On The Media - Media History

Take It As Red (On The Media)

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:28 GMT

Founded in 1924, the Daily Worker – which ceased to be a daily 50 years ago – was the de facto house organ of American Communism. Historian Vernon Pedersen says the paper was strident and ideological, yes, but also an important cultural artifact.

Race Beat (On The Media)

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:23 GMT

In the 1950s, the mainstream American press had very little experience covering segregation and its impacts. In The Race Beat, Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff tell the story of how the civil rights struggle gradually made its way onto the front pages.

Sister Christian (On The Media)

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:24 GMT

Nearly a century ago, Aimee Semple McPherson became the model of the modern, self-made media sensation. In a biography, Matthew Avery Sutton argues that ‘Sister’ Aimee’s savvy brand of religion brought Christian evangelicalism into the mainstream.

The Gun Heard Round the World (On The Media)

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:27 GMT

The AK-47, one of Russia’s most popular exports, turned 60 this year. Michael Hodges, author of AK47: The Story of the People’s Gun, says that the weapon Mikhail Kalashnikov invented to defend his motherland has become a symbol of Third World revolutionary struggle and Islamic jihad.

The X Factor (On The Media)

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 18:17 GMT

For over 50 years, outlaw American radio broadcasters exploited a legal loophole and aired powerful pirate radio from the Mexican side of the border. So called ‘border blasters’ - or ‘X stations’ - were true innovators whose influence continues to be felt today. OTM’s Jamie York tells the story.

Textbook Tug-of-War (On The Media)

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 18:34 GMT

High school history textbooks have long been the subject of controversy both within and between nations. Which is why they’re now the subject of a comparative analysis project by Stanford University’s Asia-Pacific Research Center. Associate director Daniel Sneider says that we’re creating separate memories of the past.

Keeping Secrets (On The Media)

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 18:36 GMT

New York Times reporter William L. Laurence was a firsthand witness to the development of the atomic bomb, which he agreed to keep secret until Fat Man was deployed over Nagasaki (which he also saw firsthand). Author David Goodman explains that that wasn’t the only secret Laurence kept.

Eating Crow (On The Media)

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 19:43 GMT

From Aunt Jemima to the Frito Bandito, there’s a long tradition of racially-fraught spokescharacters in American food marketing. Reporter David Segal says that Uncle Ben is really an Uncle Tom, despite his recent promotion.

The Obscenity Defense (On The Media)

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 17:49 GMT

When Leaves of Grass was deemed obscene in 1882, Mark Twain wrote a defense of Walt Whitman’s “noble work.” Now, Twain's essay is being published for the first time, in the Virginia Quarterly Review. University of Iowa professor Ed Folsom calls it classic Twain satire.

Dead Reckoning (On The Media)

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 23:36 GMT

For decades, journalists like Jerry Mitchell were the only ones shedding light on cold civil rights-era murder cases . Now the FBI and Congress are taking another look. Mitchell explains why, when it comes to civil rights, the past isn’t past.

The Race Beat (On The Media)

Wed, 27 Dec 2006 21:27 GMT

In the 1950s, the mainstream American press had very little experience covering segregation and its impacts. In a new book, The Race Beat, Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff tell the story of how the civil rights struggle gradually made its way onto the front pages.

Operation Colombo (On The Media)

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 19:43 GMT

In the wake of Augusto Pinochet’s death, U.S. media are debating how the dictator should be remembered. The National Security Archive’s Peter Kornbluh discusses an especially sinister chapter in Pinochet's dealings with his own country's media.

Black, White & Red All Over (On The Media)

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 21:28 GMT

On November 10, 1898, a mob of white supremacists ransacked the city of Wilmington, North Carolina, and toppled its biracial government. 108 years later, The Charolotte Observer and Raleigh’s News & Observer are apologizing for their role in fomenting the violence. Duke historian Tim Tyson tells Bob how newspapers turned neighbor against neighbor and helped usher in Jim Crow.

The Angry Man (On The Media)

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 22:11 GMT

In "Network," an anchorman erupts and calls on viewers to join him in the now iconic primal scream: "I’m mad as hell and I’m not gonna take it anymore!" And in that, he reflected his creator, screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky. WNYC’s Sara Fishko offers this profile.

The Man Time Forgot (On The Media)

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 16:15 GMT

The name Henry R. Luce is firmly enshrined in the annals of American publishing. But few remember the legendary Time editor’s erstwhile partner, Briton Hadden. And it was Hadden, not Luce, who conceived of the idea not only for Time, but of the “newsmagazine” itself. Brooke talks to Isaiah Wilner, author of a new biography of the man Luce wiped off the face of history.

