How the Depp v. Heard Trial Became a Meme
This week, we take a look at the latest celebrity trial to ensnare the national attention. Johnny Depp is suing Amber Heard, his ex-wife, for defamation, and she’s counter suing him for the same....
View ArticleSeeing Is Believing
With Roe v Wade under threat, some politicians and media outlets are trying to turn the national conversation away from abortion and toward civility. On this week’s On the Media, how the GOP has...
View ArticleA Taxonomy of TikTok Panics
Ever since TikTok exploded worldwide in 2018, news outlets across the country have breathlessly reported on TikTok challenges, which they claim range from the bizarre (licking toilet seats) to the...
View ArticleHow The Media Failed Amber Heard
This Wednesday afternoon, in Fairfax County Circuit Court in Virginia, a jury awarded Johnny Depp $15 million in damages in libel suit against Amber Heard, and gave her $2 million in her countersuit...
View ArticleWhy Are People "Quiet Quitting" Their Jobs?
"Quiet quitting" is the latest workplace trend sparking conversation in social and mainstream media. The idea went viral after TikTok user Zaid Khan, a 24-year-old engineer in New York City, talked...
View ArticleThe Dark Side of the TikTok Boom
TikTok is taking over the social media space, but what do we really know about the app? Its recommendations algorithm is one of the most highly personalized in the social realm, and that comes with a...
View ArticleSciFri Book Club Returns, Upcoming Winter Illnesses. Oct 28, 2022, Part 1
Don’t Trust What You See On TikTok This Election SeasonMidterm elections in the United States are just under two weeks away. And new research suggests a significant risk of misinformation for American...
View ArticleA Taxonomy of TikTok Panics
At the end of 2022, Congress passed legislation to ban TikTok from all government devices, citing data privacy concerns and potential ties between the app and the Chinese government. But this isn't the...
View ArticleNikki Haley's Record & Run; Ukraine's Year-Long Humanitarian Crisis;...
On today's show:Andy Shain, a managing editor at The Post and Courier in South Carolina, discusses Nikki Haley's time as South Carolina governor between 2011 and 2017. He also explains how her...
View Article'Earthquake diplomacy' in Syria
Diplomats from many Arab nations are meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the first time since the country's civil war began in 2011, when most of them severed ties. The visits follow the...
View ArticleTikTok Went to Congress; Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws in Uganda and Worldwide; NYC...
Coming up on today's show: TikTok's CEO Shou Chew testified before Congress Thursday in an adversarial hearing. Louise Matsakis, tech reporter for Semafor, recaps the hearing and talks about why...
View ArticleWednesday Morning Politics; Changes Coming to NYC Trash Collection; Ending...
Coming up on today's show: Tara Palmeri, partner & senior political correspondent at Puck News, and Peter Hamby, partner at Puck News and host of Snapchat's “Good Luck America,” talk about the...
View ArticleThe Hypocrisies of the TikTok Hearings
U.S. lawmakers have said that they are moving forward with a plan to ban TikTok, one of the most popular apps in the world. In hearings last week, Congress questioned TikTok’s C.E.O., Shou Zi Chew,...
View ArticleUtah's New Social Media Law for Children is Part of a Trend
There's an upwelling of political will to regulate the impact that social media are having on children and teens. Last week, Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed twobills into law that aim to restrict how...
View ArticleHow Did the TikTok Ban Become a Bipartisan Issue?
A ban of the Chinese social-media app TikTok, first floated by the Trump Administration, is now gaining real traction in Washington. Lawmakers of both parties fear the app could be manipulated by...
View ArticleThe Long Campaign to Turn Birth Control Into the New Abortion
When the Supreme Court’s decision undoing Roe v. Wade came down in June, anti-abortion groups were jubilant – but far from satisfied. Many in the movement have a new target: hormonal birth control. It...
View ArticleHow the Food Industry is Influencing Your TikTok Feed
In July, the World Health Organization issues a report indicating that aspartame, an artificial sweetener used in many low calorie sodas and snacks, was "possibly carcinogenic to humans." The new...
