On The Media

February 5, 2010 (On The Media: Friday, 05 February 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:53 GMT

A Shot of Reality (On The Media: Friday, 05 February 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:13 GMT

The week, The Lancet formally retracted a deeply flawed study that suggested a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. The 1998 study has provided fuel for the anti-vaccine movement for years. The Lancet's editor Richard Horton describes how this debacle has forever changed the way the journal will deal with the scientific community and the media.

Health Scare (On The Media: Friday, 05 February 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:21 GMT

The H1N1 virus hasn’t proven as deadly as first feared. A German epidemiologist named Wolfgang Wodarg says the WHO intentionally overstated the threat. Others blame the media. We asked The New York Times health reporter Donald McNeil, sociologist Eric Klinenberg, and the CDC's Glen Nowak whether the media overstated the threat or helped contain the virus.

A Network of Their Own (On The Media: Friday, 05 February 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:28 GMT

In an attempt to bypass the pesky media and get news directly to the fans, sports leagues have been creating their own television networks. Case in point: the admission of St. Louis Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire last month on the MLB Network that he used steroids during his playing days is "a historic, seminal event in the evolution of sports media in America,” says Tim Franklin, director of the National Sports Journalism Center.

Field Guide (On The Media: Friday, 05 February 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:36 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 Chris Suellentrop in this month’s Wired Magazine, the trend has reversed. A generation of actual NFL players, raised on games like Madden NFL, are bringing the influence of video games into their real play.

Game Time (On The Media: Friday, 05 February 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:43 GMT

The typical televised football game lasts about three hours. But according to a recent study by The Wall Street Journal, only 11 minutes of that time is actually devoted to live play. Bob Fishman is a game director for CBS Sports, the person who decides what home viewers see and when they see it. He explains how he spends the other two hours and 49 minutes of a broadcast.

Trauma at Home (On The Media: Friday, 05 February 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:52 GMT

When we think of journalists experiencing trauma, we often think of war correspondents and yet trauma can happen in one’s own backyard. Two years ago, a shooting rampage in the small community of Kirkwood, Missouri left local journalists covering the murders of their friends and neighbors. Don Corrigan, editor of The Webster-Kirkwood Times, says he’s never seen journalism in the same light since that day.

With Love and Squalor (On The Media: Friday, 05 February 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:59 GMT

JD Salinger died last week, nearly 50 years after publishing his last short story. The reclusive author claimed to have been writing novels in private over the last half century. Slate columnist and devoted Salingerophile Ron Rosenbaum talks about what might be locked in Salinger's safe, and when we might get to see it.

The Ocean Full of Bowling Balls (On The Media: Friday, 05 February 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:04 GMT

Some unpublished Salinger writing has already found its way into the world. For instance, the Firestone Library at Princeton University has a collection of never-published stories by the author. While patrons aren't allowed to check them out or even to photocopy them, that hasn't stopped obsessive Salinger fans from making the pilgramage to see the stories. OTM producer PJ Vogt is one such fan.

January 29, 2010 (On The Media: Friday, 29 January 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:24 GMT

The meaning of "middle class"; covering Haiti after the initial crisis; iPad: awesome or...meh?

Up With People (On The Media: Friday, 29 January 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:11 GMT

For over a century, politicians trying to rally their base and refocus voter anger have relied on a durable rhetorical tactic - populism - the framing of virtually any issue as us vs. them. President Obama used the strategy in his State of the Union address. Historian and author Michael Kazin describes the tradition and tactics of rallying the masses.

Playing to the Middle (On The Media: Friday, 29 January 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:18 GMT

If you believe the conventional wisdom of both the White House and the punditry, America’s middle class is under attack, in decline and threatened with total extinction. But who exactly are the middle class and where is the evidence of their impending doom? Economist Stephen J. Rose says the rumors of the middle class demise are greatly exaggerated.

The Long Run (On The Media: Friday, 29 January 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:24 GMT

The Western press descended on Haiti following the devastating earthquake there. But less than a month after the tragedy, most U.S. journalists have already left. The AP's Haiti correspondent, Jonathan Katz, was one of the few journalists in Haiti before the quake. He talks about reporting from the island before, during, and after the flood of attention.

Another Week in Iraq (On The Media: Friday, 29 January 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:39 GMT

Western journalists were among the targets of suicide bombers in Baghdad this week. The Washington Post and several other news organizations lost their bureaus in the blasts and their employees suffered injuries. The Post's Baghdad Bureau Chief Ernesto Londono describes what happened and talks about how long news organizations can continue their commitment to covering Iraq.

