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The story of Haditha is one of a massacre of Iraqi civilians at the hands of American Marines, a low point among low points of the War in Iraq. That was the first draft. However, two of the Marines are about to face Courts Martial. And the defense will try to prove that while the results were horrifying, Marines acted within the rules of engagement. OTM talks with the director of Frontline's new special.
This week House Republicans staged a walk-out to express their outrage at House Democrats for finding the Bush Administration's Harriet Miers and Josh Bolton in contempt of Congress. Bob weighs in as the parties accuse each other of orchestrating media stunts.
MSNBC’s David Shuster, while not the only reporter in trouble for using a p-word this week, is the only one suspended for doing so. The Huffington Post’s Rachel Sklar says Shuster’s suspension and NBC’s apologies may have more to do with Chris Matthews than a single inappropriate blunder.
The Writers Guild of America voted this week to end a 100-day strike that left many television shows in limbo. So did they get what they bargained for? NPR’s Kim Masters says the Guild has successfully spun the deal as a victory.
Frustrated with the liquid ban while flying? Too bad. Wondering why the Transportation Security Administration can strip search you? Good luck with that. That is, until now. The TSA has started a blog and security expert and TSA critic Bruce Schneier thinks it may usher in a new era of understanding between the government and the jet set.
In February of 1968 the Beatles traveled to India to study transcendental meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the spiritual leader who died early this month. New York Times music critic Allan Kozinn says that – despite its abrupt ending – the trip was a creative inspiration for the Fab Four.
For a half century this semaphoric arrangement of lines and letters has served as a stand-in for pacifists, civil rights activists, and counter-culturalists. Columbia University professor Todd Gitlin explains the origins and reinterpretations of this enduring symbol.
Highlights from Past Shows
Tucked away into President Bush's 2009 budget was language that eliminates the FOIA ombudsman. The newly-created position was at the heart of legislation that Bush recently signed into law, and was intended to expedite government's response to Freedom of Information Act requests. Cox Newspapers' Rebecca Carr explains that without the ombudsman position we shouldn't expect any improvements in the painfully slow FOIA process.
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.
On the Media is funded by The Bydale Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Overbrook Foundation.
