In the wake of the crash of Malaysia airlines flight MH17, the Russian media has been providing its own theories about the source of the downed plane. Brooke talks with novelist and screenwriter Michael Idov, who lives in Moscow, about what he's seeing there.

When a commercial plane goes down, media speculation ensues. With the help of The Atlantic's James Fallows, we give you some tips that can help you comb through the coverage.

For reporters covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, choosing the right words is a daunting task. So the International Press Institute set out to identify those hot-button words and phrases that the media throw around and create a glossary, called "Use With Care", that offers context and more neutral language. Brooke talks with Naomi Hunt, editor of the glossary and senior press freedom adviser at the IPI.

Alongside the usual war for hearts and minds waged through conflicting narratives in the media, there’s a parallel fight happening on the rhetorical battlefield. Brooke talks with Jodi Rudoren, Jerusalem Bureau Chief for the New York Times, about her recent piece, “In Gaza, Epithets Are Fired and Euphemisms Give Shelter,” in which she explores the issue of semantics.

In Gaza, the media that locals have access to is primarily Hamas-controlled. Brooke talks with Sherine Tadros, a middle east correspondent for Sky News who's spent years reporting from the region, about what Gazans are seeing, and what many of them have come to believe.

It’s been a violent, sad week. Sometimes the only way to wring anything positive out of it all is through the transformative power of comedy. Brooke talks with Sharon Taicher, a writer at Eretz Nehederet, a satire show watched by 1 out of 8 Israelis.

Brooke examines how comedians like Jon Stewart, John Oliver, and Stephen Colbert make us laugh by combining silliness and moral indignation.