On the Media

From ‘Blue Zones’ branded food to anti-aging peptides, the marketplace is flooded with products promising to help us live longer and better. On this week’s On the Media, a researcher calls into question the data behind some of the most popular ‘longevity science.’ Plus, why Silicon Valley billionaires are obsessed with the end of the world.  [01:00] A new book titled Morbid: Debunking Modern...

A longer version of Micah's conversation with political scientist Lilliana Mason that aired on last week's show. They spoke about the most polarizing issue among Americans: who gets to decide who belongs in this country. Mason makes the case that while polarization is worrying, it is a symptom of a greater threat to democracy that demands our attention – the rise of ethno-nationalist politics. On...

During an I.C.E. operation in New York City, officers shot a man in a car while a child sat in the back seat. On this week’s On the Media, coverage of I.C.E. has decreased since the spring, while the agency’s operations have quietly surged. Plus, rightwing activists go after the H-1B visa program.  [01:00] Micah Loewinger hears from data journalist G. Elliott Morris about how I.C.E. coverage...

In 2023, Evan Gershkovich was working as a young reporter in Moscow for the Wall Street Journal , when he was arrested by Russian authorities. He was eventually convicted on blatantly false charges of espionage and spent nearly five hundred days in imprisonment. Gershkovich recounts the experience in a new memoir, “ This Cursed Beautiful Land ,” and in an essay in The New Yorker . He spoke with Da...

The Supreme Court has denied a bid by the Trump administration to restrict mail-in voting. On this week’s On the Media, hear about the attempts, successful and not, to turn election conspiracies into policy. Plus, the case for literary gatekeepers.  [01:00] Micah Loewinger speaks with Rick Hasen , law professor and director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project at UCLA, about the state of our...

American journalist Austin Tice vanished in Syria 14 years ago. A secret lead suggests he may still be alive. This week we're sharing the first episode of Where Is Austin Tice? NPR's documentary podcast, Embedded, partners with BBC Radio 4 to follow reporter Josh Baker as he travels through a changing country to attempt to uncover the truth. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support...

When the president barred Politico, CNN, and MS Now from the White House, the press pool boycotted the president, leaving him without his usual TV coverage. On this week’s On the Media, why media outlets finally banded together. Plus, the legal debate over journalists’ access to the country's highest office.  [01:00] Brooke Gladstone and Micah Loewinger get together to chat about The White Ho...

At the outset of the war with Iran, Brooke Gladstone spoke to Wes J. Bryant , a former senior policy advisor at the Pentagon and retired Air Force Master Sergeant, about the civilian protection initiative he was working on for the Department of Defense and the deadly consequences of Secretary Hegseth’s decisions to close it down. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by dona...

AI researchers are warning that the technology they’re creating could kill us all. On this week’s On the Media, unpacking the feverish debate over the dangers of artificial intelligence. Plus, why people find AI chatbots more convincing than their fellow humans. [01:00] Brooke Gladstone interviews Joshua Rothman , staff writer at The New Yorker, about the competing narratives around AI, which maxi...

The hit HBO series, How To With John Wilson was huge when it came out during the pandemic, 2020. Wilson begins each episode with a sort of mundane premise like how to split a check with your friends or how to properly throw out batteries, and then cleverly deviates from the idea, inserting delightful and strange interactions filmed on New York’s sidewalks and his poetic narration on city life and...

I.C.E. agents have targeted Springfield, Ohio since Haitians lost Temporary Protected Status. On this week’s On the Media, a reporter from The Haitian Times describes the culture of fear that has ensued. Plus, how did AI chatbots end up in public school classrooms? [01:00] Brooke Gladstone interviews Wedly Cazy , a reporter for the Haitian Times, who has been closely covering the Haitian community...

On last week's show we devoted a segment to the plague of online influencers making endorsement videos for politicians in exchange for money, but we wanted to hear from a creator's perspective. Host Micah Loewinger sat down with Dave Jorgenson , who, until last year, made videos at the Washington Post where he grew the paper’s TikTok account to nearly 2 million followers. Now he has his own media...

