President Trump is asking lawmakers to claw back over a billion dollars in federal funds for public broadcasting. On this week’s On the Media, the long history of efforts to save—and snuff out—public broadcasting. Plus, the role of public radio across the country, from keeping local governments in check to providing life-saving information during times of crisis.

[01:00]  Hosts Brooke Gladstone and Micah Loewinger explore the history of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and break down its funding with Karen Everhart, managing editor of Current.

[07:59]  Host Micah Loewinger speaks with Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, a member of the Subcommittee which oversees the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, on his decades-long fight with Republican lawmakers to keep NPR and PBS alive.

[13:45]  Host Brooke Gladstone sits down with Mike Gonzalez, a senior fellow at The Heritage Foundation, who authored a part of the foundation’s Project 2025 chapter on ending CPB funding. 

[26:15] Hosts Brooke Gladstone and Micah Loewinger on how public radio stations across the country work to hold local governments accountable, ft: Scott Franz of KUNC in Colorado, Matt Katz formerly of WNYC, and Lindsey Smith of Michigan Public. 

[34:27] Host Micah Loewinger takes a deep dive into the role of public radio during crises, ft: Tom Michael, founder of Marfa Public Radio and Laura Lee, former news director for Blue Ridge Public Radio.

[41:28] Host Brooke Gladstone sits down with Sage Smiley, news director at KYUK in Bethel, Alaska, to talk about the station’s life-saving coverage of the Kuskokwim Ice Road in southwestern Alaska, and what the region would lose without public radio.
 

Further reading:
 

• “End of CPB funding would affect stations of all sizes,” by Adam Ragusea
• “Is there any justification for continuing to ask taxpayers to fund NPR and PBS?” by Mike Gonzalez
• “Should New Jersey Democratic Officials Keep Jailing Immigrants for ICE?” by Matt Katz
• “A secret ballot system at Colorado’s statehouse is quietly killing bills and raising transparency concerns,” by Scott Franz
• “Not Safe to Drink,” a special radio series by Michigan Public
• “The Rock House Fire: 5 Years Later,” by Tom Michael

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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Today's country music industry is deeply associated with a certain jingoistic ‘rally around the flag,' ‘support the troops’ spirit. In this week’s podcast, we're re-airing a conversation with Joseph M. Thompson, author of Cold War Country: How Nashville's Music Row and the Pentagon Created the Sound of American Patriotism.

Micah and Joseph discuss how hillbilly music transformed into the powerful country music industry, starting with a little assistance from the US military in the 1940s and 50s. Plus, how country music came to be linked to a certain type of American patriotism, and why some of country music’s most famous jingoistic songs are more complex than many listeners think. 

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On Tuesday, NPR and three Colorado public radio stations sued the Trump administration for violating the First Amendment. On this week’s On the Media, the soon-to-be lone Democratic commissioner at the FCC speaks out against what she calls the weaponization of her agency. Plus, the final episode of The Divided Dial introduces the unlikely group trying to take over shortwave radio.

[01:37] Host Micah Loewinger speaks with Anna Gomez, soon to be the lone Democratic commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission, about her makeshift media tour–where Gomez is speaking out about what she sees as the weaponization of her agency. 

[12:47] Episode 4 of The Divided Dial, Season 2: Wall St. Wants Your Airwaves. In recent years, creative, often music-focused pirate broadcasting has been thriving on shortwave. Reporter Katie Thornton reveals how these surreptitious broadcasters are up against a surprising enemy: not the FCC, but a deep-pocketed group of finance bros that is trying to wrestle the airwaves away from the public, and use them for a money-making scheme completely antithetical to broadcasting. What do we lose when we give up our public airwaves?

Further reading:

• Remarks of FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez at the 2025 Media Institute Communications Forum, May 15, 2025

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At the Republican National Convention, Donald J. Trump named J.D. Vance as his pick for Vice President. On this week’s On the Media, hear how Vance went from liberal darling to MAGA leader, with a little help from a billionaire. Plus, meet the right-wing Christians who see the failed attempt on Trump’s life as evidence of his divine anointing by God.

