This long-form essay by one of the hosts of On the Media argues that our current sociopolitical conflicts stem from a dissolution of facts and reality. We look at Gladstone’s manifesto for producing her radio show to unpack her project here, while considering her advice for bolstering our own personal realities.
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With a comparison of their staff rosters, we try imagining a television show that idolizes the White House today, the way The West Wing did in 1999. Believe it or not, Aaron Sorkin’s fantasy of public service let some people admire civics again.
It’s Inauguration Day for Donald Trump… so is a comic book about the first teenage president essential reading for American citizens now? We look at both the 1973 and 2015 versions of PREZ from DC Comics while discussing the cyclical nature of politics and satire.
Last year Peter Thiel secretly funded Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit that destroyed Gawker. Should the wealthy be able to ruin a publication if they don’t like what it has to say? We discuss the new precedent this case set between privacy and Freedom of Speech, all while tumbling down the rabbit hole of trashy media and big money.
This episode we try to understand how a television show about anti-capitalism was distributed by a corporate network. Did tapping into the “angry young man” archetype allow Mr. Robot to predict Donald Trump’s presidency?