On the Media

Indicted (again)

16 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On Tuesday, former president Trump was arraigned following his federal indictment. On this week’s On the Media, debunking claims that the former pre...

Understanding "Greedflation"

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In late 2021, Isabella Weber, an economist at University of Massachusetts, Amherst published a paper with a new idea. The theory, what she called "s...

CNN’s No Good, Very Bad Year

09 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

CNN recently ousted CEO Chris Licht after a bombshell profile brought up questions about CNN’s editorial direction. On this week’s On the Media, w...

TAYLOR SWIFT TICKETS!

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On January 24, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Ticketmaster. The hearing followed in the aftermath Taylor Swift's "Eras Tour" tickets...

Objection!

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, the White House agreed to restart student loan payments to broker the debt ceiling deal. On the latest On the Media, hear how a prominent l...

Leaving the Extreme Right, and a Marriage, Behind

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, Tasha Adams watched her ex-husband, Stewart Rhodes, get sentenced to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy. Rhodes both founded and ...

Seditious Conspiracy

26 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On Thursday May 25, founder of the Oath Keepers Stewart Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his role in the January 6th attack on the Capit...

Ben Smith on the Death of BuzzFeed News

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On April 20, 2023, BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti announced that BuzzFeed would be closing down its newsroom and laying off 15 percent of its staff. The n...

REGULATE ME

19 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, the CEO of OpenAI testified at a senate hearing about the dangers of artificial intelligence and called for its regulation. On this week’...

Debunking Myths About the Writers' Strike

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On Tuesday we entered the third week of one of the largest entertainment strikes in recent memory, the first TV writer's strike since 2007. More than ...

Her Day in Court

12 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, E. Jean Carroll was awarded 5 million dollars in damages in a trial that found Donald J. Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation. Shor...

Episode 5 - The Divided Dial

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you discovered this series through Apple podcasts, or because you heard that we won a Peabody Award for our work; WELCOME! For our longtime listen...

Episode 4 - The Divided Dial

09 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you discovered this series through Apple podcasts, or because you heard that we won a Peabody Award for our work; WELCOME! For our longtime listen...

Episode 3 - The Divided Dial

08 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you discovered this series through Apple podcasts, or because you heard that we won a Peabody Award for our work; WELCOME! For our longtime listen...

Episode 2 - The Divided Dial

07 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you discovered this series through Apple podcasts, or because you heard that we won a Peabody Award for our work; WELCOME! For our longtime listen...

Episode 1 - The Divided Dial

06 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you discovered this series through Apple podcasts, or because you heard that we won a Peabody Award for our work; WELCOME! SUBSCRIBE TO ON THE ME...

Once Upon A Dream

05 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Two decades have passed since George W. Bush gave his “Mission Accomplished” speech about the U.S. invasion of Iraq. On this week’s On the Media...

The Day Saddam Hussein’s Statue Came Down

03 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On April 9, 2003, a US marine battalion rolled triumphantly into Firdos Square, in the center of Baghdad, two and a half weeks after the US invasion o...

Boom!

28 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In late 2016, American diplomats in Havana, Cuba started hearing a mysterious buzzing sound, followed by debilitating symptoms. On this week’s On th...

Meet the Redstones, the Complicated Family Behind a Media Empire

26 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Redstone family controls Paramount Global, formerly known as ViacomCBS, Inc., — one of the biggest entertainment companies out there. (Think CBS...

Rupert. Logan. Clarence.

21 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Fox News settled with Dominion Voting Systems for over 780 million dollars on Tuesday. On this week’s On the Media, the impact media moguls, and the...

The Life and Times of the FDA

19 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Earlier this month, a Texas judge issued a contentious decision about a drug named Mifepristone, widely used as an abortion pill and a medication to...

Inside Russia’s Crackdown on Journalists

14 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time since the Cold War, an American reporter has been charged with espionage in Russia. On this week’s On the Media, hear about one j...

How (Not) to Cover Trump’s Indictment

12 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump is the first ever president to be charged with criminal activity. And leading up to his arraignment, cable news has dug in, breath...

Made In America

07 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, more than 37 million Americans live in poverty. The problem has been addressed countless times since the nation’s founding, but it persists, ...

