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Meet the Media Prophets Who Preach Christian Supremacy. Plus, Journalism in ‘Civil War’ Apr 19, 2024

Show notes

Former president Trump says he wants to make America pray again. On this week’s On the Media, hear how Christian nationalism is shaping American politics. Plus, what the new film Civil War has to say about the role of journalism when civilizing norms have broken down.

[01:08] Host Brooke Gladstone speaks with Matthew D. Taylor, scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, & Jewish Studies in Baltimore and author of the forthcoming book, The Violent Take It by Force: The Christian Movement That Is Threatening Our Democracy. They discuss different strains of Christian nationalism — from the sentimental view of America as a Christian nation, to the desire to uphold Christian supremacy. Plus, how the phenomenon has shaped American politics for centuries.

[17:42] Brooke continues her conversation with Matthew D. Taylor. Taylor introduces Brooke to the world of independent charismatic Christianity and its media, where an extreme form of Christian nationalism has taken root. Plus, the Christian leaders who stoked violence on January 6th.

[35:27] Brooke speaks with Zack Beauchamp, senior correspondent at Vox, about Alex Garland’s new film Civil War, the power it derives from avoiding ideological warfare, and what it reveals about the role of journalism during complete civil collapse.

Further reading / listening:

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Happy Bicycle Day! Apr 17, 2024

Show notes

April 19th, which is this Friday, marks an odd holiday known as Bicycle Day — the day, now 81 years ago, when Swiss scientist Albert Hofmann rode his bike home from work after dosing himself with his lab concoction, lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD. The first acid trip.

Hofmann’s wobbly ride is what launches us into an exploration of a moment, when Ken Kesey, an evangelist of acid would emerge from a Menlo Park hospital lab, and plow through the nation’s gray flannel culture in a candy colored bus. Some know Kesey as the enigmatic author behind One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest — others, as the driving force in The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, Tom Wolfe’s seminal work in New Journalism. In honor of the 50th anniversary of the release of Acid Test, Brooke speaks with Wolfe and writer River Donaghey about how acid shaped Kesey, spawned the book and de-normalized American conformity.

Songs:

Holidays B by Ib Glindemann
Im Glück by Neu!
Apache '65 by Davie Allan and the Arrows
Selections from "The Acid Tests Reels" by The Merry Pranksters & The Grateful Dead
Alicia by Los Monstruos
The Days Between by The Grateful Dead (Live 6/24/95)

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The Rise and Fall of Alt-Weeklies, and Backpage.com vs The Feds Apr 12, 2024

Show notes

New York City’s alternative weekly newspaper, The Village Voice, birthed a generation of legendary writers. On this week’s On the Media, how the Voice transformed journalism and what’s being lost as alt-weeklies across the country die off. Plus, why the feds brought America’s most controversial alt-weekly mogul to court.

[02:17] Host Micah Loewinger speaks with Tricia Romano, author of The Freaks Came Out to Write, about the early days of The Village Voice, including one reporter’s mission to stop Robert Moses and its revolutionary music section.

[15:09] Micah continues his conversation with Tricia Romano, getting into the Voice’s sale to Rupert Murdoch, the tensions within the paper, and how Craigslist led to its ultimate demise.

[29:11] An alt-weekly mogul, Mike Lacey, became the Larry Flynt of the internet age. The hosts of the new Audible show Hold Fast conducted a series of interviews with Lacey to tell the story of the alt-weekly chain’s rise and fall.

Further reading / listening:

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How The Village Voice Changed Journalism Apr 10, 2024

Show notes

The Village Voice, founded in 1955, is widely credited as the first alternative weekly newspaper, or alt-weekly. The big show this week is all about the rise and fall of the alt-weekly—the type of off-beat, fearless publication that, once-upon-a-time, you could pick up on a street corner in cities across the country. For the mid-week podcast, Micah interviewed Tricia Romano, the author of a new oral history titled, The Freaks Came Out To Write: The Definitive History of the Village Voice, the Radical Paper that Changed American Culture. Their conversation about this legendary New York publication was wide-ranging, and too long for the radio. And too profane for the radio. So we’re bringing you a longer, uncensored version here. Don’t listen to this one with kids.

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Warring Narratives Around UNRWA. Plus, Media Bets on Sports Gambling Apr 05, 2024

Show notes

President Joe Biden is calling for a ceasefire in Gaza as famine looms. On this week’s On the Media, hear how warring media narratives have jeopardized UNRWA, the largest humanitarian aid organization in the region. Plus, what the explosion in sports gambling means for the future of sports journalism.

