This week President Obama criticized journalistic irresponsibility in a speech, but critics note that he has consistently worked to block press access. We take a look at the plight of public information under an opaque administration. Plus, the ethics of reading the news; dissecting the notion of "momentum" in election seasons; seeking posthumous fame for a cult filmmaker; and a Ghanaian undercover journalist fights for justice using every tool, and disguise, at his disposal. On the Media is sup...
Apr 01, 2016•50 min
How do our assumptions about people affect our assumptions about their food? And how do their assumptions about our food affect how we feel about ourselves? What happens when chefs cook a cuisine they weren’t born into? And what happens when there’s a backlash? Our friend Dan Pashman, host of WNYC Studio's The Sporkful , has launched a special series of episodes called "Other People's Food ," which aims to explore exactly these questions. Dan talks with Brooke about the project so far. On the Me...
Mar 30, 2016•23 min
European Union leaders declared this week’s attack in Brussels an act of war; one former ISIS hostage says those declarations play into the terrorist group’s game plan. We look at what’s behind an unprecedented crackdown on press freedom in Turkey, and examine the significance of President Obama's "other" Latin America trip-- to Argentina. Plus, a special On the Media guide to how not to cover Cuba. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.w...
Mar 25, 2016•57 min
A jury in St. Petersburg, Florida, found that Gawker Media must pay $140 million in damages to the wrestler Hulk Hogan (real name Terry Bollea). The case is about Gawker publishing an excerpt of a tape showing Hogan having sex with his friend's then-wife -- a tape Hogan claims he did not know his friend was filming. The case has raised concerns about First Amendment protections because Gawker is claiming the post was newsworthy and in the public interest -- and Hulk Hogan is claiming that Gawker...
Mar 24, 2016•13 min
For the first months of the Trump campaign, the media wondered incredulously, "What kind of person thinks he can act like that and get elected?" Now that Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee, a new question has arisen: "What kind of people could support a person who acts like that?" We take a look at how the media have attempted to understand (and suppress) the mythical Trump supporter -- and how some of the more damning conclusions reflect a deep-seated discomfort with class in America. ...
Mar 18, 2016•51 min
In 1993, the photojournalist Paul Watson took three photographs of Somali dragging the body of an American soldier through the streets of Mogadishu. As he took the shots, he thought he heard the soldier, William David Cleveland, whisper: "If you do this, I will own you forever." The moment and its aftermath is the subject of a play, "The Body of An American", on through March 20 at the Cherry Lane Theatre. Brooke speaks with the playwright, Dan O'Brien, and with Watson about the photographs, the...
Mar 16, 2016•23 min
A special hour on the publishing industry and the resurgence of print--from Amazon’s flirtation with brick-and-mortar bookstores to the success of wholesale suppliers shilling books by the foot as decorative objects. Plus, South Korea’s well-funded quest for a Nobel Prize in Literature, the subversive history of adult coloring books, and more. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm ). Follow our show on Instagram , Blu...
Mar 11, 2016•50 min
Political commentators have repeatedly, reliably, been wrong this election season. There was the improbable Bernie Sanders. The inevitable Jeb Bush. The passing-fad Donald Trump. Now that we've landed so far from where we began, we examine why pundits make such bad predictions, and why they probably won't stop. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm ). Follow our show on Instagram , Bluesky , TikTok and Facebook @onthe...
Mar 04, 2016•50 min
President Obama's latest attempt to close Guantanamo Bay prison has been met with fierce opposition from Congress. We look at what the prison has come to mean to the American public...and what it means for jihadists. Plus: a look at vigilante groups fighting to uphold their version of the law on both sides of the US-Mexico border, the Apple/FBI showdown, and the GOP "front-runner" who has yet to actually win a primary or caucus. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by don...