The Man Who Knew Too Much (On The Media)

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 16:16 GMT

In 1965, Vietnamese reporter Pham Xuan An went to work for Time. He was a tireless writer, with an unerring sense for facts amidst the fog of war, and became an invaluable source of information for American readers. Turns out he was simultaneously an invaluable source of information for the North Vietnamese, moonlighting for more than 30 years as a spy. Thomas Bass profiled An last year in The New Yorker. He tells Bob about the spy who loved us.

Picturing the Worst (On The Media)

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 17:57 GMT

The assault this week in Pennsylvania’s Amish country was the sixth deadly school shooting in as many weeks. Media commentators are pointing to the possibility of a copycat effect, but few are examining the media’s own complicity therein. School violence researcher Loren Coleman tells Bob that a little more restraint on the part of the media wouldn’t hurt.

A Rose Is Not a Rose (On The Media)

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 18:28 GMT

Iva Toguri died this week, though you probably don’t recognize the name. She was commonly, and erroneously, known as Tokyo Rose, a propagandist broadcasting against the Allied side during WWII. An article in 1976 by then Tokyo Bureau chief Ron Yates of the Chicago Tribune uncovered the story of how the FBI framed her for treason. Yates recalls her saga with Bob.

Strong to the Finish (On The Media)

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 18:49 GMT

When E. coli made its way into a California spinach field, it brought down a vegetable that has enjoyed a remarkable run in the popular imagination. But how did the vegetable acquire its reputation as the leafy-green-that-could? Brooke speaks with food writer Michael Pollan about the spinach industry’s successes – and failures – in creating the super food.

Unplug It! (On The Media)

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 18:39 GMT

In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers to The New York Times. Now, with bellicosity about Iran in the Beltway air, Ellsberg is renewing his call for insiders to leak. He and Brooke discuss the tension between government employees’ contract to keep secrets and their oath to uphold the Constitution.

Strong to the Finish (On The Media)

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 18:45 GMT

Qapla! (On The Media)

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 21:00 GMT

In September 1966, Gene Roddenberry dispatched the crew of the starship Enterprise on its maiden voyage through space and time and into the American living room. It was an inauspicious start, but forty years later the Star Trek universe is still expanding. Brooke explores the various television incarnations of the franchise and the infinitely powerful engine behind it all: the fan.

Straits Flush (On The Media)

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 22:20 GMT

Over the past 20 years, the U.S. has spent half a billion dollars to beam anti-Castro propaganda into the homes of Cubans via Radio and TV Martí. Earlier this year, Congress boosted the stations’ budget, and in the midst of Fidel’s convalescence, the stations have increased their programming hours. All this despite the fact that hardly anybody in Cuba is tuning in. Bob talks to Penn State communications professor John Nichols about the broadcasting boondoggle.

Perilous Times (On The Media)

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 18:34 GMT

What does George W. Bush have in common with John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, FDR, Harry Truman, JFK, and Lyndon Johnson? Each is a wartime president who took measures to quell dissent at home in the name of an American victory. And all of them, according to Geoffrey R. Stone’s book Perilous Times, went too far. Stone and Bob discuss what happens to the First Amendment when the nation is at war.

Keeping Secrets (On The Media)

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 18:36 GMT

New York Times reporter William L. Laurence was with American troops in a plane over Nagasaki when the atomic bomb was dropped. He won the Pulitzer Prize for a series of stories he subsequently published, many of which included details about the development and production of the bomb that he had previously kept secret. But it turned out those weren’t the only secrets Laurence was keeping; he was also on the payroll of the U.S. War Department. Bob speaks with author David Goodman about Laurence’s dueling allegiances.

Journalist, Inc. (On The Media)

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 20:30 GMT

Earlier this year, New York Post gossip columnist Jared Paul Stern was accused of trying to extort his sources in exchange for favorable coverage. He hasn’t been charged with a crime, but if it does turn out Stern is guilty he wouldn’t be the first person to cash in on the power of the pen. Columbia University journalism professor Robert Love tells Bob about a few of Stern’s seedy antecedents.

Middle Child Syndrome (On The Media)

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 19:11 GMT

This week marks the 10th anniversary of MSNBC and MSNBC.com. A longtime ratings loser, the cable news network may be celebrating quietly. But the website, a leader in online news, has many happy returns to toast. Brian Stelter, who writes the blog TVNewser, joins Brooke for cake and a piñata.

