🎙️ Citations Needed | Newsletter 📖

Dearest patrons,

It's an exciting week in Citationsland! Adam's book, How to Sell a Genocide: The Media's Complicity in the Destruction of Gaza, is officially out next Tuesday, April 21 (though some of you may have already received your copy in the mail) and he has some in-person events coming up in Chicago, New York, DC and Baltimore to support the release. Details below! [Ed.: An earlier version of this post named the book release date as April 14; it's actually April 21.]

If you haven't yet ordered the book, you can do so here or just head to your local bookshop next week and pick up one up. And remember, all royalties go to the amazing Middle East Children's Alliance for Peace.

In this newsletter, you'll find links to our recent shows and a bunch of good stuff we've been reading.

As always, thank you for your support. We can't do the show without you!

— The Citations Needed Team

Hey, Adam's Book is Out Next Week!

How to Sell a Genocide: The Media's Complicity in the Destruction of Gaza is a detailed, data-driven analysis of center-left media’s role in selling the American public on the genocide in Gaza. In the book, Adam thoroughly dissects U.S. corporate media’s role in enabling—and, at times, directly inciting—one of the most devastating campaigns of mass killing in modern memory and unpacks how major news outlets systematically sanitized Israel’s war crimes, hid the US’s central role, and dehumanized the Palestinian people.

All royalties will be donated to the Middle East Children’s Alliance.

Upcoming Book Events

Friday, April 24 - CHICAGO, IL: Haymarket House | 6:30PM CT | with Nashwa Bawab

Thursday, May 7 - BROOKLYN, NY: The Word Is Change | 7:00pm ET | with Nima Shirazi

Friday, May 8 - NEW YORK, NY: The New School | 6:00PM ET | with Natasha Lennard

Saturday, May 9 - NEW YORK, NY: TBD (Save the date and stay tuned for details)

Friday, May 22 - WASHINGTON, DC: TBD (Save the date and stay tuned for details)

Saturday, May 23 - BALTIMORE, MD: Red Emma's | 7:00PM | with Maximillian Alvarez

Stay tuned for more book events!

ICYMI

Below are some of Adam's latest pieces, in case you haven't read 'em yet.

As opposition to Iran war grows, US media ramps up ‘Iranian sleeper cell’ panic - The Real News Network (March 11, 2026)

How to bring the war home to an increasingly war-weary public? Tell them terrorists are “hiding in plain sight.”

Why Dems Keep Saying Trump Has “No Plan” Instead of Calling to End the War With Iran - The Intercept (March 13, 2026)

By rallying behind process-based critiques, the Democrats are refusing to stand against the war on moral grounds.

How a media campaign of lies and innuendo created the myth of ‘Iran’s nuclear weapons’ - The Real News Network (March 24, 2026)

70% of Americans are fundamentally wrong about Iran’s “nuclear program.” This is not an accident.

Western Media Rushes to Judgement on “Iranian Diego Garcia Attack” - The Column (April 4, 2026)

With big, scary maps showing London and Paris as potential targets, panic is sown with zero skepticism or critical reporting.

Western media accuses Iran of ‘escalation,’ taking ‘hostages’ for potentially capturing POW bombing their country - The Real News Network (April 4, 2026)

Watch as the routine defense of territory is turned into something sinister and aggressive.

Also:

Adam was also recently a guest on Left Anchor, to discuss his book, The Real News Network with Max Alvarez and Abby Martin, talking about the Western media's complicity in the US-Israeli war on Iran, and The End of Sports podcast to discuss the pernicious proliferation of sports gambling.

Recent Episodes & News Briefs

Here are the most recent releases from Citations Needed:

Ep. 235: 'Shadow Fleets,' Sanctions & Western Media's International Law-ification of Arbitrary US Dictates, with guest Maryam Jamshidi

On this episode, we examine how media casually and uncritically adopt the framing that unilateral U.S. state policy, complete with punitive sanctions and piracy, is somehow international law, looking at how the U.S. defies, violates, selectively invokes, and effectively abandons international law in the process, especially under the second term of the Trump regime. 

News Brief: How Decades of Media Distortions and Lies about "Iran's Nuclear Program" Led to War

In this News Brief, we discuss a recent poll showing 70% of Americans are fundamentally wrong about Iran's "nuclear program" — including 1-in-4 who think Iran currently possesses a nuke — and detail how decades of sleazy media innuendo and lies got us here.

News Brief: As American Troops Hide in Civilian Hotels, US Media Ignores Pentagon's Use of ‘Human Shields’

In this News Brief, we examine the blatant ‘human shields’ double standard exhibited by CNN, The New York Times, The Atlantic, and other elite media as reports emerge of US troops hiding from Iran in civilian infrastructure.

Episode 236: Manufactured Austerity and the Media Assisted "Public-Private Partnership" Rip-Off, with guest Donald Cohen

On this episode, we examine the propaganda term “public-private partnership” or "P3," discuss how it works to rebrand privatization efforts as something collaborative and mutually beneficial, and break down how these P3s as they’re called both exploits and creates the economic crises it alleges to alleviate, while privatizing profit and socializing risk and funding burdens.

