Things Fell Apart - Podcast Rankings and reviews

Jon Ronson has an extraordinary way of connecting the dots, and his interviews are done with the deft and even hand of a remarkably skilled, curious and intelligent man. I would nominate him as the most important and accessible journalist on the topic of conspiracy theories today.

I was a bit lost and confused after the 2024 election. I couldn’t understand how some of my friends and family saw things so differently than I did. I couldn’t stomach my usual True Crime podcast and came upon this and finished both seasons within a two week span. The perspective this gave me- it calmed me. It allowed me to settle a bit and think through what is happening with a different lens. I sure hope there is another season soon- incredible podcast and work. Will be getting Jon’s book to tide me over!

A balanced investigation into what causes so many of us to scream at, and hate each other. Definitely a must-listen!

These episodes are amazing: each following out of the one before, as though illustrating season one's central metaphor of the ripples a pebble sends out through water. It's as balanced as it is fair: its merely being there means something. Season one: episode 3 is one of the most moving things I've ever heard.

I listened on the rec of a different podcaster I like. But despite some really great episodes (1000 Dolls, Miracle, etc), Ronson “disappears” critical but inconvenient facts. Which makes me question whether those great episodes are trustworthy at all!

Like: nowhere in the episode about the Pulse nightclub shooting does he say that it was (a) carried out by a jihadist and (b) was not targeted specifically at the LGBT community (the shooter had no idea it was a gay club; he was trying to kill as many young americans as he could). This undermines the whole rationale for why the advocacy group thought the response should be to partner with schools.

This kind of omission / obfuscation happened so often throughout many episodes that I had to stop listening because I lost trust in Ronson’s ability to tell a complete story. He’s clearly an activist, not a journalist - as long as you’re eyes wide open on that, listen away.