Controlled Burns or Fires of the Future? (with Jacob Soboroff)
From Choice Words with Samantha Bee by Lemonada Media
February 19, 2026 · 58 min · Season 3 · Episode 30
About this episode
Jacob Soboroff discusses his book on the Los Angeles fires and the complexities of disaster reporting and community practices.
Reporter and author Jacob Soboroff joins Sam to talk about his new book Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America's New Age of Disaster and the debate between the native communities’ historic practice of controlled burns and the alternative of worsening fires year after year. Jacob talks about how covering the fires was actually the last thing he wanted to do but sometimes you just have to go with the assignment. He talks about seeing his childhood home burn down and not processing the trauma until he started writing the book, how local media was as heroic as the first responders, and how he responded when Katie Miller called him to check on Stephen Miller’s parent’s house. They talk about what justice looks like for people who lost everything, and if he thinks many people will just leave LA, and if he feels safe reporting as the country begins to arrest journalists. Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram. For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
People in this episode
Host: Samantha Bee
Guest: Jacob Soboroff
Topics covered
- wildfires
- journalism
- disaster response
- community resilience
- climate change
- personal trauma
Keywords
- wildfires
- controlled burns
- journalism
- Los Angeles
- trauma
- disaster
- climate change
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America's New Age of Disaster
Places: Los Angeles
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