has contributed to demagoguery.
Robert Scheer: CIA ‘Gangster Element’ Is a Stain on America (Videos and Transcript)
May 11, 2018 "The CIA is an agency that is out of control, and they are not doing the job that they were created to do," Truthdig's editor in chief tells The Real News.
Filmmaker Kenneth Carlson on Meeting ‘Heart of Nuba’ Villain (Audio and Transcript)
Apr 29, 2018 Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer and Carlson discuss what inspired the documentarian to make a film about the persecuted Nuba tribe and a heroic American doctor.
Norman Finkelstein on His Book ‘Gaza: An Inquest Into Its Martyrdom’ (Audio and Transcript)
Apr 13, 2018 The author and critic of the "Holocaust industry" believes the younger generation of American Jews is growing estranged from Israel because of its treatment of Palestinians.
The Legacy of Gov. Culbert Levy Olson, Pioneer of California Progressivism (Audio & Transcript)
Feb 23, 2018 Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer talks with Debra Deanne Olson, granddaughter of Culbert Levy Olson and co-author of a new book about his progressive political life.
Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black on Risking Career for LGBT Rights
Feb 16, 2018 The Academy Award-winning screenwriter, producer and activist speaks to Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer about the risky but necessary decision to pause his career in pursuit of LGBT equality.
Police Violence Against Women of Color (Audio)
Feb 2, 2018 Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer interviews attorney Andrea J. Ritchie, an advocate for the LGBTQ community and an expert on race, gender and criminal justice, about "invisible" police violence against vulnerable communities.
Robert Scheer, Trita Parsi on U.S. Iran Policy
Jan 26, 2018 Truthdig's editor in chief interviews the founder of the National Iranian American Council about how Israel and Saudi Arabia are seriously jeopardizing prospects for peace in the Middle East.
#MeToo Creating a Slow but Steady Sea Change (Audio)
Jan 19, 2018 Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer sits down with professor and media expert Mary Murphy to discuss the #MeToo movement and her thoughts on the future of journalism.
California as a Progressive Model for the Democratic Party
Jan 12, 2018 In Part Two of a "Scheer Intelligence" interview, Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer and Georgetown Law professor Peter Edelman discuss how Democrats have moved to the right in recent decades and how California may revitalize the party.
President Clinton Betrayed the Poor (Audio & Transcript)
Jan 5, 2018 Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer sits down with Peter Edelman, a former adviser in Bill Clinton's administration, to discuss poverty and welfare reform. [Transcript added.]
Robert Scheer’s Top 10 Interviews of 2017
Dec 29, 2017 The Truthdig editor in chief spoke with former intelligence officials, filmmakers, activists and others for his provocative podcast "Scheer Intelligence."
Norman Lear on the State of America (Audio)
Dec 26, 2017 The television writer and producer discusses politics, history and culture in a spirited interview with Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer.
Fighting Nazis in the U.S., Then and Now (Audio & Transcript)
Dec 22, 2017 Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer interviews Steven J. Ross, whose new book follows a small group that fought Nazi efforts in America in the 1930s and ’40s. [Transcript added.]
Living With the Pirates of Somalia (Audio & Transcript)
Dec 15, 2017 Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer sits down with director Bryan Buckley, whose latest film portrays Canadian journalist Jay Bahadur's experience in living with Somali pirates and reporting on their lives. [Transcript added.]
How Afghanistan Went From Hippie Haven to Battleground (Audio and Transcript)
Dec 8, 2017 Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer and journalist-author Jere Van Dyk discuss Van Dyk's time in the beleaguered country as a reporter and as a hostage. [Transcript added.]
A ‘Rogue’ Police Department Attempts Reform (Audio and Transcript)
Dec 1, 2017 Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer interviews director Peter Nicks, whose new documentary "The Force" chronicles changes within the Oakland, Calif., law enforcement agency.
Tiana Alexandra-Silliphant Wants to Make Vietnam Great Again (Audio)
Nov 17, 2017 The director chats with Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer about her newest film, "The General and Me," which explores her 25-year relationship with Vietnamese Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap.
Security Pro Peter Kornbluh: What Government Has Been Hiding (Audio and Transcript)
Nov 10, 2017 In a conversation with Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer, the National Security Archive analyst reveals what recently declassified documents tell us about Cuba, JFK and Che Guevara. [Transcript added.]
Daniel Ellsberg: Why There Aren’t More Whistleblowers (Audio and Transcript)
Nov 3, 2017 The former military analyst shares his thoughts on the future of U.S. intelligence with Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer. [Transcript added.]
Erwin Chemerinsky: What Students Don’t Get About Free Speech (Audio, Transcript)
Oct 27, 2017 The constitutional law expert and Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer discuss freedom of expression and the history of First Amendment rights.
Viet Thanh Nguyen: What We Got Wrong About Vietnam (Audio, Transcript)
Oct 20, 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen and Truthdig's Robert Scheer discuss U.S. foreign policy and ignorance of Vietnamese culture.
Director Brett Morgen’s New Take on Jane Goodall
Oct 13, 2017 Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer interviews Morgen about his new documentary, "Jane," which shares never-before-seen footage of the legendary primatologist. [Transcript added.]
Norman Lear: Self-Described ‘Bleeding-Heart Conservative’ (Audio & Transcript)
Oct 6, 2017 Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer talks with the television icon in the second installment of a two-part interview. [Transcript added.]
From Killing Germans in WWII to Revolutionizing TV, Norman Lear Reflects on His Life
Sep 29, 2017 Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer talks with the television icon in the first installment of a two-part interview. [Transcript added.]
Ensuring Catastrophe: Climate Denial’s Price
Sep 14, 2017 As climate change-fueled disasters ravaged the U.S., Trump—who called climate change a hoax—was doing all he could to ensure future catastrophes.
Robert Scheer: Filmmakers Look at the Myths of Racism
Aug 25, 2017 On KCRW's "Scheer Intelligence" podcast, Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis dispel the notion that racism was isolated in the South.
Robert Scheer: Trump’s Style, Not Substance, Sets Him Apart
Aug 24, 2017 On issues like the Afghanistan war, the journalist suggests, the differences between the president and the D.C. establishment are mostly superficial.