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John McCain and the press have been through a lot together – obsessive love, a bittersweet break-up, an attempt to work things out again. Mainstream media is torn. For conservatives like Rush Limbaugh, however, McCain is nothing short of a bête noire.
Earmarks were brought to the center of the political spotlight this week in President Bush's State of the Union speech. Once an insider term pertaining to the process of allocating funds, it is now a dirty word synonymous with pork. The Washington Post's Jonathan Weisman explains how this evolution is mostly political and ultimately inaccurate.
As results come in from the various presidential primaries, media tend to focus on the popular vote. But primaries are actually a race for delegates. Tim Noah, senior writer for Slate, explains why media have traditionally shied away from number-crunching and why this year may see a new focus on the complicated delegate system.
Political futures markets have long been regarded as good forecasters of real outcomes, drawing as they do on the wisdom of crowds. But Dan Gross, senior editor at Newsweek, wouldn’t bet on it. He says they’re not so much forecasting as they are reacting.
Why is Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban debating journalistic ethics on his blog? Well, he agreed to an interview with GQ Magazine and was upset that reporter Will Leitch blogged about him later. Leitch, who also edits the sports blog Deadspin, defends his post-interview post.
The idea of influencers - i.e. trendsetting social connectors - was one of the stickiest ideas in a book full of them, Malcolm Gladwell’s bestseller The Tipping Point. But writer Clive Thompson says the idea is based on shaky science, and that when it comes to trendsetting - all power to the people.
Models wearing designs from John Galliano's Fall 2008 Mens collection looked as if they’d stepped out of Abu Ghraib prison and onto Paris runways. Do the designs fetishize torture? RISD professor Kathleen McDermott says Galliano is following in a long tradition of designers who use couture to make shocking political commentary.
Highlights from Past Shows
The first piece in the The New York Times’ “War Torn” series – about Iraq War veterans who’ve committed homicide here at home – sparked criticism and praise among the military and the blogosphere. It also contributed to the emerging narrative in the media about the Iraq War vet. Brooke talks with veterans and the reporters who cover them about capturing the nuances of the story.
President Bush returned this week from the Middle East, where he toured with a three-point agenda: peace, Iran and oil. According to The Week's Susan Caskie, editorials from the region were all in agreement – thumbs down.
On the Media is funded by The Bydale Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Overbrook Foundation.
