On the Media

The Urban Exodus That Wasn't

02 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As the president continues his verbal assault on America's urban centers, presenting nightmare scenarios of what will happen to the suburbs absent hi...

Bizarro World

28 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

At the Republican National Convention, Trump advisor Larry Kudlow said the pandemic “was awful.” On this week’s On the Media, why some politicia...

With #SaveTheChildren Rallies, QAnon Sneaks Into The Offline World

26 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On Saturday, more than 200 cities from Spokane to Scranton saw modest rallies for a cause so pure, so unifying, that who in their right mind wouldn’...

Don't Fall For It

21 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Recently, the president threatened the post office — and with it, the November elections. On this week's On The Media, a look at how decades of cuts...

The Covid Conspiracy Boom on Facebook

19 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Facebook has taken a public stance against bogus health claims that discourage people from taking proper precautions aga...

Apocalypse Now

14 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Science fiction has always been an outlet for our greatest anxieties. This week, we delve into how the genre is exploring the reality of climate chang...

How Close is the End?

12 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode (which first aired in January), Brooke talks to journalist and devoted amateur historian Dan Carlin, the creator of the podcast, Hardc...

"A Kind of Permanent Battle"

07 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As we approach November’s contentious presidential election, what lessons can we learn from divided societies abroad? This week, On the Media trave...

Making Sense of 'Cancel Culture'

05 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a standard way the conversation on "cancel culture" goes: on the one side, male comedians and right-wingers saying cancel culture is out of ...

Break Your Silence

31 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Despite defiance from police departments and police unions, efforts to limit police secrecy have notched at least one recent victory. On this week’s...

Why is Trump’s Campaign Suing a Small TV Station in Wisconsin?

29 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's pod extra, we bring you an episode from Trump, Inc., a podcast from our friends at WNYC Studios, about a new threat to press freedom. ...

If You Build It...

24 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The White House is sending troops into cities with the stated goal of protecting monuments. On this week's On The Media, a look at the clash over memo...

The Lincoln Project Is Sorry About All That

23 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It’s yet another day in Trump-era America. You know what that means: Another Lincoln Project ad going viral on Twitter, bound for the evening news. ...

"This is Fine"

16 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As climate catastrophe marches apace and the nation's public health infrastructure continues to unravel, we take stock of how we got here and what it...

Sorry Not Sorry

15 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Fox Primetime host Tucker Carlson has already had quite the July. On the plus side, the latest ratings for his show have made him officially the most ...

40 Acres

10 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Home is in your heart and in your head, but mostly home is on land — acreage parceled out, clawed at, stolen, denied for decades and decades. First,...

Who Is Lady Liberty, And What Does She Want?

08 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Statue of Liberty is nearly 140 years old, but she's enjoying renewed relevance in the Trump era. In announcing hostile immigration policies, Tru...

The Worst Thing We've Ever Done

03 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

After World War II, Germany and the Allied powers took pains to make sure that its citizens would never forget the country’s dark history. But in Am...

United States of Conspiracy

01 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

For much of the past month, a new addition has joined the audioscape of cities across the country: fireworks. Loud ones. Keep-you-up-all-night-ones. A...

Your Lying Eyes

26 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In recent weeks, the Trump administration has removed multiple people from key watchdog roles. On the week’s On the Media: how the president keeps w...

"Abstinence-Only" Coronavirus Guidance Won't Save Us

25 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When the US entered the early stages of the pandemic, federal and municipal leaders maintained that the best way to prevent the spread of the pandemic...

The Undertow

19 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We visualize the coronavirus pandemic as coming in waves, but the national picture of new cases shows no sign of abating. This week, On the Media exam...

The Military Stands Up To Trump

18 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It began with the President’s notorious bible photo-op, preceded by a military crackdown north of the White House clearing protesters from Lafayette...

The Milkshake Duck-ing of Bon Appetit

17 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There’s this old internet fable about a duck who liked milkshakes. Everyone loved the Milkshake Duck, until it turned out to be racist. The moral of...

It's Going Down

12 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As public opinion catches up to the Black Lives Matter movement, some activists are calling to “defund the police.” On this week’s On the Media,...