Civil Libertine (On The Media)

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 19:16 GMT

John Wilkes was an 18th century libertine, philanderer and author of what has been called the dirtiest poem in the English language. He was also a civil liberties pioneer, one of the first stalwarts of the free press. Brooke probes Arthur H. Cash, author of John Wilkes: The Scandalous Father of Civil Liberty about Wilkes’s illustrious, debaucherous career.

This Little Light of Mine (On The Media)

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 20:27 GMT

In the 40 years since President Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act, it has been both a revelatory tool and a beleaguered statute. Historians, journalists and proponents of open government have filed millions of requests, and increasingly lawsuits, to uncover what the government does in the name of its citizens. Brooke looks back and forward with a number of FOIA experts, including PBS’ Bill Moyers, who was press secretary for Johnson at the time of the signing.

Black, White, & Red All Over (On The Media)

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 21:37 GMT

On November 10, 1898, a mob of white supremacists ransacked the city of Wilmington, North Carolina, and toppled its biracial government. But last week, the 1898 Race Riot Wilmington Race Riot Commission concluded that it was not so much a riot as an insurrection, orchestrated by prominent local Democrats and their allies in the media. Bob speaks with Duke historian Tim Tyson about how newspapers turned neighbor against neighbor and helped usher in Jim Crow.

Chaos, Revisited (On The Media)

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 21:51 GMT

A little while ago, Bob took out his crystal ball, and looked into the brave new media future. What he saw didn’t bode well for traditional keepers of the broadcast universe: viewers using DVRs to tune out commercials, and networks bypassing affiliates with online content streaming. A year later, Bob’s “chaos scenario” appears to be in full swing, at least according to BuzzMachine blogger Jeff Jarvis. While proof may not be in the pudding just yet, says AdAge editorial director Scott Donaton, this year’s annual “upfronts” market may be one of the last. And, Bob hears from media consultant Terry Heaton about what all of this means for local affiliate stations.

The Arizona Project (On The Media)

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 21:53 GMT

Journalists have long been among the casualties of foreign wars, and Iraq is no exception. But we’re less accustomed to reporters dying in the line of duty here at home. Which may be why the death of The Arizona Republic’s Don Bolles still resonates. He was covering organized crime when his car exploded in Phoenix 30 years ago last week. KJZZ’s Steve Goldstein reports on the Arizona Project, a collaboration of dozens of reporters who converged upon Phoenix to finish Bolles’ work.

Founding Propagandists (On The Media)

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 21:54 GMT

All lofty pretensions aside, American journalism was actually founded by a combination of crusading publishers, government leakers, and opinion writers who never used their real names. That’s according to the new book, Infamous Scribblers: The Founding Fathers and the Rowdy Beginnings of American Journalism. Author (and Fox News host) Eric Burns speaks with Brooke about an early American press that didn’t care much about fairness, balance, or accuracy.

Doin’ the Hustle (On The Media)

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 22:10 GMT

Perhaps the surest way to gauge “community standards” is to run afoul of them. That’s what Hustler publisher Larry Flynt did in Cincinnati in the 1970s. And in New Hampshire in the 1980s. And again in Ohio in the 90s. The story is chronicled in a new book by one of Hustler’s longest employees, Allan MacDonell, who worked his way up from deckhand to editorial captain of Larry Flynt Publications. He shares some recollections with Brooke.

Cribbing Through the Ages (On The Media)

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 22:31 GMT

Plagiarism is constantly in the news these days, most recently with the scandal surrounding Harvard student Kaavya Viswanathan’s How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got A Life. But, as we know, claims of literary plagiarism go back centuries. So why do people still get so worked up about it? Mike Pesca reflects on the past, present and future of plagiarism.

Everyone's A Critic (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 20:28 GMT

Five years ago this week On the Media was re-launched as a nationally distributed, pre-produced hour hosted by Bob and Brooke. To mark this auspicious occasion Brooke looks back at the earlier incarnations of the show and how the media criticism beat has grown up over these years. Media crit bigwigs Howard Kurtz and Mark Jurkowitz weigh in, as do former OTM hosts Brian Lehrer and Alex Jones.

The Sound of WWII (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 20:34 GMT

Gulf War II was the first war that viewers had the ability to watch in real time, but it wasn't the first time reporters offered play-by-play narration from the battlefield. That distinction goes to World War II. The war reporting of Edward R. Murrow and his colleagues can again be heard on a CD companion to the book, "World War II on the Air." Co-author Mark Bernstein listens to some of the highlights with Bob.

