Michael Hobbes is a journalist and

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...

host. He was formerly a Senior Enterprise Reporter for

HuffPost ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

. His writing has also appeared in ''

Pacific Standard ''Pacific Standard'' was an American online magazine that reported on issues of social and environmental justice. Founded in 2008, the magazine was published in print and online for its first ten years until production of the print edition cease ...

'', ''

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hum ...

'', and ''

Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

''. Hobbes currently co-hosts the podcast '' Maintenance Phase'', which criticizes the science behind health and wellness fads, and the podcast '' If Books Could Kill'', which critically examines the premises of various popular non-fiction books. He also previously co-hosted ''

You're Wrong About ''You're Wrong About'' is an American history and pop culture podcast created by journalist Michael Hobbes and writer Sarah Marshall. It has been hosted by Marshall since its inception; Hobbes also hosted until 2021. Launched in May 2018, the s ...

'', which explores the truth behind popular narratives about well-known historical events and phenomena.

Career

Before beginning his writing career, Hobbes worked in human rights for 11 years. He was previously a reporter for the Huffington Post, where he covered the

new economy The New Economy refers to the ongoing development of the American economic system. It evolved from the notions of the classical economy via the transition from a manufacturing-based economy to a service-based economy, and has been driven by ...

. He also writes journalistic and personal essays for publications including ''

'', ''

'', and ''

''. His article on the plight of

millennials Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the Western demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000 ...

was nominated for a

National Magazine Award The National Magazine Awards, also known as the Ellie Awards, honor print and digital publications that consistently demonstrate superior execution of editorial objectives, innovative techniques, noteworthy enterprise and imaginative design. Or ...

. He has also appeared in multiple episodes of

WNYC WNYC is the trademark and a set of call letters shared by WNYC (AM) and WNYC-FM, a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations located in New York City. WNYC is owned by New York Public Radio (NYPR), a nonprofit organization that di ...

's '' On the Media''. Michael Hobbes, along with co-host Sarah Marshall, started the podcast ''

'' in May 2018. Each episode centers a historical event or concept and breaks down the common myths and misconceptions that surround it. Unlike many history podcasts, one co-host researches the episode and the other blind-reacts to the information. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

lockdowns the podcast gained a

cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

. Hobbes decided to step away from the podcast in October 2021, citing his wish to end his involvement on a high note. Hobbes and

Aubrey Gordon Aubrey Gordon (born 1983), also known as Your Fat Friend, is an author, podcaster, and activist. She writes about fatness, fat acceptance The fat acceptance movement, also known as fat pride, fat empowerment, and fat activism, is a social m ...

have co-hosted the podcast ''Maintenance Phase'' since October 2020. The show examines the myths and " junk science" behind health, nutrition, and wellness trends, and have discussed topics including popular diets and diet foods,

anti-fat bias Social stigma of obesity is broadly defined as bias or discriminatory behaviors targeted at overweight and obese individuals because of their weight. Such social stigmas can span one's entire life, as long as excess weight is present, starting ...

, and

eating disorder An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating behaviors that negatively affect a person's physical or mental health. Only one eating disorder can be diagnosed at a given time. Types of eating disorders include binge eating d ...

s. In November 2022, Hobbes and lawyer Peter Shamshiri launched '' If Books Could Kill'', a podcast that breaks down popular non-fiction books like '' Freakonomics'' in the same style as ''Maintenance Phase'' and ''You're Wrong About''.

Reception

Hobbes questioned the veracity of a 2024 essay in ''The Atlantic'' by a former ''New York Times'' editor who said he had been chastised by

human resources Human resources (HR) is the set of people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or economy. A narrower concept is human capital, the knowledge and skills which the individuals command. Similar terms include m ...

due to eating at

Chick-fil-A Chick-fil-A ( , a Word play, play on the American English pronunciation of "wikt:filet#Pronunciation, filet") is an American fast food restaurant chain which is the country's largest which specializes in chicken sandwiches. Headquartered in Coll ...

, given the CEO's position against same-sex marriage. ''The Atlantic'' asserted that the story had been fact-checked and confirmed with multiple ''Times'' employees, and journalists

Robby Soave Robert Emil Soave Jr.(, ) is an American journalist who is a senior editor for ''Reason.'' He is the author of two books: ''Panic Attack: Young Radicals in the Age of Trump'' (2019) and ''Tech Panic: Why We Shouldn't Fear Facebook and the Future' ...

and Erik Wemple also supported the magazine.

Jonathan Chait Jonathan Benjamin Chait () (born May 1, 1972) is an American pundit and writer for '' New York'' magazine. He was previously a senior editor at ''The New Republic'' and an assistant editor of ''The American Prospect''. He writes a periodic col ...

called Hobbes a "bad-faith media critic" who reflexively criticized stories inconvenient to

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

causes.

Personal life

Hobbes is gay. He has lived in Seattle, Berlin, the United Kingdom and

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hobbes, Michael 21st-century American journalists American LGBT journalists American expatriates in Denmark American expatriates in Germany American gay writers American podcasters LGBT people from Washington (state) Living people Year of birth missing (living people)