The Cary Harrison Files · The News, Undressed
The Cary Harrison Files News, Undressed Fridays 10:00 PT · KPFK 90.7 FM · Los Angeles
Cary Harrison in front of a live audience
On Air · 90.7 FM
File No. 214 · Declassified Fridays 10:00 PT

The News,
Undressed.

Every Friday the week's headlines get taken apart, backroom deals, Big Tech theater, the talking points, so you can finally see what is actually going on.

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Marble Doodads & Gold Toilets, and the Gospel of Political Vanity.

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You are tired of being spun. One hour a week, the noise turns back into something you can actually use.

The Cary Harrison Files · Dispatch No. 214

The Brief

What the hour hands you.

01

See the spin

Spot it before it works on you

You will learn to recognize the propaganda patterns and managed narratives the moment they show up in your feed.

02

Hear what's buried

The story behind the story

Get the interviews, whistleblowers, and questions the bigger outlets are too polite, or too compromised, to touch.

03

Laugh while you learn

Informed, not exhausted

Satire sharp enough that the news finally makes sense, and you leave lighter than you came in.

Latest transmissions

Fresh from the file room.

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The ContentsRun time
Cary Harrison on a live newsroom broadcast

Why you can trust the source

Investigative journalism in a satirical trench coat.

6+Major awards
30+Years on air
1stLGBTQ+ network AM show
Meet Cary → Book for interviews & events

In the room where it happens

Decades behind the mic.

Watch & red carpets →
Cary Harrison in front of a live audience
The host
Cary Harrison at the studio microphone
In studio
Cary Harrison on location in the mountains
On location
When someone takes the news apart for you, it matters who is holding the knife.
Cary Harrison

Proof, not promises

Honors you can look up.

The full record →
VanderbiltSiegenthaler AwardFor integrity, intelligence, and courage in journalism.
SPJSigma Delta Chi AwardThe Society of Professional Journalists' highest honor for public service.
APBest CommentaryFirst place, Associated Press.
LA Press ClubEdward R. Murrow AwardIn Public Radio. award vs. nomination

The Media Literacy Clinic

Become the person who cannot be fooled.

Each week you take apart how stories get built, sold, and spun, so misinformation and managed narratives lose their grip on you, for good.

Hosted by Cary Harrison, who teaches critical thinking and media technique at a leading international school in Switzerland. verify school, title & dates

Enter the Clinic
This week's patternBoth-sidesing a settled fact

How false balance launders propaganda into respectability.

Evergreen explainerThe manufactured controversy

The anatomy of a non-story, in six moves.

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The Files

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In this episode

Guest

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Resources mentioned

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  • Related episode crosslink
  • Further reading add links
In a world this upside-down, you do not need another headline. You need a crowbar.
Read the full transcript

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CARY HARRISON: Welcome to The Cary Harrison Files…

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Home / Photo Album

Red carpet / Photos

Red carpet. Real people.

Where the cameras are rolling, the egos are bigger, and the answers are rarely rehearsed. Candid moments, unlikely pairings, and a little flash, because truth looks good in any light.

01Jane Fonda
02Clint Eastwood
03Kirk Douglas
04Jodie Foster
05Gore Vidal
06Susan Sarandon
07Kurt Russell
08Michael Douglas
09Mark Ruffalo
10Kevin Sorbo
11Howard Zinn
12Al Gore
13Carl Bernstein
14Bernie Sanders
15Nancy Pelosi
16Maxine Waters
17Arianna Huffington
18Michael Steele
19Steve Kornacki
20Roger Stone
21Scott Ritter
22Jim McGreevey
23Stan Lee
24Nichelle Nichols
25Michael York
26Julie Newmar
27Lucy Lawless
28Malcolm McDowell
29Kevin Bacon
30Tim Robbins
31Ewan McGregor
32Naomi Watts
33Shailene Woodley
34Daryl Hannah
35Marlee Matlin
36Judith Light
37Mariel Hemingway
38Jennifer Coolidge
39Tippi Hedren
40Roseanne Barr
41Margaret Cho
42John Leguizamo
43Esai Morales
44Edward James Olmos
45Joey Pantoliano
46Judd Nelson
47Steve Buscemi
48Paris Hilton
49Michael Bolton
50Melissa Etheridge
51Indigo Girls
52Dave Mason
53Tommy Chong
54Bob Mackie
55Morgan Spurlock
56Josh Fox
57Thea Gill
58On location with the crew
59Trevor Live, Los Angeles
59 photos · 47 more

