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Last week the Associated Press released a photo of a fatally wounded Marine in Afghanistan. The photo caused a big stir, especially since the soldier's family and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates made multiple pleas for the A.P. not to run it. Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell explains Gates' position, while A.P. Director of Photography Santiago Lyon tells us why they ultimately ran the piece.
Much of the media coverage of the President's address before a joint session of Congress focused on an outburst from Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC). Fred Beuttler, deputy historian for the United States House of Representatives, talks about other famous interruptions from the floor. Plus, Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank, who had a front row seat, describes what it was like in the room.
Some opponents of the President's health care plan have been berating lawmakers with entreaties to "read the bill," implying that members of Congress often don't read the laws they vote on. Harper's Ken Silverstein says the protesters are probably right, but they're missing the point.
Cover Story (above)
Evan Ratliff was captured this week. He's the Wired Magazine contributor who decided to see for himself whether it's possible to disappear and reemerge with a brand new identity in the digital age. Wired Magazine launched a contest. Whoever located him within one month would get $5,000 ($3,000 paid by Ratliff himself). A little lighter in the wallet, Ratliff talks about his brief life on the run.
For 9/11 conspiracy theorists, the anniversary of the attacks functions as a PR peg for spreading their version of what happened that day. WNYC's Beth Fertig is taking special note this year, after discovering that her reporting from September 11, 2001 is being used as evidence on conspiracy theorist websites and literature.
As Brooke reported eight years ago, witnesses of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and those watching on TV used a common vocabulary to describe the scene: it was like a movie. Not only did that day change the way people process images of mass violence, it also affected Hollywood itself. In his new book, Firestorm: American Film in the Age of Terrorism, Virginia Tech professor Stephen Prince explores how filmmakers have taken on the challenge of capturing the truth of the 9/11 attacks.
Highlights from Past Shows
Massive fires raging through Southern California dominated the news this week, with much of the coverage focused on airplanes soaring above the flames, dropping bright red fire retardant. Great TV to be sure. But Los Angeles Times media columnist James Rainey says the media focus too much on airplanes, to the detriment of the fire fight.
Stars and Stripes, the editorially independent newspaper serving U.S. armed forces worldwide, reported this week that the military is in effect screening journalists who wish to embed with troops. Triggered in part by an interview on this program, Stars and Stripes confirmed that a Washington PR firm has provided evaluations of reporters’ relative degrees of positivity. Stars and Stripes senior managing editor Howard Witt explains. Meanwhile, Lt. Cmdr. Christine Sidenstricker, military spokesperson for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, says official DOD policy forbids restricting access to reporters based on their past coverage.
On the Media is funded by The Bydale Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Overbrook Foundation.
