276 | Jill Lepore on the Destructive Power of Tech

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David talks to the American historian Jill Lepore about the damage new technology can do to democracy, from the 1960s to the present. Who first tried to manipulate the minds of the electorate? Where did the money come from? What happened when the same technology was applied to fighting the Vietnam War? Plus we discuss US presidential elections from 1960 to 2020: do the machines really decide who is going to win, and if he does win this time, what might Joe Biden be able to do about it?

248 | Facts vs Opinions

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David and Helen talk with Jonathan Shainin, Head of Opinion at the Guardian newspaper, about the challenges of political journalism in a deeply polarised age.  Is it possible to hold the line between news and comment?  Are the arguments about Covid a rerun of Brexit?  What can scientists and historians add to political analysis?  Plus we discuss how American journalism has changed the way it talks about race and
violence and what that means for the current moment.