1. Mehul Srivastava [@MehulAtLarge], Financial Times correspondent, and Chris Van Hollen [@ChrisVanHollen], US Senator from Maryland, on the warring media narratives around UNRWA. Listen.

2. Lex Takkenberg [@LTakkenberg], humanitarian law expert and a former Chief of Ethics for UNRWA, on the lessons to be learned from the agency's founding and its predecessor, the United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine. Listen.

3. OTM producer Rebecca Clark-Callender [@Rebecca_CC_] explores how sports media and the gambling industry's relationship keeps evolving, featuring: Brian Moritz [@bpmoritz], sports media scholar at St. Bonaventure University, Danny Funt [@dannyfunt], reporter and contributor to the Washington Post, and Albert Chen, author of Billion Dollar Fantasy: The High-Stakes Game Between FanDuel and DraftKings That Upended Sports in America. Listen.

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Happy Birthday to Basketball Great, Walt "Clyde" Frazier Apr 03, 2024

Show notes

With his cool rhymes and even cooler clothes, Basketball Hall of Famer Walt "Clyde" Frazier made a successful transition from NBA star to sports broadcaster on the MSG Network. Frazier sat down with Brooke back in 2012 for a live event to discuss basketball, broadcasting, and the art of being cool. We're re-airing it now because a) it was Mr. Frazier's birthday this week! and b) we're in a sporting mood — we have a big piece in the hopper for this week's show all about sports betting, reported by OTM producer Rebecca Clark-Callender.

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Boeing Conspiracy Theories Take Flight. Plus, the Politics to TV News Pipeline Mar 29, 2024

Show notes

Following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, conspiracy theories proliferated. On this week’s On the Media, hear how memes and misinformation obscure the real causes of tragedies, from bridges to planes. Plus, what Ronna McDaniel’s hiring and firing from NBC News tells us about the revolving door from politics to tv news.

1. David Gilbert [@daithaigilbert], reporter for Wired covering disinformation, and Katya Schwenk [@ktyschwnk], reporter at The Lever, on why disasters are fertile ground for conspiracy theories, which obfuscate real quality control issues. Listen.

2. Michael Socolow [@MichaelSocolow], media historian at the University of Maine, on the history of the revolving door between politics and news.
Listen.

3. Calvin Trillin, contributor at The New Yorker, on his career and his latest book, The Lede: Dispatches from a Life in the Press. Listen.

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Beyoncé and the History of Black Country Music Mar 27, 2024

Show notes

Beyoncé’s new album, Cowboy Carter, comes out on Friday — and the record has already sparked plenty of conversation about race and the country music genre. This week, we're sharing an episode from our friends at the podcast Today, Explained from Vox media, on this very topic. Hear co-host Noel King take a journey through the history of black musicians making country music, and more.

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Trump’s Rhetoric Intensifies, and Russia’s Fake Journalists Mar 22, 2024

Show notes

Donald Trump said if he isn’t elected there will be a bloodbath. Or did he? On this week’s On the Media, how to understand the GOP nominee’s double speak, eight years into his political career. Plus, a deep dive into Russia’s latest disinformation invention– journalists that don’t really exist. And, life in Russia-occupied Ukraine.

1. Jennifer Mercieca [@jenmercieca], professor at Texas A&M University, on how Trump's rhetoric has intensified. Listen.

2. Steven Lee Myers [@stevenleemyers], disinformation reporter at The New York Times, explains how Russia is creating fake journalists and fake stories to sow animus against Ukraine. Listen.

3. Shaun Walker [@shaunwalker7], central and eastern Europe correspondent at The Guardian, on Russian propaganda and re-education in occupied regions of Ukraine. Listen.

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Evan Gershkovich Has Been In Prison In Russia For A Year Mar 20, 2024

Show notes

On Wednesday, March 29 2023, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was detained by the FSB, Russia's security service, and charged with espionage. It was the first time that an American journalist in Russia has been charged with espionage, which carries a potential 20-year prison sentence, since the Cold War. OTM producer Molly Schwartz spoke to Valerie Hopkins, international correspondent for The New York Times, Gordon Fairclough, World Coverage Chief for The Wall Street Journal, Gulnoza Said, the Europe and Central Asia program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and Dan Storyev and Maria Kuznetsova from OVD-Info, a Russian human rights group, about how the Kremlin is using Gershkovich as a pawn in a game of hostage diplomacy.

This is a segment from our April 14, 2023, show Inside Russia's Crackdown on Journalists. The email address mentioned at the end of this piece where people can write Evan Gershkovich letters in prison is freegershkovich@gmail.com.

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