Fixing Common News Mistakes: There's a Podcast For That

Former KFI AM 640 News Director Chris Little launched his podcast "The Death of News" to critique common mistakes in radio and TV news reporting and offer practical ways to improve journalistic standards, drawing from his 33 years of experience in the field.

The podcast, available on platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify, examines "murderous" practices such as sloppy writing, bad grammar, lazy news gathering, clichés, misuse of adjectives, redundant phrasing, improper interviews, misleading statistics, and inaccurate or biased delivery that "kill the creativity of news." 

Episodes are short (typically 7-10 minutes) and feature real examples from various outlets—highlighting errors alongside suggestions for fixes—to promote accurate, verified, unbiased, conversational storytelling that keeps listeners engaged without eroding credibility.

Chris Little

Little was let go from KFI in late 2024 during iHeartMedia's mass layoffs, which cut about half the station's news department after his long tenure starting as a reporter and rising to news director (from October 2000 to November 11, 2024). He had built KFI's news operation into a quick, concise, award-winning unit often favored over competitors like KNX.

The idea for the podcast emerged from a casual lunch conversation with former KFI colleague Steve Gregory, who sketched a tombstone labeled "The Death of News" on a napkin while discussing poor reporting trends. This inspired Little, now retired, to create an entertaining yet educational platform—not to bash individual reporters, but to serve as a training tool that elevates the craft of broadcast journalism amid time pressures and declining standards. He continues monitoring newscasts and releasing episodes to help prevent further decline in news quality.