Sep 18 2020 51 mins 8
As wildfires blaze across the United States, some right-wing politicians and pundits are blaming racial justice protesters. On this week’s On the Media, how to stay focused on the realities of climate change when everything is politicized. Also: Does journalistic convention give more airtime to less important stories? Plus, how an independent French film criticizing the hyper-sexualization of children stoked controversy on the right. And, the assumptions we make when we talk about human trafficking.
1. David Karpf [@davekarpf], George Washington University media and public affairs professor, on how journalistic convention can bury urgent truths. Listen.
2. Kate Knibbs [@Knibbs], Senior Writer at Wired explains how "Cuties" on Netflix became mired in controversy peddled by the right. Listen.
3. Michael Hobbes [@RottenInDenmark], co-host of the podcast "You're Wrong About" and Senior Enterprise Reporter at The Huffington Post, debunks embellished stories of child sex trafficking busts. Listen.
4. Amy Westervelt [@amywestervelt], climate journalist and host of the podcast "Drilled" on how to sort through competing narratives in coverage of the wildfires. Listen.
