All Episodes

September 12, 2025 31 mins

What are the implications for our divided country when a bullying president shakes down the news media to get his way?

In this episode of the Lean to the Left Podcast, John DeDakis, veteran journalist, former CNN editor, White House correspondent, novelist, and writing coach, explores the challenges of journalism in today’s fractured media landscape and the implications of Donald Trump's attempts to bully the media to his own ends.

👉 Topics include:

• The crisis of trust in mainstream media

• How Trump and bullying politicians have influenced journalism

• The rise of digital media and the internet’s double-edged sword

• Artificial Intelligence and its limits in creative storytelling

• DeDakis’ novel Enemies Domestic, inspired by today’s political climate

• Writing as a tool for healing grief and trauma

• Helping aspiring authors find their voice

DeDakis shares candid reflections on truth in reporting, holding power accountable, and why integrity and human touch still matter in an age of information overload.

 📚 Learn more about John DeDakis and his books.

 If you care about media integrity, politics, or the power of storytelling, this episode is a must-listen.

👍 Don’t forget to subscribe, hit the like button, and share your thoughts in the comments!

#Media #Politics #JohnDeDakis #LeanToTheLeft #Journalism #truthmatters

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Introduction to the Lean To The Left Podcast

00:31 Introducing John DeDakis: Journalist and Author 01:47 Trump's Impact on America

03:33 The Role of Journalism Today

04:26 Challenges in Modern Media

07:38 Personal Experiences in Journalism

10:37 The Evolution of Journalism

15:23 The Influence of Social Media

16:15 The Impact of AI on Writing

16:54 Experimenting with AI in Creative Writing

18:26 The Ethical and Environmental Concerns of AI

20:03 Discussing 'Enemies Domestic'

22:18 Writing About Personal Grief

25:50 Helping Authors as a Manuscript Editor and Writing Coach

27:02 Current and Future Writing Projects

28:24 Where to Find John's Books

30:08 Conclusion and Final Thoughts 

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

The Bobby Bones Show

The Bobby Bones Show

Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.