TRIGGERnometry — "The Best Conversation About News, Opinion and Censorship You've Ever Heard" with Richard Miniter
Episode Date: January 21, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode explores the history, evolution, and current crisis of news, opinion, and censorship with journalist and historian Richard Miniter. Hosts Konstantin Kisin and Francis Foster guide a deep dive into the conflicting philosophies behind news—state-controlled vs. free-market models—from ancient Rome to the Internet age. Together, they examine how these models influence current debates over trust, censorship, technology, and the future of journalism, with a focus on their implications for society and democracy.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Two Competing Models of News

(03:01–03:21, 42:10–46:36)

• State-Controlled (Authoritative/Official)

  • Emerged from ancient Rome’s efforts to control rumors via the Acta Diurna—government-issued “facts” to establish social peace and avoid wild speculation.
  • News is top-down, broadcasting an official, unified version of events, often lacking accountability or correction.
  • Modern parallels persist in attempts to “professionalize” and centralize news, typified in 20th-century U.S. and European models.

• Free-Market, Reader-Accountable Model

  • Developed from the Reformation’s emphasis on individual investigation of religious and worldly truth—particularly along the Rhine River and in the Dutch Netherlands.
  • News independent of the state, lively, even chaotic; accountability comes from market competition and public trust, not official sanction.
  • This model entered America via Dutch New Amsterdam (now New York).

“If we all have the same vocabulary of facts, then we're debating about how important this is compared to that. That is, why is our politics so polarized today? Because we no longer have this shared diet of facts."
— Richard Miniter (04:31)

2. Milestones in News Evolution

(06:00–23:31)

• Ancient and Medieval Antecedents

  • Cave drawings/oral tradition: pre-news, mostly stories and speculation.
  • Sumerian/Babylonian decrees: not “news,” just top-down information.
  • Acta Diurna (Ancient Rome): The first proto-news, a government attempt to manage facts and quell rumors.

• Printing Revolution and Protestant Tolerance

  • Printing press (Gutenberg, Mainz on Rhine): Catalyst for religious and secular news, as printers could publish (and smuggle) tracts, opinions, early newspapers.
  • Rise of “newsbooks” and lively, tolerant Dutch society with open debate.

• The Zenger Case (1730s, New York)

  • John Peter Zenger, German immigrant, prints charges against the British colonial governor.
  • Court establishes truth as a defense against libel—landmark for press freedom.
  • Zenger’s case introduces core American legal standards.

“This is a revolutionary doctrine... Truth is an absolute defense in this country against libel.”
— Richard Miniter (19:25)

• The Penny Press and Mass News
  • 19th-century advances: Affordable newspapers, employment of correspondents, the telegraph, and the birth of newswires (Reuters, Associated Press).
  • British/American newswires operated as for-profit, reader-responsive businesses; continental Europe saw robust government influence.

3. The Progressive Turn and Rise of Censorship

(30:42–42:10, 48:52–55:47)

• Progressive Era Influence
  • Progressives in the late 1800s-1900s push for news to shape, not just inform, public values—emulating more centralized, “adult-supervised” models from Europe.
  • Pulitzer Prizes, journalism schools, and professional associations emerge to reward “correct” journalism and exclude blue-collar or unorthodox voices.

“They wanted to design a German French model in which what the media reported and what the governing class wanted was the same.”
— Richard Miniter (35:49)

• Unionization and Cartelization

  • Newsroom unions form, promoting conformity, resistance to dissent, and the exclusion of “oddballs” and innovators; investigative journalism suffers.

• Public Ownership and “Media Critic” Roles

  • NPR, PBS, and similar entities emerge, pushing for an “orthodox” official line, especially visible during controversies like Covid.
  • Media critics enforce conformity; dissent branded as a threat.

• Censorship: From the Reformation to Modern Tech

  • Early censors in England, Spain (e.g., Tyndale burned for Bible translation).
  • Censorship consistently fails long-term, as in Weimar Germany—turns against original enforcers.
  • Modern platforms (YouTube, X) often conflate moderation with bad-faith censorship, stifling dissent via copyright strikes and technicalities.

