On the Media

Pope Primer

23 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you've probably heard that Pope Francis is in the U.S. this week. To celebrate His Holiness's arrival, we thou...

Facts, Schmacts

18 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

This week’s GOP presidential debate was full of barbs, zingers, and over talk but was severely lacking in the fact-checking department. We consider ...

Enter and Return

11 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

On the language debate surrounding the Mediterranean crisis, debunking migration myths both foreign and domestic, and a visit to the 9/11 museum.  On...

Open Closure

04 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The rhetoric of ads on the Iran nuclear agreement, the ongoing fall out of the Ashley Madison hack, and the end of an iconic Spanish language variety ...

Summer Listens #9: Pledge This!

02 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Each week through Labor Day, we'll be pulling an OTM gem from our vast archives for you to enjoy on the beach, in a park... or on a sticky subway, whi...

Broad Questions

27 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The push for a female libido pill reveals misunderstandings about female sexuality. Plus: Jorge Ramos' confrontation with the GOP front-runner; a guid...

Summer Listens #8: Crackerjack

26 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Each week through Labor Day, we'll be pulling an OTM gem from our vast archives for you to enjoy on the beach, in a park... or on a sticky subway, whi...

Lies and Spies

21 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

A decade after Hurricane Katrina, the story of two nursing home owners who became media scapegoats for the tragedy in New Orleans. Plus, a bit of in...

Looking Backward On The Presidency Of Donald Trump

20 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

On January 20, 2017, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. Impossible? Sure. But it happened anyway. From the not too...

Summer Listens #7: Playing One On TV

19 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Each week through Labor Day, we'll be pulling an OTM gem from our vast archives for you to enjoy on the beach, in a park... or on a sticky subway, whi...

A Vulgar Spectacle

14 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

After Donald Trump insulted Fox News' Megyn Kelly, the network made a strange deal with the GOP front runner. We hear what it says about media relati...

'We've Sort of Become Friends': The Original Tapes from David Foster Wallace's '96 Book Tour

13 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Brooke sat down with writer David Lipsky, whose "reporter tennis" interviews with author David Foster Wallace are dramatized in the film The End of...

Summer Listens #6: Pitchmen

12 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Each week through Labor Day, we'll be pulling an OTM gem from our vast archives for you to enjoy on the beach, in a park... or on a sticky subway, whi...

True Crime

07 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

A special hour on the enthralling genre of true crime.  On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledg...

Summer Listens #5: Uncanny Valley

30 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Each week through Labor Day, we'll be pulling an OTM gem from our vast archives for you to enjoy on the beach, in a park... or on a sticky subway, whi...

Take the OTM Health News Consumer Quiz

30 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's show, we feature a segment on the rampant exaggerations, deceptions, and outright lies flourishing across the health media landscape....

Send In The Clowns

30 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The booms and busts of political reporting, a skeptical look into health and diet news, and an indie throwback film gets the red carpet treatment. ...

Summer Listens #4: The Anthem

29 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Each week through Labor Day, we'll be pulling an OTM gem from our vast archives for you to enjoy on the beach, in a park... or on a sticky subway, whi...

Havana, Hacks, and Shame Attacks

24 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Revisiting the Elián González story as the US embassy reopens in Havana. Plus: Paul Ford examines the various issues raised by the Ashley Madison h...

Summer Listens #3: The World is a Morgue

22 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Each week through Labor Day, we'll be pulling an OTM gem from our vast archives for you to enjoy on the beach, in a park... or on a sticky subway, whi...

A National Conversation

17 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Listening in on the national conversation about race, two years after the launch of the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Plus, the LA Times hires a report...

Summer Listens #2: The Wilhelm Scream

15 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our new summer series! Each week through Labor Day, we'll be pulling an OTM gem from our vast archives for you to enjoy on the beach, in a ...

Polls Are Stupid

10 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Bob dissects the media's sloppy and disingenuous use of polls to fill air time and manufacture conflict. Plus: how the Dominican press is covering ...

Summer Listens #1

08 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our new summer series! Each week through Labor Day, we'll be pulling an OTM gem from our vast archives for you to enjoy on the beach, in a ...

