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Violence and chaos is ravaging Haiti, as armed opponents of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide make their way across the island attacking police stations and government supporters. And once again, Haitian reporters are being targeted too. Brooke speaks to Michelle Montas, former director of Radio Haiti International and widow of slain journalist Jean Dominique, about the threat to journalists and the story that is emerging over Haiti's airwaves.
Earlier this month, some 200 Palestinian journalists in Gaza City held a sit-in to protest a string of attacks on local reporters. Not only do those crimes remain unsolved, but apparently they have yet to be investigated by the Palestinian Authority. Bob talks to Slate.com columnist Eric Umansky about one of the most mysterious attacks. It occurred last July, when a mob terrorized a pollster who was about to release the results of a controversial poll.
This week, the Clear Channel radio behemoth dropped the Howard Stern show from its programming lineup. Washington lawmakers are applauding the move. Stern says he's the victim of a backlash triggered by Janet Jackson's boob. But might he also be the latest casualty at the crossroads of the FCC's twin agendas - cleaning up and deregulating the airwaves? Bob agrees that Howard's show stinks, but thinks that the cancellation smells worse.
When it comes to policy platforms, the two frontrunners for the Democratic presidential nomination are more similar to each other than they are to any other candidate. But when it comes to style, the gulf between the two Johns opens wide. Voters are still deciding whether to buy into the popular notion of Edwards as "Mr. Likeable" and Kerry as "Mr. Electable," but many reporters have already made up their minds. Brooke speaks with Boston Globe columnist Tom Oliphant, who has been covering Senator Kerry for decades.
Many have had the experience of going to see a movie that doesn't live up to the trailer created to sell it. By condensing a film so extremely and setting its highlights to music, trailers exaggerate a movie's drama, humor, and overall quality. But a recent contest invited editors to go a step further, and create a trailer that actually misrepresents a classic film. Bob talks to Kevin Halleran, who submitted the winning entry - a trailer that spins The Sound of Music as a horror film.
Six years ago, fresh from yet another disappointing visit to his local Blockbuster, Bob decided to take matters into his own hands. Armed with little more than an original treatment for a serious film set in the former Yugoslavia, Bob flew west. Here is the story of his mission to save the soul of Hollywood.
Highlights from Past ShowsPolitical reporters have been busy this week writing obituaries for the Howard Dean campaign, and trying to explain what on earth happened to the candidate who a few weeks ago was the undisputed frontrunner. Some blame Dean for not keeping his cool, and some blame his staffers for squandering the campaign's nest-egg. Many blame the media. But Clay Shirky, a theorist on the sociology of the Internet, tells Bob that we should instead be trying to explain why we ever thought Dean's lead existed at all.
The fallout from Janet Jackson's infamous Superbowl fallout has moved to Capitol Hill, where Congress is holding impassioned hearings on new penalties for indecency on the airwaves. But a much more compelling threat to broadcasters might not come from the government at all. This week, cable giant Comcast announced that it's setting its sights on the Walt Disney Co. - owner of ABC and ESPN, among others - and Disney went on the defensive against a hostile takeover bid. Bob talks to George Mannes, senior writer at thestreet.com.
On the Media is funded by The Bydale Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Overbrook Foundation.
