On the Media
Episodes
Trump Found Guilty; The Right-Wing Media Were Prepared For It
01 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When Donald J. Trump was found guilty on all counts in the hush money trial, some in the press were caught off guard. But the former president and con...
How Tech Journalists Are Fueling the AI Hype Machine
29 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Micah breaks down media hype about AI. According to Sam Harnett, a former tech reporter, journalists are repeating lazy tropes about the future of wor...
How Tired Tropes Drive AI Coverage. Plus, is the Vibecession Back or Not?
24 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A majority of Americans believe that the economy is in a recession even though it’s not. On this week’s On the Media, hear why there’s a mismatc...
Rightwing Media is Obsessed with the Darien Gap
22 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Immigration consistently polls as one of the most important topics for voters. According to a recent Gallup poll immigration is the most polarizing is...
What Bush v. Gore Revealed About Contested Elections
17 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s On the Media we revisit another fraught moment in American democracy: the contested election between Al Gore and George W. Bush in ...
The Story Behind Biden’s New Tariffs
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, President Biden announced major new tariffs on $18 billion worth of imports from China. The goods that will be affected include batteries, ...
What the Media Get Wrong About Campus Protests
10 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In reports about pro-Palestinian college encampments, comparisons to the anti-war demonstrations of 1968 abound. On this week’s On the Media, hear h...
Revisiting a Conversation with Paul Auster
08 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Last week, news broke that writer Paul Auster died from complications related to lung cancer. The New York Times called him “the patron saint of lit...
How to Read a President, with Carlos Lozada, Vinson Cunningham, and Curtis Sittenfeld
03 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When politicians publish their autobiographies, often they reveal more than intended. On this week’s On the Media, find out how one reporter sifts t...
'The Three Body Problem' And the Rise of Chinese Science Fiction
01 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Chinese science fiction has gone from a niche, underground genre to the country's hottest new export. On Saturday, at the 8th China Science Fiction Co...
How Not to Cover the Trump Trials. Plus, the Latest Push To Defund NPR
26 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Trump is back in court for his hush money trial hearing, and his immunity case was argued at the Supreme Court. On this week’s On the Media, hear wh...
A War Photographer Watches Alex Garland's 'Civil War'
24 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Garland's new film, 'Civil War,' debuted at no. 1 at the box office earlier this month, and follows four journalists on a road trip from New Yo...
Meet the Media Prophets Who Preach Christian Supremacy. Plus, Journalism in ‘Civil War’
19 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Former president Trump says he wants to make America pray again. On this week’s On the Media, hear how Christian nationalism is shaping American pol...
Happy Bicycle Day!
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
April 19th, which is this Friday, marks an odd holiday known as Bicycle Day — the day, now 81 years ago, when Swiss scientist Albert Hofmann rode h...
The Rise and Fall of Alt-Weeklies, and Backpage.com vs The Feds
12 Apr 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...
How The Village Voice Changed Journalism
10 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Warring Narratives Around UNRWA. Plus, Media Bets on Sports Gambling
05 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 jeopardi...
Happy Birthday to Basketball Great, Walt "Clyde" Frazier
03 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With his cool rhymes and even cooler clothes, Basketball Hall of Famer Walt "Clyde" Frazier made a successful transition from NBA star to sports broad...
Boeing Conspiracy Theories Take Flight. Plus, the Politics to TV News Pipeline
29 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, conspiracy theories proliferated. On this week’s On the Media, hear how memes a...
Beyoncé and the History of Black Country Music
27 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Beyoncé’s new album, Cowboy Carter, comes out on Friday — and the record has already sparked plenty of conversation about race and the country m...
Trump’s Rhetoric Intensifies, and Russia’s Fake Journalists
22 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 dou...
Evan Gershkovich Has Been In Prison In Russia For A Year
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On Wednesday, March 29 2023, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was detained by the FSB, Russia's security service, and charged with espion...
Why Banning TikTok Might Backfire. Plus, a History of Book-Banning Moms
15 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
A Journalism History Lesson from Calvin Trillin
13 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
What Can Musk Offer Trump? And Defining “Decolonization” for Gaza
08 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 sign...
