On the Media

Why did it take so long for Flint's water crisis to be acknowledged by local officials, let alone the national media? Plus: how '13 Hours' frames partisan discussion about Benghazi; and how the political press has struggled to understand the Bernie Sanders' campaign.  On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm ). Follow our...

A Mexican journalist reacts to Sean Penn's interview with the drug kingpin El Chapo; Bob offers his own thoughts, too. Plus: We check back in with the Pentagon on rules concerning journalists in wartime. And the history of copyright, from dictionary pioneer Noah Webster to digital crusader Aaron Swartz. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge...

President Obama began the year with a plea for "common sense" gun safety but admitted that it won't be easy. We examine the myths and messages that surround, and often obscure, the national conversation on gun safety. Plus, do most Americans really support reform? And, if so, does it matter? On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc.org/su...

What if, either by the slow creep of technological obsolescence or sudden cosmic disaster, we were cut off from our electronic records?  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 , TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org. Host...

What you hear about the Paris climate agreement depends on whom you ask. We sort through the competing messages about what was achieved. Plus, how to spot an accurate election poll as the primaries edge closer; and what the GOP presidential candidates' war on "political correctness" really means.  On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc....

When diseases like Swine Flu and Ebola infect cable news, panic takes over. We put together a template to help the discerning news consumer see through the media's over-the-top coverage. Breaking News Consumer's Handbook: Infectious Disease Edition (WNYC/WNYC)   On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm ). Follow our show o...

A special hour on the dodgy world of health news, from scary studies and so-called “medical breakthroughs” to celebrity-endorsed miracle cures and people who fake illness online. 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 , TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts wit...

Some of Donald Trump's opponents have labeled him a demagogue - but are they right? And, if so, what is there to be done? Plus: Bob reflects on the media feeding frenzy in the house of the San Bernardino shooters; and the life, and self-documented death, of New York Times reporter and AIDS victim Jeffrey Schmalz. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( http...

Donald Trump’s statements about Muslims cheering after 9/11 are just the latest in a long record of false claims. But if Trump is the most recent, maybe most flamboyant, falsifier to enter US politics, he's not the first and won't be the last. OTM takes a look at political lies, including a taxonomy and history of political untruths; a psychological examination of how and why we lie; and whether,...

In the wake of the attacks in Paris, global terror threats, and renewed debate about mass surveillance and national security, we revisit our special hour on the origins of the infamous Patriot Act, born in a post-9/11 climate of fear. We examine what's in the act: warrantless search and seizure, bulk collection of personal data, intelligence sharing, and more...as well as how much of what we assoc...

Amid the emotion, fear, and confusion following an attack, a Breaking News Consumer's Handbook for the coverage of terrorism. Plus, the semantics surrounding acts of war and terror, and a look back at lessons learned, and forgotten, in the years since 9/11. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm ). Follow our show on Ins...

OTM examines how the media try to reach us on an emotional level. We look at the  New York Times ' dive into virtual reality-inspired empathy, and Europe's "compassion fatigue" with migration. Plus: why clickbait is king, the lucrative "hate read", why the University of Missouri protesters' media-free zone is about more than press freedom, and more. Discuss on Twitter: #OTMempathy, #OTMmissouri, #...

ExxonMobil is under investigation by the New York State Attorney General for potentially misleading shareholders about the threat of climate change. The subpoena comes after reports,  including from InsideClimate News , about Exxon's pivot from supporting state-of-the-art research to funding a network of climate denial groups. Observers have noted that Exxon's campaign of misinformation mirrors wh...

Republican presidential candidates try to reassert control over the debate process, but they can't quite agree on how. Plus: in praise of the "gotcha" question; some optimism on the newspaper industry; and Bob talks with Alec Baldwin on all things media.  Discuss on Twitter: #OTMDebate, #OTMGotcha, #OTMLessig, #OTMbiz, #OTMespn, #OTMBaldwin On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support...

The launch of a collaboration between  On the Media  and Nate Silver’s  538  to track the push and pull between polling, media coverage, and public interest in candidates. Plus: a look at the long history of savvy political candidates campaigning as Washington "outsiders"; debunking the supposed "Ferguson effect"; and  Spotlight , a new movie about the Boston Globe's investigation into the Catholi...

A farewell to coverage of Joe Biden's non-existent presidential campaign. Plus: clarifying the misleading language of drone warfare and what it says about policy; a new film examines Dan Rather's downfall at CBS; the Lockerbie bombing investigation gets leads from a documentary; and a story about the Benghazi attack that you didn't hear at the committee hearing this week.  On the Media is supporte...

Playboy has announced it will soon stop publishing full nudes. We look at the history of men's magazines and what it means that sex doesn't sell in print for the magazine anymore. Plus: "who won the debate?"; Bernie Sanders versus the media; a new privacy win in Europe; and more.  Discuss on Twitter: #OTMdebate, #OTMbernie, #OTMgallup, #OTMprivacy, #OTMplayboy On the Media is supported by listener...

OTM digs into the Supreme Court, an institution as secretive as it is powerful -- and how we understand it through the media. Plus: how regular people become poster children for thorny legal issues, potential press influence on the court, and cameras in the courtroom: now set to music. Discuss on Twitter: #OTMSCOTUS On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( h...

Over the last 2,500 years, cancer has shifted from a disease in the shadows to one at the center of scientific research and public discussion. On the Media dives deep into the way we  talk  about cancer: in the news, in the hospital, and in our private lives. This episode is the first of a two-part series: find our second hour on cancer here .  On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Supp...

With Pope Francis in the US this week, we examine why pundits try so hard to assess the pontiff’s remarks through the lens of 2016 politics. Plus: why the AP is scrapping the term “climate change denier” – and a new collection of fiction gives voices to figures sidelined by history.  Discuss on Twitter:  #OTMpope,  #OTMclimate,  #OTMpolling,  #OTMhoax,  #OTMnarrative On the Media is supported by l...

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you've probably heard that Pope Francis is in the U.S. this week. To celebrate His Holiness's arrival, we thought we'd give you a pope primer. Back in December of 2013, when Pope Francis first became a media darling, Brooke examined what makes his messaging so viral-friendly. If you like what we do, please rate us on iTunes! And as always, follow us on Twitt...

This week’s GOP presidential debate was full of barbs, zingers, and over talk but was severely lacking in the fact-checking department. We consider the role of journalists when they play debate moderator. Plus, as the European refugee crisis continues, a debunking of the viral images that are channeling hatred and xenophobia. And, exposing Exxon's flip floppery on climate change. Discuss on Twitte...

On the language debate surrounding the Mediterranean crisis, debunking migration myths both foreign and domestic, and a visit to the 9/11 museum.  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 , TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc...

The rhetoric of ads on the Iran nuclear agreement, the ongoing fall out of the Ashley Madison hack, and the end of an iconic Spanish language variety show. 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 , TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthem...

Each week through Labor Day, we'll be pulling an OTM gem from our vast archives for you to enjoy on the beach, in a park... or on a sticky subway, while  imagining  you're on a beach. For the last episode of our summer listening series, we present our first and only effort at full-fledged radio theatre:  Pledge This!   To hear more of our summer listening, don't forget to  subscribe to our podcast...