Accurate, timely … but a little thin
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“This podcast does a great job of summarizing the QAnon craze, from its origins to its present state. What it covers it covers accurately, with concision and clarity and with all sources cited.
However, what it lacks is depth. I’m not dinging it any stars for this, but am rather observing for the listener that the series centers on who’s who, and on who did what when, and on the direct results of each actor’s actions … but it is not a deep academic dive placing QAnon in a historical context or outlining its broader sociological and psycho-political ramifications.
And this is fine, not everyone is after a deep dive. But if you already know the history and broad details of QAnon’s origins and present state, this podcast’s material will seem familiar to you. If what you’re after instead is an analysis of QAnon’s historical parallels, and of right-wing paranoias, and of conspiracy-mongers and their useful idiots generally, you’ll do better seeking out one of the many podcasts originating from a university or a think-tank covering QAnon.
This is not to say this podcast isn’t thorough: what it does cover it covers completely. Having listened to this podcast, you will absolutely come away with a clear picture of this particular lunatic fringe. I would absolutely recommend this podcast to anyone unfamiliar with its subject.
However, the presentation can at times feel rather tabloid-y, for which I do ding this show a few stars. It frequently presents the voices of participants and of bystanders in a way that feels leering or dramatic—not always providing depth or detail, so much as adding melodrama or a gawking “Look at this car wreck! I did, and it was bloody and gory!” kind of perspective. And this is the problem with giving only a surface overview: it tells us all the details … but by not helping us understand them, the show comes across as sensationalistic and at times a little shallow.
This problem of style may be endemic to iHeartRadio’s programming generally, it being a platform built—ironically—on spreading the exact kind of paper-thin sensationalist hogwash this podcast aims to expose. Which is a peculiar thing, listening to a podcast presented in a breathless outraged manner not entirely dissimilar from how QAnon’s perpetrators presented their hoax. Whether iHeartRadio imposes this aesthetic on its podcasts or only picks up podcasts already of this aesthetic is impossible to know. But this podcast’s problems are identical to those of absolutely every other show in the iHeartRadio catalog.
And then there are the ads … good golly, there are the ads!! Every five minutes, roughly 90 seconds of ads. This may be a large part of why the show feels so thin: how much info can it present when its half-hour is broken up—four to six times!—by eight minutes of ads??
That said, and the problematic nature of iHeartRadio aside, this podcast is factual, timely, and maybe even necessary. If you are lucky enough to be unacquainted with QAnon, brace yourself and let this podcast fill you in on the details.
However: there are many other podcasts which also cover QAnon, carried by less problematic platforms, and usually ad-free … so if you already know the surface details, and you’d prefer a more thorough analysis, check out the material Brookings or the New School in NYC or similar sources have put out.”
Ricky Tenderkiss via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
12/13/21
More reviews of Q Clearance
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“Anything that exposes these Qlowns is amazing!”
spaded024 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
10/21/20
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“ur great.”
antigirl via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
12/03/20
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“Look up an Australian tv show called the lost island , boat wrecks on an island and the leader who you never see is called Q , 😳”
tjf1965 via Apple Podcasts ·
Australia ·
12/09/20
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