View ArticleNews and Views of War Through the Lens of TikTok
For years, Republicans in Congress have sounded alarms over TikTok, often citing concerns about the platform's Chinese ownership and its access to data. But now, they're arguing that TikTok has put its...
View ArticleHave You Ever Been on a Cruise? (Small Stakes, Big Opinions)
In December, The Royal Caribbean Ultimate World Cruise set off for a 9 month voyage, visiting 60 countries. The cheapest ticket was $59,999. The ship's passengers have taken to TikTok, with users...
View ArticleYour Cruise Opinions, The New York Videogame Critic Circle, Ava DuVernay and...
In December, The Royal Caribbean Ultimate World Cruise set off for a 9 month voyage, visiting 60 countries. The cheapest ticket was $59,999. The ship's passengers have taken to TikTok, with users...
View ArticleLawmakers Worry About Social Media's Impact On Kids. But What Can They...
A hearing this week on kids' online safety became contentious and, at times, emotional as senators from both parties grilled tech CEOs.On Today's Show:Will Oremus, technology reporter at The Washington...
View ArticleAI-Generated Conspiracy Theories Are Flooding TikTok
This week, the Federal Communications Commission voted to ban scam robocalls that use AI-generated voices, after such a call falsely told Democratic voters not to vote in the New Hampshire Democratic...
View ArticleWhat AOC and MTG Agree On: Don’t Ban Tik Tok
This morning, the House voted overwhelmingly to pass a TikTok 'ban,' which now faces an uphill battle in the Senate. On Today's Show:Drew Harwell, Washington Post technology reporter, talks about the...
View ArticleReporters Ask the Mayor; TikTok Ban Vote; Pres. Biden's Budget; 'Malicious...
Coming up on today's show:Mayor Adams holds one off-topic press conference per week, where reporters can ask him questions on any subject. Elizabeth Kim, Gothamist and WNYC reporter, recaps what he...
View ArticleWhy Banning TikTok Might Backfire. Plus, a History of Book-Banning Moms
Recently, the House passed a bill that could ban TikTok from the US unless the app’s Chinese owners divest. On this week’s On the Media, hear how the bill will likely fail to live up to its promise....
View ArticleThe TikTok Bill Won't Solve Our Social Media Woes
The House has voted to pass a bipartisan bill that could lead to a nationwide ban of TikTok. Congress has cited concerns that the China-owned app is sharing American users' data with the Chinese...
View ArticleTikTok's Algorithm
TikTok once embraced the narrative of its algorithm as an all-powerful "secret sauce." Now, that narrative appears to be backfiring as Congress attempts to force a sale. John Herrman, tech columnist at...
View ArticleThe United States Passed a Ban on TikTok. Why?
Four years ago, Donald Trump—flexing his muscles against China—tried to ban TikTok, owned by the Chinese firm ByteDance. It didn’t take long for a judge, appointed by Trump himself, to block his...
View ArticleHow a Tech Executive Lobbied Lawmakers for the TikTok Ban
David Remnick talks with a proponent of the TikTok ban that just passed in Washington. Jacob Helberg, an executive with the data giant Palantir who serves in a government agency called the United...
View ArticleSalmon in the Dishwasher? Hannah Goldfield’s Highlights of Culinary TikTok
Hannah Goldfield writes The New Yorker’s column On and Off the Menu, and when she’s not writing about food, she’s watching people make it on social media—some good food, and some horrible. She shares a...
View ArticleWired’s Katie Drummond: The TikTok Ban Is “a Vast Overreach, Rooted in...
David Remnick talks with Katie Drummond, the global editorial director of Wired magazine, about the TikTok ban that just passed with bipartisan support in Washington. The app will be removed from...
View ArticleThe Murky Future of TikTok
Last month President Biden signed a bill into law that would ban the popular Chinese app TikTok from the United States unless it is sold, citing national security concerns. What implications could the...
View ArticleThe Long Campaign to Turn Birth Control Into the New Abortion
When the Supreme Court’s decision undoing Roe v. Wade came down in June, anti-abortion groups were jubilant – but far from satisfied. Many in the movement have a new target: hormonal birth control. It...
