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Much of the media seemed to greet General Wesley Clark with a red carpet when he entered the presidential race last week. But judging from the subsequent coverage of Clark in the major dailies, it didn't take long for reporters and pundits to yank the carpet from under him. National Journal media columnist Bill Powers tells Bob why he thinks the General's sudden top-dog status could spell his downfall.
In local newsrooms, reporters can for the most part sit back and watch presidential campaign season without having to cover it themselves. But what happens when one of the candidates is also a local? Tom Weber reports from member station KWMU on how the St. Louis media are covering the run of the city's own Dick Gephardt.
A new law in Russia prohibits media from providing any "commentary" when covering a political campaign. In practice, the rule has left political reporters with almost nothing to report, because the definition of campaigning is so all-encompassing. Two violations by a media organization and it can be shut down for the duration of the campaign. Reporter Fred Weir is based in Moscow, and joins Brooke to discuss the new rule.
Recently, a reporter in Ohio asked the police for information about a drive-by shooting. The reporter was referred to the police department's new media hotline. But by the end of the day, there was still no mention of the shooting on the hotline. Is this part of a nationwide trend of local governments restricting their communication with the media? Are local reporters losing the power to decide what is newsworthy? Brooke talks to reporter Keith McKnight of the Akron Beacon-Journal.
For years, municipal governments have been hiring official press contacts whose job it is to get the word out about local events and schedules. But since 9/11, a number of municipalities have been using public security as a rationale for hiring spokespersons for elected officials as well. Brian Nickerson is the Director of the Michaelian Institute for Public Policy and Management at Pace University. He tells Brooke why he's troubled by the emerging trend.
According to a recent poll by the AdCouncil, an overwhelming majority of Americans think that fellow citizens take their freedoms for granted. And so the people who brought you Smokey Bear and the crash test dummies have taken up the cause with their latest series of TV, radio, and print PSAs. The latest installment in the "Campaign for Freedom" features immigrants who have fled from repressive regimes. AdCouncil President & CEO Peggy Conlon speaks with Bob about the campaign.
Since President Bush declared the end of major combat action in Iraq, the news from that country has not been good. But now one Democratic Congressman is very literally blaming the messenger. In an op-ed piece in the Atlanta Constitution & Journal, Georgia Democrat Jim Marshall wondered aloud if the media - with its morbid fixation on what goes wrong - is actually endangering American soldiers. He makes his case for Bob.
American and British press have typically had very different takes on the war in Iraq, but recently, news organizations on both sides of the pond seem to have converged in their treatment of the Iraq occupation. That is, the notable difference now is between news outlets supportive of and critical of national leaders. Brooke discusses the coverage of George W. Bush's address to the U.N. with Bill Falk and Jeremy O'Grady, executive editors, respectively, of the American and British editions of The Week.
Highlights from Past ShowsA remarkable shift appears to be underway in America's mainstream press. Since September 11th, news organizations have dutifully reported the pronouncements of the administration, while efforts to point out the inconsistencies therein were largely relegated to commentators and Op-Ed pages. But when President Bush declared this week that there was no evidence connecting Saddam Hussein and the 9/11 attacks, the media responded with a collectively raised eyebrow. Brooke discusses talks to one of the most diligent presidential fact-checkers, Washington Post reporter Walter Pincus.
The Democratic presidential race is heating up, and judging by this week's candidate debate, so is its entertainment value. Might the surprising liveliness of Tuesday's event have anything to do with its unlikely co-sponsor - Fox News? Slate.com's deputy Washington Bureau Chief Chris Suellentrop attended the 9-way face-off, and recounts some of the on- and off-stage highlights for Brooke.
On the Media is funded by The Bydale Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Overbrook Foundation.
