NPR's On the Media

September 3, 2010 (On The Media: Friday, 03 September 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:24 GMT

Mideast peace talks, counting crowds and the Great Moon Hoax

Exit Operation Iraqi Freedom (On The Media: Friday, 03 September 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:31 GMT

After seven years, a trillion dollars, tens of thousands of civilian deaths, nearly 35,000 US injured and 4,500 US dead, President Obama announced this week that the combat mission in Iraq is over. Historian Douglas Brinkley explains why this seemingly momentous moment received so little media coverage.

The Uncertain Future of the Iraqi Fixer (On The Media: Friday, 03 September 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:57 GMT

Throughout the war in Iraq foreign journalists have relied heavily on fixers, the local feet on the ground who translate, find sources and help provide safety. Though many have since left the country, for fear that their work with Western media has made them targets, some fixers remain. Hussam Ali al-Mussawi, who worked for The San Francisco Chronicle, New York Times, McClatchy, Newsweek and Der Spiegel, explains his uncertain future.

Israeli/Palestinian Peace Talks and Deja Vu (On The Media: Friday, 03 September 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:01 GMT

If you felt a sense of déjà vu when reading about the latest round of Israeli/Palestinian peace talks this week, you were not alone. The situation seems intractable but the reporting too often follows a well-worn template. JJ Goldberg, senior columnist for The Forward, understands that déjà vu feeling but argues that savvy readers will find a different story this time.

The Art and Artifice of Counting Crowds (On The Media: Friday, 03 September 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:42 GMT

From the Million Man March to the Obama Inauguration to Glenn Beck’s recent “Restoring Honor” rally, estimating the size of a crowd is both scientifically difficult and politically fraught. ASU professor Steve Doig, Washington Post editor Dan Keating and retired U.S. Park Police officer Carl Holmberg – crowd estimators all – weigh in.

The Great Ben Roethlisberger Hoax (On The Media: Friday, 03 September 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:44 GMT

Earlier this week, Washington Post sports writer Mike Wise sent a deliberately false tweet about Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to prove to his audience that journalists will happily reprint rumors without confirming their veracity. But what did he really prove? Bob talks to Mike Wise and profootballtalk.com editor Mike Florio.

The Great Moon Hoax (On The Media: Friday, 03 September 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:45 GMT

August was the 175th anniversary of the New York Sun’s Great Moon Hoax, when Richard Adams Locke created a sensation by writing a series of satirical articles, taken seriously by the public, about life on the moon. Matthew Goodman, author of The Sun and the Moon, says this story marked a paradigmatic shift in the way Americans perceived newspapers.

August 27, 2010 (On The Media: Friday, 27 August 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 05:00 GMT

Debunking popular myths about President Obama, Kitty Genovese and the Cuban Missile Crisis

Debunk This! (On The Media: Friday, 27 August 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:23 GMT

This week, OTM talks about popular cultural myths that refuse to die. The first is seems to have staying power: the rumor that President Obama is a Muslim. A 2009 Pew study found that many Americans still believe it to be true, and many more simply don't know the President's religion. Political scientist Brendan Nyhan explains how misperceptions spread and says we can be incredibly stubborn in the face of facts.

Tabula Rosa (On The Media: Friday, 27 August 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:24 GMT

Most historical accounts of Rosa Parks focus on the story we all know: how the humble seamstress changed history by refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white man. But while that account is accurate, it's only part of her story. In this interview we originally aired in 2005, Bob talks with Duke historian Tim Tyson about the construction of an American hero.

Ghost of Bradley Effect (On The Media: Friday, 27 August 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:25 GMT

We recorded this interview during the 2008 presidential campaign when the "Bradley effect" was getting a lot of media play. The term comes from Tom Bradley's 1982 California gubernatorial campaign, in which the discrepancy between polling (which predicted he was ahead) and the actual result (he lost) was attributed to white voters not being able to pull the lever for a black candidate. But Democratic and Republican strategists who worked on that campaign tell us there was no Bradley effect, even for Bradley. And Nate Silver of the blog 538 says the misnamed phenomenon hasn't been observed since the early 1990s.