Greeks, Dingoes, and Robots

02 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

On the popular misconceptions surrounding the Greek debt crisis, women whose lives were mistold by the media, and humor, both robotic and Soviet. On t...

Digital Dark Age

24 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s episode of On the Media, we’re engaging in some chillingly informed speculation: what would happen if we, as a species, lost access...

Digital Dark Age

23 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

What if, either by the slow creep of technological obsolescence or sudden cosmic disaster, we were cut off from our electronic records?  On the Medi...

Foreign & Domestic

19 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

In the wake of another mass shooting tragedy, Brooke looks back at a history of racially-motivated hate crimes. Plus, the strength and responsibility ...

Codes of Conduct

12 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

As videos of police violence continue to make headlines, a guide to filming the police as a bystander. Plus, making sense of data breaches, a lesson...

Checking The Books

05 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Two newspapers' quests to count every person killed by police in 2015, how librarians shaped the original debate over the Patriot Act, and more. On th...

The Bill That Nobody Read

29 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Congress is locked in a battle over the future of the Patriot Act. This special hour of OTM reveals the origins of the act in a post-9/11 climate o...

If We Knew Then...

21 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

A surprisingly difficult -- and misleading -- question about the Iraq War, the police bombing that no one remembers, and the struggle of ownership in...

Seymour Hersh, NYC Nail Salons, and Ebola-Free Liberia

15 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Seymour Hersh talks about his article claiming that the White House version of how Osama Bin Laden was killed is a lie. Plus, how a New York City nai...

Podcast Extra: Seymour Hersh

13 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

This week legendary investigative journalist Seymour Hersh published an account of the killing of Osama bin Laden that directly contradicts the offici...

After An Earthquake, Body Cams, and Veep

08 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

What the media get wrong about earthquakes, surveillance the public loves and hates, and the creator of HBO's Veep. On the Media is supported by liste...

Unseen & Inscrutable

01 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The deep historical roots of the Baltimore protests, shedding light on drone strikes, and combating sex worker stereotypes.  On the Media is suppor...

Dr. Oz, Narratives of Migration, and Cosmic Colors

24 Apr 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Hundreds of refugees drowned recently when their boat capsized in the Mediterranean. We examine the dangers of false narratives of migration pushed by...

"Young, Charismatic, & Ambitious"

16 Apr 2015

Contributed by Lukas

As the 2016 campaign season begins, we discuss the words used repeatedly to describe candidates, and how to cover those who are unlikely to win. Plu...

Blame, Shame, or Deny?

10 Apr 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Climate change is arguably the most urgent story in human history, but journalism has struggled to address the threat. This week, an exploration of ne...

The Cancer Show: Part 2

03 Apr 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Today, the impact of cancer is not limited to patients and loved ones, not confined to hospital wards and research labs. It's a powerful symbol app...

Podcast Extra: Jon Ronson and Public Shaming

02 Apr 2015

Contributed by Lukas

In his new book, So You've Been Publicly Shamed, Jon Ronson tackles the phenomenon of internet-fueled public shaming, which has ruined many a career a...

The Cancer Show: Part I

23 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last 2,500 years, cancer has shifted from a disease in the shadows to one at the center of scientific research and public discussion. In the...

Confession and Suppression

20 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, suspected murderer Robert Durst was arrested the day before an HBO film aired his apparent confession. On the Media examines the line betwe...

#49 - Do URL Believe in Magic?

13 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when you buy a magic spell on Etsy? Writer Jaya Saxena and her husband Matt Lubchansky recently tested one witch's wares, and they talk t...

Cashing in on Ferguson, That Letter to Iran, and Nihilism's Allure

13 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

This week, two police officers were shot in Ferguson, MO, bringing in yet another wave of reporters. We examine whether the constant media presence ...

On the Rocks

06 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve seen more horrific videos from ISIS, but this time the cruelty is directed at priceless artifacts. This week we examine the media's reaction ...

Secure Connections

27 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

This week, after years of debate, the FCC voted to treat the internet like a public utility. On the Media examines what the decision means for the da...

Safe Words

20 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Why the language of terrorism is so divisive. Also, how Fifty Shades of Grey introduced America to the kink community. On the Media is supported by l...

