On The Media is produced by:
News headlines of Louis Farrakhan’s farewell speech last Sunday described a man who preaches peace and calls for religious amity. But the outgoing leader of the Nation of Islam – a onetime calypso singer turned Black Nationalist – wasn’t always treated so gently in the media.
Heads are rolling in the wake of The Washington Post’s expose
of deplorable conditions at Walter Reed. But Salon's Mark Benjamin has been writing variations
on the Post’s story for years. He discusses the media’s newfound interest
in wounded vets.
Read Mark Benjamin's ongoing coverage here.
The psychological trauma of war isn’t new, but the diagnosis is. “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” was coined in 1980, and gave the medical establishment a way to understand the struggles of returning soldiers. PTSD expert Dr. Matthew Friedman explains how changing the phrase helps change the suffering.
When the Dow Jones average plummeted this week, the story led newscasts and newspapers everywhere. But is the stock market really that newsworthy? Dean Baker, longtime watchdog of economics reporting, doesn’t think so.
Cell phones allow you to run your world from the backyard or the back of a cab. But there are still simple things that you just can’t do. Columbia law professor Tim Wu says that if wireless carriers wanted to, they could give customers much more. Industry rep Chris Guttman McCabe disagrees.
The impact of movie sex and violence on kids may be up for debate, but with smoking, the science is solid. Teens who see a lot of it are more likely to take up the habit than those who don’t. UCSF Dr. Stanton Glantz wants the MPAA to take smoking as seriously as it takes cursing.
Highlights from Past Shows
Three years old and in bankruptcy, Air America lurches along. The brothers Green are buying the network, but industry watcher Brian Maloney says they’re not really buying anything at all.
Conscious of pre-war parallels, the press proceeded cautiously last week as it reported on possible Iranian involvement in the Iraq war. Columbia Journalism Review's Michael Massing explains why he thinks the coverage still came up lacking. And The New York Times' Michael Gordon defends his handling of the story.
On the Media is funded by The Bydale Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Overbrook Foundation.
