On the Media

A special hour on the publishing industry and the resurgence of print--from Amazon’s flirtation with brick-and-mortar bookstores to the success of wholesale suppliers shilling books by the foot as decorative objects. Plus, South Korea’s well-funded quest for a Nobel Prize in Literature, the subversive history of adult coloring books, and more. 

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When New York Times book critic Michiko Kakutani reviewed reporter Kim Barker’s 2011 memoir, The Taliban Shuffle, she described Barker as “a sort of Tina Fey character, who unexpectedly finds herself addicted to the adrenaline rush of war.” That line piqued the interest of a certain actress and producer; not long after, Paramount Pictures acquired the rights to The Taliban Shuffle. The resulting movie, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, stars Fey as a journalist named "Kim Baker." Bob talks with Kim Barker about how she learned the ropes as a conflict journalist in the early days of war in Afghanistan, and what it's like to have Tina Fey play you in a movie. 

Political commentators have repeatedly, reliably, been wrong this election season. There was the improbable Bernie Sanders. The inevitable Jeb Bush. The passing-fad Donald Trump. Now that we've landed so far from where we began, we examine why pundits make such bad predictions, and why they probably won't stop.

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 [email protected].

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Primary voters in twelve states (and American Samoa) head to the polls on Super Tuesday -- and media expectations are high. Our collaborators at the data news site FiveThirtyEight have a politics podcast, and this week their look at Super Tuesday explains how to read the Super Tuesday results, including media declarations of "inevitability" and "momentum."  Plus: why Donald Trump's candidacy has thrown forecasting models into disarray. We play two long excerpts from the podcast, which you can listen to in its entirety here. 

You can subscribe to FiveThirtyEight's podcasts here. 

President Obama's latest attempt to close Guantanamo Bay prison has been met with fierce opposition from Congress. We look at what the prison has come to mean to the American public...and what it means for jihadists. Plus: a look at vigilante groups fighting to uphold their version of the law on both sides of the US-Mexico border, the Apple/FBI showdown, and the GOP "front-runner" who has yet to actually win a primary or caucus. 

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 [email protected].

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The Academy Award-nominated movie "Spotlight" depicts the Boston Globe's Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation that uncovered the systemic sexual abuse and widespread cover up in the Catholic church, with refreshing accuracy. Get ready for Sunday night's Oscars by listening to Brooke's conversation with Walter Robinson, who headed the investigation and is played by Michael Keaton in the film, and Sacha Pfeiffer, who was one of the four reporters on the team and is played by Rachel McAdams. They talk about what it was like to see themselves on the silver screen, and the continuing impact of their award-winning reporting.

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A political battle is raging over Justice Scalia's replacement on the high court. But what does the public really know about how the court operates? We revisit our special hour on the Supreme Court, from the unknowable impact of the decisions to the justices' peculiar traditions. Plus: how popular culture frames our understanding and the not-so-evolving position on cameras in the courtroom. 

A political battle is raging over Justice Scalia's replacement on the high court. But what does the public really know about how the court operates? We revisit our special hour on the Supreme Court, from the unknowable impact of the decisions to the justices' peculiar traditions. Plus: how popular culture frames our understanding and the not-so-evolving position on cameras in the courtroom. 

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 [email protected].

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A report linking the uptick in microcephaly cases in Brazil to a pesticide -- not Zika -- went viral this weekend. Turns out, it's scientifically baseless. Bob talks with Anna Almendrala, who debunked the story in the Huffington Post, about the interest group behind the report, how Monsanto got thrown into the mix, and why the story is ripe for belief despite clear red flags. 

For more On the Media, follow us on Twitter @OnTheMedia, and subscribe to our newsletter on our website, www.onthemedia.org/newsletter.

The threat of the Zika virus has been covered extensively, but the reality is still largely unknown. A look away from the panicked headlines at what we know and don't know about the virus, as well as how Zika serves as a window into global questions surrounding climate change and reproductive rights.

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 [email protected].

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