When the news industry becomes an instrument of state power

Having gone through the tumultuous experience of this past election in the United States, with provocative propaganda, disinformation, fake news, and pervasive and extreme distrust, many feel like we're experiencing an unprecedented moment. But arguably, we've been here before. This week we are joined by Prof. Heidi Tworek, author of "News from Germany: The Competition to Control World Communications, 1900–1945," for a fascinating conversation about the very early days of information warfare, back when when the great powers competed to control and expand their empires through the support of media. Tworek explains how her years of archival research revealed a concerted effort taking place over the course of 50 years as Germany struggled to gain control over global communications - and nearly succeeded. Her book News from Germany is not a story about Germany alone. It reveals how news became a form of international power and how communications changed the course of history.