On the Media

7,989
News #57News Commentary #12

The Peabody Award-winning On the Media podcast is your guide to examining how the media sausage is made. Hosts Brooke Gladstone and Micah Loewinger examine threats to free speech and government transparency, cast a skeptical eye on media coverage of the week’s big stories and unravel hidden political narratives in everything we read, watch and hear.

Recent Episodes
Episodes loading...
Recent Reviews
  • Neverinamillion
    Very Excellent
    One of the best podcasts of all times. Informative, innovative, incredible.
  • OTM4Eva
    Best Show
    The only podcast I listen to religiously. The only podcast I’ve ever left a review for!
  • Mealworms
    Invaluable, Clear-eyed, Informative
    I have listened to OTM since childhood. It is an indispensable and thoughtful resource that teaches, clarifies, and expands upon current and past U.S. events, (and those events’ tellings in local and national media,) with a clear-headed view of our nation’s past and present. Their series on poverty is a masterpiece: thought-provoking and tearjerking. Their guides on navigating breaking news should be shared in schools, community centers, and on light posts. Then there’s National Treasure: Brooke Gladstone. Thank you all for your invaluable, dedicated work and public service.
  • reece_wk
    Essential
    This is one of my favorite podcasts. Essential to our times.
  • Ecologygrl
    Value added
    The podcast adds to what we know about current events. Not a rehash of headlines.
  • David F of Michigan
    OTM is the greatest
    On The Media is a "must listen" podcast, every week. Incisive interviews, timely topics, new angles on the events of the day and the state of the country and the world. It's simply the best!
  • Seattle based
    Excellence.
    OTM offers the most insightful current events programming around. This show is pure treasure.
  • anne199999
    Excellent
    I never miss an episode. This is necessary media reporting especially now.
  • tigerkite
    Actual Expert Analysis on Current Issues
    On the Media is one of the few news sources that routinely consults with experts to understand issues in the news. You have scholars on movements like QANON and researchers involved in early development of AI to give you a deep understanding of what’s going on. If you want to go beyond the opinions and horserace coverage and getting a deeper understanding of our world an news, On the Media is it.
  • Tolga M
    Excellent show, highly recommended!
    I have been an On the Media (OTM) listener for over a decade, initially as it followed ‘All Things Considered’, but I have come to look forward to it each week as one of my favorite shows. Hosts Brooke Gladstone and Micah Loewinger are phenomenal; intelligent, empathic, engaging and the show is scrupulously researched. After the 2016 election, and in other episodes including the recent interview with Bryan Stevenson, they tug at your heart strings while pulling back the veil on the tropes and failings of the commercial media. It’s super informative and up there with the excellent Throughline in working to educate listeners beyond the headlines or ‘thoughts and prayers’ coverage. I will say I do miss, and was saddened by the abrupt departure of Bob Garfield, who I think brought a lot to the show…but I also understand there are behind the scenes dynamics we weren’t aware of…
  • ST00PS
    Great for Mid-Level Podcast Listeners
    This is a great show for those who want a deeper look into the stories coming through media. Great interviews. Very nice through lines. But I wouldn’t recommend this for those who aren’t interested in actively listening to a podcast, bc the episodes are longer and the stories can be a bit dry if you don’t stay engaged. It’s perfect for me bc I have other shows that I can zone out a bit, but when I’m ready to really listen in, this is one of my go-tos.
  • four feathers
    Review
    This broadcast won’t discuss any positive truthful review of the ‘right wing’. Owned by George Soros’ companies. Woke joke
  • Branden with an E
    Gladstone is great
    I loved this show when Bob Garfield was co-host, I didn’t follow his departure, but without him, the show seems bland, it’s missing that secret ingredient that kept me coming back each week. Bob & Brooke were a 1-2 punch that I really enjoyed. Today, the show lacks the passion it once had and seems to air more “old episodes we think are worth airing now” and “someone else’s podcast”, than its own content. Brooke - I wish you’d make your own podcast, to me, your name and reputation precede the show.
