On the Media

Why Trump is Welcoming White South Africans as Refugees. Plus, Ep 2 of The Divided Dial.

16 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Monday, dozens of Afrikaners arrived in the US as refugees. On this week’s On the Media, how a fringe group of white South Africans have been lob...

S2 THE DIVIDED DIAL EPISODE 2: You Must Form Your Militia Units

14 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

EPISODE 2Many governments eased off the shortwaves after the Cold War, and homegrown US-based rightwing extremists edged out shortwave peaceniks to fi...

Trump Is Losing A Lot In Court. Plus, the First Episode of The Divided Dial (S2).

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump’s many executive orders, detentions, and deportations have triggered a host of lawsuits. On this week’s On the Media, how to under...

S2 THE DIVIDED DIAL EPISODE 1: Fishing In The Night

07 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

EPISODE 1:You know AM and FM radio. But did you know that there is a whole other world of radio surrounding us at all times? It’s called shortwave —...

Trump’s Executive Order on Public Media Is Here. Plus, the Murdoch’s Real Succession Drama

03 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

To mark his first hundred days in office, President Trump signed three executive orders related to immigration. On this week’s On the Media, the pow...

Shari Redstone's Road to Power at Paramount Global

30 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Redstone family is a controlling shareholder of Paramount Global — one of the biggest entertainment companies out there. (Think CBS Entertainmen...

Brendan Carr’s F.C.C. Has Been Busy. Plus, Rewriting the History of Watergate.

25 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Federal Communications Commission is currently investigating CBS for “intentional news distortion” for its editing of an interview with Kamala...

Left Wing Youtuber David Pakman **EXTENDED VERSION**

23 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

**EXTENDED VERSION**Micah spoke to left-wing YouTuber, David Pakman for last week's show. This is the long version of that conversation. On the Media ...

Brooke and Micah Enter the MAGA-verse. Plus, Liberal YouTubers Fight Back.

19 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Conservative influencers have captured a massive audience on the internet, boasting nearly five times more followers than their progressive competitor...

The Coding Language Caught in DOGE's Crosshairs

16 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has been edged out of the headlines this past week, or so, by the administration’s curre...

The Tariff Week From Hell. Plus, the Bluesky CEO Reimagines Social Media.

12 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The president’s on-again, off-again tariffs are wreaking havoc on the economy. On this week’s On the Media, how the press is struggling to keep up...

Sen. Chris Murphy on the Crisis Facing Our Democracy

09 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week we’re bringing you an interview from our friends at the New Yorker Radio Hour. It's a conversation between host David Remnick and Democrat...

Harvard and the Battle Over Higher Ed

04 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Trump administration has pulled funding for universities like Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania, and is threatening to withhold federal ...

Sports Media’s Big Gamble on the Betting Industry

02 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

According to the American Gaming Association, bets on March Madness basketball games could amount to as much as $3.1 billion. Almost every national sp...

The Latest Spin on 'Signalgate.' Plus, a Crypto President is Born.

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When a journalist was accidentally added to a Signal chat that disclosed sensitive war plans, a controversy erupted about our national security. On th...

Trouble At the EPA

26 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump's appointee at the Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, is making a lot of changes at the EPA. Including cutting 31 environmen...

Voice of America Goes Quiet. And, Apocalypse Now?

21 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Trump administration has cut funding for Voice of America, the 80-year-old state media network. On this week’s On the Media, how pulling federal...

"Tough Love For Liberals"

19 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week's midweek podcast is a segment from Tuesdays episode of the Brian Lehrer show -- the legendary live call-in show that airs every weekday mor...

Mahmoud Khalil and a New Red Scare. Plus, Press Freedom Under Threat.

14 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A Columbia University graduate who led protests last year has been detained by I.C.E. Even though he is a green card holder. On this week’s On the M...

The Baltimore Sun Is In Trouble

12 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last January the hedge fund Alden Global Capital sold The Baltimore Sun to David Smith, an executive at Sinclair Broadcast Group. Smith once told Tru...

Trump’s On-and-Off-Again Tariffs, and Decoding ‘Make America Healthy Again’

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump’s on-again, off-again tariff announcements sent stock markets plunging. On this week’s On the Media, how to make sense of the ever...

How Does Kash Patel Compare to J. Edgar Hoover?

05 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Since Kash Patel was announced as the director for the FBI, pundits have warned of a return to the era of J. Edgar Hoover, who ran the bureau for 48 y...

The New 'State Media.' Plus, Podcasters Are Running the FBI.

01 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Breaking from a century of tradition, the White House says it will seize control of the press pool covering the president. On this week’s On the Med...

Writing (and Rewriting) Russian History

26 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Days before Russia invaded Ukraine 3 years ago, Russian president Vladimir Putin read an essay he’d written in 2021, “On the Historical Unity ...