When Presidents Go to Trial

05 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On Tuesday, April 4, former President Donald Trump was arrested and appeared in court for his arraignment in New York. The charges stem from hush mone...

Indicted

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time in our history, a former U.S. president has been indicted. On this week’s On the Media, what Israel can teach us about when a nat...

It's not TV it's...

29 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2022 HBO picked up nearly forty Emmy awards — many of which went to The White Lotus. That year also happened to be the Home Box Office's 50th ...

Is Lying On the Radio...Legal?

24 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Highly politicized, partisan companies like Salem Media Group have a hold on the airwaves — and they don’t plan to give it up. This week, Senior V...

How Neoconservatism Led the US to Invade Iraq

22 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you ask Democrats why the US invaded Iraq in 2003, many will say that President George W. Bush cynically lied about weapons of mass destruction. M...

How did Talk Radio Get So Politically Lop-Sided?

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How did the right get their vice grip of the airwaves, all the while arguing that they were being silenced and censored by a liberal media? This week...

Silenced Samples: How Copyright Laws Infringe on Hip Hop

15 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Iconic hip hop group De La Soul's music is finally available on streaming platforms, just in time for the fiftieth anniversary of hip hop. To say lis...

The Most Influential Christian Talk Radio Network You've Probably Never Heard of

10 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2016, Christian talk radio host Eric Metaxas begrudgingly encouraged his listeners to vote for then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. By 2020, h...

How Lina Khan Became Antitrust Critics' Favorite Target

08 Mar 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 was...

Historical Fictions

03 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A billion dollar defamation lawsuit has given the public an unprecedented view into the inner workings of Fox News. On this week’s On the Media, how...

The OTHER Lawsuit Involving the Murdochs

01 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Fox News is in the fight of its legal life right now. Dominion is suing Fox News for 1.6 billion dollars in damages over false claims that it helped ...

Who Profits?

24 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court heard two cases this week that could upend Silicon Valley. On this week’s On The Media, a look at the fragile law holding the mode...

Brooke on the Press in Times of War

22 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week we're airing an interview that Brooke did while on a fellowship at the American Academy in Rome. She and her husband Fred Kaplan (author of ...

Off the Rails

17 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

1. Julia Rock [@jul1arock], reporter at the The Lever, and Allison Fisher [@citizenfisher], director of the Climate and Energy Program for Media...

Joke, Threat, Obvious

15 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

YouTube is one of the biggest media companies in the world. In 2020, we uploaded 500 hours of footage to the site every minute. And on average w...

Hide and Seek

10 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a bird, it’s a plane… no, it’s a spy balloon. On this week’s On the Media, how to grasp a news event that’s equal parts concerning an...

David Remnick Speaks to Salman Rushdie About Surviving the Fatwa

08 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Thirty-four years ago, the Ayatollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran, issued a fatwa calling for the assassination of the novelist Salman Rushdie...

Too Big to Fail?

03 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s On the Media, what the data says about how boys and men are struggling today. Plus, the history behind Ticketmaster’s dominance in ...

Puerto Rico in 8 Songs

01 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Former OTM producer Alana Casanova-Burgess is back with season 2 of her critically acclaimed podcast series, La Brega. This one is all about the music...

Sorry, That's Classified

27 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If millions of Americans have access to classified documents, can we really call them secrets? On this week's On the Media, a former Pentagon official...

Operation Podcast: What the CIA's Latest Media Venture Can Teach Us About the Agency

24 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, the Central Intelligence Agency has cultivated its appeal as an organization shrouded in secrecy, engaged in cutting edge tech and no-hol...

Great Expectations

20 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many of us are still cookin’ with gas, but should we? On this week’s On the Media, a look at why gas stoves, and the political flame-war over appl...

Salvation Through Technology?

18 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Human aspirations for technology are vast. One day, maybe we'll develop technologies that cure cancer. Rid us of viruses. Perhaps fix that pesky clim...

It’s a Machine’s World

13 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Schools across the country are considering whether to ban the new AI chatbot, ChatGPT. On this week’s On the Media, a look at the ever-present hype ...

HBO's "The Last of Us" and The Curse of Video Game Adaptations

11 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week HBO is set to release its latest show, The Last Of Us, about two strangers, who end up on a perilous journey together through a zombie-infes...

