On The Media’s Brooke Gladstone on Press in Trump Era, “The Trouble With Reality”

How do you feel the media has done covering the Trump Administration?

David Waitz

What is reality? And how is media supposed to shed light on truth, especially in an era where emotion often wins people’s hearts and minds over facts? These are some of the things Brooke Gladstone explores in her new book “The Trouble with Reality: A Rumination on Moral Panic in Our Time.” Gladstone is co-host of the show On The Media out of WNYC in New York, a show you can hear on public radio stations across the country.

Gladstone joins Stephen Henderson on Detroit Today to discusses her book and what it is like to be a member of the media in this day and age.

Gladstone describes her book as a sort of extended three-part essay, focusing on topics such as how we as humans build our worlds and worldview, and what happens when worlds and worldviews collide.

“First, reality is in trouble,” Gladstone says, “And second, reality itself is trouble…The reality we know has been pretty much smashed.”

She discusses Trump’s attitude toward facts and says that, to her, Trump’s goal is a mystery.

“I think the media haven’t quite worked this out,” Gladstone says about how the media is covering the Trump administration while also discussing recent examples of media coverage on the 2016 election and Trump administration.

You can hear On The Media right here on WDET on Mondays at 10 p.m., Tuesdays at 2 a.m., Sundays at 3 a.m., and Saturdays at 7 a.m.

Click on the audio player above to hear the full conversation. 

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  • Detroit Today
    Dynamic and diverse voices. News, politics, community and the issues that define our region. Hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Henderson, Detroit Today brings you fresh and perceptive views weekdays at 9 am and 7 pm.