Using Conspiracy Theories to Make Sense of a Loss

The suspected killer of the UnitedHealthcare CEO has been crowned a hero by many on social media. On this week’s On the Media, what the fandom reveals, and what the coverage of it has missed. Plus, tune in to part two of The Harvard Plan. Hear how plagiarism allegations at the university exploded into a toxic discourse about DEI and “diversity hires.”[01:00]  Hosts Brooke Gladstone and Micah Loewinger examine how the suspected killer of the UnitedHealthcare CEO became an internet sensation, what the spectacle itself reveals, and the gulf between the reactions on TikTok and in mainstream media. [15:29] Reporter Ilya Marritz, in part two of this collaboration with WNYC’s On The Media, Harvard’s first Black president Claudine Gay is accused of academic plagiarism, just days after giving testimony to Congress. The drip-drip of new allegations keeps the story in the headlines. It also reinforces critics’ allegation that Gay is a “diversity hire,” unworthy of the job. We hear from two of the writers who broke that news, and from a defender of Harvard’s diversity efforts.Check out our collaboration with the Boston Globe here. Further reading/listening/watching:“Luigi Mangione’s Full Story Isn’t Online,” by John Herrman"Beware, fellow plutocrats, the pitchforks are coming," Ted Talk by Nick Hanauer  On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [email protected].

Last week, the website for Enron – yes, that Enron – came back online. And on Monday the new CEO, Connor Gaydos, introduced himself, with what the fine print called "First Amendment protected parody." And it so happens that Gaydos is a source of another satirical piece of news… "Birds Aren't Real." On this week's midweek podcast, we re-air a conversation between Brooke Gladstone and writer Ian Beacock, about how the fake conspiracy theory gained traction, and what it reveals about our culture. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [email protected].

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 calling “influencer creep.” Plus, a look at the short, troubled tenure of Harvard’s 30th president, Claudine Gay, and the media firestorm that ensued.[01:00]  Host Micah Loewinger speaks with Drew Harwell, technology reporter at The Washington Post, and Elaina Plott Calabro, staff writer at The Atlantic, on how, and why, Donald Trump is filling his cabinet with influencers. [14:27] Reporter Ilya Marritz, in part one of our collaboration with the Boston Globe, dives into Claudine Gay's groundbreaking tenure as Harvard's first Black president. Gay’s appointment began with high hopes in September 2023, but soon devolved into a proxy battleground for American cultural wars — spurring escalating disputes over anti-Semitism and free speech, tarnishing her presidency as a symbol of diversity's failings. This series slows down the whipsaw chain of events to bring listeners direct eyewitness accounts of what happened, from professors, wealthy donors, and spiritual leaders.Further reading/listening/watching:“Trump and allies blur the lines between politician and influencer,” by Drew Harwell“The Man Who Will Do Anything for Trump,” by Elaina Plott Calabro On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [email protected].

Over the weekend, president-elect Donald Trump nominated a little-known, largely inexperienced civil servant to an enormous role in his upcoming administration – Kash Patel as FBI director. Firing current FBI director Christopher Wray, who has 2 years left in his 10 year term, would itself be an alarming break in norms. Atlantic staff writer Elaina Plott Calabro, profiled Kash Patel in August, chartint his rise to power, starting at the very beginning of his legal career. She explains how he came to loathe the media, and love Trump.Further reading:"The Man Who Will Do Anything For Trump," by Elaina Plott Calabro"What the FBI Has Done, and Kash Patel Could Do," by Jon Allsop On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [email protected].

How did the right get their vice grip of the airwaves, all the while arguing that they were being censored? On this week’s On the Media, a look at the early history of American radio, and why, in the post-war era, the U.S. government encouraged more diverse viewpoints on the airwaves — until it didn’t. Plus, the technological and legal changes that led to the popularity of conservative talk radio hosts like Rush Limbaugh. [00:10] Reporter Katie Thornton explains how radio programming shifted from the 1930s to the 1960s, and how the FCC attempted to prevent propaganda on the airwaves. Plus, what legal challenges conservative radio faced during the Civil Rights Era. [10:07] Reporter Katie Thornton takes a deeper look at The 700 Club, a Christian television news show that helped give rise to a network of conservative Christian radio stations.[22:51] Reporter Katie Thornton describes how the introduction of high-quality FM radio led AM radio to focus on talk radio, and the factors that made way for Rush Limbaugh to become the breakout star of conservative talk shows.Further reading/listening/watching:Messengers of the Right: Conservative Media and the Transformation of American Politics by Nicole HemmerNews For All The People: The Epic Story of Race and the American Media, by Joseph Torres and Juan GonzálezShadow Network Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right, by Anne NelsonTalk Radio’s America: How an Industry Took Over a Political Party That Took Over the United States, by Brian Rosenwald On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [email protected].