[01:00] Host Brooke Gladstone charts the media’s role in shaping J.D. Vance's rise. Vance rose to fame as a liberal media darling who frequently lambasted Donald Trump after the publication of his blockbuster memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” to Trump’s VP pick and a new leader of the MAGA movement. Ian Ward, a reporter at Politico, and Simon van Zuylen-Wood, a staff writer at New York Magazine, speak to how Vance’s vision of America extends far beyond Trumpism. 

[15:03] Host Micah Loewinger speaks with Andrew Prokop, senior politics correspondent at Vox, about Vance’s roots in the so-called New Right, a scrappy but growing offshoot of conservatism that aims to seize and destroy societal institutions they believe are controlled by the left. Plus, John Herrman, tech columnist at New York Magazine, explains what Big Tech sees in MAGA.

[36:35] Brooke speaks with Matthew D. Taylor, author of the forthcoming book The Violent Take it by Force, about how the attempted assassination of Trump has amplified a subset of evangelicals who believe that prophecy foresaw the event. These right-wing Christians see Trump as an anointed candidate, saved by God. 

Further reading / listening:

• The Radicalization of J.D. Vance by Simon van Zuylen-Wood
• 55 Things to Know About JD Vance, Trump’s VP Pick by Ian Ward
• J.D. Vance’s radical plan to build a government of Trump loyalists by Andrew Prokop
• Why Silicon Valley Elites Are Turning MAGA by John Herrman
• How the Assassination Attempt Has Ignited the Prophecy World by Matthew D. Taylor
• The Violent Take It by Force: The Christian Movement That Is Threatening Our Democracy by Matthew D. Taylor

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A special hour on the dodgy world of health news, from scary studies and so-called “medical breakthroughs” to celebrity-endorsed miracle cures and people who fake illness online.

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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Some of Donald Trump's opponents have labeled him a demagogue - but are they right? And, if so, what is there to be done? Plus: Bob reflects on the media feeding frenzy in the house of the San Bernardino shooters; and the life, and self-documented death, of New York Times reporter and AIDS victim Jeffrey Schmalz.

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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Donald Trump’s statements about Muslims cheering after 9/11 are just the latest in a long record of false claims. But if Trump is the most recent, maybe most flamboyant, falsifier to enter US politics, he's not the first and won't be the last. OTM takes a look at political lies, including a taxonomy and history of political untruths; a psychological examination of how and why we lie; and whether, at the end of the day, the most damaging lies aren't the ones we tell ourselves about our fellow citizens.

Discuss on Twitter: #OTMlies

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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In the wake of the attacks in Paris, global terror threats, and renewed debate about mass surveillance and national security, we revisit our special hour on the origins of the infamous Patriot Act, born in a post-9/11 climate of fear. We examine what's in the act: warrantless search and seizure, bulk collection of personal data, intelligence sharing, and more...as well as how much of what we associate with the Patriot Act actually lies in a wild-west of lesser-known programs. Plus, new conversations about France's current state of emergency and a frank look at the sheer ineffectiveness of mass surveillance in fighting terrorism since 9/11. 

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Amid the emotion, fear, and confusion following an attack, a Breaking News Consumer's Handbook for the coverage of terrorism. Plus, the semantics surrounding acts of war and terror, and a look back at lessons learned, and forgotten, in the years since 9/11.

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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OTM examines how the media try to reach us on an emotional level. We look at the New York Times' dive into virtual reality-inspired empathy, and Europe's "compassion fatigue" with migration. Plus: why clickbait is king, the lucrative "hate read", why the University of Missouri protesters' media-free zone is about more than press freedom, and more.

Discuss on Twitter: #OTMempathy, #OTMmissouri, #OTMvr, #OTMaylan, #OTMupworthy, #OTMcarebot, #OTMheart, #OTMclickbait, #OTMhatereads

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ExxonMobil is under investigation by the New York State Attorney General for potentially misleading shareholders about the threat of climate change. The subpoena comes after reports, including from InsideClimate News, about Exxon's pivot from supporting state-of-the-art research to funding a network of climate denial groups.

Observers have noted that Exxon's campaign of misinformation mirrors what Big Tobacco did about the risks of smoking. That industry is still paying a $246 billion settlement. Bob discusses the pattern, the two prosecutions, and what might come next with Naomi Oreskes of Harvard, co-author of Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming. 

