On the Media
Episodes
American Emergency: The Movement to Kill FEMA
01 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Just after Donald Trump's first term began, he announced that he was considering eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency — the agency th...
How a Prison Fire Helped Create CBS News
29 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When CBS was founded in 1927, its radio programming focused on entertainment, music, and fun. That all changed when a horrific prison fire broke out a...
Grab Your Tin Foil Hat for The Onion's Takeover of Infowars
24 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier this month, Donald Trump posted an AI picture that seemed to depict him as Jesus Christ. On the week’s On the Media, why the image drew so m...
Predicting the News
22 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Micah Loewinger speaks with Judd Legum, the author of the accountability newsletter Popular Information, about the explosive rise of prediction market...
Influencers Usher in a New Era for #metoo
18 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Prime Minister Viktor Orban lost in Hungary’s national elections, bringing his 16-year tenure to a close. On the week’s On the Media, what it will...
Planet Money Wrote a Book And Then Dissected The Business of Publishing!
15 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This week we're handing over our podcast slot to NPR's Planet Money. They're currently 3 episodes in to a series all about the book industry. It’s v...
Trump’s “Madman Theory” Is on Full Display in Iran
11 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump threatened to commit war crimes before reaching a shaky ceasefire deal with Iran. On this week’s On the Media, the repercussions of ...
A New Day for the Press in Hungary?
08 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has led Hungary for the past 16 years, the longest-serving leader in the European Union. He has systematically brought th...
Pete Hegseth is Praying for a Holy War
03 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The U.S. has waged war on Iran for more than a month now. On this week’s On the Media, what Defense Secretary Hegseth’s monthly Pentagon prayer me...
The Danger of Keeping Score
01 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Last Friday, the Washington state Attorney General sued Kalshi, the prediction market platform where users can place bets on real world events, such a...
The Pentagon Kicks the Press Out … Again
27 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A judge ruled that the Pentagon’s recent restrictions on the press are unconstitutional. On this week’s On the Media, hear how Pete Hegseth’s ev...
Trans People are Facing a 'Dual State' in Trump's America
25 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the Idaho Senate is considering a bill that would block transgender people from using public bathrooms that conform with their gender ident...
Trump Demands Patriotic Coverage of the War in Iran. Or Else….
20 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are demanding “more patriotic” coverage of the widening war in Iran. On this week’s On the Me...
A Win For Mr. Nobody!
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Brooke Gladstone talks with Pasha Talankin, star and co-creator of the new documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin. Pasha is a high school teacher who ma...
Hegseth’s Pentagon Axed a Program Meant to Save Civilian Lives
13 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The US and Israel have continued a large-scale bombing campaign in Iran, killing over 1,300 civilians. On this week’s On the Media, the far-reaching...
A Good Sign For the VOA?
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Recently a surprising ruling came down from U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth. The Reagan-appointed judge found that Kari Lake - (formerly b...
The AI-Powered War Machines Are Here
07 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The US military used AI tools for real-time targeting in its strikes on Iran. On this week’s On the Media, what recent conflicts can tell us about A...
A New Doc Questions The Legacy of "To Catch A Predator"
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
“To Catch a Predator” aired on television as a segment of NBC’s Dateline in the early 2000's. Men would be lured into talking online to a decoy ...
The Ellisons Prepare to Expand Their Media Empire
28 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Netflix is backing out of a bid to acquire Warner Brothers Discovery, clearing the way for Paramount to take over. On this week’s On the Media, what...
The Century-Long Capture of U.S. Media
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
As media empires, from The Washington Post to CBS News, continue to be dealt significant blows, uncertainties abound about the remaining strength of a...
The Man With a Plan to Reshape Broadcast TV
21 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Late night host Stephen Colbert has accused CBS of spiking an interview for fear of backlash from the Federal Communications Commission. On this week’...
Orson Welles and the Blind Soldier
18 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In 1946, Orson Welles, the actor and director behind Citizen Kane, was at the pinnacle of his career. At the time, he had a national radio show called...
The Social Media Addiction Trials Begin
14 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In a landmark trial in California, Meta and Google are being accused of addicting children to social media. On this week’s On the Media, hear how th...
An Internet Blackout Hides A Regime's Excesses
11 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
At the end of December, familiar scenes of protest in Tehran were being documented and shared across the world. But on January 8th, the images stopped...
How the Justice Department Failed Epstein’s Victims
06 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In the latest batch of Epstein files, hundreds of pages are redacted, shielding the names of prosecutors and possible co-conspirators. On this week’...
"Armed Only With A Camera"
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In 2022 Brent Renaud became the first American journalist to be killed by Russian soldiers while covering the war in Ukraine. Brent’s collaborator f...
Videos of ICE Violence Are Plentiful. Accountability.… Not So Much.