View ArticleHow to Save a Life
We get it … the world feels too bleak and too big for you to make a difference. But there is one thing—one simple tangible thing—you can do to make all the difference in the world to someone, possibly...
View ArticleA Dad-Coded VP Pick. Plus, Trump Courts Gen Z Influencers
This week, Kamala Harris’ VP pick Tim Walz went viral for being a typical Midwestern dad. On this week’s On the Media, the narratives surrounding Walz, and the political appeal of the car-tinkering,...
View ArticleBrian Jordan Alvarez on “English Teacher”
Between book bans, the movement for parental rights, the fight over cellphones, and budgets being slashed, life in a public school is stressful—and a fertile ground for comedy. Brian Jordan Alvarez...
View ArticleBrian Jordan Alvarez on “English Teacher”
Between book bans, the movement for parental rights, the fight over cellphones, and budgets being slashed, life in a public school is stressful—and a fertile ground for comedy. Brian Jordan Alvarez...
View ArticleHow Health Misinformation Spreads | A Play About Ben Franklin And His Son
The Basics Of How Health Misinformation SpreadsHealth misinformation can circulate quickly on social media: false claims about vaccines, ads pushing suspicious-looking supplements, politicians making...
View ArticleThe Misinformation Web
The 2024 presidential election has seen a rise in Spanish-language misinformation and in the content creators making a living by pushing out false content. For months, Futuro Investigates in...
View ArticleGoing Viral: How Influencers Are Impacting the Battle Over Young Latino Voters
Since 1986, there has been an enduring 26-point gap in youth voter turnout in presidential elections. And as the Latine population continues to grow in the US, they are making up a large portion of new...
View ArticleTrump Is Back, Now What?
To cap off our 2024 election coverage, The Latino Factor: How We Vote, Latino USA teamed up with Futuro Media’s political podcast In The Thick to bring you a special episode. In the election that many...
View ArticleUsing Conspiracy Theories to Make Sense of a Loss
Many media outlets were prepared for conspiracy theories and lies to spread after the election. But many thought that it would be coming from Donald Trump or his supporters spreading the “Big Lie.” But...
View ArticleHank Green Makes the Truth Go Viral (EXTENDED VERSION)
Our latest episode featured Micah's interview with Hank Green, a very popular YouTuber and science communicator. We got a lot of nice feedback about the conversation, and there were some interesting...
View ArticleDonald Trump’s Cabinet of Influencers. Plus, The Harvard Plan.
Many of Donald Trump’s cabinet picks are emulating online influencers in their efforts to sell products and promote themselves. On this week’s On the Media, hear about the phenomenon academics are...
View ArticlePalestinians and Israelis react to potential ceasefire
Palestinians and Israelis react to a potential ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Also, Indonesia rolls out a massive new free meal program for school children to help reduce stunting and poverty in...
View ArticleFriday Morning Politics: Goodbye Biden, Hello Trump
Jonathan Lemire, co-host of "Morning Joe" on MSNBC, contributing writer at The Atlantic and the author of The Big Lie: Election Chaos, Political Opportunism, and the State of American Politics After...
View ArticleTikTok Prepares for U.S. Ban
The Supreme Court has upheld a ban on the popular social media app TikTok, and it now could be banned for U.S. users starting on Sunday. Sylvia Varnham O'Regan, reporter covering social media companies...
View ArticleFarewell TikTok? Plus, the Role of Memory and Forgetting with the L.A....
The Supreme Court has upheld a ban on TikTok. On this week’s On the Media, hear how the ruling could affect other media companies, and where TikTokers are going next. Plus, California’s latest...
View ArticleHow RedNote is Connecting Average Americans with Chinese Civilians
Ahead of the TikTok ban, many Americans moved over to an even more Chinese social media application called RedNote. Steffi Cao, internet culture reporter, explains why she sees this as an opportunity...
View ArticleWhat Biden and Bannon Are Both Warning About
With so many Silicon Valley CEOs changing their policies to align with the new Trump administration, we explore how money, power and technology have earned certain 'oligarchs' a seat at the president's...
View Article