Last month, Brooke visited the “Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room” in Tribeca, a pop-up exhibit with 3,400 volumes of the Epstein files, printed. How the lead organizer thinks an IRL experience is the key to forcing accountability: on-the-media.visitlink.me/8kE80E

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish human writing from AI without technological help. Hear how journalism needs to adapt to protect readers w/ @vauhinivara.bsky.social on-the-media.visitlink.me/5SKZi4

Very much worth a listen.

Anthropic visited the Vatican and gave a speech as the Pope presented his encyclical on AI. The next week, Anthropic filed for what is likely to be the largest IPO in history. @bcmerchant.bsky.social explains how these events are related: on-the-media.visitlink.me/-Rowuq

Scott Pelley with @lulugn.bsky.social on being told the President had commented on his firing. (I’m not crying, you’re crying etc)

Last month, a pop-up exhibit in New York City displayed over 3,400 printed volumes of the Epstein files. How the lead organizer and funder, David Garrett, intends it as a “pressure campaign” to push for accountability: on-the-media.visitlink.me/L3QDN6

Accusations are flying over suspected AI writing–thanks to too many em dashes or half-baked metaphors. But what are the larger implications for journalists and writers? w/ @vauhinivara.bsky.social on-the-media.visitlink.me/cdDWov

Come for @bcmerchant.bsky.social's take on how Anthropic infiltrated the Vatican (and subscribe to his Substack to read about it, while you're at it), and stay to hear me talk about AI turning up in books and magazines!

Anthropic filed for an IPO this week after receiving a massive nearly $1 trillion valuation. How the company parlayed their popular model, Claude, and their image as the more ethical AI startup into big money, with @bcmerchant.bsky.social: on-the-media.visitlink.me/TQLrQJ

Listening to today's episode (excellent as usual) and they talk about accusations of things written by AI and name a tool I'd not heard of (Pangram). They claim it's pretty reliable. I feed it my piece from @liberalism.org this week that I *know* is human written because *I* wrote it...

Two of my favorite authors on my favorite program?! #blessed

Fantastic @bcmerchant.bsky.social interview on @onthemedia.bsky.social by @micahloewinger.bsky.social, with a shout out to @timnitgebru.blacksky.app.

This was an excellent podcast, but the second segment was on the Trump Epstein Files exhibition and really made those files a lot more real. When you find out what they released, you may be afraid to even think about what they haven't released.

📻 Show’s up! Featuring @bcmerchant.bsky.social, @vauhinivara.bsky.social, and David Garrett on-the-media.visitlink.me/mMfPo1

It's easy to laugh at the conspiracy theories around FEMA, but when @micahloewinger.bsky.social looked into it, the suspicion around the agency made a lot more sense. “This was an agency driven by paranoia,” Micah said in a recent interview with @hankgreen.bsky.social.

No, it’s not easy. Quality investigative journalism takes time, is expensive and isn’t guaranteed to generate an audience or make money. 60 Minutes is a unicorn which may never surface on TV in this way again.

My crankiest old man take is that referring to all art/entertainment/journalism/criticism/comedy/advertising as “content” helped pave the way for broad-ish acceptance of AI slop.

STATUS SCOOP: Scott Pelley has been terminated from CBS News. More in @status.news shortly. Subscribe here: status.news/subscribe

NEW: The Pentagon has banned journalists from its press office, designating it a classified space. The change creates a new barrier between journalists and the public affairs officers who have traditionally answered their questions. wapo.st/4fZu2kW

This is absolutely nuts: hackers are hijacking high-profile Instagram accounts by simply asking Meta's AI chatbot to change the email on the account. Meta's AI does it, hacker gets password reset code, they're in. A staggering security issue www.404media.co/hackers-simp...

I’m grateful to @onthemedia.bsky.social for helping shed light on an unsung and unlikely radio pioneer, the prisoner turned preacher who made the first breaking news broadcast in CBS history. You can read more about him in my article for @columjournreview.bsky.social: www.cjr.org/feature/cbs-...

After decades of far right conspiracy theorists crowing about fake “FEMA camp” prisons our far right American government has made a real FEMA camp: www.wlrn.org/immigration/...

For nearly a century, hard-hitting, on-the-spot news coverage became CBS’s brand. It all started with a forgotten episode in history, when an inmate named Otto “Deacon” Gardner survived a horrific 1930 prison fire and then delivered vivid coverage of the event: lnk.to/onthemedia/b...

