Modern Conspiracy Culture: How Real Scandals Fueled False Narratives (with Kathryn Olmsted)

from Mission Implausible · host Jon Stern

Real government secrecy, intelligence failures, and historic scandals created the conditions for today’s conspiracy culture. Pearl Harbor, The Red Scare, JFK, 9/11, QAnon - a small truth can explode into a dangerous paranoid belief in hidden power and control. Genuine conspiracies often make it harder—not easier—to separate fact from fiction. How do democracies survive when citizens no longer agree on what’s real? Watch Mission Implausible on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MissionImplausiblePodWatch Mission Implausible on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MissionImplausiblePod

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Apr 19, 2026

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Modern Conspiracy Culture: How Real Scandals Fueled False Narratives (with Kathryn Olmsted)

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