The Kicker How Silicon Valley Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Oligarchs
Dec 16, 2025
Natalia Antelava, co-founder of Coda Story and former BBC foreign correspondent, delves into the troubling intersection of journalism and technology. She unveils how news organizations naively trusted tech giants like Google and Facebook, leading to compromised reporting. Natalia discusses the dangers of a 24/7 news cycle that prioritizes noise over substance, and highlights the growing power of oligarchs in shaping democracy. She urges journalism to seek alliances that uphold democratic values, moving away from complacency with tech giants.
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Tech Platforms Became Central To Authoritarianism
- Natalia Antelava says covering authoritarianism forced her to investigate tech platforms because they shape modern power dynamics.
- She found Silicon Valley companies unusually opaque and hard for journalists to hold accountable.
Language Reveals Power Asymmetry
- Natalia pressed Richard Gingras on why he used 'we' for journalism while representing Google, probing power asymmetry.
- She wanted reflection on industry partnerships that eroded journalism's independence.
The Werewolf Metaphor For Power
- Natalia describes a Newsgeist session where European editors sat blindfolded while Google executives assigned who 'lived and died.'
- She used the game as a metaphor for journalism's dependent relationship with platforms.