Learning Elon Musk’s Media Playbook. Plus, Silicon Valley’s Rightwing Roots.

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk’s claims of fraudulent government spending contain some wild inaccuracies. On this week's On the Media, how the mythos surrounding tech en...

How Kash Patel Came to Loathe the Media and Love Trump

19 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, the Senate will consider more of Trump’s Cabinet nominees, including his pick for FBI director, Kash Patel. For this midweek podcast, we'...

Donald Trump is Rewriting the Past. Plus, the Christian Groups Vying for Political Power

15 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The new administration is purging data from government websites and databases, such as the Department of Justice and the National Security Agency. On ...

The J6 Commutations Have Ripple Effects

12 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Micah joins Anna Sale on Death, Sex and Money to revisit their 2023 conversation with Tasha Adams, ex-wife of Stewart Rhodes the founder of the Oath K...

How Wired Magazine is Scooping the Competition. Plus, Whither the Democrats?

08 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency has accessed sensitive information at the treasury and gutted the United States Agency for Internation...

Musk's Meddling in European Politics

05 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

According to the Financial Times, 225 out of Musk’s 616 tweets and retweets in the first week of January were about UK politics. Meanwhile, Musk has...

Is That Legal? Plus, DeepSeek and the A.I. Bubble.

01 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

 President Donald Trump has signed dozens of executive orders since returning to office. On this week’s On the Media, how the directives are buttin...

Brooke Talks AI With Ed Zitron

29 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November 2022, all the big tech firms were clamoring to make their own versions of the “intelligent” chatbot. Bill...

Week One of Trump 2.0

25 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Donald Trump’s second term began with a flurry of executive orders and press. On this week’s On the Media, how to navigate the onslaught...

Wars Are Won By Stories

22 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We are living in history all of the time. Nevertheless, there are some times that seem more historical than usual. Like now, when academics and artist...

Farewell TikTok? Plus, the Role of Memory and Forgetting with the L.A. Wildfires.

17 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court has upheld a ban on TikTok. On this week’s On the Media, hear how the ruling could affect other media companies, and where TikToke...

A Shake Up In The Briefing Room?

15 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There have been hints dropped that the incoming administration intends to shake up the White House briefing room to potentially allow in more podcaste...

Public Broadcasting Is In Danger (Again)

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

NPR and PBS stations are bracing for war with the incoming Trump administration. On this week’s On the Media, the long history of efforts to save—...

How Trump Re-Wrote the History of January 6

08 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the aftermath of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in January 2021, politicians, pundits, and the American public condemned the violence—while...

America’s Empire State of Mind

03 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The complete story of American imperialism is missing from our history books. On this week’s On the Media, how the United States worked to capture t...

Do Sex Scandals Matter Anymore in Politics?

01 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With Trump’s imminent return to the White House, we’ve decided to take stock of how political and journalistic norms have evolved over the years. ...

How AI and Algorithms Are Transforming Music

27 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been almost a year since the historic music outlet Pitchfork shrank considerably. On this week’s On the Media, why the distinctive voices in ...

A New Film Unearths the Depths of Netanyahu's Corruption

25 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For the new documentary, The Bibi Files, director Alexis Bloom uses hundreds of hours of leaked, previously unseen interrogation footage of  Israeli ...

The Harvard Plan: The Universities Are The Enemy

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump has a big plan to remake American universities. On this week’s On the Media, hear how the distinctly American idea of “diversity” h...

How to Plan for Inevitable Disaster

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This year was earth’s hottest on record, and the Atlantic storm season brought with it five major hurricanes. And yet in December, the Pew Research ...

A Cold-Blooded Killing Ignites a National Conversation. Plus, Part Two of The Harvard Plan.

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The suspected killer of the UnitedHealthcare CEO has been crowned a hero by many on social media. On this week’s On the Media, what the fandom revea...

Enron is Back, and Birds Aren't Real

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, the website for Enron – yes, that Enron – came back online. And on Monday the new CEO, Connor Gaydos, introduced himself, with what the...

Donald Trump’s Cabinet of Influencers. Plus, The Harvard Plan.

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many of Donald Trump’s cabinet picks are emulating online influencers in their efforts to sell products and promote themselves. On this week’s On ...

Kash Patel’s Crusade Against the Media

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Over the weekend, president-elect Donald Trump nominated a little-known, largely inexperienced civil servant to an enormous role in his upcoming admin...

How Conservative Talk Radio Came to Dominate the Airwaves

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How did the right get their vice grip of the airwaves, all the while arguing that they were being censored? On this week’s On the Media, a look at t...

Hank Green Makes the Truth Go Viral (EXTENDED VERSION)

27 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Our latest episode featured Micah's interview with Hank Green, a very popular YouTuber and science communicator. We got a lot of nice feedback about t...

How Hank Green Makes the Truth Go Viral. Plus, the Escape Fantasies of the Uber Rich.

