OUR RATING:
A Love Letter to a Podcast Fighting the Good Fight
You know how certain things get crystalized in your memory? Sometimes it’s because you want your brain to perform such a feat. And other times your brain decides to permanently remember the most random and bizarre shit. If there’s a rhyme or reason for this occurrence, well, perhaps I’m simply not nearly up-to-date on my neurological theory studies. Nevertheless, this is where my story begins.
Sometime around 2001, my girlfriend and I were living in Vancouver in a small one-bedroom apartment right across from the emergency entrance to Vancouver General Hospital. Let’s just say that we didn’t exactly enjoy the perpetual sirens and twice daily helicopter landings. Nevertheless, one of those crystalized memories from that time remains omnipresent in my brain. We had a neighbour who lived in our building who was, let’s just say, a little off. Young guy, always dressed like a slob, but was friendly enough. Eventually he would get kicked out of the building for late-night screaming matches with his girlfriend. On a few occasions the cops showed up, it was a whole thing.
But what I mostly remember about him was his car. It was an ancient Toyota hatchback that had obviously seen some shit, and would barely start every time he got in to drive. And lo’ and behold, it had an INFOWARS bumper sticker on the back. I honestly can’t remember if I ever bothered to look up what INFOWARS was, but that was certainly my first brush with knowing about Alex Jones. It turns out he had started the site back in 1999 – which, if you’re old enough to know, was fairly early for the world wide web.
And that brings me back to the Knowledge Fight podcast. This delightful little podcast has somehow managed to turn the soul-crushing task of fact-checking Alex Jones into must-listen entertainment. Dan Friesen and Jordan Holmes have created what can only be described as a public service wrapped in comedy awesomeness, and honestly, we, collectively as a society, probably don’t deserve them.
The format is such: Dan subjects himself to hours upon hours of Alex Jones’ InfoWars broadcasts, then breaks it all down with his co-host Jordan, who serves as our gloriously uninformed audience surrogate. Imagine a friend signing up to willingly eat garbage and then describing the taste in excruciating detail – except the garbage is conspiracy theories and the friend has a PhD in policy studies.
I’ve listened to enough episodes of Knowledge Fight now to know that Dan has clearly gazed into the abyss of Jones’ archives of pure insanity and emerged with receipts, citations, and an encyclopedic knowledge of InfoWars lore that would make a medieval scholar weep with envy. But, as any good podcast host knows, presenting facts is not nearly enough, so he sets out to contextualize them, traces their origins, and explains why they’re wrong with the patience of a saint and the precision of a surgeon.
Jordan’s role as the “everyman” asking questions is perfectly calibrated. He represents those of us who thankfully haven’t spent years marinating in the InfoWars ecosystem, and his genuine reactions to the more outlandish claims provide the perfect comedic counterpoint to Dan’s scholarly dismantling. Their chemistry, like all good podcasting duos, is undeniable.
The show’s deep dives into Jones’ past episodes are particularly fascinating in that train-wreck sort of way. Watching Dan methodically trace how a misunderstood news article from 2003 became the foundation for a multi-year conspiracy theory is truly a craft of its own. The historical context they provide is genuinely educational, which feels almost unfair given how entertaining it all is.
Unlike some podcasts simply seeking sensational entertainment value, Knowledge Fight manages to tackle harmful misinformation without falling into the trap of amplifying it. They’re careful to explain why these conspiracy theories are dangerous while still finding humour in their absurdity. It’s a delicate balance that requires both intelligence and empathy, qualities that shine through in every episode.
The show has also spawned a wonderfully engaged community of listeners who share Dan’s obsession with accuracy and Jordan’s appreciation for the absurd. The fact that this podcast has created a space where people can come together to celebrate critical thinking and mock conspiracy theories feels like a small miracle in our current media landscape.
But here’s the thing that really gets me: Knowledge Fight shouldn’t have to exist. In a perfect world, we wouldn’t need two smart people dedicating their lives to fact-checking one conspiracy theorist’s ramblings. Yet here we are, and thank the universe for Dan and Jordan, because someone has to do this work, and they’re doing it with more grace, humour, and intelligence than anyone has a right to expect.
Also, didn’t Alex Jones go broke by way of lawsuits from the Sandy Hook Elementary School parents who didn’t appreciate his peddling of the idea that the heinous mass shooting never took place? Which group of right-wing nutbags are still funding this asshole?
In any case, Knowledge Fight is essential listening for anyone who wants to understand the mechanics of misinformation, enjoy some top-tier comedy, or simply marvel at the dedication of two people who’ve turned media literacy into an art form.
Where to listen to Knowledge Fight
Episodes.fm | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Pocket Casts | Castro
Discover the best episodes of Knowledge Fight