The Orange Alert rattled plenty of nerves over the holiday break, but only recently did we learn the nature of the threat - concern about a "dirty bomb" detonation in a major city. Sounds pretty scary, but most experts agree that loss of life and property from such a bombing would actually be quite limited. So why has the government done so little to educate the public about dirty bombs - or, for that matter, about any potential terrorist threat? And why hasn't the press challenged government officials on this lapse? OTM's John Solomon reports.
When journalists refuse to disclose anonymous sources, they usually do so to protect those sources. But what happens if the sources agree to be named? That dilemma could soon face columnist Bob Novak, who last year outed the wife of former ambassador Joe Wilson as a CIA operative, after receiving what many believe was a politically motivated leak. Investigators are now asking select members of the White House staff to sign forms releasing journalists from pledges of confidentiality. Bob discusses the latest twist in Plame-gate with the Poynter Institute's Aly Colon.
In its four decades of existence, not much has changed in the media landscape of Pakistan. The state-run TV channels are still decked out with 60s-style sets and graphics. And like the rest of the print and broadcast media, they have long been kept tightly in check by the government. But for the first time in Pakistan's history, the broadcast media are breaking loose from the government's shackles. OTM's Miranda Kennedy reports from Islamabad.
Earlier this month, a newspaper in southern China reported that a local man was thought to have the SARS virus. The story made headlines throughout the country, and throughout the world. But at the same time that many were praising the Chinese government's proactive response, which contrasted with its coverup of the initial SARS outbreak, police were storming the offices of the newspaper that broke the story. The top editor and several staff members were detained and interrogated. Bob speaks with veteran Sinologist Orville Schell about the dialectical process of media openness and repression in China.
Listeners weigh in on our interview about the year in British media, and the health of Bob's funny-bone.
This week, a veteran talk-show host returned to the airwaves with a brand new message. New listeners to North Dakotan Ed Schultz might have figured they had stumbled upon yet another right-wing ranter. But upon closer listening they would realize that this was in fact a left-wing message, veiled in the vocal stylings of the right. And Schultz knows the style - for years, was a conservative talk-show host. Hear Schultz chat with Hillary. Hear Schultz chat with Daschle. Hear Schultz chat with Bob.
These days, Iowa and New Hampshire are awash with out-of-towners. And a good portion of them are journalists, chasing the candidates as they, in turn, chase the votes. But in the city whose Democratic presidential primary is just a few days away, there's nary a campaign reporter in sight. So, our own intrepid reporter struck out on the streets of Washington D.C. to pick up the slack for the rest of the news media.
Highlights from Past Shows
In 2003, fault lines between media and government widened dramatically in Britain. The most visible conflagration followed the suicide of a government scientist who was the alleged source for a controversial BBC story on pre-war intelligence. But the Beeb was not the only British news outlet that bared its claws with aggressive reporting. Brooke reviews the year with Michael Goldfarb, a London-based reporter for WBUR.
Scientist Wen Ho Lee’s reputation was smeared by the media when he was wrongly accused of passing nuclear secrets to China in 1999. Now he wants to sue the government but to do that he needs the reporters who wrote about the case to reveal their government sources. Two of the five journalists who have been called to reveal their sources are from the New York Times. So far they are refusing to give up any information. Bob speaks with Lucy Dalglish, the Executive Director of Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
On the Media is funded by The Bydale Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Overbrook Foundation.
