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The Forgotten History of the First Sitcom
New Jan 07, 2026 20 min

The Forgotten History of the First Sitcom

Host Brooke Gladstone talks with Emily Nussbaum, television critic for The New Yorker, about the forgotten story of Gertrude Berg, the woman behind the television sitcom, and the anti-communism cam...

The Rapid Rise of Bari Weiss
Dec 31, 2025 19 min

The Rapid Rise of Bari Weiss

This year, Bari Weiss became the new editor in chief of CBS News. The network’s owner, Paramount, also acquired Weiss’ online publication, The Free Press, for an estimated $150 million. And unconve...

Is it Over Yet? 2025 in Review
Dec 26, 2025 52 min

Is it Over Yet? 2025 in Review

And just like that, 2025 is coming to a close. On this week’s On the Media, hear a tour of a 12-month news blitz, from AI to the Pentagon press room to the reshaping of legacy outlets. Plus, what w...

A Hundred Years of The New Yorker
Dec 24, 2025 31 min

A Hundred Years of The New Yorker

The New Yorker turned a hundred this year. And marking the occasion is a new documentary film on Netflix titled: “The New Yorker at 100”. But with some 5000 print issues, and ten decades worth of r...

Deep Fakes, Data Centers, and AI Slop — Are We Cooked?
Dec 20, 2025 50 min

Deep Fakes, Data Centers, and AI Slop — Are We Cooked?

Donald Trump has signed an executive order limiting state regulation on artificial intelligence. On this week’s On the Media, Republicans spar over AI, and what deregulating the industry means for ...

Big Tech Embraced Fakeness in 2025
Dec 17, 2025 30 min

Big Tech Embraced Fakeness in 2025

This year, Silicon Valley poured its collective resources in AI. Billions  and billions of dollars. But behind the snazzy ads and glowing endorsements, some users and journalists are warning o...

Covering the Pentagon, from Sy Hersh to Laura Loomer
Dec 05, 2025 1h 3m

Covering the Pentagon, from Sy Hersh to Laura Loomer

The New York Times has sued the Pentagon for restricting access to journalists. On this week’s On the Media, meet the new cast of right wing influencers and conspiracy theorists replacing the press...

No, DOGE Isn't Dead
Dec 03, 2025 16 min EXPLICIT

No, DOGE Isn't Dead

Late last month, Reuters reported that DOGE had “disbanded,” that the group was no longer a centralized government entity. But according to Wired Reporter Vittoria Elliott, while DOGE is no longer ...

Tell Your Uncle He's Fighting Twitter Bots in Bangladesh
Nov 28, 2025 50 min EXPLICIT

Tell Your Uncle He's Fighting Twitter Bots in Bangladesh

A new feature on X, formerly known as Twitter, has revealed that some prominent MAGA accounts are based in South Asia and Eastern Europe. On this week’s On the Media, how foreign actors funnel poli...

Bullseye's Jesse Thorn on Surviving in the Podcasting Industry
Nov 26, 2025 35 min

Bullseye's Jesse Thorn on Surviving in the Podcasting Industry

This month marks 25 years of Bullseye, a public radio show and podcast founded, hosted, and produced by Jesse Thorn. The show began as an offbeat college radio show at UC Santa Cruz, as a way for T...

The Battle for the Future of the Democratic Party
Nov 21, 2025 50 min

The Battle for the Future of the Democratic Party

Progressive and centrist Democratic candidates had big wins in the 2025 elections. On this week’s On the Media, a data scientist fact-checks the claim that Democrats need moderate voters to win. Pl...

The Democratic Party's Spam Machine
Nov 19, 2025 21 min

The Democratic Party's Spam Machine

If you’ve ever donated to a Democratic candidate, you’ve probably been rewarded with a never-ending stream of pleas for more money in your inbox. And we’re not talking about polite reminders. Deman...

S2 - Episode 3: The Harvard Plan
Nov 14, 2025 51 min

S2 - Episode 3: The Harvard Plan

The Trump administration is asking universities to sign an agreement in exchange for preferential access to federal funding. On this week’s On the Media, how the arrangement would radically alter t...

The Republican Party's 'Civil War'
Nov 12, 2025 25 min

The Republican Party's 'Civil War'

Back in October, Nick Fuentes, the Gen Z white nationalist influencer, was trending in the news after a leaked Young Republicans chat revealed how his ideas were taking hold in some conservative ci...

S2 - Episode 2: The Harvard Plan
Nov 07, 2025 50 min

S2 - Episode 2: The Harvard Plan

Millions of dollars in federal grants have been terminated, throwing cutting-edge research at American universities into crisis. On this week’s On the Media, meet the two men at the center of the f...

Do Moderates Win More Elections?
Nov 05, 2025 33 min

Do Moderates Win More Elections?

Zohran Mamdani has won the 2025 New York City mayoral race, with a higher turnout of voters than New York has seen in decades. This despite the fact that New York’s senators — Chuck Schumer and Kir...