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From the seducing tribesman to controlling sheik to the bomb-wielding terrorist, Hollywood has consistently broad brushed Arabs with caricature and cliché. But can an Arab be an American film hero? Can he get the girl? Hollywood is starting to believe that he can.
Recently, the distinction between Shiites and Sunnis has become more prominent in Bush administration rhetoric. Dr. Vali Nasr briefed Bush on the religious divide last year. He explains why Bush's newfound understanding of sectarianism may be too little, too late.
Sectarianism is a fact of life in much of the Arab world. But political scientist Marc Lynch tells us that recently, the Sunni/Shiite divide has suddenly emerged as a media preoccupation throughout the Middle East.
Former New York Times reporter Judy Miller was back in court this week, this time in the witness box. Former Time scribe Matt Cooper was there, too. This time, they were answering the questions. Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank reviews the latest drama in the Scooter Libby Trial.
*WEB EXTRA*: Listen to OTM’s 2005 interview with Judith Miller.
According to news reports, a protester spat on an Iraq vet at last week’s peace march. Media watchdogs aren’t buying it. But it’s hardly the first time we’ve heard about returning soldiers getting showered with saliva. Sociologist Jerry Lembcke says the “spitting myth” is both older and more recent than you might think.
No matter who takes home the Super Bowl trophy, one certain winner will be the NFL. The league owns the product all the networks want, and, as New York Times business writer Joe Nocera explains, isn’t shy about taking advantage of it.
Cable news can be fairly accused of stoking post-9/11 jitters. But this week, media-generated hysteria reached new heights. A Turner Broadcasting marketing scheme triggered an emergency response in Boston, and Turner subsidiary CNN unwittingly helped ring the false alarm.
The producers of the new Arab satellite show “On The Road In America” didn’t set out to make just another reality TV show. With advisors like James Baker and Lee Hamilton, they were trying to win hearts and minds. We speak with producer and former Reagan aide Richard Fairbanks.
Highlights from Past Shows
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.
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.
On the Media is funded by The Bydale Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Overbrook Foundation.
