Munk Dialogue with Matt Taibbi
Munk Dialogue with Matt Taibbi
Mainstream media, the twitter files, and online censorship
In November 2022, substack journalist Matt Taibbi joined us on stage for our Munk Debate on Mainstream Media. Matt and his debate partner Douglas Murray argued in favour of the resolution, Be it resolved, don’t trust mainstream media, against best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell and New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg (Matt and Douglas won a decisive victory, the biggest voter swing in Munk Debate history).
Right after the debate, Matt got on a plane to San Francisco, where he went directly to Twitter’s head office to meet with its new CEO, Elon Musk. What came next was perhaps the biggest news story to close out 2022: the release of the twitter files, which exposed content moderation decisions at the social media company, often at the behest of politicians and government agencies.
What followed was a tumultuous few months for Matt which included testifying before congress, a house visit from the IRS, a public fallout with Musk, and the end of his reporting on twitter.
On this episode of the Munk Debates Podcast, we’re joined by Matt Taibbi for an in depth chat about his life post-debate, why his reporting on the twitter files came to an end, and how growing distrust in the mainstream media could affect the 2024 US election cycle.
“I’m an independent journalist and I want the mainstream media to succeed. I think it needs to. Countries are not healthy if they don’t have a functioning mass media and nobody believes them.”
-MATT TAIBBI
You may also like
November 19, 2025
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: The MAGA coalition is coming apart and Mark Carney’s government underwhelms voters
November 25, 2025
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Ottawa and Alberta find agreement on energy and why two-tier care is not the solution to Canada’s healthcare problems
January 6, 2026
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Trump’s hard power doctrine alienates allies and sets a destabilizing precedent
January 13, 2026
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Jerome Powell stands up to Trump and why the West is reluctant to intervene in Iran
January 20, 2026
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Trump faces off with NATO allies over Greenland
January 29, 2026
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: ICE wants to spread terror and Canada is at the centre of a geopolitical crisis
February 4, 2026