Feb 26, 2016•50 min
A political battle is raging over Justice Scalia's replacement on the high court. But what does the public really know about how the court operates? We revisit our special hour on the Supreme Court, from the unknowable impact of the decisions to the justices' peculiar traditions. Plus: how popular culture frames our understanding and the not-so-evolving position on cameras in the courtroom. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc.org/s...
Feb 18, 2016•50 min
The threat of the Zika virus has been covered extensively, but the reality is still largely unknown. A look away from the panicked headlines at what we know and don't know about the virus, as well as how Zika serves as a window into global questions surrounding climate change and reproductive rights. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm ). Follow our show on Instagram , Bluesky , TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and ...
Feb 12, 2016•50 min
A former reporter turned opposition researcher offers an insider’s perspective on the work of unearthing political dirty secrets. Also, the real story of the Dean Scream-- the unforgettable, unscripted moment blamed for ending Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential bid. And, a new documentary chronicles the life of the late conflict correspondent James Foley. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm ). Follow our show on Instag...
Feb 05, 2016•51 min
A certain candidate was conspicuously absent from this week's Republican debate. But Donald Trump's presence on conservative talk radio has never flagged. We look at the influence of Rush Limbaugh and his cohorts on this election season. Plus, why the government's plan to build an algorithm to spot terrorists is doomed to fail, and a deep dive into the legal controversies surrounding Planned Parenthood. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pled...
Jan 29, 2016•50 min
Why did it take so long for Flint's water crisis to be acknowledged by local officials, let alone the national media? Plus: how '13 Hours' frames partisan discussion about Benghazi; and how the political press has struggled to understand the Bernie Sanders' campaign. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm ). Follow our show on Instagram , Bluesky , TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by ema...
Jan 22, 2016•52 min
A Mexican journalist reacts to Sean Penn's interview with the drug kingpin El Chapo; Bob offers his own thoughts, too. Plus: We check back in with the Pentagon on rules concerning journalists in wartime. And the history of copyright, from dictionary pioneer Noah Webster to digital crusader Aaron Swartz. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm ). Follow our show on Instagram , Bluesky , TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, a...
Jan 15, 2016•52 min
President Obama began the year with a plea for "common sense" gun safety but admitted that it won't be easy. We examine the myths and messages that surround, and often obscure, the national conversation on gun safety. Plus, do most Americans really support reform? And, if so, does it matter? On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm ). Follow our show on Instagram , Bluesky , TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share you...
Jan 08, 2016•50 min
What if, either by the slow creep of technological obsolescence or sudden cosmic disaster, we were cut off from our electronic records? On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm ). Follow our show on Instagram , Bluesky , TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and us...
Jan 01, 2016•51 min
What you hear about the Paris climate agreement depends on whom you ask. We sort through the competing messages about what was achieved. Plus, how to spot an accurate election poll as the primaries edge closer; and what the GOP presidential candidates' war on "political correctness" really means. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm ). Follow our show on Instagram , Bluesky , TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and shar...
Dec 18, 2015•51 min
When diseases like Swine Flu and Ebola infect cable news, panic takes over. We put together a template to help the discerning news consumer see through the media's over-the-top coverage. Breaking News Consumer's Handbook: Infectious Disease Edition (WNYC/WNYC) On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm ). Follow our show on Instagram , Bluesky , TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing o...
Dec 17, 2015•11 min
A special hour on the dodgy world of health news, from scary studies and so-called “medical breakthroughs” to celebrity-endorsed miracle cures and people who fake illness online. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm ). Follow our show on Instagram , Bluesky , TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com ...
Dec 17, 2015•51 min
Some of Donald Trump's opponents have labeled him a demagogue - but are they right? And, if so, what is there to be done? Plus: Bob reflects on the media feeding frenzy in the house of the San Bernardino shooters; and the life, and self-documented death, of New York Times reporter and AIDS victim Jeffrey Schmalz. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm ). Follow our show on Instagram , Bluesky , TikTok and Facebook @ont...