What We've Been Reading

The Price of War - Rebecca Kay Bright, In These Times (March 31, 2026)

The Iran War has had a very real human and economic cost across the world. The series of events that led to this day go back decades and involve US and European imperialism.  

The U.S.-Iran War Is Illegal. Here’s Why That Matters. - Phyllis Bennis In These Times (April 1, 2026)

The Iran War is an illegal war according to U.S. and international law. While these laws may seem laughably impotent, recognizing that they have been broken mean acknowledging that conflict will increasingly be at the sole discretion of the president.

Hasan Piker Has a Few Choice Words for His Bad-Faith Critics - Aaron Regunberg, The New Republic (April 2, 2026)

Twitch streamer Hasan Piker has been the topic of centrist and conservative criticism as his profile grows. While they focus on his most outrageous statements, he has been very sincere in his advocacy on Gaza and opposition to antisemitism.  

DHS Launches Massive “Less Lethal” Chemical Weapons Buying Spree - Sam Biddle, The Intercept (April 3, 2026)

DHS agents are known for wildly firing chemical rounds into protesters as a sloppy form of crowd control during the recent protests in Minnesota. The agency has been on a spree of buying these same weapons.

Gavin Newsom Is a Hollow Man in a Hurry - Brooke Adams, Current Affairs (April 3, 2026)

In his new memoir, the California governor tries desperately to seem down-to-earth. Instead, he reveals himself as a shallow, inauthentic son of privilege who’ll say anything to get ahead.

Crypto Is Flailing - Hadas Thier, Jacobin (April 4, 2026)

Crypto was artificially pumped with the help of the Trump Administration, which has deep ties to the industry. However, that support has done little to prevent crypto’s crash.  

New York Is Closing In on Amazon’s Shady Delivery System - Alex N. Press, Jacobin (April 5, 2026)

Amazon has relied on subcontracting drivers for its unethical delivery practices. In New York City, there is an effort to make Amazon actually hire its drivers as employees.

Fortress Yellowstone - Joseph Bullington, In These Times (April 6, 2026) 

Rich people are increasingly buying and fortifying properties in the Yellowstone ecosystem to keep themselves separate from others and LARP as frontiersmen. They use the gains they make from ruining other ecosystems to purchase these properties.  

The Media Just Can’t Help Turning Iran Fighter Jet Rescue Into “Black Hawk Down” - Katherine Krueger, The Intercept (April 6, 2026)

The rescue of a fighter jet who was shot down in Iran has been described in the media as a story worthy of an action movie. However, the story is being used to sell a war that most in the country oppose. 

Where There Is Salt - Georgia Gee and Nelly Madegwa, The Intercept (April 6, 2026)

An American oil company drilled for oil in Kenya in the ‘80s in an ultimately futile effort. Documents show that the company did not clean up its waste and contributed to cancer in the population.  

The Cost of Making Cesar Chavez the Face of a Movement - Julissa Natzely Arce Raya, The Nation (April 6, 2026)

Cesar Chavez was the face of farm labor for decades, and now his sexual predation has been fully exposed years after his death. The reveal shows how much of the movement for American Latino workers has relied on the legacy of one deeply compromised man.    

Trump’s $1.5 Trillion for War Comes From Americans’ Pockets - Ben Beckett, Jacobin (April 6, 2026)

Trump is proposing over a trillion in new defense spending following his increasingly insane military actions. This adventurism comes at the cost of several government agencies that support everyday Americans.

Ross Douthat’s Shoddy Arguments For Religion - Brian McLoone, Current Affairs (April 7, 2026)

In “Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious,” the New York Times columnist tries to reverse the trend of a more secular society. But his reasoning just doesn’t add up.

The Iran Ceasefire Is a Stunning Defeat for Militarism - Branko Marcetic, Jacobin (April 8, 2026)

The Iran war was such a fiasco that Donald Trump had no choice but to find a way out. Whether it sticks will partly depend on Democrats resisting the urge to irresponsibly goad him back into it.

The Ceasefire Just Showed the World That US Military Power Is Obsolete - James K. Galbraith, The Nation (April 8, 2026)

With the illusion shattered, now is the chance for the US to liberate itself from a broken imperial model.

On Iran, Trump and the American Empire Blinked - Ben Burgis, Jacobin (April 8, 2026)

Donald Trump has shown the world that even the vast power of the globe’s foremost imperial hegemon has limits. His initial genocidal bluster against Iran was downstream of this reality, as was his subsequent capitulation.

The United States Is Now an Apocalyptic Terror State - Sasha Abramsky, The Nation (April 10, 2026)

With his genocidal threats against Iran, Trump has shown the world that he is a terrorist—one with a nuclear arsenal.

Israel and the US Have Been Waging War on Iran’s Development - Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi, Jacobin (April 12, 2026)

From universities to medical research centers, Israel and the US have been systematically attacking Iran’s technical infrastructure. While claiming their only issue is with Iran’s rulers, they have targeted its entire people and their achievements.

Antisemitism’s Afterlives - Benjamin Balthaser, Boston Review (Winter 2026)

Its increasingly contradictory weaponization exposes how little it has ever had to do with the Jews.

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