Rex Smith

You know what was fun about being a newspaper editor? Well, from my 30 years leading newsrooms, I might say a lot of things, but today I’m thinking in particular of this: picking the comics.

(Airs 05/16/25 @ 3 p.m. & 05/18/25 @ 6 p.m.) The Media Project is an inside look at media coverage of current events with former Times Union Editor, current Upstate American, Substack columnist Rex Smith, Judy Patrick, former Editor of the Daily Gazette, Barbara Lombardo, Adjunct Professor at the University at Albany and former Editor of the Saratogian, and Daily Gazette Editor Miles Reed, and. On this week’s Media Project, Rex, Judy, Barbara and Miles talk about the importance of local media and sticking with a story, who decides what news is, whether reporters failed in their coverage of former President Biden’s cognitive abilities, and much more.

When we are young and struggling to figure out who we are, we sometimes try on labels and personas to see what fits. I was 19 years old, I think, when I was upbraided by an older and wiser fellow at my college – he was 21, and a philosophy major, for heaven’s sake, which I considered pretty exotic.

(Airs 05/09/25 & 05/11/25 @ 6 p.m.) The Media Project is an inside look at media coverage of current events with former Times Union Editor, current Upstate American, Substack columnist Rex Smith, Judy Patrick, former Editor of the Daily Gazette, Daily Gazette Editor Miles Reed, and Daily Freeman Publisher Emeritus Ira Fusfeld. On this week’s Media Project, Rex, Judy, Miles and Ira talk about whether reporters should correct the President more aggressively when he makes false statements, whether niche journalism has a future, and much more.

If you’re about to get eaten by a shark, you’re not going to be thinking about the need to preserve threatened ocean species, right? It’s the sort of dilemma that often confronts us: whether to focus on an immediate threat or a long-term dilemma.

(Airs 05/02/25 & 05/04/25 @ 6 p.m.) The Media Project is an inside look at media coverage of current events with former Times Union Editor, current Upstate American, Substack columnist Rex Smith, Judy Patrick, former Editor of the Daily Gazette, Daily Gazette Editor Miles Reed, and David Guistina, Media Project Producer, Morning Edition Anchor, and Adjunct Professor at the University at Albany. On this week’s Media Project, Rex, Judy, Miles and David talk about President Trump’s first 100 days in office and his policies impacting free speech and the media, and much more.

My progressive friends are drawing some comfort from polls showing that Donald Trump’s popularity is dipping. He began this presidency with a higher approval rating than he ever had during his first term, but now Trump is even a lot less popular than Joe Biden was at this point in his term four years ago.

(Airs 04/25/25 & 04/27/25 @ 6 p.m.) The Media Project is an inside look at media coverage of current events with former Times Union Editor, current Upstate American, Substack columnist Rex Smith, Judy Patrick, former Editor of the Daily Gazette, Barbara Lombardo, Adjunct Professor at the University at Albany and former Editor of the Saratogian, and WAMC News Director Ian Pickus. On this week’s Media Project, Rex, Judy, Barbara and Ian talk about WAMC taking a stand on behalf of open meetings, why the top producer at 60 Minutes says he can’t do the job anymore, and much more.

Americans love their caps. Even folks who aren’t big baseball fans wear caps that signal their fandom of one product or another, or of a particular team. We like you to know right upfront, as soon as you face us, who we are.

(Airs 04/18/25 & 04/20/25 @ 6 p.m.) The Media Project is an inside look at media coverage of current events with former Times Union Editor, current Upstate American, Substack columnist Rex Smith, Barbara Lombardo, Adjunct Professor at the University at Albany and former Editor of the Saratogian, Daily Gazette Editor Miles Reed, and former Times Union Associate Editor Mike Spain. On this week’s Media Project, Rex, Barbara, Miles and Mike talk about a listener letter about coverage of the Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rallies, President Trump’s latest attacks on the news media, and much more.