Dana Taylor

So I'm not going to let this go. I was surprised to learn that USA Today is actually part of the Genesis story of The Onion. You wrote about one of its co-founders, Tim Kack, growing up in rural Wisconsin, where there were only two newspapers available. One of them was USA Today. The other was the Oshkosh Northwestern. And he had very unflattering things to say about both of them.

So I'm not going to let this go. I was surprised to learn that USA Today is actually part of the Genesis story of The Onion. You wrote about one of its co-founders, Tim Kack, growing up in rural Wisconsin, where there were only two newspapers available. One of them was USA Today. The other was the Oshkosh Northwestern. And he had very unflattering things to say about both of them.

As I mentioned, you were there at the beginning, part of the original staff from 1988, about 1990. Fast forward to this moment, you're discussing The Onion and your book with USA Today. Is this a strange full circle moment for you? I mean, The Onion is now a massive media brand itself.

As I mentioned, you were there at the beginning, part of the original staff from 1988, about 1990. Fast forward to this moment, you're discussing The Onion and your book with USA Today. Is this a strange full circle moment for you? I mean, The Onion is now a massive media brand itself.

Your book is rich with all of these characters. Why did you want to write this book? I know you did extensive research for it.

Your book is rich with all of these characters. Why did you want to write this book? I know you did extensive research for it.

It was very interesting to read this book and read. I'll just say I enjoyed the USA Today shout out. It made me laugh. This book is called Funny Because It's True. It's on bookshelves now. Thank you so much for being on The Excerpt, Christine. Thank you for having me, Dana.

It was very interesting to read this book and read. I'll just say I enjoyed the USA Today shout out. It made me laugh. This book is called Funny Because It's True. It's on bookshelves now. Thank you so much for being on The Excerpt, Christine. Thank you for having me, Dana.

Thanks to our senior producers, Shannon McGreen and Kaylee Monaghan, for their production assistance, our executive producers, Laura Beatty. Let us know what you think of this episode by sending a note to podcasts at usatoday.com. Thanks for listening. I'm Dana Taylor. Taylor Wilson will be back tomorrow morning with another episode of The Excerpt.

Thanks to our senior producers, Shannon McGreen and Kaylee Monaghan, for their production assistance, our executive producers, Laura Beatty. Let us know what you think of this episode by sending a note to podcasts at usatoday.com. Thanks for listening. I'm Dana Taylor. Taylor Wilson will be back tomorrow morning with another episode of The Excerpt.

It's interesting because I also know that journalists love The Onion. You know, they say The Onion says things that we wish we could say and we can't say. And so I find that really interesting, too. So I think The Onion is aware that journalists actually love them, even though they're often making fun of what journalists do.

It's interesting because I also know that journalists love The Onion. You know, they say The Onion says things that we wish we could say and we can't say. And so I find that really interesting, too. So I think The Onion is aware that journalists actually love them, even though they're often making fun of what journalists do.

Hello, and welcome to The Excerpt. I'm Dana Taylor. Today is Wednesday, April 16, 2025, and this is a special episode of The Excerpt. The recent bankruptcy of genetic testing firm 23andMe has raised alarm bells for privacy advocates and consumers worried about their personal information.

Hello, and welcome to The Excerpt. I'm Dana Taylor. Today is Wednesday, April 16, 2025, and this is a special episode of The Excerpt. The recent bankruptcy of genetic testing firm 23andMe has raised alarm bells for privacy advocates and consumers worried about their personal information.

That data managed by 23andMe could eventually be used to discriminate against a consumer trying to buy life insurance, or it could be combined with a publicly available dating profile to target someone for a sophisticated scam. The possibilities for abuse are endless. And to be clear, this isn't just a 23andMe problem. Bankruptcy and data theft are just as much a risk with other DNA testing firms.

That data managed by 23andMe could eventually be used to discriminate against a consumer trying to buy life insurance, or it could be combined with a publicly available dating profile to target someone for a sophisticated scam. The possibilities for abuse are endless. And to be clear, this isn't just a 23andMe problem. Bankruptcy and data theft are just as much a risk with other DNA testing firms.

So what should people know about privacy and genetic data security? For more on that, I'm now joined by Kate Spector-Bagdaddy, a member of the Health Law and Bioethics Faculty at the University of Michigan. Thanks for joining me, Kate. Thanks. It's great to be here. Let's start with the basics on the privacy issues here.

So what should people know about privacy and genetic data security? For more on that, I'm now joined by Kate Spector-Bagdaddy, a member of the Health Law and Bioethics Faculty at the University of Michigan. Thanks for joining me, Kate. Thanks. It's great to be here. Let's start with the basics on the privacy issues here.

First, there's the privacy policy that consumers agree to at the time of purchase. There's also personal information 23andMe subsequently collected from many users via surveys. That's a massive amount of highly sensitive consumer data that's highly valuable to a host of different players. What happens if this data is sold during bankruptcy?

First, there's the privacy policy that consumers agree to at the time of purchase. There's also personal information 23andMe subsequently collected from many users via surveys. That's a massive amount of highly sensitive consumer data that's highly valuable to a host of different players. What happens if this data is sold during bankruptcy?