On the Media

Last week, suspected murderer Robert Durst was arrested the day before an HBO film aired his apparent confession. On the Media examines the line between making great documentary and staying on the right side of the law. Also, why you won't catch a Florida official using the term "climate change." Plus, Wikipedia takes on the NSA.  Hi On The Media listeners, we want to hear from you! Taking this podcast survey takes about 20 minutes and your feedback will help us make our podcast better!  There are no wrong answers, just your honest take. Take the survey here (onthemedia.org/survey).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.

What happens when you buy a magic spell on Etsy? Writer Jaya Saxena and her husband Matt Lubchansky recently tested one witch's wares, and they talk to TLDR about being careful what you wish for. Plus, TLDR hires our own spellcaster, a mystic named Melenia O'Breasal, to talk about how a person comes to cast spells, where all that incense comes from, and the difference between peddling magic online and off. To read Jaya's original Daily Dot piece, click here. To check out Melenia's Etsy store and personal website, click here and here, respectively. If you like our show, please subscribe and review us on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Meredith and TLDR on Twitter. Hi On The Media listeners, we want to hear from you! Taking this podcast survey takes about 20 minutes and your feedback will help us make our podcast better!  There are no wrong answers, just your honest take. Take the survey here (onthemedia.org/survey).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.

This week, two police officers were shot in Ferguson, MO, bringing in yet another wave of reporters. We examine whether the constant media presence has turned the town of Ferguson into a symbol and a brand. Plus: Brooke charts the history of nihilism. Hi On The Media listeners, we want to hear from you! Taking this podcast survey takes about 20 minutes and your feedback will help us make our podcast better!  There are no wrong answers, just your honest take. Take the survey here (onthemedia.org/survey).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.

We’ve seen more horrific videos from ISIS, but this time the cruelty is directed at priceless artifacts. This week we examine the media's reaction to the videos after it turns out that most of the smashed antiquities were fakes. Also, Hillary Clinton’s email habits as secretary of state have reporters scrambling to understand the Federal Records Act.  Hi On The Media listeners, we want to hear from you! Taking this podcast survey takes about 20 minutes and your feedback will help us make our podcast better!  There are no wrong answers, just your honest take. Take the survey here (onthemedia.org/survey).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.

This week, after years of debate, the FCC voted to treat the internet like a public utility. On the Media examines what the decision means for the data flowing through our devices. Also, as the situation in Libya continues to deteriorate, a look back at the people who helped end Muammar Qaddafi's rule in 2011. Hi On The Media listeners, we want to hear from you! Taking this podcast survey takes about 20 minutes and your feedback will help us make our podcast better!  There are no wrong answers, just your honest take. Take the survey here (onthemedia.org/survey).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.

Why the language of terrorism is so divisive. Also, how Fifty Shades of Grey introduced America to the kink community. Hi On The Media listeners, we want to hear from you! Taking this podcast survey takes about 20 minutes and your feedback will help us make our podcast better!  There are no wrong answers, just your honest take. Take the survey here (onthemedia.org/survey).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.

An exploration of the term “whistleblower”, from its origins as a sports reference to its current status as a moral mantle. Plus, reframing the legacy Jim Crow-era lynchings. And a farewell to venerable media satirist Jon Stewart.  Hi On The Media listeners, we want to hear from you! Taking this podcast survey takes about 20 minutes and your feedback will help us make our podcast better!  There are no wrong answers, just your honest take. Take the survey here (onthemedia.org/survey).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.

In the wake of a US measles outbreak, the media, politicians, and even celebrities have quarantined the country in a vortex of paranoia and fear. The combination of false science and government distrust has given a pedestal to the irrational, and the self-evident necessity of vaccines has come under attack. Bob inoculates with a little history and a lot of common sense on the anti-vaccination "controversy."   Hi On The Media listeners, we want to hear from you! Taking this podcast survey takes about 20 minutes and your feedback will help us make our podcast better!  There are no wrong answers, just your honest take. Take the survey here (onthemedia.org/survey).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.

The content of a new ISIS video shocks the world. Also, vaccinating children stokes faux controversy, again, and a new documentary has the Church of Scientology on the offensive.   Hi On The Media listeners, we want to hear from you! Taking this podcast survey takes about 20 minutes and your feedback will help us make our podcast better!  There are no wrong answers, just your honest take. Take the survey here (onthemedia.org/survey).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.

Meet our friends from down the hall. The podcast New Tech City about technology and human behavior has kicked off a fascinating project that anyone can join in on. And, we want you to know about it. This episode of New Tech City kicks off the Bored and Brilliant Project. The goal is to get you rethinking your relationship with technology and to start thinking more creatively by testing your tech habits in a series of challenges. Since the spread of smartphones began, boredom has become an endangered species. Spare moments where daydreaming used to manifest have become extra email checks or candies crushed. That might be a problem, because, as you will hear in the audio, boredom can in fact beget creativity. You can join the Bored and Brilliant Project, take the challenges, and even track your phone usage as you go through the process here. Hi On The Media listeners, we want to hear from you! Taking this podcast survey takes about 20 minutes and your feedback will help us make our podcast better!  There are no wrong answers, just your honest take. Take the survey here (onthemedia.org/survey).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.