Stories by Rory O'Connor

Filmmaker and journalist Rory O'Connor is the author of "Shock Jocks: Hate Speech and Talk Radio" (AlterNet Books, 2008). O'Connor also writes the Media Is A Plural blog. subscribe to Rory O'Connor's feed

As News Increasingly Moves Online, Who Will Pay For Journalism?

Posted on: May 1, 2013, Source: AlterNet

A review of Dan Kennedy's new book, The Wired City.

The World Is Going Digital -- Are We Doomed?

Posted on: Mar 12, 2013, Source: Media Is Plural

Two new books, about the effects and implications of the Internet, suggest a scary digital dystopia awaits us.

2012 Reasons Why Progressives Should Love Right-Wing Media

Posted on: Nov 11, 2012, Source: Media Is A Plural

Thanks so much, Roger Ailes – we couldn’t have done it without you!

How and Why the Media Misses the Af-Pak Story

Posted on: Apr 14, 2011, Source: RoryOConnor.org

Two experts explain how the media has reported — and misreported — the ongoing story of the "AfPak war" during the past three decades.

Is PBS Show 'Need to Know' on the Ropes?

Posted on: Feb 2, 2011, Source: RoryOConnor.org

A barrage of negative comments from viewers and concerns by programmers on PBS has 'Need to Know' producers on the defensive.

Google to China: Drop Dead -- But What Took So Long?

Posted on: Jan 13, 2010, Source: MediaChannel.org

Does a company whose motto is "Don't Be Evil" really deserve praise for ending its longstanding cooperation with the Great Firewall of Chinese Internet control?

The Media Industry's Whirlwind Transformation in the 2000's: Good-News, Bad-News

Posted on: Dec 22, 2009, Source: MediaChannel.org

For the media industry, it was a decade of disruption and decay, of death (newspapers) and birth (new forms of journalism.)

Network News Chiefs Offer Rosy Scenarios for the Future of TV Ratings

Posted on: Sep 11, 2009, Source: RoryOConnor.org

Denial was the order of the day at a meeting of news chiefs from network TV.

What Is Patrick Fitzgerald Trying to Hide from the Public?

Posted on: Jun 12, 2009, Source: MediaChannel.org

Powerful prosecutor and public figure Patrick Fitzgerald has been waging a chilling private jihad aimed at "killing" a book critical of him.

Arizona Shock Jock's Dangerous Call for 'Bloodshed' in Polling Places

Posted on: Aug 20, 2008, Source: RoryOConnor.org

Comments by host Jon Justice could prove to be the spark that turns ominous hate speech into real-life acts of hatred.

Shock Jock Savage Spews Hate at Autistic Kids; Are His Enablers Ready to Abandon Ship?

Posted on: Jul 24, 2008, Source: AlterNet

1 in 150 kids have some form of autism. Saying that it's all just a racket to make money is beneath contempt.

Rush Limbaugh Wins as Election's Biggest Manipulator

Posted on: May 13, 2008, Source: AlterNet

The media and Democrats need to stop buying into -- and promoting -- the so-called "Limbaugh effect."