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Even as President Bush took a goodwill spin around Africa this week, his Administration came under increasing fire at home. There was concern about the mounting death toll of Americans in Iraq, and nagging questions about the elusive WMDs and discredited evidence of Saddam's nuclear threat. Former presidential advisor and journalist David Gergen talks to Bob about whether the Administration is losing control of its war message.
There's the geological definition of the word quagmire. And then there's that other meaning. In the American media, the word is becoming increasingly linked to Iraq, a place that could hardly be characterized as "a wet, boggy ground." Brooke chats with author and editor Tom Engelhardt about the Q-word and its usage.
A few months ago, presidential campaign pollsters were routinely ranking him in the low single-digits. But suddenly, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean is popping up in the media more than any other Democratic candidate. Is the media simply following the money? Or is it that Dean has tapped a nerve in the electorate? National Journal writer William Powers joins Brooke to discuss the media's Dem of the moment.
He was just looking for a doctorate. Instead, a grad student in DC has attracted the attention of government security officials, who think his dissertation should be made top secret. The project maps the nation's entire fiber-optic network, and officials are worried that it could fall into the wrong hands. Bob discusses the controversy with Steve Aftergood, director of the Federation of American Scientists Project on Government Secrecy.
The Federal Government is getting proactive with its anti-telemarketing efforts. But before the national "Do Not Call" list went live last month, it was up to individuals to keep the telemarketers at bay. Tom Mabe decided to fight back by torturing the unwanted callers each time they rang. A couple of summers ago, he shared some of his guerilla tactics with Bob.
The cartoon strip with the eponymous cat turns 25 this year. Garfield is still running in more than 2600 newspapers around the world, and is the basis of a multi-million dollar a year industry. Bob talks to Garfield creator Jim Davis.
Americans used to the usual fare served up by political cartoonists in the U.S. might be shocked to open up a British newspaper, where standards are somewhat more er…loose. Brooke speaks to legendary British cartoonist Steve Bell about the difference in political cartooning from one side of the pond to the other.
Imagine, if you will, helping to make laws, and craft regulations, on the Internet. After all, we can trade anything through Ebay, and learn virtually everything from Google. So why shouldn't we have the capacity to order up political reform on line? On the Media's Susan Kaplan reports on the Internet's latest leap forward: E-Democracy.
A judge in California ruled this week that prosecutors may listen to wiretaps of calls made to murder suspect Scott Peterson. Many of these calls were placed by reporters who apparently stopped at nothing to bag the big interview. But as you'll hear from this wiretap of OTM's call, Bob Garfield kept his dignity.
Highlights from Past ShowsIn Britain, the growing scandal over the missing WMD's has a clear target - Prime Minister Tony Blair. The most scathing criticism has come from a BBC reporter named Andrew Gilligan. He says Blair exaggerated the Iraqi threat with help from his Director of Communications, Alistair Campbell. Now, Campbell is firing back. Bob reviews the dispute with Trevor Butterworth, a research fellow at the Center for Media and Public Affairs.
It was another week of eyebrow-raising for New York Times-watchers, after Washington Post columnist Howard Kurtz raised serious questions about the war reporting of the NYT's Judith Miller. According to Kurtz's sources, Miller wielded so much power as an embed that she actually influenced the military decision-making process. Brooke talks to Slate columnist Jack Schafer about Kurtz's expose.
On the Media is funded by The Bydale Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Overbrook Foundation.
