Allison Kilkenny
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Allison Kilkenny | |
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Born | United States |
Occupation | Journalist, columnist |
Spouse(s) | Jamie Kilstein (divorced) |
Allison Kilkenny is an American comedy writer and performer, former journalist, and host of the political podcast Light Treason News. Kilkenny previously hosted Citizen Radio and for many years was a social critic and blogger for The Nation. Kilkenny covered "budget wars, activism, uprising, dissent and general rabble-rousing".[1] Kilkenny is best known for her contributions to political and comedy websites like the Huffington Post, Reductress, Talking Points Memo, 23/6, the Beast, Counterpunch.org, The Nation, and Alternet.org.[2] Her work has been also featured on W. Kamau Bell's blog.[3] Since 2018, Kilkenny hosts the podcast Light Treason News [4] and is a performer and sketch writer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.
Background[]
Kilkenny grew up in Naperville, Illinois. She attended Illinois State University, graduating in 2005 with a major in English.[5] Kilkenny moved to New York City, where she met her ex-husband Jamie Kilstein at a chain bookstore where the two were employed.[5] She currently resides in Brooklyn.[6] Kilkenny is an outspoken atheist and activist.[7] She is a vegan.[8]
Kilkenny said her political awakening was sparked by reading works by Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky.[9] She also credits Democracy Now's Amy Goodman as an inspiration to more political thought.[9]
Works and career[]
Kilkenny was described in 2012 as a "fast-rising radio and print reporter-columnist."[10] Her journalist career has come about entirely on the Internet.[8] The Daily Kos called her "among the handful of youngish political journalists to have gained a solid readership by the direct and unorthodox means of the blogosphere."[8]
She co-wrote a non-fiction political book with her ex-husband Jamie Kilstein, #NEWSFAIL, which Kilstein says will covered trans* issues, Palestine, factory farming, and feminism.[11]
Kilkenny has appeared as a guest and as an expert on television shows including Countdown with Keith Olbermann,[12] Melissa Harris-Perry,[13] The Majority Report,[14] WMNF 88.5 FM,[15] Democracy Now,[16][17] Abby Martin[citation needed] and other shows to discuss labor issues, LGBT issues, Occupy Wall Street and activism.
An outspoken critic of establishment media, Kilkenny has been quoted as having a pessimistic view of her own chosen profession. "The news exists to turn a profit," she told Barrett Brown for the Daily Kos in 2008.[8]
Kilkenny began her career writing political rants for blogs, but did not start getting paid until her work took more of an investigative turn.[18]
Citizen Radio[]
Kilkenny started Citizen Radio in 2008. The podcast grew from a once-weekly program to popular show released every weekday in 2008.[8] Before that, Kilkenny co-hosted a podcast , which was associated with .[8] Kilkenny says the show's format, which mixed equal parts news stories and dark humor, is partially a coping mechanism. "People cope with difficult news in their own ways, and our way is through humor, namely so our audience doesn’t start offing themselves, one-by-one," she said in an interview with In These Times.[9]
Occupy Wall Street[]
Kilkenny was one of a small group of journalists that started reporting on Occupy Wall Street during its first days, filing a report from Zuccotti Park on September 17, 2011.[19] In May 2011, months before the Occupy movement began, Kilkenny expressed her admiration for the union protesters who occupied the Wisconsin State Capitol building.[9] "That’s the only type of protest that matters anymore: occupy and refuse to leave. It scares the hell out of the politicians and the media loves the drama, so they’re more likely to cover it," she said.[9] Though her initial coverage described a scene with lukewarm reception, Kilkenny continued to report on the occupation of Zuccotti Park, while chiding larger organizations like The New York Times for "abysmal coverage."[20] In her response, Kilkenny points out glaring omissions from the NYT's first coverage of Occupy, which failed to mention NYPD's documented macing of protestors.[20] "For every batshit-crazy quote Bellafante presents, I can match it with a calm, articulate response from another attendee. I guarantee that," Kilkenny wrote.
