Episode 53 – A Brief History of NATO

NATO exercises in Nurenberg, Germany January 1986. “A Certain Sentinel” Photo by Nancy Wong

The current conflict in Ukraine has raised a lot of questions about Post-World War II Europe, the creation of strategic alliances in the second-half of the twentieth century, and the collpase of the Soviet Union in the 1990s and the effect it had on those relationships. At the center of many of these discussions sits NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Join us for this episode as we discuss, in rather broad terms, the rise of NATO and its reimagining after 1989. 

Episode 52 – More About the News

Michael Bennet and Wolf Blitzer, December 2019

We continue our series on the history of the news and journalism in the United States with a look at the CNN Effect and the emergence of the 24-hour news cycle. How has it changed the way American’s receive and respond to the news? Join us this week to find out.

Episode 51 – Newspapers and the News

Herald of Freedom (Boston), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Politicians and journalists alike often claim Americans are more divided now than at any point in the nation’s past. Pundits and commentators point to the stark divisions in the news media we voraciously consume. MSNBC and Fox present strikingly different views on almost every subject. But is this really something new? Join us as we take a dive into the tawdry and titillating history news and newspapers in America. From colonial broadsides criticizing the British crown to abolitionists tracks to scandalous tales of foreign intrigue and even domestic violence, the news from America’s past seems strangely familiar in the 21st century.