Then, Bob revisits his conversation earlier this fall with ExxonMobil's Richard Keil, who responded to the InsideClimate News reporting. 

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Republican presidential candidates try to reassert control over the debate process, but they can't quite agree on how. Plus: in praise of the "gotcha" question; some optimism on the newspaper industry; and Bob talks with Alec Baldwin on all things media. 

Discuss on Twitter: #OTMDebate, #OTMGotcha, #OTMLessig, #OTMbiz, #OTMespn, #OTMBaldwin

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The launch of a collaboration between On the Media and Nate Silver’s 538 to track the push and pull between polling, media coverage, and public interest in candidates. Plus: a look at the long history of savvy political candidates campaigning as Washington "outsiders"; debunking the supposed "Ferguson effect"; and Spotlight, a new movie about the Boston Globe's investigation into the Catholic Church sex scandal, celebrates the power of the press. 

Discuss on Twitter: #OTMRubio, #OTM_538, #OTMOutsiders, #OTMFerguson, #OTMSpotlight

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A farewell to coverage of Joe Biden's non-existent presidential campaign. Plus: clarifying the misleading language of drone warfare and what it says about policy; a new film examines Dan Rather's downfall at CBS; the Lockerbie bombing investigation gets leads from a documentary; and a story about the Benghazi attack that you didn't hear at the committee hearing this week. 

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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Across the globe, summers are getting unseasonably, and scarily hot, and last year the United Nations announcing that we've entered the era of "global boiling."  And yet it's hard to grapple with the damage caused by extreme heat. It's the deadliest kind of climate disaster, but victims of heat often die out of sight of the public eye. FEMA doesn't even respond to extreme heat waves in the way it does to other "major disasters." Jake Bittle is a staff writer at Grist covering climate impact.  Brooke spoke to Bittle last year about the invisibility of extreme heat, the challenge it presents to news outlets, and the potential value of naming heat waves. 

This is a segment from our August 18, 2023 show, Read All About It.

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Playboy has announced it will soon stop publishing full nudes. We look at the history of men's magazines and what it means that sex doesn't sell in print for the magazine anymore. Plus: "who won the debate?"; Bernie Sanders versus the media; a new privacy win in Europe; and more. 

Discuss on Twitter: #OTMdebate, #OTMbernie, #OTMgallup, #OTMprivacy, #OTMplayboy

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OTM digs into the Supreme Court, an institution as secretive as it is powerful -- and how we understand it through the media. Plus: how regular people become poster children for thorny legal issues, potential press influence on the court, and cameras in the courtroom: now set to music.

Discuss on Twitter: #OTMSCOTUS

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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Over the last 2,500 years, cancer has shifted from a disease in the shadows to one at the center of scientific research and public discussion. On the Media dives deep into the way we talk about cancer: in the news, in the hospital, and in our private lives.

This episode is the first of a two-part series: find our second hour on cancer here. 

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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With Pope Francis in the US this week, we examine why pundits try so hard to assess the pontiff’s remarks through the lens of 2016 politics. Plus: why the AP is scrapping the term “climate change denier” – and a new collection of fiction gives voices to figures sidelined by history. 

Discuss on Twitter: #OTMpope, #OTMclimate, #OTMpolling, #OTMhoax, #OTMnarrative

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Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you've probably heard that Pope Francis is in the U.S. this week. To celebrate His Holiness's arrival, we thought we'd give you a pope primer. Back in December of 2013, when Pope Francis first became a media darling, Brooke examined what makes his messaging so viral-friendly.

If you like what we do, please rate us on iTunes! And as always, follow us on Twitter @onthemedia. 

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This week’s GOP presidential debate was full of barbs, zingers, and over talk but was severely lacking in the fact-checking department. We consider the role of journalists when they play debate moderator. Plus, as the European refugee crisis continues, a debunking of the viral images that are channeling hatred and xenophobia. And, exposing Exxon's flip floppery on climate change.

Discuss on Twitter:

#OTMdebate

#OTMexxon

#OTMrefugees

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On the language debate surrounding the Mediterranean crisis, debunking migration myths both foreign and domestic, and a visit to the 9/11 museum. 

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The rhetoric of ads on the Iran nuclear agreement, the ongoing fall out of the Ashley Madison hack, and the end of an iconic Spanish language variety show.

