First-hand accounts from the war zone are the raw material of journalism, but context and analysis are just as important for those of us at home trying to make sense of the situation. And with correspondents on the ground in Iraq increasingly hampered by the risk to their own skins, there's less and less for experts here to work with. Brooke speaks with one of the Internet's most widely-read Iraq analysts, University of Michigan Professor Juan Cole.
The intensifying wave of violence in Iraq doesn't seem to be daunting government officials in charge of spreading the good news and stemming the flow of bad news. A Pentagon-sponsored group of Iraqi-Americans is touring U.S. military bases to speak about coalition successes in Iraq. Meanwhile, USAID is scaling back the distribution - here in the U.S. - of casualty reports from its risk assessment contractor in Iraq. NBC military analyst Bill Arkin joins Brooke to discuss the government's "influence operations," and whether they're having any effect.
This week, Howard Stern, the self-proclaimed King of All Media, announced that he'll soon be leaving Infinity Broadcasting. In fact, he'll be leaving terrestrial broadcasting altogether and taking his act to Sirius Satellite Radio, where the FCC can't touch him. Sirius is betting $100 million a year on the deal in hopes that legions of listeners will follow Stern to pay radio. Bob discusses the deal with Scott McKenzie, editor in chief of Billboard's Radio Monitor.
One year ago this week, the seemingly impossible became inevitable: the Terminator became the Governator. The entertainment media have hit the jackpot with this story, but the traditional statehouse press is having a hard time accessing the new chief. Brooke talks about Schwarzenegger's press strategy with Peter Nicholas, statehouse correspondent for the L.A. Times.
There are more developments in the FBI's search for the source of the Bob Novak column that outed CIA agent Valerie Plame. This week: The Feds vs. The New York Times.
The World Journalism Institute, a self-described "boot camp for Christian journalists," trains evangelical Christians to balance their faith and the demands of working in the mainstream media. At one time or another they've counted a number of high profile reporters amongst their ranks. But lately, falling membership numbers have the Institute studying the example of gay and minority reporters for an example of where to go next. Bob plumbs the providence of the press with WJI director Bob Case.
The horserace, political fumbles, the knockout blow. Once again, sports metaphors are a ubiquitous part of the presidential campaign. But this year, sports themselves are in the middle of the political playing field. And the images of the candidates on the water, on the mound or against any other sporting backdrop may have a real impact on the final score. OTM's John Solomon gives this play-by-play of the campaign's last lap.
Highlights from Past Shows
The number one media outlet in Iraq right now is the independent talk radio station, Radio Dijla. The winning formula is a combination of free-wheeling conversation, news they can use, and attention to the real priorities of the real people. The station's founder and director, Ahmad al-Rikaby, joins Brooke and describes how free expression sounds on Iraqi airwaves and how community is formed, even when it is too dangerous to leave the house.
The Democratic Party's quadrennial political-media blowout is over, and the Fleet Center is getting back to its sporty self. For viewers at home, it was hard to tell which was the greater subject of revelation this year - the nominees, or the tortured psyches of the journalists covering them. Throughout the week, the media noted with stoic distaste the dearth of real news, even as they, the brave, the true, the many, soldiered on. But was there really no substance to be parsed? Brooke talks to NPR's Mike Pesca about the difficulty of reporting on such a scripted event.
On the Media is funded by The Bydale Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Overbrook Foundation.