Whistleblowers, the Legacy of Lynching, and Vintage Jon Stewart

13 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

An exploration of the term “whistleblower”, from its origins as a sports reference to its current status as a moral mantle. Plus, reframing the ...

On the Anti-Vax Non-troversy

06 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

In the wake of a US measles outbreak, the media, politicians, and even celebrities have quarantined the country in a vortex of paranoia and fear. The ...

Threat Assessment

06 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The content of a new ISIS video shocks the world. Also, vaccinating children stokes faux controversy, again, and a new documentary has the Church of S...

The Case for Boredom

05 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Meet our friends from down the hall. The podcast New Tech City about technology and human behavior has kicked off a fascinating project that anyone ca...

Naming the Shooter, the Law of the Internet, and More

30 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Whether to name the perpetrators of mass shootings, the myth of defensive gun ownership, and the "Ebola Doctor" Craig Spencer. On the Media is support...

Japanese Captives, the diary of a Guantanamo Bay inmate, and more

23 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

A video threat from ISIS to Japan, debunking conventional wisdom in Congress, and a newly published memoir from a Guantanamo Bay inmate. On the Media ...

Terror Reporting and Technological Paranoia

16 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

On the narratives we expect after a terrorist event, double standards for free speech in France, and the eerie technology of Black Mirror's not-so-d...

The Attack on Charlie Hebdo, Reckoning with Free Speech, and More

09 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

After the massacre at the French weekly Charlie Hebdo, a look at the symbolic weight of French satire and true freedom of speech. On the Media is su...

True Crime

02 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

A special hour on the enthralling genre of true crime.  On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledg...

Deadbeats

26 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

OTM looks at the great decline in beat reporting.  On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wn...

Hacks, Cats, & Colbert

19 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The ethics of publicly exposing private emails, the demise of Cat Fancy magazine, and a farewell to the Colbert Report.  On the Media is supported by...

OTM goes to Liberia

12 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

A special hour from Liberia, where Ebola figures into every issue, in ways both painful and profound. Brooke and OTM producer Meara Sharma shadow rep...

Cameras, Conservatives, Con Men, and More

05 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

On police body cameras, the conservative reaction to events in Ferguson, and the con men who charm the media. On the Media is supported by listeners ...

Where Is Liberia?

01 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Here's FrontPage Africa reporter Mae Azango commenting on Liberia's low profile in the United States. On the Media is supported by listeners like you....

Breaking Bad in Spanish, the "Hispanic Walter Cronkite", and More

28 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

An exploration of Hispanic media todayOn the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/...

On Ferguson

25 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

A special edition of On the Media examining the media's reaction to the grand jury decision not to indict Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson i...

Hijacked Narratives, Coates on Cosby, George Takei and More

20 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

How media narratives have irreversible effects, a prominent journalist describes his editorial regret regarding the Bill Cosby rape allegations, a...

The FBI Blackmails MLK, A Comet's Song, and Reviving Net Neutrality

13 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

A newly released letter reveals the FBI's attempt to blackmail MLK into committing suicide. Plus, the song of the 67P comet. On the Media is supporte...

Midterm Myths, Emotional Algorithms, and More

06 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

An unpacking of the post-midterm election myths, whether algorithms can intuit emotions, and 25 years after the Berlin Wall. On the Media is supporte...

Behind The Curtain

31 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The corrosive influence of money in politics post Citizens United, and the dark task of online content moderation.On the Media is supported by listen...

Sanity on Ebola, Money and Midterms, & #GamerGate

24 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

A Breaking News Consumer's Handbook: Infectious Disease Edition, "dark money" in midterm elections, and demystifying #GamerGate. On the Media is sup...

Unveiling CitizenFour, Inside Ferguson, and Protesting Outside SCOTUS

17 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

A look at Laura Poitras' new documentary about Edward Snowden, "CitizenFour," a view from inside the continued protests in Ferguson, and barring polit...

Ebola in Liberia, Outbreak Narratives, and Covering Israel-Palestine

10 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

A Liberian journalist on covering a deadly epidemic, how Hollywood influences our understanding of Ebola, and a debate between two journalists about...

