On the Media

Russia's jailed opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, has died in prison.Navalny had been living behind bars since shortly after landing in Moscow in January of 2021. He had been returning home following months of recovery in Europe, after he fell violently sick on a flight between Siberia and Moscow.

In the months following Navalny’s poisoning, Christo Grozev, former lead Russia investigator at Bellingcat, was stuck in Vienna with filmmaker Daniel Roher. The two had just been booted from Ukraine, where they had been trying to film an investigation. Grozev suddenly had a lot of time on his hands, a laptop, and a fresh stack of data from the Russian black market so naturally he began to investigate who was behind the poisoning.

Daniel Roher directed the documentary “Navalny,” which portrays the story of the close collaboration between Navalny, his team, and Grozev, in the hunt for the dissident’s would-be killers. Last year, Brooke spoke to Roher and Grozev about the making of the documentary, which won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.

This is a segment from our February 10, 2023 show,Hide and Seek.

Russia's jailed opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, has died in prison.Navalny had been living behind bars since shortly after landing in Moscow in January of 2021. He had been returning home following months of recovery in Europe, after he fell violently sick on a flight between Siberia and Moscow.

In the months following Navalny’s poisoning, Christo Grozev, former lead Russia investigator at Bellingcat, was stuck in Vienna with filmmaker Daniel Roher. The two had just been booted from Ukraine, where they had been trying to film an investigation. Grozev suddenly had a lot of time on his hands, a laptop, and a fresh stack of data from the Russian black market so naturally he began to investigate who was behind the poisoning.

Daniel Roher directed the documentary “Navalny,” which portrays the story of the close collaboration between Navalny, his team, and Grozev, in the hunt for the dissident’s would-be killers. Last year, Brooke spoke to Roher and Grozev about the making of the documentary, which won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.

This is a segment from our February 10, 2023 show,Hide and Seek.

Coverage of President Joe Biden’s age has reached a fever pitch. On this week’s On the Media, hear whether the quality of the reports has matched their volume. Plus, meet Bobi Wine, a pop star and opposition politician who is fighting for democracy in Uganda.

1. Judd Legum [@JuddLegum], founder of the newsletter Popular Information, Charan Ranganath [@CharanRanganath], a neuroscientist at UC Davis and author of the forthcoming book,Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory’s Power to Hold on to What Matters, and Jack Shafer [@jackshafer],senior media critic at Politico, on theflood of coverage around Biden's age following the release of the Hur report last week and the consequences ofthe media's minute focus on it. Listen.

2. Lili Loofbourow [@Millicentsomer], television critic at the Washington Post, on Jon Stewart's return to The Daily Show after nine years, and whether the unique form of political comedy he pioneered still holds up in today's drastically different political landscape. Listen.

3. Bobi Wine [@HEBobiwine] and Moses Bwayo [@bwayomoses], co-director of the new Oscar-nominated documentary Bobi Wine: The People's President, on the journey of Wine, a popstar-turned-politician,who has usedhis music as a platform to fight for democracy in Uganda. Listen.

Coverage of President Joe Biden’s age has reached a fever pitch. On this week’s On the Media, hear whether the quality of the reports has matched their volume. Plus, meet Bobi Wine, a pop star and opposition politician who is fighting for democracy in Uganda.

1. Judd Legum [@JuddLegum], founder of the newsletter Popular Information, Charan Ranganath [@CharanRanganath], a neuroscientist at UC Davis and author of the forthcoming book,Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory’s Power to Hold on to What Matters, and Jack Shafer [@jackshafer],senior media critic at Politico, on theflood of coverage around Biden's age following the release of the Hur report last week and the consequences ofthe media's minute focus on it. Listen.

2. Lili Loofbourow [@Millicentsomer], television critic at the Washington Post, on Jon Stewart's return to The Daily Show after nine years, and whether the unique form of political comedy he pioneered still holds up in today's drastically different political landscape. Listen.

3. Bobi Wine [@HEBobiwine] and Moses Bwayo [@bwayomoses], co-director of the new Oscar-nominated documentary Bobi Wine: The People's President, on the journey of Wine, a popstar-turned-politician,who has usedhis music as a platform to fight for democracy in Uganda. Listen.

Last week we learned that ousted Fox blowhard Tucker Carlson had gone to Russia. He was spotted eating fake McDonalds and watching a ballet at the Bolshoi theater. But Tucker was there for more important things than fast food and culture; he was there for a sit down with President Putin. Carlson was mainly silent as Putin delivered an almost 40 minute long speech on the history ofhow Ukraine belongs to Russia.