  • V-Spain
    Take sick leave!
    OTM doesn’t have back up reporters when on-air reporters are sick? Did we really have to listen to Micah croak his way through the Match 28 podcast?
  • To T or not to Tee
    Fantastic podcast!
    Transparent presentation & great content! Thanks so much for all your thoughtful work!
  • someone11!1!1!1!1!!!1
    Fantastic podcast
    Great coverage and analysis
  • TechyActor
    Never miss
    OTM has been a favorite- and much depended on- source of rigorous journalism, careful perspective and passionate interrogation for our family for over a decade. Grateful to have it on demand, so I never miss a minute!
  • melanieida
    Truly excellent
    My favorite place to digest the news, and the political narratives humming underneath the coverage.
  • NYC22spl
    Disappointed
    I heard this great debate Brook was having with someone about public funding of NPR. Figured give the show a shot. Five mins in and the bias is too much. If you fancy another Trump hating, MAGA bashing show, add this to the 100s out there.
  • Rossish01
    Losing its way
    This show no longer seems to be about media. With so much other media following the shiny keys of Trump Chaos, we don’t need this show to do the same thing.
  • rialta women
    Always stimulating! The ideas that are brought out are invaluable to a curious audience. Keep it up
    The ideas that are brought out are invaluable to a curious audience audience. Keep up the good work and pay no attention to the pathetic trolls who have too much time on their hands.
  • midwestBlue
    3.1.25
    the podcast, brook gladstone is great! however, everyone needs to stop endorsing trump’s false status as an American pres! Stop you and guests from calling trump “president” which just in his sick corroded mind thinks it means king!! dahlia lithwick giggling and say president trump forces me to comment. does she think this slop-hole america is in is funny? it’s not funny dahlia quit your nervous laughing about the downfall of america, so annoying and unprofessional.
  • angrylf
    Lost its edge
    This used to be an interesting program but it has become just a bunch of woke blather. Misinformation Is presented as fact rather than risk causing offense. So typical of NPR to fire Garfield who did good, confrontational interviews and keep Gladstone who is a phony, megaphone for progressive nonsense.
  • d-town laxer
    2025 Programing
    After Trump was elected I listened to your “morning after” podcast where you candidly discussed how this new regime might impact your coverage. I found your programs following the election fantastic from crypto contrarian to the librarian spies and many in between. Thank you! Keep up the great work. We now just need to figure out how to speak to a broader audience!
  • Jenjen_rn
    Woke
    Great podcast if you hate God, America and truth. If you’re woke and just want someone to fuel that ideology with un-based vitriol this podcast is for you
  • JMLLA12
    Epitome of liberal smugness (I am a liberal)
    The hosts / guests of this show desperately need to learn that they don’t know what they don’t know. They are frequently and confidently wrong - but gloss over their previous bad takes in order to hurl more shots at other commentators. There is a “right” and a “wrong” way to talk about the news and only they know the difference. If history proves them wrong? Pretend like it didn’t happen. Case in point: their discussion of Biden’s age in the spring of 2024. I would have a lot more respect for their analyses if they could recognize when they were previously wrong and learn from it. I would have even more respect if they could show some humility and recognize the fact that no one knows what take will fix our broken institutions. It would create better debates and they would spend less time with mud on their faces.
  • Ytzpaul
    Authoritarianism in Politics and big Tech AI
    First, the first two weeks of Trump’s implementation of Project 2025… And two the section on impact of DeepSeek AI … very interesting with quality guests.
  • Iswoon
    ED Z.!
    Love the show…always have I, since I can recall. It puts our (my) world back on axis weekly, with mid-week nosh, as well. Ed Zitron, recently, a new voice, real energy & intellect. Great Guest, Grazie!
