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The booms and busts of political reporting, a skeptical look into health and diet news, and an indie throwback film gets the red carpet treatment. (episode)
"The political media did not create Donald Trump," says David Leonhardt of The New York Times. But still: how to explain media fervor over unserious candidates?
A bogus study about chocolate and weight loss fooled several news outlets. Here, we present a thorough debunking of health news misreporting and bogus, celebrity-endorsed diet fads.
Marvel's latest string of films feature a pervasive anti-capitalist message, even as the company rakes in millions at the box office.
A 30-minute 80s throwback film made a splash at this year's Festival de Cannes. Sideshow host Sean Rameswaram explains how the film went from Kickstarter to France and now to Hollywood.
Test your skeptical fortitude with our Health News Consumer Quiz - can you separate the real bogus health stories from the fake bogus health stories? (episode)
The fourth in our summer listening series. (episode)
Revisiting the Elián González story as the US embassy reopens in Havana. Plus: Paul Ford examines the various issues raised by the Ashley Madison hack, and Jon Ronson on public shaming. (episode)
With embassies re-opening in Washington DC and Havana this week, we consider how coverage of the Elián González custody battle 15 years ago influenced US-Cuba relations today.
As the U.S. and Cuba normalize relations, we look back at a reporter's early coverage of Cuba's former leader, Fidel Castro.
Writer and programmer Paul Ford ponders the Ashley Madison hack, and wonders if we'll ever actually learn how to keep our information safe online.
In the digital era, we live in a world where everything is known and it cannot be unknown. Author Jon Ronson talks about how our keyboards have become a powerful weapon.
The third of our summer listening series. (episode)
Listening in on the national conversation about race, on Twitter and beyond. Plus, the re-release of a satirical novel about bi-racial identity, and upheaval at Reddit. (episode)
It's been two years since the origin of the movement and slogan, born the night George Zimmerman was acquitted in the death of Trayvon Martin. We hear how it happened and what's changed.
The LA Times just hired a reporter to cover Black Twitter. Dexter Thomas discusses his new assignment and what the media usually get wrong about this nebulous space in the Twitterverse.
One year after the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, there's been a big push for a national conversation on race and policing. WNYC's Brian Lehrer actually hosted one.
The resignation of Reddit CEO Ellen Pao has prompted extensive discussion about the future of speech on the web.
“Oreo,” Fran Ross’s 1974 novel about a biracial teen’s search for her father, was a misfit for its times. More than 40 years later, are audiences finally ready for this satirical tale?
In which we set ourselves right on what "margin of error" in polling really means. (article)
The second installment in our new summer listening series. (episode)
With Donald Trump in first place, the media uses polls irresponsibly. Plus: how the Dominican press is covering a humanitarian crisis there; blocking ad-blockers; DuckDuckGo; and more. (episode)
The media has been clamoring to understand what Donald Trump's "surge" in the polls means for the election. According to Bob it means one thing: the media is really bad with polls.
Human rights groups say the Dominican Republic’s new policy toward those of Haitian descent is unfair. A Dominican journalist says the press there is mostly in 'denial' about the charge.
A new Google product lets you support websites by bidding for their ad space. But is it a way to give users choice, or another way for Google to expand control over your web experience?
Online ad-blocking software doesn't just remove advertisements from screens -- it also endangers the internet.
DuckDuckGo, a search engine that doesn't collect your personal information, surges in popularity in the wake of the Snowden revelations.
We all know that Americans watch a lot of TV. Former On the Media producer Laura Mayer reports on the role music plays in one of the medium’s most popular genres - reality television.
The first in our summer listening series: we'll be reaching into the archives each week with a old favorite for you to enjoy. (episode)