New York City’s alternative weekly newspaper, The Village Voice, birthed a generation of legendary writers. On this week’s On the Media, how the Voice transformed journalism and what’s being lost as alt-weeklies across the country die off. Plus, why the feds brought America’s most controversial alt-weekly mogul to court. [02:17] Host Micah Loewinger speaks with Tricia Romano, author of The Freaks Came Out to Write, about the early days of The Village Voice, including one reporter’s mission to stop Robert Moses and its revolutionary music section. [15:09] Micah continues his conversation with Tricia Romano, getting into the Voice’s sale to Rupert Murdoch, the tensions within the paper, and how Craigslist led to its ultimate demise. [29:11] An alt-weekly mogul, Mike Lacey, became the Larry Flynt of the internet age. The hosts of the new Audible show Hold Fast conducted a series of interviews with Lacey to tell the story of the alt-weekly chain’s rise and fall. Further reading / listening: The Freaks Came Out to Write: The Definitive History of the Village Voice, the Radical Paper That Changed American Culture Hold Fast: The Unadulterated Story of the World’s Most Scandalous Website On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

The Village Voice, founded in 1955, is widely credited as the first alternative weekly newspaper, or alt-weekly. The big show this week is all about the rise and fall of the alt-weekly—the type of off-beat, fearless publication that, once-upon-a-time, you could pick up on a street corner in cities across the country. For the mid-week podcast, Micah interviewed Tricia Romano, the author of a new oral history titled, The Freaks Came Out To Write: The Definitive History of the Village Voice, the Radical Paper that Changed American Culture. Their conversation about this legendary New York publication was wide-ranging, and too long for the radio. And too profane for the radio. So we’re bringing you a longer, uncensored version here. Don’t listen to this one with kids.

Last month, President Biden signed a resolution to pause funding for UNRWA, the largest humanitarian aid organization in Gaza despite the ongoing famine. UNRWA, which acts as a quasi-state for 6 million Palestinian refugees scattered in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, distributes not only essential aid during the war, but also education, housing, and healthcare. Since before the latest war, Israel has accused UNRWA of radicalizing refugees, and getting in the way of peace for Israelis. But lately, the criticisms have escalated — culminating in allegations of UNRWA workers participating in the attacks on October 7th, and affiliations with Hamas. This week, Micah speaks with Lex Takkenberg, a humanitarian law expert and former Chief of Ethics for UNRWA, about the warring narratives around the organization, and how we need to revisit the history of its founding to understand the current day battle over UNRWA. This is a segment from our April 5, 2024 show, Warring Narratives Around UNRWA. Plus, Media Bets on Sports Gambling.

In the next few days, the NCAA's March Madness tournaments will crown a men's and women's champion. The end of "The Big Dance" will also mark the end of one of America's largest gambling events. An estimated 68 million Americans bet on the madness last year, a number only expected to rise once the data is out for 2024. The betting boom comes in the protracted wake of a 2018 Supreme Court decision allowing states to legalize sports betting. But in addition to sportsbooks and casinos, media companies have jumped in on this new, legal market—posing ethical questions for journalists and potentially changing how we view sports. This week, to figure out how we got here, OTM producer Rebecca Clark-Callender digs into the long history between the press, sports, and gambling with Brian Moritz, associate professor and sports media scholar at St. Bonaventure University, Danny Funt, reporter and contributor to the Washington Post, and Albert Chen, former editor at Sports Illustrated and author of Billion Dollar Fantasy: The High-Stakes Game Between FanDuel and DraftKings That Upended Sports in America. This is a segment from our April 5, 2024 show, Warring Narratives Around UNRWA. Plus, Media Bets on Sports Gambling.

On Monday night, a series of IDF airstrikes killed seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen in Gaza. Now World Central Kitchen and at least two other humanitarian aid organizations have suspended their operations in Gaza, a region already on the brink of famine. Nearly 200 aid workers in Gaza have been killed in this conflict. At least 176 of them worked for The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the largest humanitarian organization operating in Gaza. Over recent weeks, UNRWA's operations have been threatened by funding cuts from nine countries, including the United States, formerly its largest donor. Micah speaks with Mehul Srivastava, Financial Times correspondent, and Chris Van Hollen, US Senator from Maryland, about the warring media narratives around UNRWA and what evidence there is to substantiate big claims about UNRWA staff members having links to militant groups. This is a segment from our April 5, 2024 show, Warring Narratives Around UNRWA. Plus, Media Bets on Sports Gambling.

President Joe Biden is calling for a ceasefire in Gaza as famine looms. On this week’s On the Media, hear how warring media narratives have jeopardized UNRWA, the largest humanitarian aid organization in the region. Plus, what the explosion in sports gambling means for the future of sports journalism. 1. Mehul Srivastava [@MehulAtLarge], Financial Times correspondent, and Chris Van Hollen [@ChrisVanHollen], US Senator from Maryland, on the warring media narratives around UNRWA. Listen. 2. Lex Takkenberg [@LTakkenberg], humanitarian law expert and a former Chief of Ethics for UNRWA, on the lessons to be learned from the agency's founding and its predecessor, the United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine. Listen. 3. OTM producer Rebecca Clark-Callender [@Rebecca_CC_] explores how sports media and the gambling industry's relationship keeps evolving, featuring: Brian Moritz [@bpmoritz], sports media scholar at St. Bonaventure University, Danny Funt [@dannyfunt], reporter and contributor to the Washington Post, and Albert Chen, author of Billion Dollar Fantasy: The High-Stakes Game Between FanDuel and DraftKings That Upended Sports in America. Listen.