Why Should I Trust You?

About Why Should I Trust You?

Why Should I Trust You? is a bold, unfiltered, weekly look at the collapse of public trust in science, medicine, public health, and AI. Every Thursday, we dig into what's behind that breakdown and whether there is common ground beneath our division. Described as "truly excellent" in The New York Times, WSITY has drawn attention across America's divides, from being mentioned on Joe Rogan's podcast to NPR. We host conversations that cross political and cultural lines, bringing people together with the experts they no longer trust. Hosted by Brinda Adhikari (former EP of The Problem with Jon Stewart), Tom Johnson (former EP of The Circus, former TV news journalist), Dr. Maggie Bartlett (virologist and assistant research professor, University of Texas Medical Branch), and Dr. Mark Abdelmalek (skin cancer surgeon and medical journalist).

Publisher

Brinda Adhikari, Tom Johnson, Maggie Bartlett, Dr. Mark Abdelmalek

Category

news · science

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

2 Jan 2025

Latest episode

2 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

85 of 117 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   2 Oct 2026

   Special Ep: Who Gets to Decide What Science Gets Funded? Inside the Fight Over NIH: A Conversation w Sudip Parikh & Michael Green

   Hosts Brinda Adhikari, Tom Johnson, Maggie Bartlett, and Dr. Mark Abdelmalek interview Sudip Parikh, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, about the balance between political and scientific influence in NIH funding decisions.

2. 

   1 Oct 2026

   Measles Is Spreading: Beyond the Fighting, What's Helping People On the Ground? We Talk w a Midwife, a Doctor, a Public Health Leader & a Journalist

   Host [Host Name] interviews midwife [Midwife Name], doctor [Doctor Name], public health leader [Public Health Leader Name], and journalist [Journalist Name] about measles outbreak solutions beyond political disputes.

3. 

   24 Sept 2026

   Experts Say AI Could Kill Us. Why Should We Trust Them? A Conversation w Jennifer Reich, Stephen Witt & Rachael Bedard

   Jennifer Reich, Stephen Witt, and Rachael Bedard discuss the conflicting perspectives on AI's existential risks and the challenges of trusting expert warnings in this interview.

Inside a recent episode

What Happens If Your AI Is the Better Doctor? A Conversation w Dr. Robert Wachter & Dr. Dhruv Khullar

Published 10 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And I think that really crystallizes the fact that it's not that there's no use. I mean, there are very important use cases. I mean, AI scribes, I think a lot of doctors are already using with positive effects, both for their professional well-being as well as the well-being of patients. I think there's some diagnostic support that can be provided. And over time, I think it'll play a larger and larger role. But I think to say that And somehow, based on what we have today, that doctors won't be needed in the way that they are today for the foreseeable future, I think I strongly disagree with. I'll just add one other point that I was raised in the article that you mentioned is that one of my friends, my colleagues, he's a physician himself. […]

Who has been a guest on Why Should I Trust You?

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Sudip Parikh
• Michael Green
• Jennifer Reich
• Stephen Witt
• Rachael Bedard

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.4 / 5

131 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 58 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

82

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

85

Contact Why Should I Trust You?

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Why Should I Trust You?