Dec 11, 2015•50 min
Donald Trump’s statements about Muslims cheering after 9/11 are just the latest in a long record of false claims. But if Trump is the most recent, maybe most flamboyant, falsifier to enter US politics, he's not the first and won't be the last. OTM takes a look at political lies, including a taxonomy and history of political untruths; a psychological examination of how and why we lie; and whether, at the end of the day, the most damaging lies aren't the ones we tell ourselves about our fellow cit...
Dec 04, 2015•50 min
In the wake of the attacks in Paris, global terror threats, and renewed debate about mass surveillance and national security, we revisit our special hour on the origins of the infamous Patriot Act, born in a post-9/11 climate of fear. We examine what's in the act: warrantless search and seizure, bulk collection of personal data, intelligence sharing, and more...as well as how much of what we associate with the Patriot Act actually lies in a wild-west of lesser-known programs. Plus, new conversat...
Nov 27, 2015•50 min
Amid the emotion, fear, and confusion following an attack, a Breaking News Consumer's Handbook for the coverage of terrorism. Plus, the semantics surrounding acts of war and terror, and a look back at lessons learned, and forgotten, in the years since 9/11. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm ). Follow our show on Instagram , Bluesky , TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onth...
Nov 20, 2015•50 min
OTM examines how the media try to reach us on an emotional level. We look at the New York Times ' dive into virtual reality-inspired empathy, and Europe's "compassion fatigue" with migration. Plus: why clickbait is king, the lucrative "hate read", why the University of Missouri protesters' media-free zone is about more than press freedom, and more. Discuss on Twitter: #OTMempathy, #OTMmissouri, #OTMvr, #OTMaylan, #OTMupworthy, #OTMcarebot, #OTMheart, #OTMclickbait, #OTMhatereads On the Media is ...
Nov 13, 2015•50 min
ExxonMobil is under investigation by the New York State Attorney General for potentially misleading shareholders about the threat of climate change. The subpoena comes after reports, including from InsideClimate News , about Exxon's pivot from supporting state-of-the-art research to funding a network of climate denial groups. Observers have noted that Exxon's campaign of misinformation mirrors what Big Tobacco did about the risks of smoking. That industry is still paying a $246 billion settlemen...
Nov 11, 2015•19 min
Republican presidential candidates try to reassert control over the debate process, but they can't quite agree on how. Plus: in praise of the "gotcha" question; some optimism on the newspaper industry; and Bob talks with Alec Baldwin on all things media. Discuss on Twitter: #OTMDebate, #OTMGotcha, #OTMLessig, #OTMbiz, #OTMespn, #OTMBaldwin On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm ). Follow our show on Instagram , Bluesky...
Nov 06, 2015•58 min
The launch of a collaboration between On the Media and Nate Silver’s 538 to track the push and pull between polling, media coverage, and public interest in candidates. Plus: a look at the long history of savvy political candidates campaigning as Washington "outsiders"; debunking the supposed "Ferguson effect"; and Spotlight , a new movie about the Boston Globe's investigation into the Catholic Church sex scandal, celebrates the power of the press. Discuss on Twitter : #OTMRubio, #OTM_538, #OTMOu...
Oct 30, 2015•58 min
A farewell to coverage of Joe Biden's non-existent presidential campaign. Plus: clarifying the misleading language of drone warfare and what it says about policy; a new film examines Dan Rather's downfall at CBS; the Lockerbie bombing investigation gets leads from a documentary; and a story about the Benghazi attack that you didn't hear at the committee hearing this week. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm ). Follo...
Oct 23, 2015•50 min
Playboy has announced it will soon stop publishing full nudes. We look at the history of men's magazines and what it means that sex doesn't sell in print for the magazine anymore. Plus: "who won the debate?"; Bernie Sanders versus the media; a new privacy win in Europe; and more. Discuss on Twitter: #OTMdebate, #OTMbernie, #OTMgallup, #OTMprivacy, #OTMplayboy On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm ). Follow our show on...
Oct 16, 2015•50 min