It's That Time Again!
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Few clichés 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...
Measuring Bias in Israel-Palestine Coverage, and Mehdi Hasan's Approach to Covering the Region
01 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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’...
American Patriots Support... Vladimir Putin?
28 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Christian Nationalism is Reshaping Fertility Rights, and Books Dominate at the Oscars
23 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
An Alabama Supreme Court ruling on frozen embryos threatens fertility treatments across the state. On this week’s On the Media, hear how a particula...
Revisiting the Documentary, "Navalny"
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Russia's jailed opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, has died in prison. Navalny had been living behind bars since shortly after landing in Moscow i...
Breaking News: Biden is Old. Plus, Bobi Wine’s Fight For Democracy
16 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Tucker Went to Russia and Got a History Lesson
14 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 Bol...
If You Can’t Beat ’Em… Join ’Em? Journalism in an AI World
09 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Naomi Klein's Trip to the Mirror World
07 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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, estab...
What the Media Gets Wrong About Immigration, and Chris Hayes Wants More Trump Coverage!
02 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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’...
Micah Speaks To Kyle Chayka About The Filter World
31 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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, ...
DeSantis' Failed Campaign Has Lessons For the Political Press. And A Public Radio Parody.
26 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 governo...
OTM presents - Blindspot: The Plague in the Shadows
24 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 HI...
Trouble at The Baltimore Sun, and the End of an Era for Pitchfork
19 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
What Israelis Are Seeing on TV - EXTENDED VERSION
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
EXTENDED VERSION; Nightmarish images of destruction in Gaza have filled the news and social media feeds for months. But within Israel, mainstream med...
Israeli TV News Sanitizes the Bombing of Gaza. Plus, a Plagiarism Fight Gets Political
12 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ar...
Mysteries of the Euroverse!
10 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 lo...
How a Whistleblower Changed the Course of History
05 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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, he...
The Reporter Who Said No to the FBI
03 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 “Branz...
What a Year
29 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
And just like that, the year is coming to a close. On this episode of On the Media, hear about the challenges that await journalists in the upcoming e...
Where Did 'White Jesus' Come From?
27 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
During this holiday season, you likely encountered public nativity scenes depicting the birth of Jesus, presenting the family with very rare exception...
The Rise of 'News Avoiders,' and a Stand-Up Comedy Scandal
22 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the run up to the 2024 election, polls are frontpage news. On this week’s On the Media, a guide on which polls to pay attention to, and how to in...
Who Cares About Literary Prizes?
20 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This holiday season, book store displays — and Christmas stockings — will be filled with novels minted with gold and silver medals. Those gilded ...
Climate Delay-ism and the Real Goals of the Book Banning Movement
15 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
An unprecedented deal on transitioning away from fossil fuels was struck at the United Nations’ COP 28 summit, but many scientists say the timeline ...
Celebrating Norman Lear
13 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Norman lear the veteran writer and producer behind such hit TV shows as All in the Family and The Jeffersons, died last week at the age of 101. Bac...
How Media Fueled a Shoplifting Panic, and an AI-Journalism Experiment Gone Wrong
08 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This holiday season, media outlets across the country are raising the alarm about an apparent crisis in retail crime. On this week’s On the Media, h...
Happy One Year Anniversary Since George Santos Became a Thing!
06 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This month marks the anniversary of when most of us first heard about George Santos and his ever-expanding list of lies from a New York Times report...
Word Watch: “Genocide,” and Do We Have to Care About OpenAI?
01 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After a seven-day ceasefire, fighting has resumed in Gaza. On this week’s On the Media, how the word “genocide” entered discussions of the Israe...
Media Coverage of the Trump Movement is Missing Vital Context
29 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In his Veteran’s day speech a couple of weeks ago former President Donald Trump said this about his political enemies; TRUMP: the threat from outsid...
Is the New York Times a Tech Company Now?
24 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This year has seen record layoffs in the media industry, with some digital news giants closing down altogether. On this week’s On the Media, hear ho...
