Media History

Covering the Leaks

Two weeks ago, the London Observer printed a leaked memo showing that the U.S. was spying on UN officials who were equivocating on an Iraq invasion. The story has been notably absent from much of the US media. But former military man and Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg tells Brooke that it's the most important leak in decades - more important even than his own.


Sleaze 'o Rama

The nationwide multiplication of multiplexes has left little screen-space for films designed solely to shock and disgust. But once upon a time, movies with names like "Barbed Wire Dolls" and "Nude on the Moon" were featured daily in theaters along the Great White Way. OTM's Rex Doane fondly remembers the golden age of Exploitation Cinema.


The Father of Public Relations

Considering the power and subtlety of public relations today, it's hard to believe there was once a time when advertising was crude - and avoidable. But in the early 20th century, one keen observer of human nature observed that the best pitches were the ones you couldn't see coming. Brooke tells the story of Edward Bernays, the double-nephew of Sigmund Freud and the self-proclaimed father of public relations.


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