All The Opinion That's Fit To Print?

10 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Two years ago, Vox's David Roberts wrote a piece arguing that The New York Times opinion section is not honest about the state of American conservat...

No Justice, No Peace

05 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In the midst of a historic week of protests, the national conversation about police is quickly transforming. This week, On the Media looks at the lang...

Trump and the Christian Persecution Complex

03 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On Monday, President Trump stood outside St. John's Episcopal Church, which had caught fire the day prior in protests for racial justice. When he bra...

Boiling Point

29 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Protestors are expressing outrage over police brutality while the president is threatening violence against them on Twitter. We follow how this lates...

Chase Woodruff is angry and he thinks you should be too

27 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As an On the Media listener, you follow the news - probably more so during this pandemic. And you will have noted articles filled with compassion for ...

Mourning in America

22 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As the Covid-19 death toll continues to climb, many Americans are struggling to mourn in the middle of an ongoing tragedy. This week, On the Media exa...

Brooke speaks with "Mrs. America" creator Dahvi Waller

20 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"Mrs. America," now streaming on Hulu, depicts the near-passage of the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s and portrays the preeminent voice of the...

Communication Breakdown

15 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, a tale of two cities. It turns out there’s a literal playbook for communications during an epidemic. Seattle followed it. New York...

Are Online Courts Less Fair?

13 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The pandemic has forced even the most technophobic online. After refusing for years, the Supreme Court is now hearing oral arguments over the phone a...

No News Is Bad News

08 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The news breaking every day and every minute makes it possible to miss the local news drought advancing all around us. Hundreds of papers have closed ...

Waiting For a Game-Changer

05 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past few weeks, the public has been introduced — by way of Gilead Science, and a leaked video of doctors discussing their preliminary tr...

Open Season

01 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pressure is mounting for journalists to cover sexual assault allegations against Joe Biden. This week on On the Media, we consider how the Democrat...

The Art of Disastertising

29 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Want to do your part in this pandemic? Why don't you try becoming a Couch Potatotriot, someone who stays home to save lives, but also eats Burger King...

On Matters of Time and Space

24 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past two months, packed cities have been repeatedly blamed for the rapid spread of coronavirus. Meanwhile, in jails and prisons, incarcerated...

How The Environment Got Political

22 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

To mark the 50th Earth Day, we’re re-airing a piece from 2017. In his proposed 2021 fiscal year budget, Trump has asked Congress for the fourth year...

Model Behavior

17 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As the coronavirus continues to devastate communities across the globe, the Trump administration and right-wing propagandists work to recast the Wh...

Virtual Worship Is Older Than You Think

15 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Spring is peak holy season in the United States: Easter and Passover are underway and Ramadan starts next week. While most faith communities have move...

Blindsided

10 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As the number of COVID cases rises, why are there still so many unknowns about its reach? This week, On the Media explores the lack of government tran...

How Hydroxychloroquine Became A Thing

09 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump has continued to push the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for Covid-19, even though scientists say more...

War, What Is It Good For?

03 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Many elected officials have declared metaphorical war against the coronavirus. On this week’s show, On The Media examines the historical risks and b...

We Live On Zoom Now – And That Might Be a Problem

02 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Since many of us have retreated to our homes in the past month, we’ve been connected to each other mostly through our screens. Work meetings, dinne...

Playing The Hero

27 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Elected officials offer a flood of facts and spin in daily coronavirus briefings. On this week’s On the Media, hear how the press could do a better ...

When Coronavirus Isn't The Only Crisis

24 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, roughly 400 Israelis got an alert on their cell phone: “You must immediately go into isolation [for 14 days] to protect your relatives a...

Bracing for Impact

20 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As a global pandemic threatens to upend life as we know it, the future is becoming increasingly difficult to grapple with. On this week's On the Medi...

Can Eviction Moratoriums Stop The Bleeding?

18 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

From Miami to Massachusetts, from San Francisco to Pittsburgh to New York, housing courts are closing up and marshals are standing down as various ev...

Civilization, Interrupted

13 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The World Health Organization has officially declared the spread of COVID-19 a global pandemic. On this week's On the Media, how coverage of the vir...

