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
47 snips
Feb 28, 2026 • 51min
The Ellisons Prepare to Expand Their Media Empire
Craig Renaud, filmmaker who made an Oscar‑nominated film about his brother Brent, reflects on long‑form war reporting and personal loss. Jodi Ginsberg, head of the Committee to Protect Journalists, discusses 2025 as the deadliest year for press members and patterns of targeted killings. Victor Pickard, media policy professor, explains media capture, consolidation, and why reform matters for democracy.
50 snips
Feb 25, 2026 • 21min
The Century-Long Capture of U.S. Media
Victor Pickard, University of Pennsylvania media policy professor and author, explores a century of media capture. He traces newspapers' turn to ad revenue, broadcast consolidation and failed regulation. He criticizes billionaire ownership, shows how public media was underfunded, and argues for treating media as a public good to counter oligarchic and authoritarian pressures.
24 snips
Feb 21, 2026 • 50min
The Man With a Plan to Reshape Broadcast TV
Daniel Suhr, president of the Center for American Rights and legal strategist behind recent FCC complaints. Jim Rutenberg, NYT media reporter tracing regulatory history. They discuss a campaign to revive old broadcast rules, how the FCC might pressure networks, and plans to reshape TV and ownership to shift programming and influence during elections.
18 snips
Feb 18, 2026 • 9min
Orson Welles and the Blind Soldier
Orson Welles, iconic actor-director famous for Citizen Kane, uses his 1946 radio platform to investigate a brutal assault. Narrators and interviewees from Radio Diaries provide historical context and eyewitness testimony about Isaac Woodard’s blinding. The story follows the crime, the baffling mystery of where it happened, and the mobilization that pushed the case into the national spotlight.
31 snips
Feb 14, 2026 • 51min
The Social Media Addiction Trials Begin
Madlin Mekelburg, Bloomberg legal reporter who covered the California trial; Julia Angwin, investigative journalist and founder of Proof News; Judd Legum, author of Popular Information. They discuss the landmark suit accusing Meta and Google of designing addictive features for kids. They explore habit versus addiction, grayscale and policy fixes, and how prediction markets are creeping into newsrooms.
30 snips
Feb 11, 2026 • 18min
An Internet Blackout Hides A Regime's Excesses
Mahsa Alimardani, associate director at WITNESS who specializes in visual verification and digital rights, discusses Iran's near three-week internet blackout. She talks about how shutdowns silence protest documentation. She explores AI-enabled disinformation, satellite workarounds like Starlink, and the struggle to preserve collective memory under censorship.
16 snips
Feb 6, 2026 • 50min
How the Justice Department Failed Epstein’s Victims
Julie K. Brown, investigative reporter whose Epstein exposés revived the case, combs newly released files that hide prosecutors and hint at corruption. Alana Casanova-Burgess, La Brega storyteller, revisits a toppled Ponce de León statue to probe Puerto Rican identity and who belongs on public pedestals. They discuss redactions, missing records, public accountability, and how symbols spark debate.
28 snips
Feb 4, 2026 • 16min
"Armed Only With A Camera"
Craig Renaud, documentary filmmaker who co-created films with his brother Brent, talks about their cinéma vérité style and the archive-driven making of the Oscar-nominated short 'Armed Only With a Camera'. He recalls how they began in journalism. He describes the moment Brent was shot, why he kept filming, and how the film honors fallen reporters and continues their work.
17 snips
Jan 31, 2026 • 51min
Videos of ICE Violence Are Plentiful. Accountability.… Not So Much.
Eliot Higgins, founder of Bellingcat and open-source investigator, outlines a VDA framework for verification, deliberation, and accountability. Radley Balko, author and policing critic, draws parallels between modern federal operations and the Boston Massacre. Brandy Zadrozny, reporter on extremism, describes far-right creators shaping narratives at Minneapolis protests and how bystander video changed the story.
12 snips
Jan 28, 2026 • 19min
Stars and Stripes in Peril
Erik Slavin, Editor-in-Chief of Stars and Stripes and long-time military reporter, discusses the Pentagon’s push to reshape the paper. He describes why local, on-base reporting matters. He warns about blending PR with journalism and recalls investigations that forced policy changes. He explains how honest coverage can actually strengthen troop morale.
