On The Media is produced by:
Economic misery has spread to journalism and newspeople everywhere are being laid-off. But The New Republic's Mark Pinsky has found hope for reporters in a previous economic downturn. He advocates a resurrection and re-imagining of the Work Progress Administration's Federal Writers' Project.
The Federal Writers' Project put thousands of people to work including Zora Neale Hurston, Stetson Kennedy, and John Steinbeck. They recorded oral histories, folkways, music and wrote everything from state guides to children's books. Jerrold Hirsch, author of Portrait of America describes the legacy of "introducing America to Americans," and how the program upended the American story.
On Wednesday night, Sky TV's Real Lives channel in Great Britain aired a documentary that showed the final moments of Craig Ewert, a terminally ill man who committed suicide with the assistance of a doctor. Was it a ratings ploy or an important milestone for those who wish to die with dignity? The question has divided Britons and even forced a response by Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Not once, but twice in the last year, New York Times reporter David Barstow has written extensive front page stories about the conflicts of interest afflicting military experts paid to appear on television news. Charles Kaiser of the Columbia Journalism Review explains why despite this reporting, the use of military experts remains unchanged, a true SNAFU.
Journalists know so much about what they cover that they're often experts. Dan Abrams, former General Manager of MSNBC, is launching Abrams Research which seeks to hook up eligible journos with paid consulting gigs. Bob asks Abrams about the ethical issues that arise when capitalizing on journalistic expertise.
To be a reporter in Japan is to navigate the unique and often troubling system of Press Clubs - known there as Kisha Clubs. With thousands of them attached to everything from government agencies to corporations, many argue the Kisha Clubs foster a dangerously close bond between reporters and those they cover. OTM producer Mark Phillips reports from Tokyo.
Highlights from Past Shows
As the terrorist attacks in Mumbai unfolded last week, Indian news channels went into crisis-mode with non-stop coverage. But many Indians are now expressing outrage, saying that coverage was so detailed that it aided the terrorists. Arnab Goswami, chief editor of the English-language network Times Now, says the criticism is misguided and that India's young news networks rose to the occasion.
What are the rules that govern journalistic portrait photography? Wide-angle lenses, nonstandard lighting, shooting from below – they’re all fair game and frequently employed by photogs working for major publications. But what obligation is there to the subject? Bob searches for answers.
***NOTE: Follow along with our slide show to view the photo portraits mentioned in this piece.***
On the Media is funded by The Bydale Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Overbrook Foundation.
