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Scarcely had the dust settled at the site of North Korea's supposed nuclear test before the finger-pointing began in Washington this week. Former East Asia correspondent Dan Sneider has been following the political fallout in the nation's dailies. He tells Bob we'd all be better off if the American press focused less on our own blame-game and more on how people in the region are reacting.
Last weekend, investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya was found dead in the elevator of her Moscow apartment building -- shot in the head at close range. No one knows who killed her or why, though few doubt it had something to do with her documentation of human rights abuses. Dissident and journalist Boris Kagarlitsky tells Brooke that Politkovskaya's death may, contrary to claims, embolden the Russian press.
For people who spend a lot of time online, "network neutrality" is one of the most important issues pending in Washington. But the question of whether to create a "premium lane" on the information superhighway also has a lot of bearing on TV, too. This Wednesday, Rick Karr will examine the future of the Internet for PBS' Moyers on America. He gives us a preview of what's at stake.
As many a publisher knows, Britain's strict libel laws favor those who cry libel. Media organizations must leap over a near-impossible set of hurdles to defend themselves, and many end up self-censoring in order to avoid lawsuits. But this week, Britain's highest court took a major step towards reversing that system. U.K. media attorney Niri Shan talks to Brooke about legally loosening the libel leash.
Judges and law scholars appear to have a penchant for dropping music references into their writing. But a close look at their opinions and journal articles reveals that to them, not all music is created equal. Alex Long, associate professor at the Oklahoma City University School of Law, tells Brooke that the top ten list of most-quoted songs reads like the tattered vinyl collection of a typical baby boomer.
If viewers of Comedy Central's Daily Show tend to be "stoned slackers," at least they're informed stoned slackers. That's the upshot of a recent study from Indiana University. It found that at least as far as hard news is concerned, the "fake news" show is every bit as substantive as the network newscasts. WFIU's Adam Ragusea reports.
Fifty years ago, the television viewing experience was forever altered by the introduction of the wireless television remote. This week, Bob and Brooke celebrate the all-powerful magic wand-- by fighting over it.
Last weekend's $1.6 billion deal between Google and YouTube left some people scratching their heads over the enormity of the price-tag. New media consultant Rishad Tobaccowala tells Bob why the online video site is worth that much., despite the giant obsticles Google will face in making YouTube a money-maker.
Highlights from Past ShowsBy now we know that former Congressman Mark Foley had been sending icky emails to underage congressional pages for some time. We also know that at least two Florida newspapers had tips about the emails almost a year ago. Bob talks with Neil Brown, executive editor of the St. Petersburg Times, about why his paper sat on the story. And he speaks with ABC News’ Brian Ross about why his organization ran with it.
Apart from opinion columns and magazine pieces, news outlets tend to place any mention of civil war in the mouths of sources, or qualify it with phrases like “on the brink of” and “risks descending into.” Brooke asks New York Times Deputy Foreign Editor Ethan Bronner why.
On the Media is funded by The Bydale Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Overbrook Foundation.