Nothing But The Truth

03 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The splintering image of the Secret Service, why rumors are more interesting than fact, and an atheist tome for kids.On the Media is supported by lis...

Message Wars

26 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

A cartoon aimed to deter potential ISIS recruits, using prisoners to deliver propaganda, and correcting the Ebola numbers.On the Media is supported b...

Confronting the Unknown

19 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Why most Americans fear ISIS, politicians and pundits stoking terror panic on the US-Mexico border, and Nihilism: now and forever. On the Media is s...

Deadbeats

12 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

OTM looks at the great decline in beat reporting. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wny...

Media Kidnapping Blackouts, A Conversation With Carl Kasell, and More

05 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Gruesome murders of American journalists by ISIS militants have raised serious questions about the way the media should cover these acts of terrorism....

OTM Goes Inside Washington

28 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

On the Media travels to Washington, DC to investigate perception and reality, money and celebrity, and the evolving role of the media in the nation’...

Dissecting the Media After Michael Brown

21 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

From Trayvon Martin to Michael Brown, how media coverage unspools. Also, the #ISISmediablackout after James Foley's murder, and how the music of real...

Tweets and Vines change Ferguson Coverage, Cameras in the Courtroom, and More

14 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

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, Tw...

Breaking News Consumers Handbook, Slow TV, and more

01 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

How to parse early coverage of breaking news events, Norway's slow TV phenomenon, and a report on the streaming-video revolution. On the Media is supp...

THIS WEEK ROBOTS! (AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE)

30 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

A special theme hour - starring a computer competing against a comedian for laughs, the Army's recruitment chatbot, and Google crushing on robots.  O...

War of Words In Israel-Palestine, Downed Planes, and Dark Humor

25 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

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, Tw...

A Breakthrough HIV Drug, Chronicling Gun Violence, and SIMS

18 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

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, Tw...

Getting Fired for a FOIA, A Chicago Crime Reporter, Cold Cases and More

11 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

A CIA agent gets fired over a FOIA request, the truth behind the current immigration crisis, and the Chicago Tribune’s overnight crime reporter o...

Breaking Bad in Spanish, the "Hispanic Walter Cronkite", and More

01 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

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, Tw...

Hey, Alex, This is NOT NPR

27 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

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, Tw...

Egypt's Press Suppression, True Crime, and More

26 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

How the suppression of a free press in Egypt is reversing the course of the Arab Spring, challenging the conventional wisdom on student debt, a defens...

ISIS's Media Offensive, Online Death Threats, and What NPR Is (and Isn't)

20 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

ISIS's Twitter and television offensive, the effects of language on your morals, and what NPR is and what it isn't.  On the Media is supported by lis...

The Bergdahl Controversy, The Slenderman Panic, and a Cantor Narrative

13 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

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, Tw...

The Snowden Leaks One Year Later

06 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Our fluctuating interest in Snowden and his leaks one year later, your digital life after death, and the viral photo fiction that changed Tom Cruise's...

The Media after a Massacre, Amazon’s War, and Confessions of a Tabloid Hack

30 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The eerie digital afterlife Elliot Rodger left behind, a former "tabloid hack" dishes about tabloids, and the brains behind #YesAllWomen On the Media ...

Experiencing Tragedy at the 9/11 Museum

23 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

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, Tw...

Covering Nigeria, Russian Censorship, and More

16 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

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, Tw...

TLDR Public Service Announcement

12 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

We've been getting reports of technical issues from TLDR fans. Apparently some people are accidentally following Alex Goldman on Twitter and then bei...

OTM Goes Inside Washington

07 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

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, Tw...

Portraying Medicine: The Perils of Painting By Numbers

02 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

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, Tw...

CNN's Malaysia Air Obsession, Bad Political Memoirs, and More

25 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

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, Tw...

ROBOTS! (and artificial intelligence)

18 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

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, Tw...

Attacking the Koch Brothers, Remembering Rwandan Genocide, and More

11 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

A fond farewell to Stephen Colbert's character, remembering the genocide in Rwanda 20 years ago, and a report on the skin lightening industry. On the ...

Punishing Propagandists, Covering Climate Change, and More

04 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

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, Tw...