From Cary's personal archive, three decades of interviews, premieres and red carpets. re-host & confirm rights before launch

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Home / About Cary

About Cary Harrison

Investigative journalism wearing a satirical trench coat.

When someone takes apart the news for you, it matters who is holding the knife. Cary Harrison is an award-winning global correspondent, satirist, and educator, blending fearless reporting with biting wit to host The Cary Harrison Files on KPFK 90.7 FM and the Pacifica Radio Network.

Book Cary for Interviews & Events Hear the show
Cary Harrison on location with his video crewsubstitute: the Zugerberg crew photo was never supplied, this is the closest crew shot in the archive

The short version

Cary Harrison is a public-radio host whose career runs from rock-'n'-roll news director to national syndication. He created "Reality Bites," satirical sound vignettes as the antidote to political double-speak, features that landed on CBS Radio and in national syndication. He pioneered America's first LGBTQ+ network morning show on SiriusXM's OutQ, hosted a daily Los Angeles show on Air America, and was tapped by KPFK/Pacifica for morning drive time. Today he hosts The Cary Harrison Files. verify outlet list & wording

It was no mistake that a former U.S. president once challenged Cary to "do something to make a difference in today's radio." verify quote, attribution & permission to use

Awards & recognition

Recognition earned across a career in public-interest journalism, every item below should be confirmed against source records before launch.

Siegenthaler Award

Vanderbilt University, for integrity, intelligence, and courage in journalism.

Sigma Delta Chi Award

Society of Professional Journalists, highest honor for public service.

American Women in Radio & Television

Top honors, two years running, for exposé & investigative reporting.

AP Best Commentary

First place, Associated Press.

UN & civic recognition

Honored by the UN and the City of West Hollywood/Los Angeles for environmental and peace work.

Edward R. Murrow Award

In Public Radio, LA Press Club. sources differ: confirm "award" vs. "nomination"

Educator

Beyond the studio, Cary teaches critical thinking and media technique at a leading international school in Switzerland, bringing the same forensic approach to the next generation of clear thinkers. verify school name, exact title, program & dates with Cary

Work with Cary

Sharp, fast, and unafraid of the hard question.

Available for interviews, on-air commentary, panels, moderation, and live events.

Book Cary Press inquiries
Book Cary Listen Support

Home / Credibility

Credibility & Press

Booking us, or writing about the show?

Official photography and brand artwork for editorial and promotional use.

Request press materials Book Cary

Awards & recognition

Honors you can look up.

Earned across a career in public-interest journalism, confirm exact wording against source records before publishing.

Vanderbilt University

Siegenthaler Award

For integrity, intelligence, and courage in journalism.

Society of Professional Journalists

Sigma Delta Chi Award

The society's highest honor for public service, two years running.

Associated Press

Best Commentary

First place.

American Women in Radio & TV

Investigative Reporting

Top honors for exposé & investigative work.

UN · City of West Hollywood / LA

Environmental & Peace Work

Civic recognition for public-interest advocacy.

LA Press Club

Edward R. Murrow Award

In Public Radio. sources differ: confirm award vs. nomination

Heard across

Two decades on the air, coast to coast.

From morning drive to national syndication, confirm the full outlet list before launch.

KPFK 90.7 FM

Pacifica Radio Network, Los Angeles.

