Citations Needed is the number one best podcast for helping people not imbibe liberal brainworms. You can expose them to more radical things all you want but if they do not have a proper intellectual immune system, which Citations Needed helps grow by teaching people media literacy skills and how to spot imperialist propaganda, then they'll just become a radlib who uses radical language but still fundamentally believes in the dominant bougeois order.

Because my own journey leftward involved getting a better understanding of modern conflict history I would suggest Blowback. Mostly because I think understanding the ways that America has warred with socialism and maintained its hegemony is a powerful way to radicalize without even having someone interact with ideology.

judging by the responses, the current pipeline meta seems to be Citations Needed into lighter Trueanon eps into Blowback into Deprogram & All Trueanon

The Deprogram and Blowback are what really did it for me. The Deprogram is very unserious at times which is why I like it but its not for everyone. Kinda has "guy-humor" too so it may not appeal to your partner. It is 3 mostly cis straight guys after all.

Revleft radio for me. Especially when he goes off on current events

I really wish Michael Brooks was still around, too

If she's into comedy, I definitely recommend TrueAnon, but that can be a tough sell sometimes. The Elon Musk series might be a good starting point. And as stated, Citations Needed is so good. Any episode, but just pick a topic that will interest her.

I thought the title of the post was leading in to a devastating bit about other Hexbears.

There's The Socialist Program. It's kind of a news show with interviews with people involved with commie movements every now and then, seems like a side project by one of the PSL founders. Richard Wolff often goes on for updates in economics. One good thing is that it's not too much longer than 30 minutes while sounding like an NPR news update.

Economic Update might be a good fit for this scenario. Richard Wolfe is a great commentator and doesn't get too radical but tows a very progressive line that can lead to people really checking out socialism in a incremental way building on some of Wolfe's more 'radical' takes.

Podcasts kind of suck for being a real cure for liberalism but they can help someone take a journey to the left. There is not a lot that is simultaneously communist and approachable for liberals because communist podcasts tend to use the esoteric language of Marxism and historical AES etc etc and focus on socialist topics specifically where a liberal audience will have trouble finding a foothold. Also, even communist podcasts usually don't escape the stereotype of being hosted by random white dudes, for better or worse.

The recommendations of Citations Needed are good even though the hosts seem more DemSoc than communist. They at least refuse to feed into the vast majority of anticommunist talking points and have no difficulty in unqualified support for Palestine and calling out liberal bullshit constantly (no triangulation!). It's really a media criticism podcast done by leftists so it usually ties into current events nicely and can give your wife ammunition for critically examining what her coworkers say.

I honestly think diving straight into Blowback could be a good idea so long as she can tolerate the horror. History is the best teacher of communism and Blowback tends to handle both the "America bad" element and the "the communists earnestly fought for liberation and were far less bloodthirsty than Americans" element. I believe the hosts are communist or at least nearly communists.

I can't think of any current podcasts by communists I would recommend. Most of them are entertainment media with bad or bro-ie jokes and that is a hurdle for wanting to keep listening for a liberal that isn't into that. They're usually not about communism directly or teaching anything efficiently. Or they are just attempts at restating theory but with low production value - might as well just listen to an audiobook, it will be more enjoyable.

I'm of the opinion that focusing on the audience is essential. Does your wife only like podcasts, so this is why you're only looking for those? Is she already interested or are you trying to gently help her get educated in the direction of communism? Why media by communists in particular? Would general anti-imperialist histories be okay? Do you think starting with questioning American exceptionalism would be good (it's where many start)? Current events are always relevant to communist thought - if she is sympathetic to Palestine, maybe reading the publications of the PFLP and ANC would be most effective. Etc etc. Any info you can safely provide for motivation, habits, and sympathies will make it easier for me to think of recommendations.

citations needed

While I think the guy making it is a fanatical career revisionist, the Geopolitical Economy Report still has a lot of interesting stuff to listen to and think about. Obviously the best according to people here, myself included, was always going to be Citations Needed, but just to give you another title there's one more.

Behind the bastards is really good and is history provided from a materialist perspective about the worst people and groups ever. Very funny, very informative.

Another recommendation is The Dig podcast, with Daniel Denvir. It's a pretty light intro to good leftwing coverage of events and interviews.

Srsly wrong

Upstream. If she starts from the beginning, it is pretty radlib & identity politics focused first, but it has been satisfying to see the podcast become more radical year after year. Their recent China episodes for example have been pretty good. It covers all sort of topics, so there is probably something there for everyone.

I listened to it years ago when I was still very much a baby leftist myself, then dropped it for a few years as I moved on to others recommended here. And now went back to find out they have gone full Marxist.

Edit. Adding that one of the hosts in this one is a woman which is a rare thing in the lefty podcast-world afaik. It isn't as "laddish" as some of the others mentioned here can sometimes be and I think that not everyone will like shows like the Deprogram, which I personally do like, but the banter can sometimes be a bit much.

best of the left