Podcasts · News · Society & Culture

On the Media

WNYC Studios

300 episodes

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 page 1 of 6

  1. Midterm Madness

    · 49 min

    With control of Congress at stake, the 2026 midterm campaigns are on track to spend an all-time record sum on this election cycle. On this week’s On the Media, how political ads are resonating, and misfiring. Plus, a…

  2. The Classroom/Technology Pipeline

    · 33 min

    OTM producer Molly Rosen has been on a mission to find out what technology her two-year-old kid will confront when he’s old enough to go to school. Today, big tech companies permeate schools, from the Google…

  3. How to Live Forever (or Die Trying)

    · 50 min

    From ‘Blue Zones’ branded food to anti-aging peptides, the marketplace is flooded with products promising to help us live longer and better. On this week’s On the Media, a researcher calls into question the data behind…

  4. Micah's Conversation With Lilliana Mason LONG VERSION

    · 33 min

    A longer version of Micah's conversation with political scientist Lilliana Mason that aired on last week's show. They spoke about the most polarizing issue among Americans: who gets to decide who belongs in this…

  5. Polarization Is Not Our Biggest Problem

    · 50 min

    During an I.C.E. operation in New York City, officers shot a man in a car while a child sat in the back seat. On this week’s On the Media, coverage of I.C.E. has decreased since the spring, while the agency’s…

  6. Locked Up In Russia

    · 22 min

    In 2023, Evan Gershkovich was working as a young reporter in Moscow for the Wall Street Journal, when he was arrested by Russian authorities. He was eventually convicted on blatantly false charges of espionage and…

  7. Trump's Guide to Stealing an Election

    · 51 min

    The Supreme Court has denied a bid by the Trump administration to restrict mail-in voting. On this week’s On the Media, hear about the attempts, successful and not, to turn election conspiracies into policy. Plus, the…

  8. Where Is Austin Tice?

    · 31 min

    American journalist Austin Tice vanished in Syria 14 years ago. A secret lead suggests he may still be alive. This week we're sharing the first episode of Where Is Austin Tice? NPR's documentary podcast, Embedded,…

  9. The White House on Mute

    · 50 min

    When the president barred Politico, CNN, and MS Now from the White House, the press pool boycotted the president, leaving him without his usual TV coverage. On this week’s On the Media, why media outlets finally banded…

  10. The New Rules Of War Are There Are No Rules

    · 30 min

    At the outset of the war with Iran, Brooke Gladstone spoke to Wes J. Bryant, a former senior policy advisor at the Pentagon and retired Air Force Master Sergeant, about the civilian protection initiative he was working…

  11. How Extinction Entered the AI Debate

    · 50 min

    AI researchers are warning that the technology they’re creating could kill us all. On this week’s On the Media, unpacking the feverish debate over the dangers of artificial intelligence. Plus, why people find AI…

  12. How To Make A Documentary, With John Wilson

    · 35 min

    The hit HBO series, How To With John Wilson was huge when it came out during the pandemic, 2020. Wilson begins each episode with a sort of mundane premise like how to split a check with your friends or how to properly…

  13. Haitians Live in a Dual State in Ohio Right Now

    · 50 min

    I.C.E. agents have targeted Springfield, Ohio since Haitians lost Temporary Protected Status. On this week’s On the Media, a reporter from The Haitian Times describes the culture of fear that has ensued. Plus, how did…

  14. Dave Jorgenson on Politics in the Influencer Age

    · 30 min

    On last week's show we devoted a segment to the plague of online influencers making endorsement videos for politicians in exchange for money, but we wanted to hear from a creator's perspective. Host Micah Loewinger sat…

  15. The Pentagon is Waging War on Its Own Paper

    · 51 min

    Defense secretary Pete Hegseth is demanding what he calls “more patriotic” coverage of his cabinet. On this week’s On the Media, hear how the Pentagon is cracking down on its publication, Stars and Stripes. Plus, an…

  16. A Look Back at *The* 9/11 Truther Movie

    · 17 min

    Next Friday will be the 25th anniversary of the attacks of 9/11. On the 20th anniversary we broadcast a piece Micah reported called “9/11 broke our brains” — at that time podcast maven Dan Taberski had just released a…

