Sure, Million Dollar Baby is just a movie, but given
how rarely the media spotlight ever makes it around to
people with disabilities, the movie is bound to shape
public opinion and understanding. So the questions
provoked by the film would seem to deserve more
thoughtful, and inclusive, journalistic treatment than
they’ve thus far received. We’ll talk about media
coverage of the controversial Oscar winning film and
its ostensible message with NBC correspondent John
Hockenberry, author also of Moving Violations: War
Zones, Wheelchairs, and Declarations of Independence.
Also on the show: The average US media consumer might
think democracy and freedom was flourishing in the
Middle East. The latest round of media happy talk
about the situation in the Middle East began with
reporting on the January 30th Iraq elections, and
since then the US media has provided a steady stream
of rosy reporting about democracy on the march in Iraq
and elsewhere in the region. Independent, un-embedded
journalist Dahr Jamail has just returned from Iraq,
he’ll join us with another view.