Reason.com - Free Minds and Free Markets
Reason logo Reason logo
  • Latest
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
    • Crossword
  • Video
    • Reason TV
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • Just Asking Questions
    • Free Media
    • The Reason Interview
  • Podcasts
    • All Shows
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
    • The Soho Forum Debates
    • Just Asking Questions
  • Volokh
  • Newsletters
  • Donate
    • Donate Online
    • Donate Crypto
    • Ways To Give To Reason Foundation
    • Torchbearer Society
    • Planned Giving
  • Subscribe
    • Reason Plus Subscription
    • Gift Subscriptions
    • Print Subscription
    • Subscriber Support

Login Form

Create new account
Forgot password

The Fifth Column

Fables of the DeFlynnestration: The New Fifth Column

Podcast talks IC drama, media idiocy about uninviting Kellyanne Conway, and Thomas L. Friedman's awfulness

Matt Welch | 2.16.2017 10:36 AM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google
Media Contact & Reprint Requests
Large image on homepages | Kmele Foster
(Kmele Foster)
c/sp ||| The Fifth Column
The Fifth Column

On the previous episode of The Fifth Column, your weekly three-headed podcast helmed by Kmele Foster, Michael C. Moynihan made the brave prediction that Mike Flynn was a goner. So proud was Kmele that Hollywood finally got something right that he gave him his very own certificate of merit (pictured).

This week's version drills into more of the Flynn fallout—the deep state anxieties, surveillance/leaking hypocrisy, and this absolutely hysterical column from Simpleton Thomas L. "Suck. On. This." Friedman. We also talk about the stupid media preening and self-delusion about banning Kellyanne Conway from cable news shows, the fecklessness of Republicans on Capitol Hill, and the comparative arguments for covering Alex Jones, Milo Yiannopoulos, and Richard Spencer. Listen to the whole beeswax here:

For more sedition, consult iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, wethefifth.com, @wethefifth, and Facebook.

Start your day with Reason. Get a daily brief of the most important stories and trends every weekday morning when you subscribe to Reason Roundup.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

NEXT: A.M. Links: Puzder Withdraws as Labor Secretary Nominee, More Arrests in Death of Kim Jon Un's Half-Brother

Matt Welch is an editor at large at Reason.

The Fifth ColumnDonald TrumpMedia CriticismCentral Intelligence AgencyRussia
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

Show Comments (19)

Latest

The 9th Circuit Upholds a University of Washington Professor's Right to Mock 'Land Acknowledgments'

Jacob Sullum | 12.22.2025 2:40 PM

DHS Says Recording or Following Law Enforcement 'Sure Sounds Like Obstruction of Justice'

C.J. Ciaramella | 12.22.2025 12:22 PM

A Bipartisan Push to Revive a 1930s Law Could Make Grocery Prices Even Higher

Jack Nicastro | 12.22.2025 11:50 AM

Deplatforming Backfired

Zach Weissmueller | 12.22.2025 11:15 AM

Shein Can't Sell Sex Toys Unless It Checks IDs, French Court Says

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 12.22.2025 10:33 AM

Recommended

  • About
  • Browse Topics
  • Events
  • Staff
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Shop
  • Amazon
Reason Facebook@reason on XReason InstagramReason TikTokReason YoutubeApple PodcastsReason on FlipboardReason RSS Add Reason to Google

© 2025 Reason Foundation | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

r

I WANT FREE MINDS AND FREE MARKETS!

Help Reason push back with more of the fact-based reporting we do best. Your support means more reporters, more investigations, and more coverage.

Make a donation today! No thanks
r

I WANT TO FUND FREE MINDS AND FREE MARKETS

Every dollar I give helps to fund more journalists, more videos, and more amazing stories that celebrate liberty.

Yes! I want to put my money where your mouth is! Not interested
r

SUPPORT HONEST JOURNALISM

So much of the media tries telling you what to think. Support journalism that helps you to think for yourself.

I’ll donate to Reason right now! No thanks
r

PUSH BACK

Push back against misleading media lies and bad ideas. Support Reason’s journalism today.

My donation today will help Reason push back! Not today
r

HELP KEEP MEDIA FREE & FEARLESS

Back journalism committed to transparency, independence, and intellectual honesty.

Yes, I’ll donate to Reason today! No thanks
r

STAND FOR FREE MINDS

Support journalism that challenges central planning, big government overreach, and creeping socialism.

Yes, I’ll support Reason today! No thanks
r

PUSH BACK AGAINST SOCIALIST IDEAS

Support journalism that exposes bad economics, failed policies, and threats to open markets.

Yes, I’ll donate to Reason today! No thanks
r

FIGHT BAD IDEAS WITH FACTS

Back independent media that examines the real-world consequences of socialist policies.

Yes, I’ll donate to Reason today! No thanks
r

BAD ECONOMIC IDEAS ARE EVERYWHERE. LET’S FIGHT BACK.

Support journalism that challenges government overreach with rational analysis and clear reasoning.

Yes, I’ll donate to Reason today! No thanks
r

JOIN THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM

Support journalism that challenges centralized power and defends individual liberty.

Yes, I’ll donate to Reason today! No thanks
r

BACK JOURNALISM THAT PUSHES BACK AGAINST SOCIALISM

Your support helps expose the real-world costs of socialist policy proposals—and highlight better alternatives.

Yes, I’ll donate to Reason today! No thanks
r

FIGHT BACK AGAINST BAD ECONOMICS.

Donate today to fuel reporting that exposes the real costs of heavy-handed government.

Yes, I’ll donate to Reason today! No thanks