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 exchanges that we couldn’t fit in the radio version. So we’re bringing you a longer edit here. Hank describes how content creators depend on legacy media; his inspiration for making videos in 2007; and how OTM can reach a bigger audience. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [email protected].

A recent report from the Pew Research Center finds that 1 in 5 Americans get their news from influencers. On this week’s On the Media, YouTuber and science communicator Hank Green explains how he makes the truth go viral. Plus, hear how tech billionaires plan to escape the end of the world. [01:00] Host Micah Loewinger speaks with Renée DiResta, researcher studying online manipulation and professor at Georgetown University, about what the data tells us about how news consumption is changing. Plus, how news influencers are rewriting the power dynamics of media.[17:04] Host Micah Loewinger interviews science communicator, YouTuber, and entrepreneur Hank Green about how he makes the truth go viral, how he connects with his audience of many millions, and how he chooses what topics to cover.[33:44] Host Brooke Gladstone talks with Douglas Rushkoff, whose many books  probe the practice and philosophy of digital technology, about whether the apocalypse survival fantasies of tech billionaires are actually viable. Further reading/listening/watching:Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality, by Renée DiResta“Everyone Was Wrong About Avocados - Including Us,” by SciShow“Why do Cars Suddenly Look Like Putty??” by Hank GreenSurvival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires, by Douglas Rushkoff On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [email protected].

In the run up to the election Donald Trump was doggedly pursuing the votes of young men. He courted them, as we described on the show, through interviews with influencers like Joe Rogan and Adin Ross, and Logan Paul. These personalities are part of the so-called manosphere, where anti-feminist, often right-wing politics are the norm. While reporting on this corner of the internet, host Micah Loewinger has been thinking a lot about a conversation he had with Richard Reeves, author of the book of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male is Struggling, Why It Matters and What to Do About It. When Micah spoke to him last year, he said that the mainstream political discourse around men is fundamentally broken. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [email protected].

Many of Donald J. Trump’s cabinet picks have something in common: a very close relationship with Fox News. On this week’s On the Media, hear about the revolving door from the conservative network to the White House. Plus, election conspiracy theories from Kamala Harris supporters go viral. And a satirical news site buys up Alex Jones’ Infowars. [01:00] Host Brooke Gladstone speaks with Matt Gertz, senior fellow at Media Matters, about the re-opened revolving door between conservative media and the Trump administration. [11:52] Host Micah Loewinger sits down with Anna Merlan, senior reporter at Mother Jones, to discuss the flurry of apparent Democratic voters questioning election results on social media, and why, without backing from public officials, “BlueAnon” is likely a nonstarter.[20:05] Host Brooke Gladstone chats with Bill Adair, founder of PolitiFact and author of the new book Beyond the Big Lie, about the history of fact-checking and why the field – in desperate need of resources and reinforcements – is struggling to break through in our information ecosystem. [33:23] Host Micah Loewinger talks with Matt Pearce, former staff writer at the LA Times, and president of Media Guild of the West, about the media’s audience problem.[43:00] Host Brooke Gladstone calls up Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion, because The Onion bought Alex Jones’ Infowars. Need we say more. Further reading / listening:“A comprehensive review of the revolving door between Fox and the second Trump administration," by Matt Gertz“Election Conspiracy Theories Are For Everyone,” by Anna MerlanBeyond the Big Lie: The Epidemic of Political Lying, Why Republicans Do It More, and How It Could Burn Down Our Democracy, by Bill Adair“Lessons on media policy at the slaughter-bench of history,” by Matt Pearce“Here’s Why I Decided To Buy ‘InfoWars',” by Bryce P. Tetraeder, Global Tetrahedron fictitious CEO On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [email protected].

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 since Donald Trump’s win, some social media posts from Kamala Harris supporters and people on the left have gone viral questioning the outcome of the election. Host Micah Loewinger speaks with Anna Merlan, senior reporter at Mother Jones covering disinformation, technology, and extremism, about the viral post-election delusions and how conspiratorial thinking can be expected from any losing party.    Further reading:“Election Conspiracy Theories Are for Everyone,” by Anna Merlan“The 200-Year History of Using Voter Fraud Fears to Block Access to the Ballot,” by Pema Levy On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [email protected].