23 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A recent report from the Pew Research Center finds that 1 in 5 Americans get their news from influencers. On this week’s On the Media, YouTuber and ...

Why Men And Boys Are Struggling

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the run up to the election Donald Trump was doggedly pursuing the votes of young men. He courted them, as we described on the show, through intervi...

Fox News is Back at the White House. Plus, No Joke, The Onion Buys Infowars.

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many of Donald J. Trump’s cabinet picks have something in common: a very close relationship with Fox News. On this week’s On the Media, hear about...

Using Conspiracy Theories to Make Sense of a Loss

14 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many media outlets were prepared for conspiracy theories and lies to spread after the election. But many thought that it would be coming from Donald T...

The Manosphere Celebrates a Win. Plus, M. Gessen on How to Survive an Autocracy

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Since Donald J. Trump won the election, journalists have been retreading his path to victory, and discussing how the press should cover his next presi...

The Day After

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brooke and Micah recorded a conversation on Wednesday morning after the election. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by dona...

Toxic Election Lies Spread, Jeff Bezos Sows Chaos at The Post and How The Media Created Election Night

02 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the election approaches, conspiracy theories have flooded social media. On this week’s On the Media, hear why journalists are struggling to keep ...

Why Trump is a Fascist (EXTENDED VERSION)

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump is being called a fascist – by his former appointees and his opponent Kamala Harris.On Sunday, in a rally at Madison Square Garden in N...

Fascism, Fear and the Science Behind Horror Films

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump is being called a fascist – by his former appointees, as well as by his opponent Kamala Harris. On this week’s On the Media, a histor...

Kamala Harris is Trying to Make Climate Action Patriotic

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For the last few years, patriotism has been stuck in the wheelhouse of the GOP. A Gallup poll from June shows that 60% of Republicans — compared to ...

Can a Billion Dollars Buy an Election?

19 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This election is set to be the most expensive ever. On this week’s On the Media, what does a billion dollars in campaign funds actually buy? Plus, D...

‘The Apprentice’: Donald Trump, Roy Cohn, and the Pursuit of Power

16 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The new film “The Apprentice,” takes us back to New York in the 1970s, to when Donald Trump was just starting to make a name for himself, and to h...

The Presidential Election That Put Fox News On the Map

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When Fox News launched in 1996, critics joked about its incompetence. But just a few years later, the network proved itself to be a political force. O...

A Storm of BS In The Wake Of Hurricane Helene

09 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been less than two weeks since Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida, tearing through the southeast United States. And already, Hurricane M...

A Reporter’s View From Beirut, and a New Film Plumbs the Depths of Netanyahu’s Corruption

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Israel has launched a ground invasion into Lebanon. On this week’s On the Media, hear from a reporter in Beirut on the state of the press as the cou...

"It Happened Here 2024" A new radio play starring Edie Falco and John Turturro

02 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

And exclusive sneak peek of a brand new radio play starring Edie Falco, John Turturro and Tony Shalhoub. Inspired by Sinclair Lewis’ dystopian novel...

Election Lies Are Fueling Voter Suppression. Plus, Newsrooms Brace for Election Night

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In Georgia, a controversial new rule to hand-count ballots is being challenged in court. On this week’s On the Media, how the big lie of 2020 is sha...

OTM Presents Ep. 1 of Slow Burn's The Rise of Fox News: We Report. You Can Suck It.

25 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When Fox News launched in 1996, critics called it “disorganized, incompetent, and laughably inept”. And during that election cycle it barely regis...

The Trump Campaign Continues to Spew Lies about Springfield. Plus, Support for Political Violence Is On the Rise.

20 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lies that immigrants are eating pets in Springfield, Ohio have inspired dozens of threats against the town, and toward Haitian-Americans across the na...

Taylor Swift's Endorsement and the Role of Music in Politics

18 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last Tuesday, as audience members and press were still milling about the presidential debate stage in Philadelphia after the spotlights dimmed, the re...

Is Kamala Harris’ Press Strategy Depriving Voters — Or Just Journalists? Plus, Understanding Election Polls.

13 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kamala Harris has come under fire for ignoring interview requests from the press. On this week’s On the Media, the debate over whether giving media ...

Not an Internet Error: How 404 Media Aims to Shake Up Online Journalism

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last summer, OTM host Micah Loewenger reported a piece about the rise of worker-owned newsrooms: Hell Gate, a local New York publication, and Defector...

The Media Are Going Easy On Trump and Russia is Going All In On Right-Wing Media

06 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At a town hall event hosted by Fox, Donald Trump shared a number of falsehoods, and appeared to confuse who he was running against. On this week’s O...

Brooke and Micah Have Something To Tell You

04 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brooke and Micah update the listeners about a new funding model for the show.  On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donati...

