On The Media

Hosted by Bob Garfield and Brook Gladstone, On the Media lifts the veil from the process of "making media," especially news media, because it's through that lens through which we see the world and the world sees us.

Airs Sunday 4-5 p.m.

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November 6, 2009 (On The Media: Friday, 06 November 2009)

The ethical dilemma of reporting from Waziristan; say hello to pay walls; the real story of a famous Berlin Wall moment

Covering the Third War (On The Media: Friday, 06 November 2009)

The US is (unofficially) at war in Pakistan, where reporters face pressure to cover the search for Al Qaeda in the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan. But the area is virtually inaccessible to most journalists and information is tightly controlled by the Pakistani military. Journalist Shahan Mufti says reporting from the region poses several ethical dilemmas.

A Higher Power (On The Media: Friday, 06 November 2009)

While there were only a handful of U.S. unmanned aerial drones in 2003, there are now some 7,000 that the military relies on for many of its objectives in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But P.W. Singer, author of Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century explains that these robots are hardly risk-free and have a profound impact both at home and abroad.

TV's Unlikely Ally (On The Media: Friday, 06 November 2009)

As the DVR became more and more popular, many in the TV industry feared that commercial-skipping would destroy the medium. But it turns out many DVR-users still watch commercials. Bill Carter of the New York Times says the numbers are startling and the DVR actually helps ratings.

Is Paid Content Nigh? (On The Media: Friday, 06 November 2009)

News Corp and The New York Times have suggested they might start charging for web content. Last week Newsday did start charging for access to its website. Does this mean the days of completely free news websites are over? Steven Brill is founder of Journalism Online, a company that works with over a thousand news organizations to help monetize online content. He says the moment has come to pay up.