Timothy Snyder: a Trump victory threatens freedom | Media Confidential

Alan and Lionel are joined by Yale history professor and leading scholar of Soviet Russia, Tim Snyder. Snyder’s new book, On Freedom, explores the risks to shared freedom in a ‘post-truth’ world.
He argues that a rise of disinformation and fake news-coupled with the weakening of reliable media sources and local news-has undermined established truths, which creates a pathway towards fascism. Amidst concerns that a second Trump term could lead to authoritarianism in the US, the role of responsible journalism to preserve truth and freedom of speech is more important than ever.
To listen to the full episode on your favourite podcast app, including more discussion from Alan and Lionel, click here: mediaconfident...

[@garychurch9237]

On Fox News freedom is used as a substitute word for greed. I noticed this one evening...that you could substitute "greed" whenever they said freedom, which was usually when they were talking about taxes or entitlements, and it made perfect sense.

[@goodun2974]

Politicians also use and misuse "Freedom" far too much, as if freedom is it's own end; as you note, freedom might be a smokescreen for those without scruples who wish to oppress or steal from others. To me, "freedom" means to be able to decide for oneself how to live with *DIGNITY*; and to allow others to choose their own dignified life, but always referencing to our shared values as expressed in the Constitution and under law.

[@danlindy9670]

Interesting insight about Fox News Entertainment. Words like “freedom” and “woke” can have useful definitions in academic and journalistic discourse, but they are merely *signals* in the realm of populist politics (which appears to be all we have left now thanks to Silicon Valley’s old motto, “move fast and break things.”) The way in which Trump seized and co-opted the word “freedom” and the American flag, turning them from signals of unity and shared purpose, into signals of hatred and division is truly spectacular and horrifyingly dystopian.

[@l000tube]

Well said. Definitely an abused term.

[@bgraham1958]

Timothy Snyder is a shining example of what a historian can be. BTW, my ancestors set up a German language newspaper in Toledo, OH toward the end of the 19th century.

[@Eriugena8]

god bless Tim Snyder.

[@greigcampbell1447]

You guys are doing amazing work. Please shining a light on these issues the traditional media ignores due to their self-interest.

[@letsRegulateSociopaths]

And make bots illegal (i can't believe those who pay for advertising haven't sued the hell out of the platforms for fraud- showing ads to bots and charging for it)

[@florinadrian5174]

Bots are a tool. In IT they are needed for technical tasks and do much more good than bad. So blame and punish their employer, not the tool. As for advertisers, they must have negotiated and settled out of public eyes.

[@acmelka]

Half of Twitter is bots. Sonce they support authoritarians and make the stats of users and engagement better, evil musk encourages it

[@PB888GB]

Great interview. There’s been some fantastic interviews on this channel

[@gabrielhunter3351]

Thank you for this guest.

[@TSZatoichi]

I wonder if there would be a way for local media to be taxpayer funded, but detached from any local budgetary ties?

[@terryarmstrong8598]

Not-for-profit is the model I prefer. Government owned gives me the heebie-jeebies.

[@robbes7rh]

Implicit with freedom is responsibility. You are responsible for the impact of your ideas. We are free to think all manner of things, but we must be considerate about what we express. Flooding the zone with shit is an attack on freedom.

[@arthurswanson3285]

Thank God someone else called that "solution to bad speech is more speech. " That always struck me as an idiotic statement.

[@G0ldfingers]

Truth has to rise again from the people, those of us who believe in good over evil, truth over lies, right from wrong.

[@letsRegulateSociopaths]

A beginning would be to clearly show the country that social media is being published from.

[@letsRegulateSociopaths]

The platforms must be held responsible for WHAT they choose to show us, it is a product with dangerous and pernicious effects

[@marpro765]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@Argeaux2]

If there are homeless veterans in your country, those people are not free to do as they wish, and your country is not actually free.

[@coreyc1685]

If that's how you see freedom, and assuming you think it applies to everyone rather than just veterans, you might be interested in what's often called Neo Roman or Neo Republican freedom, as advocated for by philosophers and historians like Philip Pettit and Quintin Skinner.

[@jeffrey1312]

Freedom has nothing to do with homeless veterans. But if you had said "no one is free until we are all free" that would be true. Someone famous said that.

[@gzoechi]

Russian influence was quite obvious and also how willing some of the main players were to accept and welcome the help.

[@WillN2Go1]

John Philpot Curran expressed this same sentiment in a speech upon the Right of Election in 1790 (published in a book titled “Speeches on the late very interesting State trials” in 1808). He said: “It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. *The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance;* which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt.” "The real source of the quote is Wendell Phillips, an abolitionist. Speaking to the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society in 1852, Phillips said: “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty; power is ever stealing from the many to the few." "Frederick Douglass wrote, “Nevertheless, this is no time for the friends of freedom to fold their arms and consider their work at an end. The price for liberty is eternal vigilance.” (“One Day for Poetry and Song,” 1862)."

[@CharlesLee-es8jr]

F Democracy!

[@Oluinneachain]

Profound. 🙄

[@BodyByBenSLC]

13:30 Elon Musk is an extreme libertarian when he has to pay taxes or obey laws. He makes all his money on government hand outs and FOMO.

[@rickmcentee9204]

Wrong ear... What other deception should I watch out for?

[@AndreaLippuner]

Thank you for this important interview.

[@aldogrech55]

Yes. It’s already lost! 😢

[@CarlosIowa]

You could use some video editing or advisors. Most important your content is well researched, intelligent and well presented. Thank You. So difficult to find honest commentary void of ranting, name calling and trolling on the internet.

[@isokabooks3758]

Are your people that naive? That is what you must deal with.

[@cristosl]

Exactly the so called free market of ideas, where the good ideas prevail against bad ideas has always been a con. People constantly pontificate on the impact of the Dunning Kruger effect on their opponents and never realise how it applies to themselves

[@aldogrech55]

You are there!

[@arkz2jz241]

Lol what a know nothing.

[@Ronmon100]

Debunked

[@roberta9833]

Master Murdock🙄

[@ShubhamBhushanCC]

This guy really hates Russia whether it be Soviet Union or Russia

[@Oluinneachain]

No. He hates ALL colonial empires. Russia is just the one he is addressing now.

[@bobwhite2]

How’s that. ? You look as if you need some more TV time and a lot of sleep.