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Fox News’ relentless promotion, some might say co-sponsorship, of this week’s tax day tea parties made us wonder: did Fox News cover the events or help to create them? Brooke takes a look at the coverage.
Part of the tea party brand was the idea that they were non-partisan. Freedom Works, a group chaired by former Republican House Majority Leader Dick Armey, was one of the day's big organizers. Freedom Works’ press secretary Adam Brandon talks about the groups' media strategy and why they're somewhat wary of elected officials getting in on their brand.
On Friday, a Swedish court ruled against the founders of the popular file-sharing website The Pirate Bay and found them guilty of assisting in the distribution of illegal content online. Mats Lewan, an editor at Ny Teknik, explains what the verdict means for file-sharing, for Sweden, and the world.
When 10,000 Moldovans filled the streets in protest last week, it was characterized as the ‘Twitter revolution.’ But now that the dust has cleared, what role did Twitter really play? And was it a revolution? Ethan Zuckerman, a fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, tells the tale of the tweets.
Increasingly, companies are paying users of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to hype their brands online. The Federal Trade Commission has responded by updating its rules to make sure ads are identified as such. But author and blogger Andy Sernovitz says regulating the ads will be difficult.
In August 2008 a chemical plant in West Virginia exploded, killing two employees and raising fears of a Bhopal-like toxic chemical leak. A federal investigation into what happened is being conducted but the results might not see the light of day because the chemical company has invoked a terrorism related law to silence what it says is “sensitive security information.’ This leaves the Fed muzzled by its own law. Chemical Safety and Hazard Review Board chairman John Bresland explains the impact on the public’s right to know.
Video game sales are astronomical, but like the music and film industries before it, the game industry has become dependent on predictable and expensive blockbusters. But now, as writer Clive Thompson explains, creative independent games are adding to the gaming ecosystem. And Microsoft's Boyd Multerer explains how amateur game designers can now create their own games for the Xbox console.
Director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom for more than 40 years, Judith Krug died last week at the age of 69. We remember the librarian who crusaded against censorship and railed tirelessly against efforts to ban books.
Highlights from Past Shows
Last week, the Obama Administration invoked the state secrets privilege for the third time in as many months when arguing that Jewel v. NSA should be dismissed. How does this square with his much-touted promise of openness and transparency? We asked Marc Ambinder, associate editor of the Atlantic and chief political consultant to CBS.
For two decades, critics have argued that the Texas Board of Education's science standards have allowed creationism to creep into public schools and textbooks. Last week the board changed the language, creating the latest arena in the clash between creationists and the scientific community. Both sides explain why the subtle language change may greatly affect how evolution is taught in Texas and the rest of the country.
On the Media is funded by The Bydale Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Overbrook Foundation.
