'Hold Fast' Featured on OTM and in CJR
Plus: How to listen to 'Hold Fast' for free. And: Come to the Manhattan release party April 25.
“Hold Fast: The Unadulterated Story of the World’s Most Scandalous Website” received universally positive press in its first week of release.
An Audible Original documentary podcast I reported and produced with Sam Eifling and Michael Mooney, “Hold Fast” tells the story of the rise and fall of the alternative weekly newspaper industry, the history of “adult” ads, and the prosecutions related to Backpage.com. At its heart, “Hold Fast” is a story about the limits of free speech in America.
Among early coverage:
On The Media excerpted Episode 1 in its most recent show, describing “Hold Fast” as “the story of one foul-mouthed editor and his empire of muckraking dirtbags.” The excerpt starts at approximately the 30-minute mark:
Columbia Journalism Review described “Hold Fast” as an “exquisitely told nine-episode podcast from Audible about the founders of the New Times Media chain of alt-weeklies and the federal case against them on charges of facilitating prostitution through their Backpage advertising website.”
The Dallas Morning News pulled no punches on “Hold Fast,” calling it “one hell of a story.”
Smoke ’Em If You Got ’Em doubled down, describing “Hold Fast” as “a podcast that is one of the year’s best” — and it’s only April!
All nine episodes of Hold Fast are available now on Audible.
Listen to ‘Hold Fast’ for Free
If you’re interested in listening to “Hold Fast” but don’t have a subscription to Audible, I’m offering my subscribers a code to access the show without a subscription. If you want one — first come, first served; limited quantity — email your request to holdfast@trevoraaronson.com.
There’s no need to be a paid subscriber to receive a code, but if you’re interested in supporting my work, please consider becoming one:
‘Hold Fast’ Release Party in New York
Live in or near New York? Come to the ‘Hold Fast’ release party on April 25. It’s organized by show co-creator Sam Eifling. Details here:
