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Even before Syria pulled its last soldier out of Lebanon, Gebran Tueni had been an outspoken critic of the occupation. This week, Tueni was killed by a car bomb, becoming the third prominent journalist in Lebanon to be targeted for assassination since Syria's withdrawal. Michael Young, opinion editor for Beirut's Daily Star, tells Bob why he thinks the Lebanese media still pose such a threat to Damascus.
The Arab world, it seems, is awash with public opinion polls. Where we used to get anecdotal reporting about the "Arab street," we increasingly have numbers to back those impressions up. A recent Zogby poll set out to learn not only what Arabs think about world news, but how those opinions are forged, and asked people what channels they turn to most for international news. Brooke discusses the results with Arab media scholar Marc Lynch.
A recent poll showed that despite a robust worldwide debate, most Americans know little to nothing about genetically-modified food. That despite the increasing inundation of our shelves with the stuff. Brooke discusses the dearth of GM consciousness with Pew Initiative on Food & Biotechnology executive director Michael Fernandez, and with food and environment writer Michael Pollan.
With Christmas just a week away, every gear, gadget and gizmo company on the NASDAQ is vying for your dollars. Wondering which digital camera is best? The tech expert on your local news might be able to help. What you won't learn from these segments, however, is that some "experts" are paid by manufacturers to plug their products. WABC-TV's tech guru Sree Sreenivasan tells Bob why stations sometimes look the other way.
Before there was Senator John McCain, there was Senator William Proxmire. Like McCain, he often stood apart from his party, favored campaign finance reform… and was a media darling. Proxmire died on Thursday at the age of 90. Brooke reminisces about the Wisconsin Senator's long career of media stunts, born of equal parts tenacity and conviction.
Shortly after midnight on Tuesday, a lethal injection was administered to Stanley "Tookie" Williams by the State of California. The execution was preceded by days of feverish speculation on cable TV about whether or not Governor Schwarzenegger would grant clemency. Bob reflects on the elements of a made-for-TV morality play
Have you ever encountered a rootkit or a lifehack? Do you know what it means to be squicked? These neologisms were all runners-up for the coveted distinction of the New Oxford American Dictionary's 2005 Word of the Year. Erin McKean is the New Oxford editor-in-chief. She explains to Bob, among other things, the difference between an IDP and an IED.
For years, control of America's news and culture industries has been firmly in the clutches of baby boomers. But a new generation of media-makers is stretching its legs, and it won't be long before references to "The Graduate" are replaced by references to "The Breakfast Club." Slate columnist Jack Shafer joins Brooke to mull over some other possible signs of generational baton-passing.
Highlights from Past ShowsThe trial of Saddam Hussein was back in session this week. Here we saw brief excerpts of courtroom theatrics. But in Baghdad, viewers followed the trial's every twist and turn on TVs throughout the city. Brooke talks to L.A. Times correspondent Borzou Daragahi about the spectacle of the Saddam trial as well as its larger backdrop - the heated campaigning of candidates in next week's parliamentary elections.
Last week, the British tabloid The Daily Mirror alleged that in the spring of 2004, President Bush suggested bombing the Qatar headquarters of al-Jazeera. The U.S. press has trod lightly on the story, which was based on a leaked memo that has not yet been published. But the rest of the world clamored for answers. Bob talks to Joel Campagna, senior program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists.
On the Media is funded by The Bydale Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Overbrook Foundation.