  17. Finance Bros Are Coming for the Public Airwaves

    · 51 min

    Nowadays, scrappy pirate broadcasters rule over shortwave radio. On this week’s On the Media, an unlikely group of finance bros have plans to take over the frequencies for their own gain. In recent years, creative,…

  18. How AI Chatbots are Infiltrating Classrooms

    · 23 min

    The introduction of AI tools and chatbots in classrooms across the United States has prompted an outcry among concerned parents, teachers, and students. OTM producer and new parent Molly Rosen speaks with Jessica…

  19. Long Live the Art of Shoe-Leather Reporting!

    · 50 min

    This summer the state of New Mexico sued the Justice department for access to unredacted files related to Jeffrey Epstein. On this week’s On the Media, an Epstein beat reporter shares her ongoing quest for…

  20. Behind the Scenes of 'American Emergency'

    · 41 min

    Over the weekend we re-shared the first installment of American Emergency, our 4-part series all about the Federal Emergency Management Agency. OTM’s Senior Producer Eloise Blondiau and host Micah Loewinger spent…

  21. How the U.S. Government Built an Underground City, and Other State Secrets

    · 50 min

    This month a federal watchdog raised the alarm over thousands of staffing cuts at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. On this week’s On the Media, an episode from our miniseries American Emergency, all about FEMA:…

  22. Pablo Torre Is Changing Sports

    · 20 min

    The sports journalist Pablo Torre recently won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for audio reporting for an investigation on his podcast, “Pablo Torre Finds Out.” Torre talks with the New Yorker Radio Hour's David Remnick about…

  23. The Story Behind Trump’s Terrible Approval Rating

    · 51 min

    President Trump has some of the worst approval ratings of any president in modern history, second only to Richard Nixon the week before he resigned. On this week’s On the Media, what the polls say about Americans’…

  24. Trump Has Forever Changed America's Place in the World

    · 18 min

    Brooke speaks with Garrett M. Graff, journalist, historian, and author of the newsletter Doomsday Scenario, about Trump’s damage to the United States’ standing as a world power and his dismantling of core pillars of…

  25. F@#$ the AI Overlords

    · 51 min

    The race to build the most advanced artificial intelligence continues to dominate the headlines. On this week’s On the Media, who does this new technology actually serve? Plus, how even critical media coverage can feed…

  26. ICE's Summer Spending Spree

    · 20 min

    At the start of 2026, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, was top of mind for many Americans. There were nationwide protests, congressional hearings, and plenty of headlines. But as the weeks went on,…

  27. The Red Scare, But Dumber

    · 50 min

    This week, the State Department published a report accusing Cuba of being the “capital of 21st-century communism,” and of plotting an anti-American revolution. On this week’s On the Media, why the Trump administration…

  28. Trump v. BBC

    · 24 min

    After the BBC ran a segment that edited to sections of a speech by President Trump, implying he called on his supporters to violently attack the Capitol, the president sued the British broadcaster for $10 billion in…

  29. From Subpoenas to Cockroaches: Journalist Intimidation 101

    · 51 min

    This week, several New York Times reporters were subpoenaed by the Justice Department for their reporting on Air Force One. On this week’s On the Media, how a fifty-year-old Supreme Court ruling left journalists…

  30. Tulsi Gabbard's Guru

    · 35 min

    As Director of National Intelligence, Gabbard presided over the nation’s top intelligence agencies, including the CIA, the NSA, and the intelligence branch of the FBI. Her tenure was brief but embattled. In addition to…

  31. The FCC’s Pressure Campaign to Reshape Broadcast TV

    · 51 min

    ABC has enlisted the help of its audience to defend The View and Jimmy Kimmel against attacks from the Federal Communications Commission. On this week’s On the Media, hear about the MAGA movement trying to shift…

  32. A Tour Through the Epstein Files

    · 21 min

    The Department of Justice collected more than 6 million pages of the Epstein Files, and released about 3 million under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. A few months ago, Brooke visited an art installation called the…

  33. A Newspaper Raid and a Small Town Whodunnit

    · 51 min

    In August of 2023, police raided a small local newspaper in rural Kansas, seizing computers and cellphones. Later, the paper’s publisher would discover there was no legal basis for the search. On this week’s On the…

  34. The Rest Is History

    · 48 min

    This week we’re sharing a segment from our friends at the New Yorker Radio Hour. David Remnick sits down with the hosts of the hit podcast, The Rest is History, who turned their childhood love of history into a…