How to Read a Presidential Candidate

30 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

During election season, voters hope to glimpse the true selves of presidential candidates. And sometimes, revealing details hide in plain sight. On th...

How Apple Shaped Podcasting

28 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A recent update to the Apple podcast app also included a tweak to how podcast downloads work. As a podcast user you’re free to shrug and move on. Bu...

Freedom! Joy! Forward! The DNC’s Fave Buzzwords, Explained

23 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When President Biden campaigned for re-election, he highlighted threats to democracy and his long track record. But since Kamala Harris took over the ...

Echoes of 1968 at the DNC in Chicago

21 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is an episode from the Vox daily news podcast, Today, Explained. Host Noel King spoke with OTM regular, Rick Perlstein. As a historian of US poli...

The Rise and Fall of Alt-Weeklies, and Journalism in an AI World

16 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 V...

Dan Taberski on His New Series "Hysterical"

14 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 2011, a group of high school girls in the small town of Le Roy, New York started coming down with mysterious medical symptoms. When their parents t...

A Dad-Coded VP Pick. Plus, Trump Courts Gen Z Influencers

09 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Kamala Harris’ VP pick Tim Walz went viral for being a typical Midwestern dad. On this week’s On the Media, the narratives surrounding ...

Cat Ladies: EXTENDED VERSION

07 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brooke Gladstone interviews Kathryn Hughes, author of Catland, about the storied history of the cat lady trope, how cats became beloved by so many in ...

Revenge of the Childless Cat Ladies

02 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance’s remarks on childless cat ladies have ties to a movement urging people to have more children. On this week’s...

The Sound of Sport

31 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

“The Sound of Sport” was produced by Peregrine Andrews for Falling Tree Productions and originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2011. Dennis Baxter...

The Democratic Ticket Change Angers the Right. Plus, Ezra Klein’s Role in Biden’s Decision.

26 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Conservative media outlets are testing a series of talking points to discredit the leading Democratic candidate for president. On this week’s On the...

Kamala Harris Replacing Joe Biden on the Ticket Isn’t Antidemocratic

25 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Moments after President Biden withdrew from the presidential race on Sunday, GOP leaders rushed to tug at any loose threads in his withdrawal. Speaker...

How the Media Created J.D. Vance. Plus, the Anointing of Donald Trump

19 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At the Republican National Convention, Donald J. Trump named J.D. Vance as his pick for Vice President. On this week’s On the Media, hear how Vance ...

It's Getting Hot in Here

17 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Across the globe, summers are getting unseasonably, and scarily hot, and last year the United Nations announcing that we've entered the era of "global...

What the Media Get Wrong About Immigration

12 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Immigration is one of the most important issues in this year’s presidential election. This week, On the Media traces how root causes of mass migrati...

Making Fun of Public Radio

10 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In January 2023, a TV show called In the Know debuted on Peacock. The comedy is a parody of a daily NPR show produced in New York City, with rather...

The Sound of Patriotism

05 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Every year on the Fourth of July, households across America embrace the aesthetics of patriotism. On this week’s On the Media, find out how the earl...

Clarence Thomas' Unshaken Belief in Big Money

03 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last month, Clarence Thomas acknowledged several luxury trips that were gifted to him by billionaire Harlan Crow. But the pair’s financial ties had ...

No, Joe Biden Didn’t Poop His Pants. Plus, the Supreme Court’s Fact-Checking Problem

28 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Some of the most outrageous stories about President Biden are originating from a single, unverified source. On this week’s On the Media, hear about ...

Do Sperm Whales Talk to Each Other?

26 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we turn away from the media for a moment, to a realm thousands of feet beneath the ocean’s surface – where sperm whales swim. These beh...

The Ensh*ttification of Everything

21 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why does every social media platform seem to get worse over time? This week’s On the Media explores an expansive theory on how we lost a better vers...

The Drip, Drip, Drip of Bad News at The Washington Post

21 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past few months, The Washington Post has weathered a slate of unfavorable news. In May, publisher and CEO Will Lewis revealed the Post lost 7...

UK Elections: They’re Not Like Ours! Plus, the Messy Family Behind Paramount

14 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past two decades, 900 British postal workers were wrongfully prosecuted for fraud. On this week’s On the Media, hear how a TV show about th...

Is Love is Blind a Toxic Workplace?

12 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week's midweek podcast comes from our colleagues at the New Yorker Radio Hour:On the Netflix reality-TV dating show “Love Is Blind,” contesta...

A Former Disinformation Reporter is Running The Onion. Plus, Birds ARE Real.

07 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, the Department of Justice accused one of the most influential right wing outlets of laundering tens of millions of dollars. On this week’...

Mr. Beast Reigns Supreme on YouTube

05 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Something happened on the internet this week that was at once HUGE and also kind of a foregone conclusion. Jimmy Donaldson better known as Mr. Beast h...