Sim City Baghdad (On The Media: Friday, 29 January 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:46 GMT

The U.S. Army has long used video games to train troops in conventional warfare. But the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are anything but conventional. US troops fighting insurgencies need a unique skill set, one they're learning from a simulator that resembles the popular game SimCity. Kim LeMasters, creative director of the Institute for Creative Technologies, describes how UrbanSim works.

Tear Down that Firewall (On The Media: Friday, 29 January 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:53 GMT

Suddenly it seems, after years of teeth-clenched tolerance, corporate and political entities here in the U.S. – including Google and the State Department – are intent on confronting China over suppression of speech on the Internet. Chinese media analyst Jeremy Goldkorn says that the Chinese government has waged an all-fronts propaganda battle in response.

The Internet (Addiction) Age (On The Media: Friday, 29 January 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:16 GMT

South Koreans were among the first to truly embrace the internet. Perhaps that’s why the country has also become one of the first to treat internet addiction as a psychiatric disorder. Author Douglas Rushkoff traveled to South Korea for an upcoming series that will air on PBS' "Frontline" next week. Rushkoff gives us a glimpse into South Korea's battle against digital obsession.

The Final Screen? (On The Media: Friday, 29 January 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:05 GMT

Apple released its tablet computer this week after years of speculation. The tech media went wild with some loving the iPad and others leaving disappointed. OTM producer Mark Phillips chimes in on why everyone is so anxious to see the device in action.

January 22, 2010 (On The Media: Friday, 22 January 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:49 GMT

The ethics of medical journalism in Haiti; searching for meaning in the Massachusetts election; tabloids, then and now

Operating Theater (On The Media: Friday, 22 January 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:03 GMT

In Haiti this past week, American networks featured their medical correspondents acting as both reporter and doctor, often simultaneously. On CNN, CBS, NBC and ABC, newsmen and women became part of the story, raising ethical questions both medical and journalistic. A former television news producer, a former medical reporter and media ethicists weigh in.

Danger In Numbers (On The Media: Friday, 22 January 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:48 GMT

Some OTM listeners following the coverage of the earthquake in Haiti have written us to point out the sheer numbers of reporters who had made their way to the stricken island. In a commentary for The New Republic, senior editor Noam Scheiber suggests that the press should cover disasters like Haiti the same way it covers the day-to-day activities of the President: through a pool.

Local Angle (On The Media: Friday, 22 January 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:35 GMT

Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts surprised many in media and political circles. But surely the local press and pundits who followed the race closely for months saw it coming? Not so much. Boston Phoenix political reporter David Bernstein describes what he, and the rest of the local media, missed.

Absence Minded (On The Media: Friday, 22 January 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:31 GMT

The results of Tuesday’s special election in Massachusetts were a clear repudiation of President Obama’s health care reform plans. Or, a vote of frustration against federal government overspending. Or, a vote against Martha Coakley’s abysmally run campaign. In fact, choose whichever you prefer, because without reliable polling before or after the vote it’s anyone’s guess. Andrew Kohut of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press explains man’s search for meaning.

Is 60 the Magic Number? (On The Media: Friday, 22 January 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:20 GMT

The media reminded us over and over this week that the Democrats' 60th vote was at stake in the Massachusetts special election even though a bill only needs 51 votes to pass the Senate. It is ending a filibuster that requires 60 yay's. James Fallows, national correspondent for The Atlantic magazine, says the media have done a poor job of clarifying this point, thereby obscuring a historic shift in the democratic process.

Campaign Finance Unreformed (On The Media: Friday, 22 January 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:21 GMT

The Supreme Court ruled this week to overturn a century-old limit on corporate spending in political elections. Corporations, unions and political groups can now spend as much as they want on political advertising, so long as they don't give directly to a candidate. No one's exactly sure what this means for future elections, but all are fairly certainly that we'll be seeing a lot more ads.

Pulitzer Surprise? (On The Media: Friday, 22 January 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:21 GMT

The National Enquirer has gotten a lot of mainstream press recognition recently for singlehandedly breaking John Edwards’ affair with Rielle Hunter. On the heels of last week's admission by Edwards that he is the father of an illegitimate child with Hunter, the tabloid has announced it is submitting its coverage for the Pulitzer Prize. Executive Editor Barry Levine discusses the chances and the Enquirer’s image in the mainstream press.

Pulp Non-Fiction (On The Media: Friday, 22 January 2010)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 04:14 GMT

For five scandal-ridden years in the mid 1950’s, Confidential was the most popular, pulpiest, dishiest, Hollywood-shaking, gossip rag in the nation. And it insisted that its stories, no matter how sensational, be true. Confidential defied the studios, exposed the foibles of Hollywood brightest stars and laid the groundwork for our modern 24/7 celebrity culture. Henry Scott, author of a new book Shocking True Story, tells Confidential’s story.