Don't Know Why The Media Loved Mussolini

We like to imagine that the media is at its best when democracy is at its worst. That journalists become fearless, newspapers hold power accountable, and propaganda is easily spotted for what it is. History suggests that's not quite the case. In the first episode of a two-part series, we look at how the global media covered Benito Mussolini's rise to power, and it's far stranger than most people realise. Long before he became synonymous with fascism, dictatorship, and World War II, Mussolini was being described by major newspapers as a moderniser, a visionary, and the man who had restored "order" to Italy. Why were journalists so willing to overlook political violence? Why did so many newspapers celebrate fascism as a practical solution to socialism? And why did business interests seem to matter more than democratic values? Along the way, we explore how Mussolini's background as a journalist helped him understand, and eventually control, the press, creating an environment where censorship often wasn't even necessary because self-censorship did the job just fine. As always, this episode blends comedy commentary, offbeat learning, and quirky insights into one of those seemingly random topics that turns out to have unsettling parallels with the present. It's lighthearted education only because we occasionally make jokes to cope with the fact that history has a worrying habit of repeating itself. Because dictators don't usually rise despite good press. Sometimes, they rise with it. Important links: 1. How Journalists Covered the Rise of Mussolini and Hitler - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-journalists-covered-rise-mussolini-hitler-180961407/ 2. MUSSOLINI, HOPE OF YOUTH, ITALY'S 'MAN OF TOMORROW - https://www.nytimes.com/1922/11/05/archives/mussolini-hope-of-youth-italys-man-of-tomorrow-hard-work-his-creed.html 3. MUSSOLINI AT WORK - https://www.nytimes.com/1922/11/12/archives/mussolini-at-work.html 4. Mussolini's fascists praised in 220 British newspaper reports - https://roguenation.org/mussolini-fascism-british-press/ 5. The marketing of Mussolini : American magazines and Mussolini, 1922-1935 - https://scholarship.richmond.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=2231&context=masters-theses 6. Italo-Ethiopian War - https://www.britannica.com/event/Italo-Ethiopian-War-1935-1936 7. Marzia Casolari-Hindutva Tie-up with Fascism in 1930s-Economic & Political Weekly - https://www.academia.edu/29191228/Marzia_Casolari_Hindutva_Tie_up_with_Fascism_in_1930s_Economic_and_Political_Weekly 8. RSS's militant structure is modelled on Mussolini's Blackshirts: Italian scholar of Hindutva - https://ullekhnp.com/2023/09/11/rsss-militant-structure-is-modelled-on-mussolinis-blackshirts-marzia-casolari/ Don't Know, Do Care is the brainchild of Ashmita, Sandy, and Prakhar, three friends from different backgrounds and interests. Ashmita works in sustainability, Sandy's an entrepreneur (puke) who'd rather not be, and Prakhar works with Sandy and is just trying to make sense of it all.  Three mildly confused friends, one weirdly specific topic each week. We don't know much, but we care just enough to talk about it for up to an hour each week. Don't Know, Do Care is produced by "Ghar Pe Productions", edited by Prakhar and Sandy, critiqued (thoroughly) by Ashmita, and enjoyed mostly by our friends. Thanks for giving us a listen!