31 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Trump administration called Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed by federal officers, a “domestic terrorist.” And then bystander footage flood...
Stars and Stripes in Peril
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Stars and Stripes, the venerated, independent award-winning newspaper that has served the armed services for roughly a century, may be getting an unin...
Trump's Plan to Tank America
24 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Children as young as five have been detained by immigration agents in Minnesota. On this week’s On the Media, how I.C.E. uses technology to surveil ...
Trump's War On the Fed [EXTENDED VERSION]
21 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
EXTENDED VERSION! Brooke spoke to Mark Blyth, professor of International Economics and Public Affairs at Brown University, to talk about what the head...
Trump's War on the Fed, Explained. Plus, How One School Teacher Stood Up to Putin.
17 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation against the Federal Reserve and its chairman. On this week’s On the Media, hear how the...
Who is Russel Vought?
14 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Last October Brooke spoke with Andy Kroll, a reporter covering justice and the rule of law at ProPublica, about the profile he wrote of Russell Vought...
A Deadly ICE Shooting in Minnesota. Plus, Trump Plays King in Venezuela.
09 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
After a U.S. citizen was shot and killed by an immigration agent, the Department of Homeland Security is sending even more forces to Minneapolis. On t...
The Forgotten History of the First Sitcom
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Host Brooke Gladstone talks with Emily Nussbaum, television critic for The New Yorker, about the forgotten story of Gertrude Berg, the woman behind th...
How Debate Took Over the Internet. Plus, a Case for Confronting the Past.
02 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Political debates are taking over the internet. On this week’s On the Media, hear how one viral Youtube channel is reshaping political discourse. Pl...
The Rapid Rise of Bari Weiss
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This year, Bari Weiss became the new editor in chief of CBS News. The network’s owner, Paramount, also acquired Weiss’ online publication, The Fre...
Is it Over Yet? 2025 in Review
26 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
And just like that, 2025 is coming to a close. On this week’s On the Media, hear a tour of a 12-month news blitz, from AI to the Pentagon press room...
A Hundred Years of The New Yorker
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The New Yorker turned a hundred this year. And marking the occasion is a new documentary film on Netflix titled: “The New Yorker at 100”. But with...
Deep Fakes, Data Centers, and AI Slop — Are We Cooked?
20 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump has signed an executive order limiting state regulation on artificial intelligence. On this week’s On the Media, Republicans spar over ...
Big Tech Embraced Fakeness in 2025
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This year, Silicon Valley poured its collective resources in AI. Billions and billions of dollars. But behind the snazzy ads and glowing endorsement...
Trump Guns for the FTC. Plus, Are We the Losers in the Paramount v Netflix Battle?
13 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Supreme Court appears ready to let Donald Trump fire Federal Trade Commission members at will. On this week’s On the Media, why the court’s ex...
How a Gossip Blogger Became the Poster Child for First Amendment Rights
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Last summer, Perez Hilton, the gossip blogger who rose to fame for his scoopy and sometimes vicious takes in the early 2000s, was served a subpoena by...
Covering the Pentagon, from Sy Hersh to Laura Loomer
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The New York Times has sued the Pentagon for restricting access to journalists. On this week’s On the Media, meet the new cast of right wing influen...
No, DOGE Isn't Dead
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Late last month, Reuters reported that DOGE had “disbanded,” that the group was no longer a centralized government entity. But according to Wired ...
Tell Your Uncle He's Fighting Twitter Bots in Bangladesh
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A new feature on X, formerly known as Twitter, has revealed that some prominent MAGA accounts are based in South Asia and Eastern Europe. On this week...
Bullseye's Jesse Thorn on Surviving in the Podcasting Industry
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This month marks 25 years of Bullseye, a public radio show and podcast founded, hosted, and produced by Jesse Thorn. The show began as an offbeat coll...
The Battle for the Future of the Democratic Party
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Progressive and centrist Democratic candidates had big wins in the 2025 elections. On this week’s On the Media, a data scientist fact-checks the cla...
The Democratic Party Spam Machine
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever donated to a Democratic candidate, you’ve probably been rewarded with a never-ending stream of pleas for more money in your inbox. ...
S2 - Episode 3: The Harvard Plan
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Trump administration is asking universities to sign an agreement in exchange for preferential access to federal funding. On this week’s On the M...
The Republican Party's Civil War
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Back in October, Nick Fuentes, the Gen Z white nationalist influencer, was trending in the news after a leaked Young Republicans chat revealed how his...
S2 - Episode 2: The Harvard Plan
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Millions of dollars in federal grants have been terminated, throwing cutting-edge research at American universities into crisis. On this week’s On t...
Do Moderates Win More Elections?
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Zohran Mamdani has won the 2025 New York City mayoral race, with a higher turnout of voters than New York has seen in decades. This despite the fact t...
