What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the future - This Is How Fake News Spreads
What Next | Daily News and Analysis
Slate Podcasts
4.3 • 2.4K Ratings
🗓️ 25 July 2018
⏱️ 39 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this week’s If Then, Will Oremus and April Glaser talk about what’s happening new with the proposed $3.9 billion dollar merger between Sinclair, the largest television station owner in the country and also happens to have an overt tilt in favor of Trump, and Tribune media. Thanks to an unexpected announcement from the FCC last week, that merger may be doomed.
The hosts are also joined by Claire Wardle, the executive director of First Draft, a nonprofit news literacy and fact-checking outfit with Harvard University. Wardle works hands-on with journalists and newsrooms around the world to find and responsibly debunk disinformation. They talk to Wardle about what we should be concerned about as the midterm elections approach, how false stories spread on social media to confuse readers, disenfranchise voters, or incite violence—even when Russian agents aren’t working behind the scenes.
Don’t Close My Tabs
The Atlantic: Artificial Intelligence Shows Why Atheism Is Unpopular
Twitter: Shane Goldmacher
Podcast production by Max Jacobs.
If Then plugs:
You can get updates about what’s coming up next by following us on Twitter @ifthenpod. You can follow Will @WillOremus and April @Aprilaser. If you have a question or comment, you can email us at ifthen@slate.com.
If Then is presented by Slate and Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter.
Listen to If Then via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Welcome to If Then, the show about how technology is changing our lives and our future. |
| 0:09.8 | I'm April Glazer. |
| 0:10.8 | And I'm Will Oremus. |
| 0:24.0 | Hey, everyone, welcome to IfThan. |
| 0:30.2 | We're coming to you from Slate and Future Tense, a partnership between Slate, Arizona State University, and New America. |
| 0:34.1 | We are recording this on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 24th. |
| 0:38.5 | On today's show, we'll talk about what's happening now with a proposed $3.9 billion merger between Sinclair, the largest television station owner in the country, and Tribune |
| 0:44.2 | Media. Sinclair is famous for having a pro-Trump Tilt at the local TV stations it owns. |
| 0:50.5 | Thanks to an unexpected announcement from the FCC last week, that merger may now be doomed. |
| 0:55.4 | Later, we'll be joined by Claire Wordle, the executive director of First Draft, a non-profit news literacy and fact-checking outfit with Harvard University. |
| 1:03.6 | Wardle works hands-on with journalists and newsrooms around the world to find and responsibly debunk disinformation. |
| 1:10.1 | We'll talk to Wardle about what we should be |
| 1:11.8 | concerned about as the midterm elections approach here in the U.S. and how false stories spread on |
| 1:16.4 | social media to confuse readers, disenfranchised voters, or even incite violence. And that can happen |
| 1:21.6 | even when Russian agents aren't working behind the scenes. And lastly, we'll have Don't Close My Tabs, |
| 1:26.6 | some of the most interesting stories we saw online |
| 1:28.5 | this week. |
| 1:29.4 | All right, April, welcome back. |
| 1:45.9 | Did you have a good vacation? I did. I went to Topanga Canyon outside of L.A. and saw friends and folks who I don't get to see very often out in that beautiful part of the world. If you've never been, I recommend trekking up. or I guess up if you're coming from L.A. down from Oakland where I am. |
| 1:46.0 | But while I was away, you're coming from L.A. down from Oakland, where I am. |
| 1:50.7 | But while I was away, you had some great shows, including a very important and fantastic interview with Vigadi from Twitter, and Maya joined us from Vanity Fair. That was a great show. |
| 1:57.1 | It was fun to listen to it, but I missed being on. How are you doing, Will? |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Slate Podcasts, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Slate Podcasts and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.