On The Media

July 3, 2009 (On The Media: Friday, 03 July 2009)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:00 GMT

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

Debunk This! (On The Media: Friday, 03 July 2009)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:00 GMT

This week, OTM talks about popular cultural myths that refuse to die. The first is a newbie but it seems to have staying power: the rumor that President Obama is a Muslim. A recent 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, 03 July 2009)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:03 GMT

Most obituaries 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, 03 July 2009)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:00 GMT

We recorded this interview during the 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, 03 July 2009)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:00 GMT

Forty-five 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 earlier this year. He says the truth is a bit more complicated.

Great Expectorations (On The Media: Friday, 03 July 2009)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:00 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. Fifteen years ago, sociologist and Vietnam War veteran Jerry Lembcke researched spitting stories in the media during the 1960s and 70s. He told us two years ago that not a single first-hand account was published.

Missile Crisis Memories (On The Media: Friday, 03 July 2009)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:00 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.

June 26, 2009 (On The Media: Friday, 26 June 2009)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:06 GMT

Charges of coziness between the news networks and the White House; NPR's policy on the word "torture"; adventures in ambushing potential interviewees

Getting A Second Opinion (On The Media: Friday, 26 June 2009)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:55 GMT

When ABC broadcast its exclusive health-care-reform town hall meeting with President Obama on Wednesday, one group cried foul. The Media Fairness Caucus, newly formed with some 40 Republican House members, wrote to ABC News president David Westin to complain that Obama wouldn't, couldn't be challenged enough to satisfy them. Both Westin and Caucus head Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas weigh in.

Torturous Wording (On The Media: Friday, 26 June 2009)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:45 GMT

Last week, NPR Ombudsman Alicia Shepard caused a minor uproar after responding to angry emails from listeners over NPR's use of the phrase "enhanced interrogation techniques" to describe treatment of terrorism suspects under the Bush Administration. Shepard talks about NPR's policy and her own opinion on the use of the word "torture."

Leaving the Story (On The Media: Friday, 26 June 2009)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:16 GMT

This week, the Iranian government continued a harsh crackdown on protests and on news outlets covering them. Journalists were expelled from the country. Some were arrested. Others, like Tehran Bureau's Jason Rezaian, were under such severe restrictions that they couldn't effectively report. So Rezaian decided to leave and explains why.

Moving On Up? (On The Media: Friday, 26 June 2009)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:25 GMT

Ross Douthat and Ezra Klein are two new opinion writers at the New York Times and the Washington Post. Both started out in the blogosphere, and both are young - Klein 25, Douthat 29. The two discuss whether they may have actually lost a measure of influence by moving from the net to traditional media.

Help Line (On The Media: Friday, 26 June 2009)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:36 GMT

A few weeks ago Ron Lieber, the New York Times "Your Money" columnist, faced a predicament. He'd undertaken an ambitious research project about student loans that he couldn't possibly finish by his deadline. So he came clean and asked readers for help. Lieber explains his journalistic experiment in mea culpa, crowdsourcing and subtly expanding the print pages of the Times.

Ambushing the Ambushers (On The Media: Friday, 26 June 2009)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:50 GMT

In the past few years, "The O'Reilly Factor" has adopted an old tradition from "60 Minutes"-era TV journalism: the ambush interview. We talk to John Cook, investigations editor for Gawker, who says that Bill O'Reilly uses the ambush to settle personal scores. Plus, OTM producer PJ Vogt describes shadowing Cook as he tried to ambush an ambusher.

The Art of the Ambush (On The Media: Friday, 26 June 2009)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:58 GMT

Legendary producer Lowell Bergman worked for "60 Minutes" for nearly fifteen years. He describes the ambush interview's surprising origins and thorny legal history. He also explains why reporter Mike Wallace eventually stopped using the technique.

June 19, 2009 (On The Media: Friday, 19 June 2009)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:23 GMT

Iranian Clampdown (On The Media: Friday, 19 June 2009)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:37 GMT

The world watched the historic demonstrations against the Iranian regime this week. By Friday, the government had clamped down hard on journalists, whose reporting credentials were not renewed, and inside Iran access to the outside world was hard to come by. UCSD Professor Babak Rahimi was in Tehran and described his feeling of isolation.

Your Turn (On The Media: Friday, 19 June 2009)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:38 GMT

The BBC Persian Service, a satellite channel that broadcasts into Iran, has become a major influence on Iranian society. The interactive show "Your Turn" airs calls and e-mails from those inside the country. "Your Turn" host Siavash Ardalan describes how viewers reported on the sometimes disturbing events taking place this week.

The New Revolution? (On The Media: Friday, 19 June 2009)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:44 GMT

The last time crowds of this size poured onto Tehran's streets was the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Perhaps that's why some in the media have been quick to draw parallels between that period and now. Youseff Ibrahim was the Tehran bureau chief for the New York Times in 1979. He has some reservations about the comparison.

Missed Connections (On The Media: Friday, 19 June 2009)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:53 GMT

The Obama Administration has allocated billions to expand broadband service to underserved areas, but the first step is spending millions of dollars to find those areas. And how that mapping is done will greatly affect whether the digital divide will be bridged. Mark McElroy is the Senior Vice President of Communications for Connected Nation, the nation’s largest broadband service mapping company. Art Brodsky is the communications director for Public Knowledge, a leading critic of Connected Nation’s mapping methodology.

The Stat Police (On The Media: Friday, 19 June 2009)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:56 GMT

Politicians and journalists frequently cite statistics that are misleading, derived from dubious studies, or simply plucked out of thin air. So the U.K. has done something novel: they’ve created a new government agency to ensure that those all-important stats aren't fudged for political purposes. Chairman of the U.K. Statistics Authority, Sir Michael Scholar, explains what they do.

Extreme Makeover: FOIA Edition (On The Media: Friday, 19 June 2009)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:57 GMT

Filing a FOIA request is common practice for investigative reporters, but whether a request is honored sometimes feels like chance. So in 2007 Congress created a kind of FOIA ombudsman: the director of the Office of Government Information Services. Last week Miriam Nisbet, who has worked for the Justice Department and the American Library Association, was named to the post. Nisbet explains how she hopes to improve the FOIA process.

Anonymous Callers (On The Media: Friday, 19 June 2009)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:00 GMT

Guess who’s been visiting the Obama White House? Well, nobody knows. The President is fighting to keep his visitor logs secret, using the same rationale as the Bush Administration. Anne Weismann, of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, is suing to make the logs public.

For the Love of Reading (On The Media: Friday, 19 June 2009)

onthemedia@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:02 GMT

Do you love reading or do you love books? “Sala’s Gift” author Ann Kirschner set out to answer that question by reading the Charles Dickens classic “Little Dorrit” four ways: as a paperback, as an audio book, on her Kindle and on her iPhone. And the winner is …