Kilkenny estimates she spent "more than a hundred hours wandering through the encampment and interviewing dozens of protesters at great length."[5]
Throughout the fall and winter of 2011, Kilkenny continued to cover developments in the Occupy movement, including actions in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Los Angeles, Boston, and New York City.[21][22][23]
Kilkenny was one of two journalists featured on a panel about the "state of Occupy" in February 2012.[24]
Kilkenny received positive feedback both from mainstream news sources, and from hordes of Twitter followers during the "occupation" for up-to-the-minute news from the park. According to some sources, Kilkenny received hundreds of followers a week throughout the physical occupation of Zuccotti Park.[5] One of her articles from her time covering the movement, "Youth Surviving Subprime" was featured in The Nation's book Meltdown: How Greed and Corruption Shattered Our Financial System and How We Can Recover.[5]
Light Treason News[]
In 2018, Kilkenny launched Light Treason News, a now-weekly recap podcast that covers pop culture and news. She's interviewed guests such as: Mitski, Paul F. Tompkins, Boots Riley, Melissa Harris-Perry, and Sarah Kendzior.[25]
Reductress[]
Kilkenny is a regular contributor to the satirical comedy website Reductress.[26]
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre[]
Kilkenny has been a house team performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre since 2018 and is currently on the improv Harold team Promises.[27]
Criticism[]
G. Gordon Liddy replied to a tweet by Kilkenny, telling Kilkenny that her writing made him want to vomit.[28] Kilkenny said the tweet was unprovoked and came from out of the blue.[9]
, author of , said Kilkenny and her ex-husband Kilstein misrepresented an opinion piece Vadum wrote for American Thinker, accusing her of a "knee-jerk" reaction.[29]
Personal life[]
Kilkenny married comedian and radio host Jamie Kilstein (now divorced) on June 7, 2010.
References[]
- ^ "Allison Kilkenny". The Nation. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ "Allison Kilkenny". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ Bell, W. Kamau. "New Citizen Radio: Alan Grayson, Marcy Wheeler, & W. Kamau Bell". Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ "Light Treason News". Light Treason News. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Nugent, Tom. "Underground radio star broadcasts Occupy movement". Stories. Illinois State University. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ "Allison Kilkenny". Retrieved 2013-01-11.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Allison Kilkenny". Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Brown, Barrett. "Investigative journalism declares its independence". Daily Kos. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Macare, Joe. "In Person With...Citizen Radio". Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ Tom Nugent (May 1, 2012). "Underground radio star broadcasts Occupy movement". Illinois State University. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ "Ten Questions We Ask Everyone: Jamie Kilstein". Ent24. Archived from the original on 2012-12-08. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ "Allison Kilkenny on the solution to the U.S. Postal Service's financial woes". September 9, 2011. Archived from the original on 2013-01-11. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ "Melissa Harris-Perry". Archived from the original on 2012-04-19. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ "4/18 Allison Kilkenny, May 1 Occupy Prepares & Ed Wytkind, Transportation Bill". Majority Report. April 18, 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ Mary Glenney (November 15, 2012). "Allison Kilkenny talks about "the people's bailout"". Archived from the original on 2015-04-18. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ "Occupy Wall Street Protesters Swarm NYC Financial District to Mark 1st Anniversary of 99% Struggle". democracynow.org. September 17, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-09-18. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ ""This is Economic Treason": 500,000 March in London Protesting Public Spending Cuts and Corporate Tax Dodgers". democracynow.org. March 28, 2011. Archived from the original on 2013-01-11. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ Celina. "Allison Kilkenny: Political Blogger". Feministing.com. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ Kilkenny, Allison. "#OccupyWallStreet: Searching for Hope in America". The Nation. The Nation. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Kilkenny, Allison. "Correcting the Abysmal 'New York Times' Coverage of Occupy Wall Street". The Nation. thenation.com. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ Kilkenny, Allison. "Meet Your Police State: Chapel Hill Edition". The Nation. thenation.com. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ Kilkenny, Allison. "Occupy Los Angeles Eviction Delayed". The Nation. thenation.org. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ Kilkenny, Allison. "Occupy Highlights Authoritarian Behavior by Police". The Nation. thenation.org. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ Lehrer, Brian. "The Brian Lehrer Show The State of the Occupation". WNYC. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ "Light Treason". SoundCloud. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
- ^ "Allison Kilkenny". Reductress. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
- ^ "Allison Kilkenny". ucbcomedy.com. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
- ^ "Right Network: 'Pro-America, Pro-Business, Pro-Military sensibilities'". True/Slant. April 18, 2010. Archived from the original on 2013-05-10. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ Vadum, Matthew. "Matthew Vadum". Retrieved 2013-01-11.
External links[]
- 1983 births
- Living people
- American political journalists
- American bloggers
- The Nation (U.S. magazine) people
- HuffPost writers and columnists
- American atheists
- Illinois State University alumni
- Writers from Naperville, Illinois
- Social critics