News & Media

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.

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.

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.

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.

Kati Marton's new autobiographical novel follows the life of journalist who returns to her home country. Like the book's protagonist, Marton's parents were political prisoners in Hungary. She is married to television news anchor Peter Jennings.

Jim Nicholson started off as an investigative reporter before becoming a celebrated obituary writer. He works for the Philadelphia Daily News.

Harry Shearer got his start in show business at the age of seven. He now writes comedy for television and radio. Shearer joins Fresh Air's Terry Gross to discuss his experiences onstage, finding an outlet for his political humor, and his love of bad TV.

Celebrated political journalist and commentator David Broder writes for the Washington Post. He joins Fresh Air to discuss the ethical issues raised by stakeout journalism, especially the kind that scrutinizes the personal lives of politicians like presidential hopeful Gary Hart.

The sportscaster started off as a catcher before becoming a sportscaster covering the New York Mets. His career in baseball has spanned four decades.

ABC reporter Sam Donaldson is known for his loud, often aggressive manner of questioning President Reagan during press conferences and other news events. He believes his style is necessary, especially considering Reagan's predilection for secluding himself from the media.

Nicholas Proffitt's book Garden of Stone, inspired by his ceremonial role in the Army during the Vietnam War, was recently adapted into a film by Francis Ford Coppola.

Documentary filmmaker Henry Hampton. He produced the television program "Eyes on the Prize," which documents the history of the civil rights movement -- including the impact press coverage had on the cause.

Malcom Rebennack writes and performs music under the name Dr. John. He began as a studio musician before developing his theatrical stage show, which drew from New Orleans traditions.

Broadcast journalist Robert McNeil worked in Canada, England, and the United States. He tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross about his experiences as a journalist in conflict zones, as well as his start in television broadcasting.

Consumer activist Ralph Nader interviewed the top executives of a number of major American corporations for his new book.

In contrast with other women television news anchors, journalist Linda Ellerbee eschews fashion and formality to focus her viewers' attention on her reporting rather than her appearance. After a salary dispute, she recently left her post at NBC. Her new memoir is called And So It Goes.

Before becoming a writer, Higgins was a journalist and lawyer--two career paths which have strongly influenced his style as a fiction author.

Malcom Rebennack writes and performs music under the name Dr. John. He began as a studio musician before developing his theatrical stage show, which drew from New Orleans traditions.

Broadcast journalist Robert MacNeil is producing a new television series called The Story of English, which examines how the language is changing. His experience working in three Anglophone countries--Canada, England, and the United States--has given him unique insights into the subject. He joins Fresh Air's Terry Gross to talk about his experiences as a journalist in conflict zones, as well as his start in television broadcasting.