Veteran foreign correspondent Natalia Antelava has spent 15 years reporting from places where authoritarian regimes have “captured” the media. In other words, they control the dominant messages coming from the press. From Russia to Syria, Natalia has seen what it looks like when a government takes over the media, not overnight, but piece by piece.
Now, she’s moved to the U.S., and is watching that same system work on the American media.
The Pentagon has dissolved its independent press pool. Donald Trump’s billionaire buddies are buying up some of the country’s biggest newsrooms and social apps. Public media has been gutted. And the loudest voices online are the ones that serve power best.
Natalia sits down with Brian to explain how modern autocrats achieve capture without firing a shot – and how Silicon Valley has become their “perfect accomplice”.
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