The Witnesses That Didn't (On The Media: Friday, 27 August 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:25 GMT

Forty-six years ago, Kitty Genovese was murdered in Queens and, as the story goes, 38 witnesses watched the assault for half an hour but no one intervened. We spoke with historian Joseph De May last year. He says the truth is a bit more complicated.

Great Expectorations (On The Media: Friday, 27 August 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:27 GMT

Controversy over a 2007 news account about a war protester spitting on an Iraq vet at a peace march unearthed a trope that dates back to Vietnam. In the 1990s, sociologist and Vietnam War veteran Jerry Lembcke researched spitting stories in the media during the 1960s and 70s. He told us in 2007 that not a single first-hand account was published.

Missile Crisis Memories (On The Media: Friday, 27 August 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:27 GMT

The Cuban Missile Crisis was one of the most politically tense moments of the Kennedy presidency, and one of the most memorable media moments of the Cold War. In an interview which originally aired in 2002, Fred Kaplan talked about how the media covered the Missile Crisis then, and how we interpret that coverage today.

August 20, 2010 (On The Media: Friday, 20 August 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 05:00 GMT

The Death of the Internet, the misnamed "Ground Zero Mosque," and breaking up over new media.

The Semantics of the "Ground Zero Mosque" (On The Media: Friday, 20 August 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:42 GMT

Political news this week was dominated by the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque," but the Muslim community center at Park51 is neither at Ground Zero, nor is it chiefly a mosque. Late this week several news organizations including the AP issued memos which offered guidance as to how to cover this story. We talked to Yahoo! News media reporter Michael Calderone about the origin of this phrase and how it became media shorthand for this controversial story.

The Death of the Web? (On The Media: Friday, 20 August 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:42 GMT

The cover of the September issue of Wired, the technology magazine with an incredibly strong web presence, declares that "The Web is Dead." Chris Anderson, Wired Editor-in-Chief and co-author of the cover story talks about what comes after the end of the web.

The Facebook Effect (On The Media: Friday, 20 August 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:42 GMT

In late July, Facebook reached another milestone, surpassing 500 million users. In reporting his recent book, The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of the Company that is Connecting the World, David Kirkpatrick received unprecedented access to the company and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg. He says that, in addition to other factors, Facebook’s founders succeeded largely because of their unique vision.

It’s Over.com (On The Media: Friday, 20 August 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 03:23 GMT

Facebook, Skype, and other new media are well known for their powerful ability to bring people together. But they can also serve as, shall we say, a unique method by which to disconnect. Ilana Gershon studied new media breakups for her book, The Breakup 2.0: Disconnecting over New Media . Gershon says that although this behavior isn’t acceptable, she came to understand why some people chose digital separation.

Forever For Sale (On The Media: Friday, 20 August 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:46 GMT

It's called "A Tool to Deceive and Slaughter." It is a black eight-inch cube, made from acrylic, with a computer inside. You can buy it at auction on eBay, though doing so comes with a catch. Artist Caleb Larsen explains.

Field Guide (On The Media: Friday, 20 August 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:47 GMT

For years, the remarkable accuracy of video game football was the closest armchair quarterbacks could get to actual NFL play-on-the-field. The actual game inspired the virtual one. But increasingly, according to Wired Magazine's Chris Suellentrop, the trend has reversed. A generation of NFL players, raised on games like Madden NFL, are bringing the influence of video games into their real play.

The Uncanny Valley (On The Media: Friday, 20 August 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:48 GMT

For the animators of films and video games, creating a truly human looking and acting character has long been the holy grail. But making characters close-to-real and yet not-real-enough leaves them in what's called the 'uncanny valley' where audiences find those characters unsettling, unnatural and zombie-like. OTM producer Jamie York looks at how the entertainment industry has dealt with this issue and what the 'uncanny valley' tells us about ourselves and our future.