The Harvard Plan is Back. Episode 1: And So It Begins...
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump is compelling universities across the country to adopt a more conservative agenda in exchange for access to federal funds. On this wee...
S2 - Episode 1: The Harvard Plan
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Harvard Plan - our collaboration with the Boston Globe, is back! In episode one, we hear what unfolded at Harvard from Donald Trump’s inaugurati...
Donald Trump's 'Darth Vader.' Plus, the Normalization of White Nationalist Nick Fuentes.
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The federal government shutdown has entered its fourth week. On this week’s On the Media, hear about the man who is laying off four thousand federal...
How Funding Cuts Are Changing Public Radio
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This summer, Republicans clawed back over a billion dollars that had been pledged to public media. But it wasn’t until this month that the corporati...
Big Tech is Silencing the ICE Watchers. Plus, Why a Scholar of Antifa Fled the Country.
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tech giants Apple and Google have been quietly removing ways for citizens to document The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s activi...
David Remnick: How The Two State Solution Ended in Disaster
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For decades, the United States backed efforts to achieve a two-state solution—in which Israel would exist side by side with the Palestinian state, w...
Authoritarianism, but Make It Look Normal. Plus, the Family Taking Over American Media.
11 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Supreme Court has returned to the bench and is poised to hear major cases on tariffs and federal firings. On this week’s On the Media, how a cen...
What's Wrong with True Crime?
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” is the most watched show on Netflix. It’s a dramatized retelling of the life of the serial killer who in...
Jamelle Bouie Says Your Fear of Trump Isn't Helping. Plus, Humphrey Bogart’s Betrayal.
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, President Trump said he plans to use the military against America's "enemy within." On this week’s On the Media, how Trump’s rhetoric c...
Bobi Wine: The People's President
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week in Uganda, the pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine released his election manifesto to win the presidency in 2026. The current leader, Yower...
Trump v. Tylenol. Plus, How Charlie Kirk Became a Martyr for the Christian Right.
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump has declared that Tylenol should not be used during pregnancy. On this week’s On the Media, how funding cuts and disputed claims lin...
Goodnight And Goodluck 20 Years Later
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Joseph and Shirley Wershba, worked at CBS news back in the good ol' days. In 1948, along with Edward R. Murrow, Joe Wershba helped produce the CBS’s...
Free Speech for Me, But Not for Thee. Plus, Librarians Under Siege
20 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show has been pulled off the air following his comments about Charlie Kirk’s killer. On this week’s On the Media, how ...
Paul Offit Has Opinions About RFK Jnr.
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brooke Gladstone speaks with Paul Offit, the director of the Vaccine Education Center and a physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Childr...
The Aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s Murder. Plus, the Rise and Fall of CBS.
13 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed in front of a crowd of students at Utah Valley University. On this week’s On the Media, how t...
Apocalypse Again
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brooke chats with Dorian Lynskey, cultural journalist and author of the recent book, Everything Must Go: The Stories We Tell About the End of the Worl...
No, Trump Isn't Cracking Down on Crime. Plus, How Ukrainians Tell Their Story of the War.
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump is preparing to send the National Guard to cities across the country. On this week’s On the Media, what the press is missing about t...
The Viral Outrage Over Peanut the Squirrel
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A beloved squirrel named Peanut was seized in a raid by New York environmental officers last year. A maelstrom of online outrage ensued, upending New ...
Is America Becoming an Autocracy?
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Donald Trump’s countless executive orders and mounting deportations are testing America’s democratic institutions. On this week’s On t...
The Journalist Who Saw WW2 Coming
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For these last couple of weeks of August we’ve been airing a miniseries from our friends at Radio Diaries.The third and final part is about a woman ...
The Power of Shortwave Radio. And, What Gets Lost with Voice of America?
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This month, the director of Voice of America is being forced out in the latest of many moves to dismantle the state broadcasting service. On this week...
The Forgotten Shock Jock Who Paved the Way for Rush Limbaugh
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we're airing part two of a documentary series, courtesy of Radio Diaries, about three radio personalities who had huge audiences in their t...
Silicon Valley's Rightwing Roots. Plus, the CEO of Bluesky Reimagines Social Media
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Donald Trump returned to office, tech companies donated millions of dollars to his inaugural committee. On this week’s On the Media, the rightw...
The Famous Black Preacher Who Feuded With MLK
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For these final weeks of summer we wanted to transport you away from the doom and gloom of the daily news with a trio of stories produced by our frien...
Trump's Fact Eradication Program. Plus, How Jubilee is Transforming Political Debate
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump fired the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics following a weak jobs report. On this week’s On the Media, how the Trump ad...
