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The president’s plan to send more than 20 thousand additional troops to Iraq is being hotly debated on Capitol Hill. But the troops are already shipping out. Defense analyst Bill Arkin says that while the press obsesses over politics, they’re missing the facts on the ground.
George W. Bush is not the first president to deliver a State of the Union Address having just lost Congress and with approval ratings in the dumps. But, says former Clinton speechwriter Michael Waldman, in other ways Bush’s speech was unprecedented.
Hezbollah took its struggle to Beirut's streets this week, but the group's been taking its message to the air for many years. Its vehicle is Al Manar, the TV station deemed a mouthpiece for terror by the U.S State Department. Reporter Kelly McEvers offers a rare behind-the-scenes portrait of Al Manar.
Most news organizations prohibit their reporters from press junkets – trips paid for by an outside interest group or company. Others aren’t so strict. Slate editor Emily Bazelon explains why she participated in a recent junket sponsored by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
As Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez begins his third term, U.S. editorial pages are chiding him for nationalizing a major telecom company, and not renewing the broadcast license of one of his biggest critics. But Council on Hemispheric Affairs director Larry Birns argues that the editorialists are missing the point.
Hollywood screenwriters often look to real-life trends for inspiration. But Money writer George Mannes says that when it comes to stories about the financial world, Hollywood is particularly slow to react. So slow, that seeing a financial trend on a screen near you is a sure sign that it’s totally over.
As public radio stations move towards news & talk, and less music, are they abandoning their mission to serve the underserved? Jazz writer John McDonough examines the question of whether public broadcasters should appeal to the masses or the fringes.
Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski died this week. Kapuscinski built his reputation as an unobtrusive, lyrical observer of seismic changes taking place throughout the developing world. But his narrative style also led to charges of blurring the line between fact and fiction.
Highlights from Past Shows
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.
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.
On the Media is funded by The Bydale Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Overbrook Foundation.
