New York City’s alternative weekly newspaper, The Village Voice, birthed a generation of legendary writers. On this week’s On the Media, how the Voice transformed journalism and what’s being lost as alt-weeklies across the country die off. Plus, why the feds brought America’s most controversial alt-weekly mogul to court. [02:17] Host Micah Loewinger speaks with Tricia Romano , author of The Freaks Came Out to Write , about the early days of The Village Voice, including one reporter’s mission to ...
Apr 12, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Village Voice, founded in 1955, is widely credited as the first alternative weekly newspaper, or alt-weekly. The big show this week is all about the rise and fall of the alt-weekly—the type of off-beat, fearless publication that, once-upon-a-time, you could pick up on a street corner in cities across the country. For the mid-week podcast, Micah interviewed Tricia Romano , the author of a new oral history titled, The Freaks Came Out To Write: The Definitive History of the Village Voice, the R...
Apr 10, 2024•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Joe Biden is calling for a ceasefire in Gaza as famine looms. On this week’s On the Media, hear how warring media narratives have jeopardized UNRWA, the largest humanitarian aid organization in the region. Plus, what the explosion in sports gambling means for the future of sports journalism. 1. Mehul Srivastava [ @MehulAtLarge ], Financial Times correspondent, and Chris Van Hollen [ @ChrisVanHollen ], US Senator from Maryland, on the warring media narratives around UNRWA. Listen. 2. Le...
Apr 05, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast With his cool rhymes and even cooler clothes, Basketball Hall of Famer Walt "Clyde" Frazier made a successful transition from NBA star to sports broadcaster on the MSG Network. Frazier sat down with Brooke back in 2012 for a live event to discuss basketball, broadcasting, and the art of being cool. We're re-airing it now because a) it was Mr. Frazier's birthday this week! and b) we're in a sporting mood — we have a big piece in the hopper for this week's show all about sports betting, reported b...
Apr 03, 2024•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, conspiracy theories proliferated. On this week’s On the Media, hear how memes and misinformation obscure the real causes of tragedies, from bridges to planes. Plus, what Ronna McDaniel’s hiring and firing from NBC News tells us about the revolving door from politics to tv news. 1. David Gilbert [ @daithaigilbert ], reporter for Wired covering disinformation, and Katya Schwenk [ @ktyschwnk ], reporter at The Lever, on why disast...
Mar 29, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Beyoncé’s new album, Cowboy Carter, comes out on Friday — and the record has already sparked plenty of conversation about race and the country music genre. This week, we're sharing an episode from our friends at the podcast Today, Explained from Vox media, on this very topic. Hear co-host Noel King take a journey through the history of black musicians making country music, and more. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/o...
Mar 27, 2024•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Donald Trump said if he isn’t elected there will be a bloodbath. Or did he? On this week’s On the Media, how to understand the GOP nominee’s double speak, eight years into his political career. Plus, a deep dive into Russia’s latest disinformation invention– journalists that don’t really exist. And, life in Russia-occupied Ukraine. 1. Jennifer Mercieca [ @jenmercieca ], professor at Texas A&M University, on how Trump's rhetoric has intensified. Listen . 2. Steven Lee Myers [ @stevenleemyers ], d...
Mar 22, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast On Wednesday, March 29 2023, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was detained by the FSB, Russia's security service, and charged with espionage. It was the first time that an American journalist in Russia has been charged with espionage, which carries a potential 20-year prison sentence, since the Cold War. OTM producer Molly Schwartz spoke to Valerie Hopkins , international correspondent for The New York Times , Gordon Fairclough , World Coverage Chief for The Wall Street Journal , Gu...
Mar 20, 2024•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Recently, the House passed a bill that could ban TikTok from the US unless the app’s Chinese owners divest. On this week’s On the Media, hear how the bill will likely fail to live up to its promise. Plus, a pulse-check on the book-banning movement, and a look into the larger mission behind Moms for Liberty. 1. Julia Angwin [ @JuliaAngwin ], opinion writer for The New York Time and founder of the new outlet Proof News, on why this TikTok legislation won't do what lawmakers claim it will. Listen. ...
Mar 15, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Writer Calvin Trillin joined The New Yorker in 1963, and he continues to contribute today. Trillin’s trademark humility and humor show up in all of his writing, whether it’s a story about the invention of the buffalo chicken wing, or the civil rights movement, or an old ditty about our political woes. Brooke recently sat down with him to discuss his career and his latest book, The Lede: Dispatches from a Life in the Press. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating ...
