The central focus of the episode is on the resurgence of child labor practices in the United States and efforts to weaken related laws and protections.
The prevalence of children working as delivery newsboys, some as young as 6 or 7, underscores the child labor issues of the era highlighted by the strike.
The podcast episodes provided cover various aspects of child labor, from the historical Newsboy Strike of 1899 in New York City to the ongoing exploitation of children in the jasmine picking industry in Egypt and the resurgence of child labor practices in the United States.
Several episodes, such as EXTRA! EXTRA! The Newsboy Strike Episode!, Perfume's dark secret: Child labour behind some of your fragrances, and #1563 Putting Our Kids to Work for Corporate Profits, directly address the issue of child labor and its prevalence in different industries and time periods.
Other episodes, such as Part Four: Thomas Jefferson: King of Hypocrites and #354: Acid POURED Down 6 Year Old Boy's Throat & Body - South Korea's "Acid Boy" Case, discuss the exploitation of children in the context of broader societal and historical issues, including slavery, institutional abuse, and human rights violations.