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In this episode, I’m joined by Alec Karakatsanis, a trailblazing civil rights lawyer, Founder and Executive Director of Civil Rights Corps, and author of Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News. Together, we pull back the curtain on how everyday headlines shape what we believe about crime, safety, and justice, and how those beliefs serve the powerful and not necessarily the public.

We dive into:

• How to spot propaganda hiding in plain sight
• Real, non-punitive approaches to addressing harm that actually work
• The ways police practices distort crime data to fit certain narratives
• Why mainstream media leans on fear to keep the criminal legal system intact

This conversation will change the way you read the news — and maybe even the way you see the world.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Copaganda and Its Impact

03:05 Defining Copaganda: Features and Implications

07:01 Challenging Perspectives on Propaganda

10:39 The Construction of Crime and Its Reporting

17:27 Understanding Harm: The Overlooked Crimes

22:17 Manufacturing Fear Through Media

28:22 The Punishment Bureaucracy: A Flawed Solution

35:02 Rethinking Safety and Community Solutions

40:10 Navigating Media Consumption Critically

Links:

What you need to start a court watch program

Democracy Now

Credits:

Created and hosted by Abbie Henson

Edited by Isabelle Kerby-Mcgowan

Website by Sarah Lords

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