Mar 13, 2024•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast Donald Trump recently held a meeting with Elon Musk, the owner of the site formerly known as Twitter. On this week’s On the Media, hear how the significance of the social media platform has changed as fewer people tune into traditional right-wing media. Plus, a deep dive on terms like “colonialism” and “decolonization,” and what they mean in the context of Israel-Palestine. 1. Philip Bump [ @pbump ], columnist for the Washington Post, on what Donald Trump might want from an allegiance with Elon ...
Mar 08, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Few clich é s are as well-worn, and grounded in reality, as the dread many Americans feel towards doing their taxes and the loathing they have for the IRS. But as much as the process is despised, relatively little is known about how it could be improved. Reporter Jessica Huseman said that's largely because tax prep companies keep it that way . Brooke spoke to Huseman in 2017 about what an improved system might look like and how tax prep companies work to thwart any such changes. On the Media is ...
Mar 06, 2024•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast A Palestinian-American college student was shot in Vermont last fall. On this week’s On the Media, he reflects on the explosive media attention he’s received. Plus, what the data says about allegations of biased media coverage of Israel and Palestine, and former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan explains his approach to covering the war. 1. Suzanne Gaber [ @SuzanneGaber ], producer at Notes from America, speaks with Hisham Awartani, a Palestinian-American college student, about the explosive media attentio...
Mar 01, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast In February, Donald Trump praised Russia for being a "war machine" and said that Russia should “do whatever the hell they want” to NATO allies that do not contribute enough to the military alliance. Far-right figures like Nick Fuentes, who referred to Vladimir Putin as "my Czar," have also shown support for the Russian president and his war on Ukraine. And while more mainstream Republican pundits like Tucker Carlson have walked back past praise for Putin, the American far-right's obsession with ...
Feb 28, 2024•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast An Alabama Supreme Court ruling on frozen embryos threatens fertility treatments across the state. On this week’s On the Media, hear how a particular branch of Christian nationalism influenced one justice’s decision. Plus, how film adaptations of books have come to dominate our screens. 1. Matthew D. Taylor [ @TaylorMatthewD ], senior scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, & Jewish Studies, on how a particular strain of Christian Nationalism, once on the fringe of America’s religious l...
Feb 23, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Russia's jailed opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, has died in prison. Navalny had been living behind bars since shortly after landing in Moscow in January of 2021. He had been returning home following months of recovery in Europe, after he fell violently sick on a flight between Siberia and Moscow. In the months following Navalny’s poisoning, Christo Grozev, former lead Russia investigator at Bellingcat, was stuck in Vienna with filmmaker Daniel Roher. The two had just been booted from Ukraine,...
Feb 21, 2024•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Coverage of President Joe Biden’s age has reached a fever pitch. On this week’s On the Media, hear whether the quality of the reports has matched their volume. Plus, meet Bobi Wine, a pop star and opposition politician who is fighting for democracy in Uganda. 1. Judd Legum [ @JuddLegum ], founder of the newsletter Popular Information, Charan Ranganath [ @CharanRanganath ], a neuroscientist at UC Davis and author of the forthcoming book, Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory’s Power to Hold on to Wha...
Feb 16, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Last week we learned that ousted Fox blowhard Tucker Carlson had gone to Russia. He was spotted eating fake McDonalds and watching a ballet at the Bolshoi theater. But Tucker was there for more important things than fast food and culture; he was there for a sit down with President Putin. Carlson was mainly silent as Putin delivered an almost 40 minute long speech on the history of how Ukraine belongs to Russia. But the myths in Putin's and Russia's state-sponsored version of history are not new....
Feb 14, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast In December, the New York Times sued OpenAI for allegedly using the paper’s articles to train chatbots. On this week’s On the Media, a look at how media outlets are trying to survive in this era of generative AI. Plus, why New York’s oldest Black newspaper is joining forces with an AI startup to address biases in the technology. 1. Kate Knibbs [ @Knibbs ], senior writer at Wired, on AI clickbait flooding the internet. Listen. 2. John Herrman [ @jwherrman ], tech columnist for New York Magazine, ...
Feb 09, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Naomi Klein has been confused for writer Naomi Wolf for much of her career. Wolf rose to prominence with the book The Beauty Myth in the 90s, establishing herself as a bestselling feminist, liberal writer. Klein, on the other hand, wrote acclaimed critiques of capitalism such as No Logo and The Shock Doctrine . To say Klein is often mistaken for Wolf is an understatement. In the interview she did just before ours, a TV host mistakenly called her by Wolf's name. The confusion is incessant on soci...
