Podcast Summary: "Is Cultural Criticism Dead?"

All Of It with Alison Stewart – WNYC
Original Air Date: September 22, 2025

Overview:

This episode tackles the state and future of cultural criticism in the age of shrinking media budgets, the proliferation of user-generated review platforms, and the dominance of short-form, recommendation-driven content. Host Alison Stewart is joined by Charlotte Klein, New York Magazine features writer and author of "Do Media Organizations Even Want Cultural Criticism?" The episode weaves together industry trends, personal anecdotes, listener calls, and reflections on how criticism is evolving—or disappearing—and why that matters.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What is Cultural Criticism?

• Definition: Transitioned from primarily written, essayistic responses to art into a wider multimedia approach (audio, video, online formats).
• Discovery & Depth: Historically, print allowed readers to stumble onto compelling criticism, which now happens less with algorithm-driven, siloed online content.

“A book review, you need not have read the book to feel moved by the review or to care about it… now we consume things online in such siloed manners that you don't really have that room for discovery, which is why I feel like a lot of places are moving away from it.”
(Charlotte Klein, 01:44)

2. Industry Shifts & Job Losses

• Multiple major outlets have eliminated or reassigned critics: AP cut book reviews, Chicago Tribune and Washington Post lost longtime film critics, and others are “rethinking” criticism roles.
• No single reason: Financial pressures, changing readership habits, and adaptation to new media formats all play a role.

“AP... got rid of its book reviews… Chicago Tribune's film critic took a buyout. The Washington Post film critic took a buyout. The New York Times… had a shakeup… Vanity Fair got rid of Richard Lawson, their chief critic... It seems like a pattern and a moment worth visiting this topic.”
(Charlotte Klein, 03:03)

3. From Criticism to Recommendations

• Platforms like Goodreads, Letterboxd, and TikTok have democratized opinions but replaced deep analysis with quick takes and ratings.
• The shift is also shaped by how digital consumption habits limit attention spans and prioritize “service journalism” (e.g., “If you liked X, try Y”).
• Debate: Is anything lost when criticism is a crowd-sourced, rapid-fire enterprise?

“People sort of just want recommendations sometimes. They want rankings. They don't really want the whole meditation on why something is worth reading or not.”
(Charlotte Klein, 19:10)

4. Review vs. Criticism

• Reviews: Summative, plot-focused, consumer guidance.
• Criticism: Contextual, interpretive, often essayistic—asks larger questions about meaning, history, and the critic’s personal connection.

“A review in the traditional sense is probably reviewing what you saw... Criticism puts it in a much broader context... it's as much about the world that the book creates as the book that created the world.”
(Charlotte Klein, 08:26)

5. Democratization vs. Expertise

• More voices can now participate, but the loss of trained critics means reduced access to deep scholarship and historical perspective.
• The merits of “gatekeeping” are weighed; some mourn the loss of expert-guided discovery, others embrace broader participation.

“It's so democratized now and in a lot of ways for the better... But there's also, I think, a reason that we have these critics who are like, true scholars and know so much about the history and just come from a different place.”
(Charlotte Klein, 13:14)

6. AI and Aggregators—A Crisis of Critical Thinking?

• AI can aggregate and summarize, but lacks the subjective, personal engagement that marks genuine criticism.
• Flood of “AI slop” and information overload have made trusted critics more vital, even as the profession shrinks.

“AI is very good at reviews... but it doesn't deal with engagement. It doesn't deal with a personal take on something... that's what criticism provides that reviews don't.”
(Roy, Professor at The New School, 24:27)

7. Generational & Cultural Shifts

• Traditional critics often came from narrow demographics, limiting perspectives.
• There's a new emphasis on inclusion, but sometimes at the cost of strong, clear opinions; younger critics may be less willing to be "tough."
• Callers and Klein reflect on how this diffuses the sharpness and individuality of criticism.

“People shying away from being tough has... maybe that is a generational difference... then you lose that strength of like a strong point of view as a critic has.”
(Charlotte Klein, 20:32)

8. The Role of Podcasts & Alternative Formats

• Podcasts and conversational formats may allow for more nuance, context, and personal voice than some written reviews.
• Hosts and guests celebrate podcasts for bringing expertise and personal reaction together in accessible ways.

“I think podcasts actually allow for maybe more nuance than written forms have in the past... It's both, you know, deeply personal, their own responses, but then their expertise.”
(Charlotte Klein, 26:55)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Value of the Essay:

  “I agree, that the essay still holds its weight in society. Reviews are a dime a dozen. Everyone has a say now, and frankly, it’s exhausting.”
  (Listener Text, 12:50)

• On Roger Ebert’s Legacy:

  “I miss his film criticism because they were more like essays, not just film reviews... Through his essays, he always established a personal connection and an empathy to what he just watched.”
  (Marcos, Caller, 07:00)

• On the Danger of Losing Critical Thought:

  “The death of cultural criticism is so much tied to the death of critical thought in itself.”
  (Charlotte Klein, 26:28)

• On Social Media & Marketing:

  “Social media's focus on aesthetic and trends often promotes books that are not necessarily even well written, just well marketed.”
  (Savannah, Listener Text, 28:00)

• On Teaching Criticism:

  “I need their response because that's what I’m missing. I can understand the history and my perspective, but I need their perspective...”
  (Roy, Professor, 24:27)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:10: Introduction – What is good criticism? The value of Kael, Tate, Morris.
• 01:44: Charlotte Klein explains the changing definition and formats of criticism.
• 03:03: Breakdown of major media layoffs and editorial changes affecting critics.
• 08:26: Distinction: review vs. criticism.
• 13:14: Democracy vs. expertise—the role of the gatekeeper.
• 15:38: Caller Lauren’s story about how criticism changed her daughter’s reading.
• 17:47: Discussion of why criticism is more necessary now, yet less supported.
• 19:45: Generational shifts in the tone and perspective of criticism.
• 24:27: Roy, New School professor, on teaching criticism/wrestling with AI.
• 26:55: The power and nuance of podcasts for criticism.
• 28:00: Trends in social media’s influence on recommendation culture.
• 29:41: Charlotte Klein’s favorite modern critics and current critical venues.

Listener Participation – Key Themes

• Nostalgia for Critic-Led Discovery: Callers reminisce about following specific critics for guidance and discovery.
• Criticism as a Teaching Tool: Teachers emphasize introducing students to criticism to foster deeper understanding.
• Concerns about Superficiality: Many lament the rise of "star" ratings and crowd reviews over in-depth engagement.
• Diversity and Perspective: Discussion on broadening the critic's demographic—but questions about whether newer voices are empowered to be truly analytical or critical.

Final Reflections

• Cultural criticism is in a period of profound transition. While accessibility and democratization have increased, there is a palpable sense of loss around depth, expertise, and critical engagement.
• New formats—especially podcasts—offer hope for nuanced dialogue, but professional criticism as a craft faces existential threats from economic pressures, AI, and shifting consumption habits.
• The episode closes with appeals for renewed appreciation of criticism—not just as consumer advice, but as an essential part of how we think about and engage with culture.

For further reading:
Read Charlotte Klein’s original article, "Do Media Organizations Even Want Cultural Criticism?" in New York Magazine.

Listeners’ picks for favorite critics include:

• Roger Ebert (film)
• Ann Powers (music)
• Helen Rosner (food)
• Wesley Morris, Richard Brody, and others

Summary compiled for listeners who want depth without the digression—just the “all of it” that matters.