The Hasan Minhaj Saga and Evolving Expectations of Truth in Comedy
22 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In September, The New Yorker published an article by Clare Malone titled “Hasan Minhaj’s Emotional Truths,” fact-checking moments from the comed...
TikTok In the Crosshairs... Again. And Saying Goodbye to Jezebel
17 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
President Joe Biden and Xi Jinping just recently met face-to-face for the first time in a year. On this week’s On the Media, a look at why Chinese s...
FTC chair Lina Khan is Kicking A** and Taking Names
15 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As we've discussed on the show at length, most recently with Cory Doctorow in our series The Enshittification of Everything, Amazon has slowly been in...
Trump Coverage is Still Terrible. Plus, Podcasting’s First Boom and Bust
10 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump was out of sight at the GOP presidential primary debate – but definitely not out of mind. On this week’s On the Media, a look at how ...
Making Television After #MeToo
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Last week on the show, Brooke spoke to two writers about new wrinkles in the now 6-year-old #MeToo movement. But we had one additional interview that...
Warring Narratives in the Israel-Gaza Conflict and a New #MeToo Movement
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Israel began a ground operation in Gaza as a conflict that’s already left thousands dead continues to escalate. On this week’s On the Media, refle...
The Evolution of Opinions Online and "Statementese"
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There's been no shortage of opinions across the globe as the Israel-Hamas conflict rages on. But stateside, there's also been an abundance of statemen...
Breaking News Consumer's Handbook: Israel/Gaza Edition
27 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Experts say disinformation around the Israel-Hamas war is running rampant. On this week’s On the Media, a guide to understanding your feed in the mi...
How Right Wing Media Created The House Speaker Fiasco
25 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's been over 20 days since the United States has had a Speaker of the House. Republican Kevin McCarthy was ousted by the right flank of his party ...
The Fog of War, and the Deadly Toll of Reporting from Gaza and Israel
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
More than twenty journalists have been killed during the recent Israel-Hamas conflict. On this week’s On the Media, hear about the deadly challenges...
What Comparisons to 9/11 Tell Us about the Israel-Hamas Conflict
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, amid the deluge of coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict following Hamas’ surprise attack on October 7th, a certain historical analogy ke...
We Don't Talk About Leonard: Episode 3
13 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the third episode of "We Don't Talk About Leonard," Leonard Leo is in Maine, a man in his castle, at the height of his powers. He has helped remake...
How Elon Musk's X Failed During the Israel-Hamas Conflict
11 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Bloomberg reported that social media posts about the Israel-Hamas conflict have led to a sticky cesspool of confusion and conflict on Elon ...
We Don't Talk About Leonard: Episode 2
06 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Leonard Leo realized that in order to generate conservative rulings, the Supreme Court needs the right kind of cases. In this episode of “We Don’t...
Why You Should Pay Attention to Trump's Civil Fraud Case
04 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump is in court this week in New York City, again, for a multimillion dollar civil fraud trial. He, his sons, and the Trump organization hav...
We Don't Talk About Leonard: Episode 1
29 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this first episode of our new miniseries, We Don't Talk About Leonard, ProPublica reporters Andrea Bernstein, Andy Kroll, and Ilya Marritz investig...
The Story Behind Gannett's AI Debacle
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In late August, Gannett, the country’s largest newspaper company, rolled out a new artificial intelligence service that promised to automate high sc...
Suing to Save the Planet, and How Climate Activism Got a Bad Rap
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Thousands of protesters descended on New York as the United Nations convened its Climate Summit. On this week’s On the Media, hear how Big Oil is be...
How the Food Industry is Influencing Your TikTok Feed
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In July, the World Health Organization issues a report indicating that aspartame, an artificial sweetener used in many low calorie sodas and snacks...
The “Too Old” President and Political Doppelgängers
15 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The House has opened a formal impeachment inquiry into President Biden. On this week’s On the Media, find out exactly what Republicans are looking f...
How 9/11 Broke Our Brains
11 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Twenty-two years ago, two planes crashed into the Twin Towers. Another plane hit the Pentagon, and another crashed in Pennsylvania — killing nearly...