Defense secretary Pete Hegseth is demanding what he calls “more patriotic” coverage of his cabinet. On this week’s On the Media, hear how the Pentagon is cracking down on its publication, Stars and Stripes. Plus, an investigation reveals that some online content creators have taken money to endorse politicians. [01:00] Brooke Gladstone interviews Max Lederer, the publisher of Stars and Stripes, th...

Next Friday will be the 25th anniversary of the attacks of 9/11. On the 20th anniversary we broadcast a piece Micah reported called “9/11 broke our brains” — at that time podcast maven Dan Taberski had just released a series called " 9/12 " about what changed in America the day after the Twin Towers fell. Included was an interview Taberski did with a documentary filmmaker named Dylan Avery, whose...

Nowadays, scrappy pirate broadcasters rule over shortwave radio. On this week’s On the Media, an unlikely group of finance bros have plans to take over the frequencies for their own gain.  In recent years, creative, often music-focused pirate broadcasting has been thriving on shortwave radio. But these surreptitious broadcasters are up against a surprising enemy: Not the FCC, but a deep-pocketed g...

The introduction of AI tools and chatbots in classrooms across the United States has prompted an outcry among concerned parents, teachers, and students. OTM producer and new parent Molly Rosen speaks with Jessica Winter, staff writer at The New Yorker and author of the article “ What Will It Take to Get A.I. Out of Schools? ,” about how Google Chromebooks have infiltrated schools and what the rese...

This summer the state of New Mexico sued the Justice department for access to unredacted files related to Jeffrey Epstein. On this week’s On the Media, an Epstein beat reporter shares her ongoing quest for accountability. Plus, an investigation into Tulsi Gabbard’s mysterious relationship with a guru, and how it may have shaped her politics.  [01:00] Host Brooke Gladstone speaks with   Julie K. Br...

Over the weekend we re-shared the first installment of American Emergency , our 4-part series all about the Federal Emergency Management Agency . OTM’s Senior Producer Eloise Blondiau and host Micah Loewinger spent nearly a year researching and reporting those episodes. And earlier in the summer, they put on a live event at WNYC, where Eloise and Micah gave a behind the scenes look at their proces...

This month a federal watchdog raised the alarm over thousands of staffing cuts at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. On this week’s On the Media, an episode from our miniseries American Emergency, all about FEMA: the agency that steps in when large-scale catastrophes like wildfires, floods, and hurricanes strike. Despite its vital work, the agency is widely despised and mythologized – and it...

The sports journalist Pablo Torre recently won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for audio reporting for an investigation on his podcast, “Pablo Torre Finds Out.” Torre talks with the New Yorker Radio Hour's David Remnick about the challenge of investigative reporting in professional sports—where leagues, owners, players, and sometimes even fans don’t welcome hard questions. “As much as I am doing that and...

President Trump has some of the worst approval ratings of any president in modern history, second only to Richard Nixon the week before he resigned. On this week’s On the Media, what the polls say about Americans’ perceptions of Trump and his policies. Plus, a look at the polarized propaganda being beamed into Iran.  [01:00] Brooke Gladstone interviews G. Elliott Morris, journalist, statistician,...

Brooke speaks with Garrett M. Graff, journalist, historian, and author of the newsletter Doomsday Scenario, about Trump’s damage to the United States’ standing as a world power and his dismantling of core pillars of American policy.  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 , Bluesky , TikTo...

The race to build the most advanced artificial intelligence continues to dominate the headlines. On this week’s On the Media, who does this new technology actually serve? Plus, how even critical media coverage can feed into the AI hype. [01:00]  Host Brooke Gladstone sits down with Cory Doctorow , journalist, activist, and author of Enshittification , on his new guide to seeing through the relentl...

At the start of 2026, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, was top of mind for many Americans. There were nationwide protests, congressional hearings, and plenty of headlines. But as the weeks went on, ICE faded some from the spotlight. This month, two fatal shootings involving ICE officers have reignited protests and renewed questions about tactics, training, and recruitment for...

This week, the State Department published a report accusing Cuba of being the “capital of 21st-century communism,” and of plotting an anti-American revolution. On this week’s On the Media, why the Trump administration can’t stop invoking Cuba as its “communist” bogeyman. Plus, hear from a former flight attendant turned independent journalist, who is doggedly covering ICE’s removal flights. [01:00]...