But the myths inPutin's and Russia's state-sponsored version of history are not new.Last summerBrooke spoke to Mikhail Zygar who had traced it back at least as far as the middle ages.

This is a segment from our August 4, 2023 show,Making History.

Last week we learned that ousted Fox blowhard Tucker Carlson had gone to Russia. He was spotted eating fake McDonalds and watching a ballet at the Bolshoi theater. But Tucker was there for more important things than fast food and culture; he was there for a sit down with President Putin. Carlson was mainly silent as Putin delivered an almost 40 minute long speech on the history ofhow Ukraine belongs to Russia.

But the myths inPutin's and Russia's state-sponsored version of history are not new.Last summerBrooke spoke to Mikhail Zygar who had traced it back at least as far as the middle ages.

This is a segment from our August 4, 2023 show,Making History.

In December, the New York Times sued OpenAI for allegedly using the paper’s articles to train chatbots. On this week’s On the Media, a look at how media outlets are trying to survive in this era of generative AI. Plus, why New York’s oldest Black newspaper is joining forces with an AI startup to address biases in the technology.

1. Kate Knibbs [@Knibbs],senior writer at Wired, on AI clickbait flooding the internet.Listen.

2.John Herrman [@jwherrman], tech columnist for New York Magazine, on the love-haterelationship between AI companies and journalism. Listen.

3.Elinor Tatum [@elinortatum], editor in chief ofThe New York Amsterdam News, on a push to make AI technology and data diverse. Listen.

4.Abbie Richards [@abbieasr], misinformation researcher and a senior video producer at Media Matters, on the AI-generated conspiracy theoriesmultiplying TikTok.Listen.

In December, the New York Times sued OpenAI for allegedly using the paper’s articles to train chatbots. On this week’s On the Media, a look at how media outlets are trying to survive in this era of generative AI. Plus, why New York’s oldest Black newspaper is joining forces with an AI startup to address biases in the technology.

1. Kate Knibbs [@Knibbs],senior writer at Wired, on AI clickbait flooding the internet.Listen.

2.John Herrman [@jwherrman], tech columnist for New York Magazine, on the love-haterelationship between AI companies and journalism. Listen.

3.Elinor Tatum [@elinortatum], editor in chief ofThe New York Amsterdam News, on a push to make AI technology and data diverse. Listen.

4.Abbie Richards [@abbieasr], misinformation researcher and a senior video producer at Media Matters, on the AI-generated conspiracy theoriesmultiplying TikTok.Listen.

Naomi Kleinhas been confused for writer Naomi Wolf for much of her career. Wolf rose to prominence with the bookThe Beauty Mythin the 90s, establishing herself as a bestselling feminist, liberal writer. Klein, on the other hand, wrote acclaimed critiques of capitalism such asNo LogoandThe Shock Doctrine.To say Klein is often mistaken for Wolf is an understatement. In the interview she did just before ours,a TV host mistakenly called her by Wolf's name. The confusion is incessant on social media, and escalated whenWolf became notorious as a peddler of covid-19 conspiracies.Afew weeks ago, Wolf discovered that a fellow anti-vaxxer was spreading a conspiracy theory, this time about her.

Ultimately, Klein decided to plunge down the rabbit hole to follow Wolf, and emerged with a new bookDoppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World, a wide-ranging exploration of doubling in our lives, culture, and politics. Brooke speaks to Klein about how social media has given all of us doppelgangers; why she's proud of her"bad" personal brand; and the value of "unselfing."

This segment first aired in our September 15, 2023 show,The “Too Old” President and Political Doppelgängers.

Naomi Kleinhas been confused for writer Naomi Wolf for much of her career. Wolf rose to prominence with the bookThe Beauty Mythin the 90s, establishing herself as a bestselling feminist, liberal writer. Klein, on the other hand, wrote acclaimed critiques of capitalism such asNo LogoandThe Shock Doctrine.To say Klein is often mistaken for Wolf is an understatement. In the interview she did just before ours,a TV host mistakenly called her by Wolf's name. The confusion is incessant on social media, and escalated whenWolf became notorious as a peddler of covid-19 conspiracies.Afew weeks ago, Wolf discovered that a fellow anti-vaxxer was spreading a conspiracy theory, this time about her.

Ultimately, Klein decided to plunge down the rabbit hole to follow Wolf, and emerged with a new bookDoppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World, a wide-ranging exploration of doubling in our lives, culture, and politics. Brooke speaks to Klein about how social media has given all of us doppelgangers; why she's proud of her"bad" personal brand; and the value of "unselfing."

This segment first aired in our September 15, 2023 show,The “Too Old” President and Political Doppelgängers.