Every Sunday afternoon my local NPR station airs an episode of, "On the Media." Hosted by Brooke Gladstone and Bob Garfield. According to the shows own website, "On the Media" provides a "weekly investigation into how the media shapes our world view." Whereas most shows on NPR are (appropriately) focused outward toward events out in the world, "On the Media" turns its critical journalistic energies inward. And n many ways, this week's episode is the episode many gun owners have been waiting for. It focuses in large part on the various ways in which the media fails in its reporting on guns.
The episode's chapter titles are revealing:
- "The Media's Gun Blindspot"
- "What the Media Don't Get about Gun Owners"
- "Expanding the Gun Violence Conversation"
- "Stopping Mass Shooters Long Before They Act"
- "Data Cop Out"
- "The 'Criminal Mind' Calculator"
As somehow daily steeped in the gun conversation, I have to say that this particular episode represents a rare attempt on the part of the hosts to explore critically how the "mainstream" media reports on guns, gun owners, and gun violence. The shows guests, who are from both inside and outside of the gun community, are given generous amounts of time to make their case. And in each segment, "On the Media" takes no prisoners, offering critical commentary on the strategies, rhetoric, and language of advocates on all sides of the gun debate.
"The Great Divide" is a truly excellent piece of journalism. It can be heard here.
http://www.wnyc.org/story/on-the-media-2016-06-24
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