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John McCain's long history in the media spotlight; America's long messaging war over universal healthcare; and why the right-wing seized on the story of a dying British baby. (episode)
The Atlantic's James Fallows discusses McCain's long tenure in the media spotlight — a story of dualities, cozy jokes, and the occasional, genuine maverick choice.
The Senate proceedings on healthcare this week were high on drama but short on policy details, leaving lawmakers and reporters in the dark.
The Department of Health and Human Services used to spend money promoting Obamacare. Now, it funds videos that undermine it.
Polls show growing support for single-payer healthcare, or "Medicare for All." But over the past century, the idea of the policy has been tied to a messaging war over socialism.
How a British baby born with a rare disease became a pawn in the right-wing battle against government healthcare in the US.
Psychoanalysts disagree with psychiatrists about upholding the Goldwater Rule which forbids psychiatrists from offering opinions on a person they have not personally evaluated. (episode)
A show about doubt—in the efficacy of journalism, the world of social science research, and how On The Media covers Trump. (episode)
Social scientist Brendan Nyhan re-evaluates some long-held beliefs about the power of fact-checking, and what it means about how people change their minds.
When a 2011 article claimed to prove the existence of ESP, it triggered a crisis of confidence throughout the behavioral sciences.
The 2016 election showed that much of what we think we know about social psychology doesn't apply everywhere. Is it because the field -- and its research subjects -- are in a bubble?
The day after the election, Brooke and Bob butted heads over how to cover Trump. This week, they reflect on Bob's approach.
The Republican Party’s seven-year attempt to dismantle the Affordable Care Act kicked the bucket this week and Donald Trump declared that he would “let Obamacare fail.” (episode)
How pro-Trump media are spinning the Don Jr. revelations; the White House's plan to enable voter suppression; and an Iraqi broadcaster's anti-propaganda crusade in Mosul. (episode)
For the pro-Trump media, it's all "nothing burgers."
Vladimir Putin: strategic mastermind, or reactive thug?
Reports claim that "44 states are refusing to comply" with a request for information from Trump's commission on voter fraud. In reality, the states have no choice.
In ISIS-controlled Raqqa, Syrians are victim to frequent airstrikes, assassinations, and violence. A group of citizen journalists fights back.
The broadcasters at Radio Al-Ghad risked their lives to shine a light into the isolated city.
In his new podcast "The Turnaround," Jesse Thorn, host of NPR's Bullseye, interviews famous interviewers about interviewing. This week his guest is Brooke Gladstone. (episode)
Science fiction has always been an outlet for our greatest anxieties. How the genre is exploring the reality of climate change. Plus: new words to describe the indescribable. (episode)
Author Jeff VanderMeer has been called the "weird Thoreau" for his nature-inspired science fiction. But what's sci-fi when the future of the planet is unpredictable?
In a novel by Claire Vaye Watkins, a growing sand dune is threatening the Southwest. What can we learn from it?
How we're currently "living in a science fiction story we're writing together."
The distress caused by environmental change needs its own term, and so do other new phenomena in the Anthropocene.
To whet your appetite for our upcoming apocalypse show, a conversation with Ben Winters about his trilogy, "The Last Policeman," in which the earth is to be destroyed by an asteroid. (episode)