Caution: Fragile!

06 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The start of a new year is a time to look both forward and back. On this week’s On the Media, hear how facing our climate’s fragility could inspir...

A Taxonomy of TikTok Panics

04 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

At the end of 2022, Congress passed legislation to ban TikTok from all government devices, citing data privacy concerns and potential ties between the...

Bookish

30 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In October, a court ruled in favor of the Department of Justice and blocked the merging of two publishing giants: Penguin Random House and Simon &...

The Origins of America's White Jesus

28 Dec 2022

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...

In Retrospect

23 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

And just like that, 2022 is coming to a close. On this week's On the Media, a look back at our year of coverage, from Russia’s war on Ukraine, to an...

The Divided Dial - BONUS EPISODE!

21 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We covered a lot of ground in the series, so in this bonus episode we wanted to give space to some of the voices we couldn’t fit into the story; a c...

The Good Ol' Days

16 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This year, right-wing groups at home and abroad were animated by wistful recollections of the past. On this week's On the Media, hear how nostalgia is...

The Divided Dial: Episode 5 - There's Something About Radio

15 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Highly politicized, partisan companies like Salem have a hold on the airwaves — and they don’t plan to give it up. Senior Vice President of Salem,...

Still Watching?

09 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A 2020 story about Hunter Biden's hacked laptop keeps finding its way back into the news cycle. On this week's On the Media, a look at Elon Musk's so-...

The Divided Dial: Episode 4 - From The Extreme to The Mainstream

06 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the 1970s, talk radio was hitting its stride, with hosts and listeners from all political persuasions. But the radio dial was about to change forev...

The Oldest Trick

02 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An ancient scapegoat for society’s woes is back in the news. On this week’s On the Media, a deeper look at the confusing landscape of modern anti-...

Brooke and Brian Lehrer Interview Each Other

01 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we’re sharing a chat Brooke had with her longtime colleague Brian Lehrer for Interview Magazine. Brian hosts his inimitably thoughtful da...

The Divided Dial: Episode 3 - The Liberal Bias Boogeyman

29 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How did the right get their vice grip of the airwaves, all the while arguing that they were being silenced and censored by a liberal media? In this e...

Bark and Bite

25 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Conspiracy theories and disinformation have found a home on right-wing talk radio, where falsehoods often escape scrutiny from regulators and fact-che...

11/22/63

23 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In television's younger days, going live was extremely difficult, costly and rare. But in November of 1963 a monumental tragedy made live coverage ess...

The Divided Dial: Episode 2 - From Pulpit to Politics

21 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 2: From Pulpit to Politics How did the little-known Salem Media Group come to have an outsized political influence? In this episode we trace ...

Flipping The Bird

18 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Since Elon Musk took over Twitter, there has been nothing short of crisis — leading to massive layoffs and lost advertisers. On this week’s On the...

Mastodon: The Platform Taking Twitter's Worn and Weary

16 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the wake of the five alarm fire at Twitter, a small, quiet social media alternative has been quietly attracting the tweeting weary. Mastodon, named...

The Divided Dial: Episode 1 - The True Believers

15 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 1: The True Believers In 2016, Christian talk radio host Eric Metaxas begrudgingly encouraged his listeners to vote for then-presidential cand...

Infinite Scroll

11 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Across the county, librarians are fighting to keep libraries open and books on the shelves. On this week’s show, hear what the American Library Asso...

Re-Sorting the Shelves: A Look at Bias In the Dewey Decimal System

09 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jess deCourcy Hinds is the solo librarian at the Bard High School, Early College library in Queens, New York. In 2010, she received a new order of bo...

Free and Fair

04 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As the midterms approach, conspiracy theories about election fraud are shaping some races. On this week’s On the Media, a deep dive into the impact ...

Inside the Sunken Place: A Conversation with Betty Gabriel

02 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When Jordan Peele’s horror film Get Out hit theaters in 2017, it became an unexpected blockbuster and cultural phenomenon. The movie follows a black...

Fear Itself

28 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With early midterm voting underway, Fox News has been increasing crime coverage to drive voters to the polls. On this week’s On the Media, a look ...

