On The Media is produced by:
Congressman Dennis Kucinich is again seeking the Democratic nomination for the President. He’s serious, but the media, when they cover him, are not. This despite the fact that his anti-war position is far more popular in ’07 than it was in ’03. We speak with Kucinich and his former media advisor Jeff Cohen about getting treated like an oddball.
The infamous outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame has, at long last, spawned a trial. Former Cheney chief-of-staff I. Lewis Libby stands accused of perjury in a case that has become more about the media than the identity of a spook. Slate's John Dickerson weighs in on the jury selection.
Newsrooms depend on beat reporting – assigning reporters to specific subject areas. And beat reporting depends on sources – sources some reporters won’t want to cross. Journalism professor Edward Wasserman argues the system is inherently corrupt.
Cover Story (above)
The first presidential primary is a year away, but that hasn’t kept the press from sizing up the frontrunners’ prospects. So far, the main criterion is not so much policy or fundraising ability as electability. Are the media playing at king-making? We ask Wall Street Journal reporter Jackie Calmes.
Last weekend in Memphis, the organization Free Press hosted the National Conference for Media Reform. Throughout the weekend, the civil rights movement was frequently invoked. OTM producer Megan Ryan made the trip, and returned with this postcard.
The idea that porn drives media technologies has been borne out again and again. And so we look to the adult film industry for clues about where the high-def DVD market is headed. Technology writer Shane Buettner gives us a peek.
For several years now, there’s been nothing but bad news for the newspaper business. But Marketplace correspondent Dan Grech reports that 2006 was the year that journalists finally saw the writing on the wall.
Highlights from Past Shows
As this week’s iPhone unveiling made clear, Apple chairman Steve Jobs is a master of the product rollout. Every year, the company uses its MacExpo to seduce fans, critics and even skeptical reporters. Wired’s Mac columnist Pete Mortenson explains why everyone finds Apple so delicious.
How is Saddam Hussein’s execution playing in the Arab media? Depends on your sectarian filter. Arab media watcher Marc Lynch says that even the few outlets representing Shiite and Sunni viewpoints are themselves starting to come apart at the seams.
On the Media is funded by The Bydale Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Overbrook Foundation.