Feb 07, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Texas Governor Greg Abbott has threatened to defy the federal government’s control over the border as the surge of migrants continues. On this week’s On the Media, a look at what might be a brewing constitutional crisis. Plus, hear MSNBC’s Chris Hayes make a case for why journalists should be paying even closer attention to Donald Trump. 1. Adam Serwer [ @AdamSerwer ], staff writer at The Atlantic, on the humanitarian and constitutional crisis at the Texas border. Listen. 2. Jonathan Blitzer [ @...
Feb 02, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast In Micah Loewinger's introduction to this interview, he shared this personal anecdote: "Before I landed a job at this show, I worked for a few years, on and off, at a couple record stores around New York City. And some of my favorite albums to this day, were recommended to me by my coworkers. Men and women who I consider to be archivists –– not just of old formats like vinyl records, CDs, and cassettes –– but of underappreciated artists and niche genres. A knowledge of music history that can onl...
Jan 31, 2024•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast After New Hampshire and Iowa, the GOP field is narrowing to Donald Trump's benefit once again. On this week’s On the Media, hear how Florida governor Ron DeSantis went from right-wing media darling to the party outcast. Plus, what gets lost in the blow-by-blow coverage of Trump’s legal woes. 1. Nick Nehamas [ @NickNehamas ], politics reporter for the New York Times, Mary Ellen Klas [ @MaryEllenKlas ], opinion writer at Bloomberg and former capital bureau chief for the Miami Herald, and Tom Scocc...
Jan 26, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we're featuring the work of our colleagues at WNYC: Valerie Reyes-Jimenez called it “The Monster.” That’s how some people described HIV and AIDS in the 1980s. Valerie thinks as many as 75 people from her block on New York City’s Lower East Side died. They were succumbing to an illness that was not recognized as the same virus that was killing young, white, gay men just across town in the West Village. At the same time, in Washington, D.C., Gil Gerald, a Black LGBTQ+ activist, saw his o...
Jan 24, 2024•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast This year has had a rocky start for journalism. The Baltimore Sun changed hands again , and layoffs loom at the LA Times. On this week’s On the Media, hear how private investment firms broke local news. Meanwhile, nonprofit publications try to repair the damage. Plus, a music critic reflects on the job cuts at Pitchfork and the power of the album review. 1. Margot Susca [ @MargotSusca ], assistant professor of journalism, accountability, and democracy at American University and author of "Hedged...
Jan 19, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast EXTENDED VERSION; Nightmarish images of destruction in Gaza have filled the news and social media feeds for months. But within Israel, mainstream media outlets tell a very different story. This week, Micah Loewinger speaks with Oren Persico , a staff writer at The Seventh Eye , an independent investigative magazine focused on media and freedom of speech in Israel, about the Israeli media landscape in the months following October 7th, and the "dome of disconnection" it created. This is a segment ...
Jan 16, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast The conflict in the Middle East has already killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. On this week’s On the Media, hear how Israeli media outlets are broadcasting a sanitized version of what's happening in Gaza to the Israeli people. Plus, how one billionaire is going after the media for an article about plagiarism. 1. Oren Persico [ @OrenPersico ], staff writer at The Seventh Eye, an independent investigative magazine focused on freedom of speech in Israel, on how Israeli mainstream media outle...
Jan 12, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast 50 years ago ABBA won the contest for the song Waterloo. Recently Brooke's old friend Charlie asked her to take part in a new podcast born of his love of and obsession with Eurovision, an international song contest organized annually by the European Broadcasting Union , or EBU, with reps from some 70 countries! This week's midweek podcast is episode three of the new series "Mysteries of the Euroverse," hosted by Charlie Sohne and Magnus Riise. On Instagram: @euroversepodcast On YouTube...
Jan 10, 2024•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Daniel Ellsberg, the famed whistleblower who leaked the Pentagon Papers to the Washington Post, died six months ago. On this week’s On the Media, hear about his life, how the Pentagon Papers made it to print, and the impact he had on generations of whistleblowers. Plus, the women who covered the War in Vietnam. 1. Tom Devine, legal director for the Government Accountability Project , on Daniel Ellsberg's legacy and the ways he changed public perception of whistleblowers in the U.S. Listen . 2. L...
Jan 05, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast On February 23, 1972, oral arguments began in the Supreme Court for a case that would shape the course of journalism. In the case known as “ Branzburg v. Hayes ,” the arguments rolled together three related cases that explored the reporter's privilege to protect confidential sources in the face of a legal investigation. The most important of these three cases was United States v. Caldwell. Earl Caldwell was a New York Times reporter who covered the civil rights movement in the late 1960s and ear...
Jan 03, 2024•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
