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When Tony Blair became Britain’s prime minister a decade ago, his nickname was “Bambi,” a reference to his doe-eyed optimism. Now tarnished by the “low skullduggery” of politics, Blair left office on Wednesday deeply unpopular among his people. Longtime Blair spokesman Alastair Campbell points a finger at the press.
In a 5-4 ruling this week, the Supreme Court deemed a key part of the McCain Feingold Act unconstitutional. BYU Political scientist David Magleby explains why the decision is likely to open the floodgates of ad spending by interest groups.
In and around Baghdad right now, “Al Qaeda in Iraq” is public enemy number one. At least that’s what Pentagon officials say. But McClatchy reporter Mike Drummond thinks journalists should be more skeptical when “Al Qaeda” is uttered.
Soon after 9/11, Pittsburgh Tribune reporter Carl Prine began walking into chemical storage facilities to document their vulnerability. Six years on, Prine is still "thinking like a terrorist," raising questions about the public’s right to know and how much information is too much.
In the latest Harper’s, Ken Silverstein writes about going undercover as a representative of Turkmenistan to investigate the murky world of Washington PR firms. Silverstein has been criticized for his tactics, but says concealing his identity was necessary to get the story.
The Department of Homeland Security recently joined forces with SIGMA, a group of science fiction writers. DHS plans to mine the writers' ideas about border control, disaster preparedness and terrorist tactics. SIGMA founder Arlan Andrews says sci-fi writers have more to offer than lasers and flying spaceships.
25 years ago this week, Blade Runner debuted in American theaters. It was set in a Los Angeles of the future, but its portrayals of race and racism had plenty of resonance in 1982. Reporter Phillip Martin looks back on a classic of cyborgian social criticism.
Highlights from Past Shows
This week, OTM turns its focus to Russia. How are the Russian media operating during an era of dramatic economic change, a clampdown on freedom of speech, and a struggle to reposition the country on the world stage? Host Brooke Gladstone, producer Mike Vuolo and technical director Dylan Keefe traveled to Moscow to speak with journalists, dissidents, and lawmakers about the current climate for press freedom.
Garry Kasparov is known around the world as a chess champion. He’s also a vocal opponent of Vladimir Putin and what he calls Putin’s “police state.”
Yevgeny Kiselyov was a big-time television anchor under Yeltsin. He’s a smaller-time radio host under Putin.
Vladimir Ryzhkov is an independent member of Russia’s lower legislative body. He says the Kremlin is passing legislation to drive its opponents out of power.
On Wednesday, a sacred Shiite shrine in Samarra was bombed for the second time. The first bombing famously triggered a wave of reprisals, and thus became a turning point in the war. Or did it? Washington Post reporter Thomas Ricks says that narrative was mostly Bush Administration spin.
On the Media is funded by The Bydale Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Overbrook Foundation.