  35. The Fantasy of America at 250

    · 50 min

    In Texas, a judge sentenced a group of anti-ICE demonstrators to decades in prison. On this week’s On the Media, how leftist zines were used to convict a group of protesters accused of ties to antifa. Plus, as we…

  36. Far Right Stars Are Bemoaning the Chaos They Created

    · 23 min

    Top voices on the far right are currently facing the consequences of their own actions. Ben Shapiro is complaining about the rise of a podcaster he made a star; Joe Rogan is upset about the spread of conspiracy…

  37. J.D. Vance: Iran Deal Fall Guy

    · 51 min

    Donald Trump has signed a preliminary agreement to end the war in Iran. On this week’s On the Media, hear how J.D. Vance has been positioned to suffer the political fallout from the conflict – and from the much…

  38. The Cat Ladies Haven't Forgotten

    · 18 min

    This week JD Vance has been doing a lot of press; partly to sell the quote-unquote peace deal with Iran that he had a hand in brokering. But he’s also on a book tour! Communion, out this week, is Vance’s follow-up to…

  39. The UK’s Violent Riots Were Stoked by Elon Musk and a Global Far-Right Network

    · 51 min

    This week, a mob attacked immigrant communities in Northern Ireland after Elon Musk fomented anger on X. On this week’s On the Media, hear how a group linked with a global neo-Nazi movement organized the riots. Plus,…

  40. "Making China Great Again" One Web-Novel At A Time

    · 21 min

    China is home to over one billion internet users, and about half are consumers of internet literature. While the industry started as a group of hobby writers, it's now a multimillion dollar industry that has spawned…

  41. How Anthropic Became Holier Than Thou

    · 50 min

    This week, Anthropic filed for an IPO following a valuation of nearly $1 trillion, which would make it one of the largest IPOs in history. On this week’s On the Media, the company’s marketing campaign to position it as…

  42. I.C.E.'s "Wartime Recruitment" Campaign

    · 16 min

    For a second week, reports of inhumane conditions at Delaney Hall in New Jersey are drawing protesters and camera crews. A handful of journalists and dozens of protesters have been arrested. Under this Trump…

  43. Trump Sued Himself … and ‘Settled’ for a $1.8 Billion Fund

    · 51 min

    The Department of Justice is trying to create a nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate Donald Trump’s political supporters who claim they were unfairly targeted by the government. On this week’s On the Media, how Trump…

  44. A Russian Phrasebook for Surviving Authoritarianism

    · 29 min

    Russian language has a rich vocabulary for describing life under tyranny. Like the plain-clothed ICE officers snatching people off the streets? In Russian, they would be called "siloviki." Former DHS Secretary Kristi…

  45. Episode 4 of American Emergency: The Movement to Kill FEMA

    · 52 min

    The president has proposed a new leader for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. On this week’s On the Media, a reckoning with the future of FEMA, and an interview with Trump’s nominee to lead the agency. Plus, a…

  46. Trump's Refugee Program Is Reserved for Whites Only

    · 16 min

    This week, the President announced a proposed expansion of the America's refugee program - from 7,500 admissions to 17,500. But there's a caveat: those extra 10,000 spots are reserved for white South Africans. Last…

  47. Episode 3 of American Emergency; The Movement To Kill FEMA

    · 34 min

    How an unprecedented storm of conspiracy theories beset FEMA during Hurricane Helene. [00:00] Host Micah Loewinger presents the third part of our investigation American Emergency: The Movement to Kill FEMA. This week,…

  48. How "Economic Blindness" Is Obscuring Our Financial Reality

    · 24 min

    On Sunday, President Trump rejected Iran’s latest response to his administration’s ceasefire proposal by taking to Truth Social, calling it "totally unacceptable." In the meantime, the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil…

  49. Episode 2 of American Emergency; The Movement To Kill FEMA

    · 36 min

    To understand how FEMA became so distrusted, we look at its response to Hurricane Katrina – and how it stained the agency’s reputation forever. [00:00] Host Micah Loewinger presents the second part of our…

  50. Trump's Glitzy Library Grift

    · 16 min

    Last month, the Justice Department, in a startling move, issued a challenge the Presidential Records Act--saying that the bedrock law for keeping Oval Office archives available to the public goes too far. Ironic,…

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