A Unique Petri Dish

12 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The COVID-19 pandemic has expanded our vocabulary with terms like “social distancing” and “self-isolation.” In an article in Slate, physician...

Why Nonvoters Choose to Opt Out

11 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In advance of yesterday’s primaries, we saw some electoral anxieties of a slightly new variety: would voters turn out in the face of COVID-19? In th...

Our Bodies, Ourselves

06 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The press called out President Trump after he dismissed an alarming coronavirus statistic on – quote – a “hunch.” On this week’s On The Medi...

Covering a Pandemic When Institutions Go Dark

04 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As the global death toll from novel coronavirus continues to increase, the American media are looking to national public health institutions to make...

Black Swans

28 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As coronavirus spreads, the Center for Disease Control is warning Americans to take urgent precautions. Meanwhile, the White House says tune out and c...

MSNBC Is Being Very, Very Calm About Bernie Sanders

26 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On Saturday, what most pollsters, politicos, and Bernie Sanders campaign organizers had been saying for days, if not weeks, proved true: namely, that ...

Money, Power, Glory

21 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The showdown for the Democratic nomination continues, and the gloves have come off. This week, On the Media examines the conflicting narratives around...

Corporations Were Always People

19 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

No discussion of money and politics is complete without a tip of the hat to Citizens United, the landmark Supreme Court ruling of 10 years ago that re...

Norm!

14 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Attorney General Bill Barr appeared to spar with Donald Trump in the latest chapter of the Roger Stone case. On this week’s On the Media, why the ap...

OTM Presents: U.S. of Anxiety's "40 Acres in Mississippi"

12 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Elbert Lester has lived his full 94 years in Quitman County, Mississippi, on land he and his family own. That’s exceptional for black people in this...

Picture-Perfect Democracy

07 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The sloppy roll-out of Iowa results prompted disinformation and confusion over the mechanics of the caucus system. This week, On the Media looks at th...

How Rush Limbaugh Paved The Way For Trump

06 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A lot was reported about Tuesday night's State of the Union address. President Trump's characteristic self-congratulation, the fact-checking of his er...

Cancel This!

31 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As the coronavirus continues to spread, the World Health Organization has declared a state of emergency. This week, On the Media looks at how panic an...

OTM presents: Here's the Thing with Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor

29 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Our colleagues at "Here's the Thing" produced a great episode this week that we think you'll enjoy: Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey are the New York Time...

Optical Delusion

24 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A gathering of thousands of armed protesters in Virginia last weekend prompted fears of mass violence. On this episode of On the Media, how some mili...

The Alleged Crimes of Greenwald

22 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Brazilian federal government on Tuesday revealed charges of cybercrimes against Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Glenn Greenwald, for his alleg...

Family Feud

17 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A pre-debate news drop from CNN threatened the relative peace between Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. On this week’s On the Media, why the feud...

Climate Change, News Corp, and the Australian Fires

15 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

For years, climate change experts have said that hotter and drier summers would exacerbate the threat of bushfires in Australia. Fires have been ragin...

Hurtling Toward Catastrophe

10 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

After the US military assassinated an Iranian military general, war propaganda kicked into overdrive. On this week’s On the Media, how news consume...

The Weinstein Trial Begins

08 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In New York this week, jury selection began in the trial of former Hollywood titan Harvey Weinstein. News of his alleged sexual predations launched th...

Can Restorative Justice Save The Internet?

03 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As prison populations soar, advocates on both side of the spectrum agree that the law-and-order approach to criminal justice is not making us safer. ...

Ken Kesey's Acid Quest

01 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Happy New Year! In this pod extra, we're celebrating what might be your first hangover of 2020 — whether it's fueled by alcohol or just the thought ...

Hindsight Is 2019

27 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

2019 started on a note of fakery, as we made sense of the conspiracies and simulacra that distort our information field. It's ending with a similar ai...

The Hidden Truths of Hanukkah

25 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today is Christmas, but it's also Hanukkah — the Jewish festival of lights. With its emphasis on present-giving, dreidel games and sweet treats, t...

Let The Record Show

20 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

For only the third time in U.S. history, the American press is covering a presidential impeachment. On this week’s On the Media, a look at a few of ...

