3 chapters across the catalog
Nelson Mandela, Death Prediction, Media Distraction
John C. Dvorak predicts that the impending death of 94-year-old Nelson Mandela will be used as a massive media distraction. He suggests that news organizations already have "packages" prepared and that the event will be timed to bury news about the U.S. fiscal cliff or the Alternative Minimum Tax. The hosts speculate he may pass away between Christmas and New Year's.
SVU Rape Kit Backlog, Media Coordination and Legislative Action
The hosts examine a Law & Order: SVU episode regarding untested rape kits that aired the same night as local news reports about a San Francisco bill to mandate DNA testing. They argue this is a "packaged" media effort where entertainment programming is used to predispose the public toward specific government actions and legislative mandates.
The rise of micro-blogging platforms like Twitter is attributed to a desire to avoid the "boring BS" of long-form blog posts. However, the hosts express a preference for packaged media over raw data streams, citing the mental exhaustion of assembling information from fragmented sources.