CBS Radio

"Reality Checks" features, national syndication. verify

SiriusXM · OutQ

America's first LGBTQ+ network morning show. verify

Air America

Daily Los Angeles show. verify

National syndication

Top stations in Florida, Chicago, New York & LA. verify

Substack

Transcripts & extended commentary for thousands of subscribers.

6+Major awards
30+Years on air
1stLGBTQ+ network AM show
1M+Listeners reached confirm figure

Press kit & photos

Photography and brand artwork.

The current headshot and the show's brand art, ready for editorial and promotional use. confirm rights & supply hi-res files before distribution

Cary Harrison, official press headshot
The Cary Harrison Files, show mark
The Cary Harrison Files on KPFK 90.7 FM, banner art

Photos shown are pulled from Cary's current KPFK & Apple Podcasts listings for layout. Before launch, replace with rights-cleared, high-resolution files and host them on your own domain. re-host & confirm rights

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Media moments

Decades in the room where it happens.

From broadcast lounges to red carpets, a career spent across from the people making the news.

Cary Harrison reporting from a red-carpet event, camera crew and lights behind him

The full photo album, 59 shots from three decades of interviews and red carpets, lives on the Photo Album page.

See the interviews & red carpets
When someone takes the news apart for you, it matters who is holding the knife.
Book Cary Press kit Contact

Home / Media Literacy

The Media Literacy Clinic

Learn to read the news like an investigator.

Each week you will train your eye for misinformation, propaganda structures, managed narratives, and political theater. Watch the spin happen in real time, then learn the exact move behind it, so it never works on you again.

Led by Cary Harrison, who teaches critical thinking and media technique at a leading international school in Switzerland. verify school & wording

This week's pattern

Pattern #47

False Balance

"Both-sidesing" a settled fact, how false balance launders propaganda into respectability. sample

Pattern #46

The Manufactured Controversy

Six moves that turn a non-story into a week of coverage.

Pattern #45

Euphemism Drift

How institutional language sands the edges off uncomfortable facts.

The evergreen toolkit

Durable explainers you can return to, and share with anyone who is tired of being managed.

How to spot a propaganda structure in 60 seconds
Field guide content here, with episode crosslinks. add content
Reading a press release: a translation guide
Side-by-side of what is said vs. what is meant.
The disinformation economy: who pays, who profits
Follow the incentives behind the noise.
Deepfakes & synthetic media: a survival kit
Verification habits for an era you cannot trust your eyes.

Clinic episode collection

▶49:40

Deepfakes & the Disinformation Economy
▶50:18

How to Read a Press Release
▶48:05

Culture War, Inc.
All media-literacy episodes →

Weekly explainers

One pattern a week. Free.

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Home / Support

Support independent public media

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Where your support goes

On-air independence

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Transcripts & access

Accessible transcripts and archives, free to the public.

Media-literacy work

Evergreen explainers that help people see through the spin.

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Guests · Sponsors · Partners

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Engaged, skeptical, public-media listeners who show up for substance. Whether you want to be on the show, support it, or grow with it, there is a clear path below.

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Education

Media-literacy workshops and curriculum collaborations. confirm offering

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Home / Book Cary

Book Cary Harrison

The host who asks what everyone else won't.

Give your audience the host who asks what everyone else will not. Award-winning broadcaster, satirist, and interviewer, equally at home grilling a senator, working a red carpet, or holding a room from the stage.

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What you can book him for

Interviews

Podcasts, radio, TV, print.

Commentary

News & cultural analysis on demand.

Panels & moderation

Conferences, festivals, forums.

Live & keynote

Events, fundraisers, recordings.

Why producers book Cary

Decades on air

From SiriusXM and Air America to CBS Radio syndication and KPFK/Pacifica. verify

Award-winning credibility

Siegenthaler, Sigma Delta Chi, AP Best Commentary, and more.

Great on a mic

Sharp, fast, funny, and unafraid of the hard question.

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The show

The Cary Harrison Files · KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles · Pacifica Radio Network
Fridays 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET confirm schedule

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