On the Media
WNYC Studios
On the Media is a weekly show that uses the media as a lens to understand our world. On the Media listeners say the show is an essential companion, helping them survive the firehose of media coming at them 24/7. Hosted by Brooke Gladstone and Micah Loewinger, the show does not do ‘hot takes’, instead offering listeners context, historical parallels, media analysis and often a much appreciated deep exhale. On the Media hosts have an eye on the nuances and details regularly missed by other outlets which helps listeners understand where they should be paying attention (and what they can afford to ignore). Our media diets have untruths woven in, and inconvenient truths left out. These are the bits explored every week at On the Media.
Episodes
Mentioned books
12 snips
Apr 8, 2026 • 22min
A New Day for the Press in Hungary?
Ivan Nagy, a Columbia Journalism Review reporter covering Hungary's media and politics, discusses how independent outlets and viral investigations propelled opposition leader Peter Magyar into contention. He recounts whistleblower revelations, surveillance and threats to reporters. He lays out the risks to press freedom under either leader and what recovery might look like for Hungarian journalism.
28 snips
Apr 3, 2026 • 51min
Pete Hegseth is Praying for a Holy War
Brian Kaylor, Baptist minister and author exploring Christian nationalist theology; Marlene Laruelle, professor studying theopolitics and illiberalism; Alejandra Caraballo, civil rights attorney focused on trans legal battles. They unpack Hegseth’s Pentagon prayer meetings and militant theology. They analyze Peter Thiel’s Vatican lectures and tech-driven religion. They trace legal strategies and state tactics targeting trans people.
6 snips
Apr 1, 2026 • 22min
The Danger of Keeping Score
C. Thi Nguyen, philosopher of games and author of The Score, explores how metrics and gamification reshape what we value. He discusses how scoring systems steer attention, migrate into everyday life, and compress complex values into rankings. Short, provocative takes probe when scores help play and when they hijack meaning.
Mar 27, 2026 • 50min
The Pentagon Kicks the Press Out … Again
Laura Poitras, investigative filmmaker (Citizenfour) who made Cover-Up about Seymour Hersh. Cam Higby, Pentagon correspondent and social creator who accepted new access rules. They discuss shrinking press access at the Pentagon and who now staffs its briefings. Conversations cover the risks to investigative tradecraft and how new rules reshape what can be reported.
24 snips
Mar 25, 2026 • 25min
Trans People are Facing a 'Dual State' in Trump's America
Alejandra Caraballo, a civil rights attorney and Harvard Law clinical instructor who analyzes LGBTQ+ and digital civil liberties, discusses the surge of laws and legal tactics targeting trans people. She explains the 'dual state' framework, describes practical harms like ID loss and privacy violations, and traces how policy and rhetoric aim to exclude trans people from public life.
7 snips
Mar 20, 2026 • 50min
Trump Demands Patriotic Coverage of the War in Iran. Or Else….
Erik Slavin, Editor-in-Chief of Stars and Stripes, defends independent military reporting. Minnah Arshad, journalist, analyzes early New York Times coverage and casualty representation. Mahsa Alimardani, researcher on AI disinformation, maps how fake images and verification battles are shaping the Iran conflict. They discuss media framing, casualty undercounting, and AI-fueled visual misinformation.
Mar 18, 2026 • 21min
A Win For Mr. Nobody!
Pasha Talankin, a high school teacher and co-creator/star of the documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin, filmed state-directed lessons in his Russian school. He talks about organizing student filmmaking, government curriculum scripts and monitoring, symbolic classroom acts of dissent, encounters with Wagner visitors, and the risks that led him to leave his hometown.
29 snips
Mar 13, 2026 • 50min
Hegseth’s Pentagon Axed a Program Meant to Save Civilian Lives
Wes J. Bryant, retired Air Force Master Sergeant and former Pentagon policy advisor who built a civilian harm mitigation initiative. David Gilbert, WIRED reporter on disinformation and online extremism. They talk about the Pentagon canceling a program meant to protect civilians and the consequences for targeting and accountability. They also explore how various right-wing corners are processing the Epstein files and conspiratorial reinterpretations.
16 snips
Mar 11, 2026 • 14min
A Good Sign For the VOA?
Nicole Hemmer, a political historian at Vanderbilt who studies U.S. political media and presidential history, traces Voice of America’s origins in WWII and its use of news and culture to project American values. She discusses VOA’s commitment to truthful reporting, its Cold War and post–Cold War roles, debates over cultural imperialism and bias, and recent political moves to reshape or dismantle the service.
22 snips
Mar 7, 2026 • 51min
The AI-Powered War Machines Are Here
Siva Vaidhyanathan, media studies professor who analyzes tech and democracy. Alan Rozenshtein, law professor who focuses on national security law. Zack Beauchamp, Vox correspondent studying democratic resilience. They discuss U.S. military use of AI for targeting, legal fights over defense access to AI firms, AI-tested battlefields like Ukraine and Gaza, and global lessons for defending democracy.
