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The business and financial headlines have been exclamatory all week and, it seems, rightfully so; news from the markets is dramatic. The Columbia Journalism Review’s Dean Starkman says the press is hitting its mark with the day to day coverage but time will tell if it can put the historic week in context.
These confusing times call for a new batch of financial journalists. But Cheryl Strauss Einhorn, adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Journalism School, says she hasn’t seen much interest in the subject. In fact, this year only four students enrolled in her class.
There’s been no shortage of fact-checkers this campaign season. But Washington Post columnist Shankar Vedantam explains that a number of new studies suggest people don't let go of political misinformation after hearing a correction. In fact, the misinformation spreads.
You can take the politician out of Washington, but you can’t take Washington out of the politician. It’s the hottest rhetorical device of campaign ’08 says Slate assistant editor Juliet Lapidos. And it’s called antimetabole.
David Foster Wallace died last Friday at the age of 46. Known best as a fiction writer, he was also a journalist who wrote singular pieces about subjects as varied as porn industry awards, tennis-as-religion, luxury cruises, presidential campaigning, talk radio stamina, Midwestern wind patterns and lobster sentience. Pomona College professor Kathleen Fitzpatrick remembers Wallace’s point of view.
In the old era of land lines and copper wires, eavesdropping was a cinch. But more and more we’re making calls online, making it harder for governments to listen in. Of course, it doesn’t mean they’re not trying. Sun Microsystems engineer Susan Landau wrote about the brave new world of internet surveillance in this month’s Scientific American.
A new chapter has unfolded in the contentious story of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, executed more than half a century ago. Last week brought new confirmation that he may have passed some secrets, but she did not. WNYC's Sara Fishko takes stock of the myths that have evolved around the Rosenbergs.
Highlights from Past Shows
How does a non story become the story? The answer has to do with outrageous accusations, cost free ads, back and forth squabbling and media outlets that are left to sort through the noise. WNYC's political director Andrea Bernstein weighs in on how to stay outside the fray.
At the Republican National Convention this week, politicians and their spokespeople levied harsh criticisms at the elitist, " left-wing" media. The main complaint seemed to be reporters' insistence on asking questions about vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Will the media fall for it? Brooke and Bob weigh in.
On the Media is funded by The Bydale Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Overbrook Foundation.
