Movies Get Political

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From the battle between Joseph McCarthy and Edward R. Murrow, to terrorism and oil in the Middle East, the recent films coming out of Hollywood seem like a throwback to the days of the politically charged Network and China Syndrome. Just a year or two ago, Good Night and Good Luck or Syriana might have been called un-American. Not today. Steven Spielberg's Munich, which opened just a week ago, has already prompted an outpouring of reactions to its tale of Israeli revenge against terrorists who took the lives of eleven Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics. Why are so many -issue- films reaching the big screen? Are the issues being raised causing controversy or sparking serious discussion? Sara Terry guest hosts.Making News: Justice Department to Probe Domestic Surveillance DisclosureJustice Department officials revealed today that the agency will launch an investigation in to the leak of classified information about President Bush's domestic spying program. The announcement caps off a year in which leaks of classified information and the use of unnamed sources have made big headlines says Michael Isikoff, investigative reporter for Newsweek.Reporter's Notebook: Can Media Bias Be Quantified? When they don't like the news they read or see or hear, both the Left and the Right often claim that it's slanted. News people themselves often counter that the bias is in the eyes of the beholder. A new study claims to have objectively quantified media bias and come up with a way of ranking some of the country's best known news outlets. Will that end the arguments? Warren Olney talks with the study co-author, University of Missouri Economics Professor Jeffrey Milyo.
From the battle between Joseph McCarthy and Edward R. Murrow, to terrorism and oil in the Middle East, the recent films coming out of Hollywood seem like a throwback to the days of the politically charged Network and China Syndrome. Just a year or two ago, Good Night and Good Luck or Syriana might have been called un-American. Not today. Steven Spielberg's Munich, which opened just a week ago, has already prompted an outpouring of reactions to its tale of Israeli revenge against terrorists who took the lives of eleven Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics. Why are so many -issue- films reaching the big screen? Are the issues being raised causing controversy or sparking serious discussion? Sara Terry guest hosts.
  • Making News: Justice Department to Probe Domestic Surveillance Disclosure
    Justice Department officials revealed today that the agency will launch an investigation in to the leak of classified information about President Bush's domestic spying program. The announcement caps off a year in which leaks of classified information and the use of unnamed sources have made big headlines says Michael Isikoff, investigative reporter for Newsweek.
  • Reporter's Notebook: Can Media Bias Be Quantified?
    When they don't like the news they read or see or hear, both the Left and the Right often claim that it's slanted. News people themselves often counter that the bias is in the eyes of the beholder. A new study claims to have objectively quantified media bias and come up with a way of ranking some of the country's best known news outlets. Will that end the arguments? Warren Olney talks with the study co-author, University of Missouri Economics Professor Jeffrey Milyo.
Guest host Sara Terry is an award-winning writer and photographer, Her latest photo-documentary project is Aftermath: Bosnia's Long Road to Peace Recently released movies discussed in today's segment:
  • Syriana
  • Good Night and Good Luck
  • Munich
  • Constant Gardener
  • North Country

    • Dana Priest's Washington Post article on new furor over covert CIA program

    Participate.net

    Congressman Randy -Duke' Cunningham, TtP on

    Washington Times

    Fox News

    National Public Radio (NPR)

    The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

    'A Measure of Media Bias'

    Credits

    Host:

    Warren Olney