Brooke speaks with historian @abradschwartz.bsky.social about how a deadly prison fire in 1930 changed the course of history for CBS News: lnk.to/onthemedia/b...

The quality of On the Media just keeps getting better. This episode was super helpful -- not that I will use the Russian words, but I recognize the concepts within the U.S. immediately. 💔🤍💙 www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm...

Historian @abradschwartz.bsky.social tells the story of CBS’s first on-the-spot breaking news broadcast that entirely changed the trajectory of CBS News—and yet is largely lost to memory. lnk.to/onthemedia/b...

Big shakeups at CBS’s 60 Minutes this week. Bari Weiss brought in an outsider to run the storied news magazine and terminated the contracts of two correspondents. Historian @abradschwartz.bsky.social on how the model Weiss is trying to disrupt got started: lnk.to/onthemedia/b...

holy shit nobody has ever answered a question worse

FEMA is a highly misunderstood and maligned agency, though it's had bright moments of exemplary management. I dug into its fascinating history/current day woes for our new 4-part @onthemedia.bsky.social investigation: www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm...

Particularly excellent @onthemedia.bsky.social on the slush fund. Not least cuz it calls it what it is. (& that message actually is sinking in even for low-info Americans.) www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm...

🤝📻

Examining the “Litigator-in-Chief’s” 1.8 billion settlement at the Department of Justice w/@annabower.bsky.social lnk.to/onthemedia/b...

Historian @abradschwartz.bsky.social reflects on how the current management at CBS has been falling short of the legacy left by CBS greats like Edward R. Murrow: lnk.to/onthemedia/b...

CBS News Radio was shut down last week after being on the air for nearly a century. Brooke speaks with historian @abradschwartz.bsky.social about how CBS became the home of hard-hitting, on-the-spot news coverage for so many years: lnk.to/onthemedia/b...

Simply amazing interview of @annabower.bsky.social by @micahloewinger.bsky.social here: "Trump Sued Himself … and ‘Settled’ for a $1.8 Billion Fund" WNYC Studios www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm...

How Donald Trump sued himself, and won a 1.8 billion dollar settlement w/ @annabower.bsky.social lnk.to/onthemedia/b...

When I testified in the Oath Keepers J6 trial 3.5 years ago, I could never have predicted that they'd be convicted then pardoned and then (potentially) paid out by the DOJ. Nice to speak with @annabower.bsky.social about it a bit this week on @onthemedia.bsky.social:

CBS News Radio may be gone, but you can hear the incredible story of the prisoner whose broadcast got it started (and a bit about my upcoming biography of Edward R. Murrow) on this week’s @onthemedia.bsky.social! 🗃️

📻 Show’s up! Featuring @annabower.bsky.social and @abradschwartz.bsky.social lnk.to/onthemedia/b...

The Russian term “Budgetniki” or people employed by the state, came up in our podcast this week. Came to mind when we saw this headline:

We have to be able to name these dictator tactics, to describe them and have the vocabulary, in order to be able to resist and fight them. We have lots to learn from Russian dissidents. Very smart conversation, @onthemedia.bsky.social. Looking forward to the book!

Bill Owens, the former executive producer of "60 Minutes," goes on the record with @status.news: "They're killing '60 Minutes.'" Much more in here: www.status.news/p/60-minutes...

Enjoyed this illuminating discussion about “How to Survive Authoritarianism” @onthemedia.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o...

I see the hacks stick together www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/b...

“This is our money they’re spending,” Painter said. “This is corruption we pay for.” www.propublica.org/article/dona...

Did the U.S. government actually build a secret underground city? The idea sounds like a fantasy straight out of a Cold War-era movie, but it’s actually real. @micahloewinger.bsky.social walks you through the history.

oh my god www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/b...

Also featured Andy in this post about WNYC's 100th at Summer Stage in Central Park, 2024. He portrayed WNYC founder Grover Whalen for @onthemedia.bsky.social like a boss. continuous-wave.beehiiv.com/p/celebratio...

It's a great joy to bring Archivist King @andylanset.bsky.social to my newsletter this week. He describes how people made radio documentaries/newsreels with 1000-pound rigs, multiple discs, and the most arduous sound-editing process you can imagine: continuous-wave.beehiiv.com/p/a-difficul...

It truly is incredible how much the MAGA world insists that the Biden DOJ was "weaponized" against them when the level of pure weaponization against perceived enemies in this DOJ is truly unprecedented.