The Digital Divide

27 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An investigation by nonprofit newsroom The Markup found that four internet providers disproportionately offered lower-income and least-White neighbo...

The F Word (Rebroadcast)

21 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Early in the pandemic, weight was named a risk factor for severe covid-19. But what if the greater risk is poor medical treatment for fat people? Thi...

SPECIAL OFFER! ONLY 50 LEFT!!!

19 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What counts as media? For us, its any medium through which we express ourselves — whether from one to one, from one to many, or just from one... t...

At What Cost?

14 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A jury recently ordered Alex Jones to pay nearly one billion dollars to the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting. On this week’s On th...

The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee

12 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Monday was Indigenous People’s Day, renamed from Columbus day to honor the lives and history lost to centuries of colonization. Often the stories sh...

So Sue Me

07 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, two cases headed to the Supreme Court that could change the internet as we know it. On this week’s On the Media, a look at the legal gray...

Still Loading...

30 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Are the women-led protests in Iran powerful enough to force change when past attempts have failed? On this week’s On the Media, a look at the moment...

In John Waters' Home (But Not In His Colon)

28 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

John Waters is the writer and director of such cult classics like Pink Flamingos, Serial Mom, and his biggest mainstream success, Hairspray. He’s...

Case Closed?

23 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Adnan Syed, the subject of the hit podcast Serial, left prison this week after serving two decades for a murder conviction. On this week’s On the Me...

No. The Medieval Times Were Not All Game of Thrones

21 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today, when we encounter the medieval world it’s mostly a dark time. Un-enlightened by reason, but also literally gloomy – all bare stone and g...

The Fine Print

16 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The federal court is hearing a case that could change the publishing industry as we know it. On this week’s show, hear what readers will lose if co...

How a Russian Sleeper Agent Charmed Her Way Onto NATO's Social Scene

14 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Brooke talks to Christo Grozev, lead Russia investigator with Bellingcat, about how he uncovered the real identity of a Russian "sleeper" a...

Lock Him Up?

09 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As the government continues its investigation into classified documents found at former President Donald Trump’s home, a tough question has emerged....

"Library With A Turret On Top"

07 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week saw the conclusion of the campaign to shut down one of the internet’s most toxic forums, Kiwi Farms. Twitch streamer Clara Sorrenti aka “...

Ukraine's Fight

02 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Six months into Russia’s invasion, Ukrainians are still fighting back on all fronts. On this week’s show, hear how Ukraine’s newest struggle is...

Big Tech vs. Ukraine's Local Media

01 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For most of the 20th century, during which time it was the control of a Moscow-based government for nearly 70 years, Ukraine didn't have an independ...

Russia's War

26 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Six months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, President Putin has rallied the Russian population around the brutal conflict. On this week’s On t...

Softening Expectations

24 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week OTM shares the third and final episode of Hard, a series about Viagra from our colleagues at Death, Sex & Money. In this episode we hear ...

We Are Family

19 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When you hear the word “Neanderthal,” you probably picture a mindless, clumsy brute. It’s often used as an insult — even by our president, who...

Little Pill, Big Pharma

17 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week OTM shares the second episode of the three-part series, Hard, produced by our WNYC colleagues at Death, Sex & Money. In this installment, ...

Reading the Room

12 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An old threat has returned to classrooms across the country — and it’s made of pages and ink. On this week’s On the Media, hear what it means to...

Erectile Disappointment

10 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 1998, when Viagra was approved by the FDA, it suddenly opened up new sexual possibilities for people who had previously had none. The drug also spa...

Handle with Care

05 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A group of climate scientists warn that the potential for humanity's mass extinction has been dangerously underexplored. On this week’s On the Media...

Under The Table

04 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week’s podcast extra is about podcasts, but this story has its roots in the early days of rock 'n' roll. Alan Freed was a celebrity DJ on WIN...

The Cold Shoulder

29 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Former president Donald Trump is trying to bury the January 6th committee’s findings, but his old allies aren’t helping. Meanwhile, we take a look...

Great White Lies

28 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's Shark Week. This year's Discovery programs boast flashy titles like Stranger Sharks, Air Jaws, Great White Serial Killer, and Rise of the Monster...