About

OPPO FILE is a new podcast that turns the tables and digs deep into the shadowy world of opposition research -- the art of digging into the background of a political opponent in order to identify weaknesses that can be exploited in a campaign. Joseph Rodota, the host of OPPO FILE, is a pioneer in the field of opposition research.

In OPPO FILE, we meet oppo researchers from both parties and ask them why they chose this profession, how they hire junior researchers, and how they package the damaging information they unearth. We’ll also ask them about the personal toll the job takes: Do they ever feel conflicted or guilty about the work they do? Or do they see themselves as watchdogs and fact-checkers in an era of political misinformation and “fake news”?

Host

Joseph Rodota

Joseph Rodota is a pioneer in the field of opposition research, beginning with the 1984 re-election campaign of Ronald Reagan, where Rodota was an analyst with the opposition research team at the Republican National Committee. Rodota went on to serve as a communications manager in the Reagan White House, managing research and “rapid response” on key initiatives, before moving to California and founding an opposition research firm. Rodota was director of policy for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s historic 2003 California recall election and a consultant to his 2006 successful reelection campaign. Rodota ran the “war room” against Proposition 8 in the closing days of the 2008 campaign. He is the author of The Watergate: Inside America’s Most Infamous Address (William Morrow, 2018), the first comprehensive history of the midcentury complex that became synonymous with scandal.