Another Proud Boy Goes to Jail and A Media War in 1980's NYC
08 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week a former Proud Boys leader received the longest prison sentence for the insurrection so far. On this week’s On the Media, why conspiracy t...
Is "Rich Men North of Richmond" a MAGA Anthem or Nah?
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In early August, Christopher Anthony Lunsford, who goes by Oliver Anthony, quietly released a song called "Rich Men North of Richmond." A week later, ...
How Big Tech Went to Sh*t
01 Sep 2023
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...
Lina Khan Is in the Hot Seat
30 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In March 2021, when President Joe Biden announced the nomination of Lina Khan to be a commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission, the decision w...
Mysteries of Sound
25 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In late 2016, American diplomats in Havana, Cuba started hearing a mysterious buzzing sound and experiencing debilitating symptoms. On this week’s O...
The Wilhelm Scream
23 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When two blockbuster movies, Barbie and Oppenheimer, premiered in U.S. theaters on the same day in July 2023, they ushered in a renewed enthusiasm for...
Read All About It
18 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This summer’s extreme heat has contributed to disasters around the world--but some of them are hard to see. On this week’s On the Media, why extre...
The Lasting Impact of the Library of Alexandria
16 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the first half of the last school year, PEN America has recorded almost 900 different books pulled from library shelves across the country. As lon...
Go Woke, Go Broke
11 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When the US women’s soccer team was knocked out of the world cup, they became the latest target of a right-wing media campaign. On this week’s On ...
The Trump Case Against E. Jean Carroll and The Progress of #MeToo
09 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, another legal blow for former president Donald Trump after a judge ruled to dismiss Trump's counter defamation lawsuit against E Jean Carro...
Making History
04 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This year, the Department of Defense began renaming military bases that honor the Confederacy. On this week’s On the Media, a former general explain...
Presidential Debates: Yay or Nay?
02 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
According to a New York Times-Siena poll released this week 54 percent of republican voters said if the election were held today they would vote for D...
To Catch a War Criminal
28 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Click here to support this work. President Biden just ordered U.S. investigators to share evidence of Russian war crimes with The International Crimi...
Investigating Russia's War Crimes Against Ukrainian Children
26 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The researchers at Yale's Humanitarian Research Lab gather in a carpeted underground bunker, beneath the campus library, to steadily gather evidence o...
Staying Alive
21 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This year has seen record layoffs in the media industry, with some digital news giants closing down altogether. On this week’s On the Media, how did...
A. G. Sulzberger on Bias and Objectivity at The New York Times
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For the big show this weekend OTM correspondent Micah Loewinger is working on a piece about the extraordinary transformation of the New York Times fr...
Money, Money, Money
14 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Over the past year, the federal reserve has raised interest rates repeatedly in its attempt to curb inflation. On this week’s On The Media, is greed...
The Decline of AM Radio Will Hurt More Than Conservative Talk Shows
12 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This spring, Volkswagen and Mazda announced that they will be removing AM radios from their upcoming fleets of electric vehicles.Tesla, BMW, Audi, and...
I, Robot
07 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This year, headlines have been dominated by claims that artificial intelligence will either save humanity – or end us. On this week’s On the Media...
Why the Supreme Court Broke Up Hollywood's Studio System
05 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The dominance of giant streaming services like Netflix and Disney Plus has led to the current strike by television writers, who say their ubiquity h...
On the Trail With RFK Jr.
30 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Almost as soon as an armed rebellion flared in Russia last week, it fizzled. On this week’s On the Media, how the brief revolt compares to military ...
Trump Caught On Tape Talking About Classified Documents
28 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday, CNN aired a bombshell recording in the classified documents case against former president Donald Trump. The recording, released to CNN by ...
The Whistleblower Who Changed History
23 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel Ellsberg, the famed whistleblower who leaked the Pentagon Papers to the Washington Post, has died. On this week’s On the Media, hear about hi...
The Battle to Save Reddit
21 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Last Monday, Reddit moderators from nearly 9,000 subreddits shut down their forums in what might be the largest moderator-coordinated social media pro...