In this episode of Know Your Media Dr. Zac Gershberg welcomes ISU Professor of Political Science Dr. Colin Johnson for an in-depth conversation about Russian use of media, both domestically and internationally, to control political outcomes and erode domocratic values. They also talk about confirmation bias, a rise of illiberal democracies, and an international assessment of US freedom in decline.
Gershberg and Johnson consider the ways in which authoritarian populism has challenged democracy around the globe with disinformation.
For interested listeners, you can read Fareed Zakaria's 1997 Foreign Affairs piece at the following link ( https://fareedzakaria.com/
Dr. Johnson explains the United States has been trending downward in an annual global report that assesses scores based on political rights and civil liberties.
For any listeners interested in exploring democracy worldwide, Freedom House provides insight on a global and country-by-country basis in its 2020 report in the following link ( https://freedomhouse.org/