  • a bit of stardust
    Great show, but …
    … I can’t listen to the disgusting voice of you-know-who. Can you bleep it out?
  • BCguy94
    Critical reporting
    I really appreciate the thorough reporting on the stories they do, especially in an era of declining trust in the media.
  • EJames9029
    Defund NPR
    The episode about public broadcasting being in danger was so biased that it provided a perfect encapsulation of why public broadcasting SHOULD be defunded. Chef’s kiss.
  • darcwood
    Public Broadcasting is in Danger
    I was an ardent fan and supporter of NPR for over 30 years. At some point during the COVID lockdowns, I just found I couldn’t abide listening anymore. I didn’t think it was because it was too woke, because I considered myself to be a woke progressive leftist. But it was the tone—and the tone policing. The virtue signaling. And the fact that I had serious questions about COVID and the transing of children (as I am from the Question Authority generation) and there was NEVER any attempt to explore divergent views on these issues and others. Anybody who had questions was brainwashed by right wing misinformation, even though I never consume right wing news. I just had common sense questions, many of which have been born out. My point is that I was very dismayed by Brook’s contemptuous tone toward Mike Gonzales. I don’t agree with Gonzales on CPB funding, but as do agree with some of his points, and I do not need Brooke or anyone at NPR to tell me how I should interpret information. And this is why I finally stopped listening to NPR. The insidious contemptuous tone.
  • lordgehrksherk
    Off track for 8 years
    What do you care? If one is still anticipating this show, that person has no sense of taste, mood or dignity. There was a time in which this program meant something. A time in which it adhered to its title. A time in which an examination of popular media was the sole theme. That time is long gone. If one tried, for the past 800-some dismal broadcasts, to convince themself it’s possible for the program to return to its function, that person is sorely mistaken. The drivel I for one have endured… Just go back for any length of time. Listen to this nonsense for as long as you can bear it. It’s sheer pablum. It signifies less than nothing. No sound, no fury. Shame on NPR for allowing a good vehicle to become so wearisome.
  • Concerned Citizen 5500
    A cool refreshing reality oasis in a desert of hot air and spin.
    This show is very badly-needed analysis of how current events are reported and by whom and why and to what ends and how it calcifies into the Dominant Narrative over time. This show is basically an anti-calcification agent against propaganda. For those who don’t just consume the information as it’s fed to us, but consider the framing and the competing agendas, OTM is one of the few sources of support for doing so. I love this show so much and particularly Brook Gladstone. I listen to every single episode and could listen to BG’s voice all day.
  • No DRM
    Okay
    They’re doing an okay job.
  • ASBehn
    Excellent factual interesting reporting and analysis.
    On the Media does absolutely excellent reporting and fact checking and sharing. This is one of my favorite podcasts. On the Media poses excellent questions, and talks with a variety of people. In addition, it’s fantastic that they are evaluating how the media landscape is changing and how traditional media can adapt. Now, Imagine if people were so sick of social media we just shut it all off. Would that not be marvelous? To Not be constantly manipulated by a series of algorithms? That is the future of media I want.
  • BryanM47
    Whiny
    The host is just to whiny for me.
  • RokitanskyAschoff
    Media bias on display (ironically)
    If you have no problem with stories tainted by far left bias, then you will find no issue with this program. As a longtime listener it has declined significantly since the departure of Bob Garfield. A major turning point for me was post Oct. 7 the shows progressive bona tides shown through in that they succumbed to the left’s irresistible demonization of all things Israel rather than doing deep reporting on facts and truth. The program’s depictions of unrwa are so thoroughly false and easily debunked by facts as to be comical - the program appears to have even committed journalistic malpractice in that they let serious accusations of Hillel Neuer, a credible and knowledgeable expert on unrwa, go unchallenged and did not even solicit comment from him. Is that even legal? Are there not journalistic standards anymore. This program is emblematic of the dramatic decline in NPR listernerahip - the public can see through the bias and aren’t buying in anymore.