Eric Adams' Latest Scandal
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here in New York we’re not due to select our next mayor till November but somehow it feels like we’re already embroiled in pre-election chaos. Eri...
Images of Mass Starvation Shift Gaza Coverage. Plus, the Forgotten History of the First Sitcom.
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As reports of starving children in Gaza mount, France, Britain, and Canada are preparing to recognize Palestinian statehood. On this week’s On the M...
McKay Coppins on The Murdochs
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brooke spoke in May with McKay Coppins, a staff writer at The Atlantic, about the remarkable, extensive interviews he conducted with members of the Mu...
Trump's Presidential Library Grift. Plus, the Hacker Behind the NYT’s Mamdani Story.
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The FCC just approved a lucrative merger between Paramount and Skydance. Weeks earlier, Paramount settled a lawsuit with the president by paying him 1...
EXTENDED VERSION: Michael Douglas Movies And The Crisis Of Masculinity
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
EXTENDED VERSION: Brooke sits down with Jessa Crispin, critic and editor-in-chief of The Culture We Deserve, to talk about her new book What Is Wrong ...
MAGA Fractures Over Epstein. Plus, What Michael Douglas Movies Tell Us About Masculinity.
19 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Trump administration is trying to subdue fury from all angles over the Epstein Files. On this week's On the Media, how the controversy is fracturi...
Planning for Inevitable Climate Disaster
16 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Atlantic hurricane season is currently underway – and in fact, it was the tail end of tropical storm Barry that contributed to the deadly flash ...
Inside the Artificial Intelligence Hype Cycle. And How AI is Making Music
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Like it or not, more people are using artificial intelligence than ever. On this week’s On the Media, hear about the AI arms race between the U.S. a...
Having a Child in the Digital Age
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In Amanda Hess' new book, Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age, she explores the many apps, megamaternity brands, high-tech baby gear, and...
The Battle Over Public Broadcasting
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump is asking lawmakers to claw back over a billion dollars in federal funds for public broadcasting. On this week’s On the Media, the l...
How Country Music Became the Sound of U.S. Patriotism
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today's country music industry is deeply associated with a certain jingoistic ‘rally around the flag,' ‘support the troops’ spirit. In this week...
Trump Tries and (Mostly) Fails to Control the Narrative on Iran. Plus, RFK Jr. is Bad for Our Health
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s revamped CDC vaccine advisory board stopped recommending certain flu vaccines this week. On this week’s On th...
The Final Unravelling of Bob Menendez
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, On the Media shares the final episode of Dead End: The Rise and Fall of Gold Bar Bob Menendez. For WNYC, reporter and host Nancy Solomon de...
MAGA Divides Over Iran. Plus, Inside the Crackdown on Student Journalists
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Donald Trump says he’ll decide whether or not to attack Iran within the next two weeks. On this week’s On the Media, hear why the right ...
Bob Menendez’s Disastrous Romance
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's midweek podcast, we share the next installment of WNYC's Dead End: The Rise and Fall of 'Gold Bar' Bob Menendez. Yesterday, the former ...
Trump Deploys Troops Against LA Protesters. Plus, Journalists Under 'Less Lethal' Fire.
13 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A federal judge ruled that President Donald Trump’s deployment of troops in Los Angeles was illegal before an appeals court quickly overturned it. A...
How Gold Bar Bob Menendez Got His Start
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Bob Menendez will become the first Senator to go to prison in more than 40 years when he reports to federal penitentiary next week. Most of you will...
Lessons From Hungary’s Democratic Backsliding. Plus, What Makes a Resistance Movement Successful?
06 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Donald Trump’s countless executive orders and mounting deportations are testing America’s democratic institutions. On this week’s On t...
Ensh*ttification, Live! Micah and Cory Doctorow in Conversation
04 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This past weekend, OTM co-host Micah Loewinger went to Seattle to sit down with an all-time favourite guest of the show: tech activist and writer Cory...
An FCC Commissioner Sounds the Alarm. Plus, the Finale of The Divided Dial
30 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Tuesday, NPR and three Colorado public radio stations sued the Trump administration for violating the First Amendment. On this week’s On the Medi...
S2 THE DIVIDED DIAL EPISODE 4: Wall St. Wants Your Airwaves
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 4In recent years, creative, often music-focused pirate broadcasting has been thriving on shortwave. But these surreptitious broadcasters are u...
Conspiracy Theories Come Back to Bite MAGA. Plus, Ep. 3 of The Divided Dial.
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Before they were appointed, the leaders of the F.B.I. boosted misinformation about a ‘deep state.’ Now they’re in power, they’ve become the fo...
S2 THE DIVIDED DIAL EPISODE 3: World's Last Chance Radio
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 3Today, in the internet era, much of the shortwaves have been left to the most extreme voices — including a conspiratorial flat earth minist...