News & Media

The final episodes of Garrison Keillor's much-loved public radio program have been broadcast on the Disney Channel. TV critic David Bianculli says seeing the show on television has its own unique charm.

Ann Rule is a former police officer who became a crime writer. Her new book, Small Sacrifices, documents the case of Diane Downs, who shot three of her children, killing one of them.

Critic-at-large Laurie Stone finds the new play by Eric Bogosian, about a bigoted and acerbic Cleveland shock jock, both funny and pretentious. She says its attempt to broadly critique modern culture falls flat.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews a new show that rebroadcasts the human interest stories journalist Charles Kuralt produced for the CBS Evening News.

Tom Boswell covers sports for the Washington Post. He's collected his writing about golf in a new book called Strokes of Genius.

Village Voice style editor Mary Peacock considers the role women's magazines play in shaping women's fashion. She talks to Fresh Air's Terry Gross about the latest trends.

Journalist Raymond Bonner's new book examines how the United States government turned a blind eye to Ferdinand Marcos' rise to power and declaration of martial law in the Philippines. His account draws from myriad interviews and documents obtained through FOIA requests.

Sportswriter Frank Deford has a new collection of his work for Sport Illustrated called The World's Tallest Midget. He says writing long form pieces has helped sustain his career; he'd falter under the pressure of a daily deadline.

Writer P.J. O'Rourke doesn't think comedy and conservatism are incompatible. He edited the National Lampoon and serves as the "investigative humorist" for Rolling Stone. His new book, Republican Party Reptile, collects his recent writing.

New York City-based journalist Pete Hamill briefly served as a newspaper editor in Mexico City. After conflicts with the publisher over how to cover a student protest, he resigned. Nineteen reporters joined him. Now back in U.S., he writes for the Village Voice.

Journalist Michael Hamburger took a break from his career to work as a caddy on a professional golf tour. His book, The Green Road Home, details what was expected of him, from carrying bags to providing emotional support.

Former New York Times reporter Joyce Maynard moved to New Hampshire to start a family, where she started her Domestic Affairs column, which examines her new life as a writer and mother. A book of the same name has just been published.

TV critic David Bianculli has been following the networks' coverage of Oliver North's congressional testimony on the Iran-Contra affair. While each station uses the same camera feeds, they deploy commentary and supplementary information in different ways, in alternately successful and distracting ways.

Former diplomat and journalist William Attwood has a new book about the Cold War, called The Twilight Struggle. Reflecting on the history of McCarthyism, relations with communist countries, and undercover operations, he believes the Cold War's end is in sight.

Gloria Steinem returns to Fresh Air to discuss the history and workplace culture of the feminist magazine she cofounded, as well as the state of the women's movement today.

Linguist Geoff Nunberg says that, regardless of the language they're written in, newspaper headlines demand a mastery of colloquialisms and pre-existing knowledge of current events--making them difficult for non-native speakers to comprehend.

Record producer, musician and songwriter Todd Rundgren joins Fresh Air to talk about his career both in-studio and on the concert stage. Recently, he's branched out into television, writing music for Pee Wee's Playhouse.

Photographer Eve Arnold documented the life of the iconic film actress, but embargoed her photos after Monroe's death. Arnold has now compiled them into a book, called Marilyn Monroe--An Appreciation.

Lawyer and First Amendment expert Martin Garbus has a new book called Traitors and Heroes. He discusses the Lenny Bruce obscenity trials, the Reagan administration's effect on news coverage, and censorship issues abroad.

Critic Ken Tucker will review two old movies just released for home video: "Double Indemnity," and "Naked Spur."