Moving Pictures, Moving Merchandise (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 20:36 GMT

In the 1940's, the Motion Picture Export Association, aka "the little State Department," went forth to sell the American way of life - not to mention American products - around the world. Toby Miller directs the Program in Film and Visual Culture at the University of California Riverside. He joins Brooke to discuss Hollywood-as-Imperialist, then and now.

Bringing it Home (On The Media)

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 18:35 GMT

Journalist and historian Alvin Josephy Jr. died this week at the age of 90. He's most remembered for his writing on Indians of the American West. But in his earlier life as a reporter, he was best known as one of very few correspondents recording the sounds of World War II for the people back home. WNYC archivist Andy Lanset plays some of Josephy's old tapes for Brooke.

The Messenger is the Message (On The Media)

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 17:30 GMT

On her recent trip to the Middle East, State Department Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy Karen Hughes was angling for positive press coverage there. But her reviews on this side of the pond were mixed, at best. One critic suggested Hughes take a lesson from Vladimir Posner, the former Soviet spokesman who was a frequent guest on American TV in the 1980's. Brooke speaks with Posner about his views on public diplomacy and propaganda, 20 years later.

Storm Surge (On The Media)

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 19:51 GMT

Even as the death toll from Katrina continued to climb, TV news by Monday was already focused on Rita. The catastrophe of three weeks earlier infused the new Technicolor swirls with a sickening menace. But with or without Katrina, those satellite images were already well fixed in the TV lexicon. Bob discusses the history of hurricane reporting with weather historian David Laskin.

LBJ, Futurist (On The Media)

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 17:20 GMT

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, charged with promoting and funding public broadcasting in the U.S. was created by Congress in 1967. But when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Public Broadcasting Law, he had more than radio and TV on his mind. Listen to the moment when LBJ invented the Internet.

Volumes of Harm (On The Media)

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 16:19 GMT

What does The Communist Manifesto have in common with The Feminine Mystique? Both are among the top ten most harmful books of the 19th and 20th centuries, as determined by a panel of conservative thinkers assembled by Human Events Magazine. Herb London, president of the Hudson Institute, was among the judges. He joins Bob to discuss the danger of books.

After School Specials (On The Media)

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 16:21 GMT

Once upon a time, latchkey kids could curl up to the TV for dramatized versions of the more vexing issues of adolescence. Bullying, parental divorce, teen pregnancy, and the dangers of drugs were just some of the topics addressed in ABC's After School Specials, which aired from 1972 through 1988. OTM's Sarah Lemanczyk reports on how the series plays in 2005.

Deep Dealings (On The Media)

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 16:26 GMT

And so an end to the quest for the true identity of the shadowy figure with a penchant for parking garages and an eye for potted plants. But Slate.com senior writer Tim Noah says, knowing what he knows now, that there was never a level playing field in the Deep Throat sleuthing game. As he tells Brooke, Woodward and Bernstein have been dropping misleading hints for 30 years now.

Commercial Success (On The Media)

Wed, 21 May 2008 18:23 GMT

Ever since the Beach Boys sang about losing their T-Bird, consumer products have often appeared in pop music lyrics. But artists weren’t paid for those product placements (though songs like Run DMC’s “My Adidas” resulted in lucrative backend deals). Lately, the negotiating has crept into the creative process itself. Bob talks to Advertising Age reporter TL Stanley about the increasingly intimate relationship between the music and advertising industries.

The Forgotten Network (On The Media)

Wed, 21 May 2008 19:02 GMT

Television viewers under a certain age think of the big three broadcast networks as having existed since the dawn of time. A misconception, of course - but largely because of what it omits. In TV's earliest days, there was also the DuMont Network, a pioneering enterprise that aired some of its era's most popular programs. Bob talks history with David Weinstein, author of new book that chronicles the rise and fall of DuMont.

Izzy Rules (On The Media)

Wed, 21 May 2008 21:27 GMT

Fifteen years ago this summer, American journalism lost one of its greatest practitioners. I.F. Stone worked for many newspapers, but always refused to play by the rules of the Washington press corps. Still, Izzy Stone was ahead on covering McCarthyism, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Vietnam War. OTM producer Megan Ryan reflects on Stone's career.

Covering the Leaks (On The Media)

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:55 GMT

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 (On The Media)

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:06 GMT

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.