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Each week through Labor Day, we'll be pulling an OTM gem from our vast archives for you to enjoy on the beach, in a park... or on a sticky subway, while imagining you're on a beach.

For the last episode of our summer listening series, we present our first and only effort at full-fledged radio theatre: Pledge This! 

To hear more of our summer listening, don't forget to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review while you're there! And as always, follow us on twitter @OnTheMedia.

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The push for a female libido pill reveals misunderstandings about female sexuality. Plus: Jorge Ramos' confrontation with the GOP front-runner; a guide to parsing stock market coverage; and an Instagram star is revealed as a joke-thief.

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Immigration is one of the most important issues in this year’s presidential election. This week, On the Media traces how root causes of mass migration from Central America to the United States over the past decade stem back to the Cold War. Plus, a deep dive on terms like “colonialism” and “decolonization,” and what they mean in the context of Israel-Palestine.

[01:00] Host Brooke Gladstone speaks with Jonathan Blitzer, who covers immigration for The New Yorker and is author of the book, Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here, about how the root causes of mass migration from Central America to the United States over the past decade stem back to the Cold War. This interview originally aired on our February 2, 2024 show.

[15:30] Brooke continues her conversation with Jonathan Blitzer about how the past and future of Central America and the United States are inextricable, and the far-reaching consequences of Congress’ refusal to reform the immigration system since 1990. This interview originally aired on our February 2, 2024 show.

[30:58] Brooke Gladstone speaks with Iyad el-Baghdadi, a Palestinian human rights activist, writer, and co-author of The Middle East Crisis Factory, about the value of historical parallels to describe the conflict in Palestine, and why the precise meanings behind words like “decolonization” and “colonialism” are crucial. This interview originally aired on our March 8, 2024 show.

Further reading / listening:

• Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here
• The Middle East Crisis Factory

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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Each week through Labor Day, we'll be pulling an OTM gem from our vast archives for you to enjoy on the beach, in a park... or on a sticky subway, while imagining you're on a beach.

For the eighth episode of our summer listening series, former producer-at-large Mike Pesca (now host of the Gist) takes a look at the sweetest part of America's favorite pastime.

To hear more of our summer listening, don't forget to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review while you're there! And as always, follow us on twitter @OnTheMedia.

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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A decade after Hurricane Katrina, the story of two nursing home owners who became media scapegoats for the tragedy in New Orleans. Plus, a bit of indulgent speculation about a Trump presidency, the NSA's "house philosopher," and activists protesting new surveillance technologies with a tool of the past: faxes. 

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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On January 20, 2017, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. Impossible? Sure. But it happened anyway.

From the not too distant future, we relive the shock and confusion of those early days and trace the path, tragically predictable but not without surprises, of the next four years. How could such a thing happen? What did it mean? And is it possible that it wasn't all bad? 

Adapted from the article by Jon Lovett for The Atlantic.

Narration by Andy Lanset

Trump impersonation by Ed Kelly

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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Each week through Labor Day, we'll be pulling an OTM gem from our vast archives for you to enjoy on the beach, in a park... or on a sticky subway, while imagining you're on a beach.

For the seventh episode of our summer listening series, one man heads on a quixotic quest to become a TV pundit. Some television talking heads seem born for the job; others needs a little more help, as you'll soon see.

To hear more of our summer listening, don't forget to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review while you're there! And as always, follow us on twitter @OnTheMedia.

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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After Donald Trump insulted Fox News' Megyn Kelly, the network made a strange deal with the GOP front runner. We hear what it says about media relationships with candidates in this election cycle. Plus, an anniversary in Ferguson, and writer David Lipsky on his interviews with the late David Foster Wallace. 

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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Brooke sat down with writer David Lipsky, whose "reporter tennis" interviews with author David Foster Wallace are dramatized in the film The End of The Tour. With the movie out in wide release this week, he and Brooke listen back to the original tapes Lipsky made over five days in 1996, and which formed the basis of his book Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace. They discuss the delicate bond the writers formed, and what it's like to hear his interview tapes acted out by Jesse Eisenberg (Lipsky) and Jason Segal (Wallace). Plus, their takes on Baywatch, success, and (yes) women. 

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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Each week through Labor Day, we'll be pulling an OTM gem from our vast archives for you to enjoy on the beach, in a park... or on a sticky subway, while imagining you're on a beach.

