Highlights and Lowlights
The OTM 5th anniversary celebration continues as Senior Producer Katya Rogers presents some of the very best and very worst of On the Media through the years. You'll laugh, you'll cry.
The Media Biz
Aceh Rising
One year ago this week, an earthquake under the Indian Ocean triggered a massive tsunami that left huge swaths of death and destruction across South and South East Asia. In the Indonesian province of Aceh, everything was devastated, including the media. Bob talks to Kathleen Reen of Internews about how Aceh and its press are rebuilding, twelve months later.
Regret the Error
2005 was a year of self-examination for the media. There were questions about journalistic accuracy and reporting styles, and about the reporting on Hurricane Katrina and the lead-up to war in Iraq. Craig Silverman tracks media mistakes on the website "Regret the Error," and joins Brooke for a recap of the year's inaccuracies, both serious and not-so.
Naming Right
Fiction authors spend a lot of time contriving the perfect title for their books – efforts usually unavailing, as most novels more or less wind up on the worst-seller list. But now there’s a way to improve a novel’s chances. Lulu.com, a company that helps authors self-publish their books, has created a new tool for determining the prospects any given title. The company’s marketing director Peter Freedman unpacks his research with Bob.
Stealing Books
You may not be able to judge a book by its cover, but maybe you can judge a person by the books he steals. Brooke speaks with New York Observer columnist Ron Rosenbaum about the particulars of literary thievery.
Shill Game
With Christmas just a week away, every gear, gadget and gizmo company on the NASDAQ is vying for your dollars. Wondering which digital camera is best? The tech expert on your local news might be able to help. What you won't learn from these segments, however, is that some "experts" are paid by manufacturers to plug their products. WABC-TV's tech guru Sree Sreenivasan tells Bob why stations sometimes look the other way.
Bye Bye, Boomers
For years, control of America's news and culture industries has been firmly in the clutches of baby boomers. But a new generation of media-makers is stretching its legs, and it won't be long before references to "The Graduate" are replaced by references to "The Breakfast Club." Slate columnist Jack Shafer joins Brooke to mull over some other possible signs of generational baton-passing.
Second Chance at a First Impression
In the days following Hurricane Katrina, we heard stories of chaos and violence in the streets of New Orleans. Only later did it become clear how much of that initial reporting was exaggerated and flat-out false. Bob talks to New Orleans Times-Picayune reporter Brian Thevenot about whether the myths created in the initial coverage can ever be fully dispelled.
