It might have been kindled in the trenches of the Democratic presidential primaries, but the subject of President Bush's National Guard service is back on center stage in the media. On Tuesday, the White House released payroll records it said proved once and for all that Bush fulfilled his military obligations 30 years ago. But instead of making the story go away, it ignited a firestorm that left press secretary Scott McClellan nursing singed eyebrows. Bob talks to CBS White House correspondent Bill Plante about the gaggle's rare showing of unity.
Recently, defense reporter John Donnelly discovered a memo on the website of the Defense Department's Inspector General. In the note, the I.G. informed his staff of new restrictions on information that could be posted on the site. Donnelly tells Brooke that the new restrictions are dangerously broad, and explains why the National Press Club has sent the Pentagon a formal letter of protest.
The Defense Department is not alone in its unresponsiveness to secrecy concerns. That attitude has filtered down to the state and local level as well. Last month, reporters in Florida visited government agencies posing as ordinary citizens requesting public records. They found that almost half of the state's government was not in compliance with Florida's own public records law. Brooke speaks with Sarasota Herald Tribune reporter Matthew Doig, who helped organize the audit.
The oldest Russian-language newspaper in the U.S., Novoe Russkoe Slovo, has a new owner. Media tycoon Vadim Rabinovich has big plans for the sleepy broadsheet. But he also has a controversial reputation that some media watchers are worried will affect the news Russian immigrants read. WNYC reporter Fred Mogul reports.
The presidential election is still nine months away, but the Bush re-election campaign is already on the offensive. Or is it defensive? This week, the campaign posted on its web site an advertisement-style video that isn't about George W. Bush at all. Instead, the spot focuses entirely on the Democratic frontrunner, John Kerry. It occurred to Bob that this could be a first.
On Friday, the USA cable network aired a new docudrama about the Laci Peterson murder case, now unfolding in Northern California. In the movie, as in real life, Scott Peterson is charged with the murder of his pregnant wife, and the USA network says everything else in the movie also sticks squarely to the facts. But Scott Peterson's lawyer is concerned that the movie could still taint the jury, which hasn't even been selected yet. Brooke talks to trial consultant Sonia Chopra of the National Jury Project.
In late December, one of India's top filmmakers premiered his latest offering - "Line of Control." The four-and-a-half hour saga focuses on a 1999 conflict that brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war, and gives the events a decidedly pro-Indian spin. But as deep-rooted tensions between the two countries are replaced with peace talks, it appears that the timing of the biggest Bollywood war film ever could not have been worse. OTM's Miranda Kennedy reports.
Last month, TV audiences in Afghanistan witnessed something they haven't seen in more than a decade - female singers on their screens. Many Afghans are cheering the return of women to the airwaves, but Islamic groups, as well as the country's new Supreme Court, are outraged. Brooke talks to Washington Post correspondent Pamela Constable about the brouhaha.
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The NFL called it offensive and inappropriate. CBS says the network is angry and embarrassed. FCC Chairman Michael Powell called it classless, crass and deplorable. We refer, of course, to the show-stopping exposure of Janet Jackson's breast during this year's Superbowl. But other than indignant huffing, how much can federal regulators really do about the fleshy halftime spectacle? Bob talks to New America Foundation fellow Alicia Mundy about the possible implications for broadcasters.
In the face of mounting evidence that Saddam's Iraq posed no imminent threat to the U.S., the Bush administration continues to insist that Operation Iraqi Freedom was justified. White House officials are reverting to linguistic obfuscation, emphasis on certain talking points and the omission of others, and of course, blaming the media. Brooke talks to New Yorker senior editor Hendrick Hertzberg about the White House's efforts to gradually shift the terms of the Iraq debate.
On the Media is funded by The Bydale Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Overbrook Foundation.