For the sixth episode of our summer listening series, we take a deep dive into the world of television pitchmen and the fine art of the infomercial. All we can say here is, you won't believe it does that. 

To hear more of our summer listening, don't forget to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review while you're there! And as always, follow us on twitter @OnTheMedia.

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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A special hour on the enthralling genre of true crime. 

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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Each week through Labor Day, we'll be pulling an OTM gem from our vast archives for you to enjoy on the beach, in a park... or on a sticky subway, while imagining you're on a beach.

For the fifth episode of our summer listening series, we offer an exploration of the fear-inducing "uncanny valley," to help you pinpoint what's so creepy about some of your favorite summer blockbusters.

To hear more of our summer listening, don't forget to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review while you're there! And as always, follow us on twitter @OnTheMedia.

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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On this week's show, we feature a segment on the rampant exaggerations, deceptions, and outright lies flourishing across the health media landscape. Take our quiz and find out how smart a health news consumer you really are.

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On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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In January 2023, a TV show called In the Know debuted on Peacock. The comedy is a parody of a daily NPR show produced in New York City, with rather cringey characters portrayed by stop-motion puppets. Each episode also features an interview with a real person who appears on Zoom. The show is written by Zach Woods, Brandon Gardner, and Mike Judge, creator of Beavis and Butthead (who also voices the character of Sandy the movie critic). Woods, known for playing Gabe on The Office and Jared from Silicon Valley, plays the central role of Lauren Caspian, billed as the third most famous NPR host. Brooke speaks with Zach Woods and Brandon Gardner about why public radio provides such rich ground for satire, and how comedy can restore complexity to the world. 

This interview originally aired on our January 26, 2024 show.

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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The booms and busts of political reporting, a skeptical look into health and diet news, and an indie throwback film gets the red carpet treatment. 

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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Each week through Labor Day, we'll be pulling an OTM gem from our vast archives for you to enjoy on the beach, in a park... or on a sticky subway, while imagining you're on a beach.

For the fourth episode of our summer listening series, a look at corporate anthems: what are they, and who are they for? Plus, an earworm of an anthem you won't be able to shake. 

To hear more of our summer listening, don't forget to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review while you're there! And as always, follow us on twitter @OnTheMedia.

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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Revisiting the Elián González story as the US embassy reopens in Havana. Plus: Paul Ford examines the various issues raised by the Ashley Madison hack, and Jon Ronson on public shaming.

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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Each week through Labor Day, we'll be pulling an OTM gem from our vast archives for you to enjoy on the beach, in a park... or on a sticky subway, while imagining you're on a beach.

For the third episode of our summer listening series, Brooke shadows a former New York Post reporter with a singular beat. If you've seen the movie Nightcrawler, this one's for you. 

To hear more of our summer listening, don't forget to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review while you're there! And as always, follow us on twitter @OnTheMedia.

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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Listening in on the national conversation about race, two years after the launch of the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Plus, the LA Times hires a reporter to cover #BlackTwitter, and the re-release of a satirical novel about bi-racial identity.

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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Welcome to our new summer series!

Each week through Labor Day, we'll be pulling an OTM gem from our vast archives for you to enjoy on the beach, in a park... or on a sticky subway, while imagining you're on a beach. 

For our second installment of our summer listening series, the story of an actor who's appeared in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars, and Toy Story, to name a few. Well, not quite an actor, but a star nonetheless. 

To hear more of our summer listening, don't forget to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review while you're there! And as always, follow us on twitter @OnTheMedia. 

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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Bob dissects the media's sloppy and disingenuous use of polls to fill air time and manufacture conflict. Plus: how the Dominican press is covering a a looming humanitarian crisis there; blocking ad-blockers; DuckDuckGo; and more.

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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Welcome to our new summer series!

Each week through Labor Day, we'll be pulling an OTM gem from our vast archives for you to enjoy on the beach, in a park... or on a sticky subway, while imagining you're on a beach. 

For our first installation, a very classic and very special piece from one of our favorite contributors, John Solomon. If you've ever wondered about the inner workings of On the Media, you'll be sure to enjoy this one. 

