Q:  Does the American media give too little coverage to the ideas of American professors and intellectuals?

A:  I think that they give too little coverage to ideas in general, and particularly to ideas that are not linked to events in the U.S. We need much more coverage of history, of events outside our own nation, and of serious work of artists. Instead, we have a culture of sensationalism and celebrity. The ideas of professors are just one part of a more general problem. 

Q:  Is there a difference in this respect among the various forms of media, i.e., among newspapers, magazines, television, and radio?

A:  Not really, on the popular level. All are so driven by the bottom line. Of course, in every domain there are exceptions, but even in book publishing, there is increasing pressure for sales, and even university presses are turning into sales-driven trade presses. Independent bookstores have almost ceased to exist. Radio has some built-in protection, in the sense that licensing is set up in such a way as to be initially independent of marketability, and there is a built-in protection for diversity. But it isn't enough: once a license is awarded, it can then be sold to the highest bidder. The second classical music station in Chicago, one that did really wonderful programming, was recently sold to a group that plays mood music and schlock like a hundred others. At this point, even my pro-market colleague Richard Epstein said that there should have been more government regulation! 

Q:  Is the situation different in Europe or other parts of the world? If so, in what countries is it different? And in precisely what ways is there a difference?-i.e., do professors and intellectuals have greater access to op-ed pages? Are they interviewed more on radio and television? 

A:  In Europe, the situation is to some extent different. At least, there is much more commitment to bringing the ideas of intellectuals into the public realm. This is so in Germany, France, Italy, and the Nordic countries, and also in India, where academics are in the newspapers all the time. I recently participated in a wonderful event sponsored by the Social Democratic Party in Berlin whose aim was to pair an academic (in this case, me) with a politician working on similar issues (in this case, Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, the Minister for Development). It was very exhilarating, and it got a large public audience, more than 500 people. So the audience is there if only it is cultivated in a long-term way. In general, intellectuals have much easier access to media in all the aforementioned countries than in the U.S.