Sons of the Soil

18 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, India’s ruling party (the BJP) passed the Citizenship Amendment Act. The legislation grants a clear path to Indian citizenship to non-Mus...

Body of Law: Beyond Roe

13 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A majority of Americans polled by CSPAN last year couldn't name a Supreme Court case. Of those who could, Roe v. Wade was by far the most familiar, ...

The "Pentagon Papers" Of Our Time

11 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On Monday, the Washington Post released the fruits of a three-year investigative effort: the "Afghanistan Papers," a once-secret internal government h...

The Dead Consensus

06 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As House leaders begin drafting articles of impeachment, examples from the Nixon and Clinton eras abound. This week, On the Media rewinds to the 19th ...

Tribalism, Anger and the State of Our Politics

04 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

If solidarity and the recognition of mutual self-interest are the keys to moving past our fractious moment, it can be hard to see how we'll get there....

We Need To Talk About Poland

29 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

With the US deep in questions of impeachment, what lessons can we learn from divided societies abroad? This week, On the Media travels to Poland, wher...

PURPLE EPISODE 4: Media to the Rescue?

26 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As part of a month-long campaign called the Purple Project for Democracy, (a strictly non-partisan, apolitical effort that a number of other large new...

PURPLE EPISODE 3: Let’s Not Discount Reality

25 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As part of a month-long campaign called the Purple Project for Democracy, OTM is using its podcast feed for a series of conversations about an alarmin...

PURPLE EPISODE 2: “Low Information, High Misinformation Voters"

24 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As part of a month-long campaign called the Purple Project for Democracy, (a strictly non-partisan, apolitical effort that a number of other large new...

PURPLE EPISODE 1: “Is Democracy up for grabs?”

23 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As part of a month-long campaign called the Purple Project for Democracy, (a strictly non-partisan, apolitical effort that a number of other large new...

The Disagreement Is The Point

22 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In hearings this week, House Democrats sought to highlight an emerging set of facts concerning the President’s conduct. On this week’s On the Medi...

We Made a Lipstick For You!

19 Nov 2019

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...

Designed to Intimidate

15 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Millions tuned into impeachment hearings this week — the first two of five already scheduled. On this week’s show, why shifts in public opinion ma...

OTM presents: Shell Shock 1919: How the Great War Changed Culture

13 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

You really have a feeling that here is a building that looks fantastically beautiful, and it’s got its whole façade simply blown off by this war. ...

Curiouser and Curiouser

08 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump’s concerns about corruption in Ukraine began, in part, with a series of articles in a publication called The Hill. On this week’s ...

Can We Govern Ourselves?

06 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As Americans battle for control of the future of the United States, it seems that we're always going back to founding documents and core principles: ...

Band-Aid On A Bulletwound

01 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As wildfires tear through California, our decades-old infrastructure comes back to bite us. On this week’s On the Media, how we can understand this ...

OTM presents Trump Inc: All the President's Memes

30 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the OTM pod we feature another episode from Trump Inc.  Read more about who makes money when a bunch of conspiracy theorists throw a pa...

When They Come For You

25 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a growing movement on the left and right for prison reform. On this week’s On the Media, a deep dive into the strange bedfellows coalition...

OTM presents: Impeachment Pod, the Taylor Testimony

23 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week's OTM pod extra is another episode from the new podcast hosted by WNYC's Brian Lehrer:  Where are we on impeachment today?Yesterday evening...

Hanging In The Balance

18 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In covering President Trump’s decision to stop protecting Kurdish fighters in Syria, press reports have focused on the Kurds as US allies and tools ...

Introducing... Impeachment: A Daily Podcast

16 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The pace of impeachment-related revelations is breathtaking, and it isn't slowing yet. With each day comes yet another executive branch staffer defyi...

Sticks and Stones

11 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

“The right to throw a punch ends at the tip of someone’s nose.” It’s the idea that underlies American liberties — but does it still fit in 2...

"The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee"

09 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This coming Monday, some states and cities will celebrate Indigenous People’s Day, renamed from Columbus Day to honor the lives and history lost du...