In 2010, John passed away from complications with leukemia, but his witty, incisive voice can be heard in many of his OTM pieces, like this one called "Playing One on TV" and many more. 

To hear more of our summer listening, don't forget to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review while you're there! And as always, follow us on twitter @OnTheMedia. 

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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On the popular misconceptions surrounding the Greek debt crisis, women whose lives were mistold by the media, and humor, both robotic and Soviet.

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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On this week’s episode of On the Media, we’re engaging in some chillingly informed speculation: what would happen if we, as a species, lost access to our electronic records? What if, either by the slow creep of  technological obsolescence or sudden cosmic disaster, we no longer could draw from the well of of knowledge accrued through the ages? What if we fell into...a digital dark age?

One scenario we explore isn’t speculative: it’s real. In the 1990’s, NASA experienced its own version of a digital dark age, when more than a million reels of data -- including the 1969 Apollo Moonwalk video and Earthrise, the iconic picture of our planet floating above the surface of the moon -- were either destroyed or rendered unreadable. We hear from Keith Cowing, a former NASA employee and co-founder of an initiative to rescue images and readings from the Lunar Orbiter missions, including that 1966 Earthrise photo: the first view of Earth from the moon.

Earth taken from Lunar Orbiter 1 in 1966. This is the poor-quality image originally shown to the public.
(wikimedia commons)

Internet pioneer and Google’s Chief Internet Evangelist Vint Cerf says we’ve grown complacent in our approach to media storage. If we don’t take action now, he warns, we may find ourselves lost in a future where we can’t access important media documents, scientific data, or treasured family photos. He tells us about combating the phenomenon he calls “bit rot,” as well as the role he thinks Google ought to play in the fight.

Vint Cerf, one of the Internet's many fathers. (flickr)

Meanwhile, in outer space, we look at the possibility of digital disruption from an unexpected source: the sun. Earlier this week, a solar flare caused auroras in the night sky as far south as Georgia. And in 1859, a huge flare caused telegraph machines to spontaneously catch fire. Astronomer Lucianne Walkowicz tells us that story, and explains the science behind it.

A solar flare! (wikimedia commons)

If we’ve gotten you sufficiently concerned about your personal histories falling victim to defunct hard drives and ephemeral cloud storage, never fear, DNA is here! We hear from Dr. Nick Goldman, a genome scientist who thinks coding information inside DNA is the best way to apocalypse-proof the world’s data.

Plus, Margaret Atwood, chronicler of all things dystopian, tells us about her latest work… which won’t be published for 99 years.

A specially planted forest in Norway will eventually supply the paper for Atwood’s book.
(Shutterstock)

We also have a resource guide to help you protect (or recover) your media from obsolescence. 

Subscribe to the On the Media podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts, or listen on our website.

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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Every year on the Fourth of July, households across America embrace the aesthetics of patriotism. On this week’s On the Media, find out how the early country music industry got a major boost from the US military and became associated with the “sound of patriotism.” Plus, how a song written by a Canadian became an anthem for the Confederate “lost cause.”

[01:00] Host Micah Loewinger speaks with Joseph Thompson, a professor of history and author of the new book Cold War Country, about how hillbilly music transformed into the powerful country music industry, starting with a little assistance from the US military in the 1940s and 50s.

[18:40] Micah continues his conversation with Joseph Thompson about how country music came to be linked to a certain type of American patriotism, and why some of country music’s most famous jingoistic songs are more complex than many listeners think. 

[32:15] Brooke Gladstone speaks with Jack Hamilton, pop critic for Slate and author of the book Just Around Midnight: Rock and Roll and the Racial Imagination, about how “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” became an anthem for the Confederate ‘Lost Cause.’ This interview originally aired on our January 8th, 2021 show.

Further reading / listening:

• Cold War Country: How Nashville's Music Row and the Pentagon Created the Sound of American Patriotism
• Just Around Midnight: Rock and Roll and the Racial Imagination

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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What if, either by the slow creep of technological obsolescence or sudden cosmic disaster, we were cut off from our electronic records? 

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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In the wake of another mass shooting tragedy, Brooke looks back at a history of racially-motivated hate crimes. Plus, the strength and responsibility of comedy in the face of extremism, misconceptions about the future of the Affordable Care Act, and the climate change deniers' "I'm not a scientist" defense.

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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