  • SDhltnt
    Your story seems strange to an observer
    Feels strange for the purveyor of everything the “blind corporate destroyer of our species and planet” selling something that no one seems to even see the dots that should be visible But your funding ???
  • TEXAS COYS
    Father Coughlin was not on the Right
    Poorly done. Labeling coughlin as being from the right illustrates your bias. He held disgusting views on Jews. His other views were heterodox but leaned left.
  • wilhelmina a.
    Great show—pronounce antisemitic correctly pls
    Why do so many people pronounce antisemitic “anti-si-metic”? Please encourage reporter Katie Thornton and others to use the correct pronunciation: "an-tē-sə-ˈmi-tik"
  • Mazocar
    Interesting
    This show was mildly interesting when the hosts had a moment when they nearly understood why their medium was dying. Alas, that moment was fleeting and quickly lost.
  • yimbyDawler
    The most necessary and critical podcast for out modern times
    I’m an avid OTM listener because they offer the kind of inside out critiques that help us understand nuances and narrative that shape our world and thinking. In a world losing out on journalism in every corner, this kind of analysis is precious and rare. I am a better critical thinker because of OTM. Thank you and please share this with others and donate to keep this kind of show going long into the future.
  • walker449
    Love this show!!
    I’ve listened to it for years. It is more important now then ever. I learn so much and I love how it is balanced and fresh. High marks! Thanks for all you do. From New Hampshire
  • Winston2356
    Fragile yet sanctimonious
    20 years ago, one of my go to radio programs. Biased, but there was depth. Anyway, I gave up on them a long time ago when they gave up on ethics. But now they’re just so fragile. I listened to some of the post election shows. The hand wringing, long sighs, a little crying I think. When did these hard nosed journalists become such snowflakes. And fragility aside, how can they be so incapable of seeing republicans as anything but easily manipulated morons or pure devils. But, maybe the worst is how they can simply not report the facts correctly; this is journalism 101. Or more likely, I’m naive. I suspect they know how complex the issues are but realize it doesn’t help their team to report them. So, they’re just Breitbart for the left.
  • DvtedFan
    How am I feeling?
    Stunned, horrified, terrified, hopeless, disbelieving, etc. We must, must, leave our liberal bubble, understand that we don’t understand the country we really live, engage, investigate, be genuinely curious about the people who voted for Trump et al. The tragic fact is that those who want to deport every immigrant and buy cheaper eggs don't understand that tariffs and deporting essential workers will INCREASE the price of eggs and everything else. We talk about “toxic masculinity” but men who voted for trump feel emasculated by women having rights, a higher rates of college education, careers, financial independence. If we don’t leave our own media bubble, we don’t stand a chance of restoring everything we value. We MUST resist and we MUST be willing to study and implement the other side’s tactics.
  • sunflour
    Vital Resource
    I didn’t realize I was not contributing to this podcast, but now I will find a way to do just that. An incredible team with clarity, a lack of chaotic dramatization, well rounded, and down to earth. Thank you to the team!
  • Crprtr
    I’ll tell you exactly what it is
    What is the movie wrong? Both sidesing. People who saw both parties is exactly the same because that’s what is out there so then after that, they went on personality and misogyny and they think he’s more funny.
  • alfonina
    The day after
    Dear on The Media hosts , With so much sadness I appreciate your honest show ! There is not much to add to this election despoilment but the most pailful reality of a country so full of Des inform people that you can’t be serious about any future ,it is so unsettled I am very disappointed and worried but also aware that so many people don’t care or understand their own country and the effect of this election result for the country and the rest of the world . Wishing you the best on this journey. Sincerely, Miriam MV California
  • Uralriver
    The Day After, Brings Unbearable Sadness…
    Disappointment and Fear. The worst is yet to come.
Similar Podcasts
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork on this page are property of the podcast owner, and not endorsed by UP.audio.