Bullies are trying to hurt someone: Pointing out the pain they are inflicting doesn’t make them stop and may encourage them to double down. A “You” response — “What’s going on for you here?” or “You need to stop talking to me that way” — puts you in the active role, making it clear that you will not tolerate abuse. In this episode, Kim and Wesley speak with Eric Deggans, who offers his insight into bullying in Hollywood and the entertainment industry.

Eric Deggans is NPR’s first full-time TV critic, media analyst and guest host, appearing on the network’s shows, such as Morning Edition, Here & Now and All Things Considered, along with writing material for NPR.org. He also appears on NPR podcasts such as Consider This, Life Kit, Code Switch, It’s Been a Minute and Pop Culture Happy Hour.

In addition, Eric is also an adjunct instructor in the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, a guest instructor at Indiana University’s Media School and a member of the National Advisory Board for the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, FL.

From 2017 to 2021, he served as a contributor and media analyst for MSNBC/NBC News. And in 2020, he was given the Distinguished Alumni Service Award by Indiana University – the institution’s highest alumni honor -- four years after Indiana University’s Media School of journalism and communications named him a distinguished alumnus.

Eric came to NPR in September 2013 from the Tampa Bay Times newspaper in Florida, where he served as TV/Media Critic and in other roles for nearly 20 years. He is also an author of or contributor to several books, including Race-Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation, a look at how prejudice, racism and sexism fuels modern media, published in October 2012 by Palgrave Macmillan.