“Censorship always fails in the long run. What's tempting about it is it seems to work in the short run.”
— Richard Miniter (50:14)

4. Trust, Betrayal, and the Current Media Crisis

(63:50–69:21)

• The “official version” of news is no longer trusted by much of the public; many feel betrayed by mainstream brands (BBC, New York Times).
• The metaphor of a broken relationship: When trust is lost, it’s tempting to “rebound” with new, often dubious information sources.
• The under-40 audience doesn’t identify legacy outlets as “news,” instead cobbling together information from disparate sources, often without realizing it’s news.

“You say this, is it true? Can I believe you?... That's the problem with being betrayed, because you re-see the relationship.”
— Richard Miniter (64:32)

5. The Role of Technology and Future of News

(69:21–77:36)

• Technology (AI, instant translation, verification tools) promises to decentralize news, empower creators, and provide new forms of accountability (e.g., verifying authenticity of images and sources).
• Potential for a new, more inclusive global news ecosystem—if established powers and gatekeepers step back.

“Why isn't everyone who's creating a YouTube channel and struggling to monetize it not able to create content that meets a set of verification rules and then goes into a marketplace and becomes available to every device on the Internet?”
— Richard Miniter (72:58)

• Risks:
  • Incentives now favor clickbait and conspiracy over truth.
  • Foreign hostile actors (bots from Russia, Iran, China) sow division through social media.
  • The death of investigative journalism means fewer checks on corruption and abuse.

6. Investigative Journalism: Its Value and Decline

(80:05–88:24)

• Investigative journalism is expensive and rare; it requires institutional investment, apprenticeships, and a culture of curiosity.
• Classic example: Spotlight’s exposure of Catholic Church scandals—a public service that is at risk as legacy outlets decline.

“If we lose legacy media, we lose the muscle memory to do these kinds of investigations.”
— Richard Miniter (88:09)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On the Origins of Free Speech:

  • “We owe this initial idea of free speech, which is essential to the creation of news, to these very tough-minded German Protestants who were stubbornly insisting they were right and everyone else was wrong.”
    — Richard Miniter (15:57)

• On Legacy Media Betrayal:

  • “I kind of feel like I've been in a relationship with somebody and I've just realized they've been lying to me. And not only have they been lying to me now, they've been relying throughout the entire relationship.”
    — Francis Foster (63:50)

• Restoring Trust:

  • “The so-called great brands, the legacy brands, cannot continue in the way they have been doing without restoring the relationship of trust. Without trust, you don't have a relationship.”
    — Richard Miniter (67:34)

• On Technological Optimism:

  • “Technology can also lower the cost of finding out new things. If you really get smart at writing software, you could find that Croatian tattoo artist in a fraction of a minute and then you can contact them across the world...”
    — Richard Miniter (83:49)

• On Censorship and Law:

  • “We don't need to reinvent this. We just need to return to the common sense and apply it to the Internet.”
    — Richard Miniter (62:01)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [03:01] — Two conflicting ideas of news: history and consequences
• [13:19–21:48] — The Zenger trial and the origin of truth as a legal defense
• [30:44–35:49] — Progressive reforms; journalism schools, rewards, and unions
• [42:10–46:36] — Public ownership and the rise of “official” news orthodoxy
• [48:52–55:47] — Censorship’s history, Weimar Germany as warning, and its irrepressibility
• [63:50–68:10] — Trust crisis, relationship analogy, and public loss of faith in media
• [69:21–74:54] — The technological future of news and news creation
• [80:05–88:24] — Decline of investigative journalism, “Spotlight” case study, and consequences of losing legacy media

Tone and Style

• Intellectual yet Accessible: Detailed historical references, metaphors (e.g., media trust as a broken relationship), and robust examples make the episode rich but engaging.
• Candid, Balanced: Both hosts and guest are skeptical of all forms of received authority—corporate, governmental, or populist “alt” media.
• Philosophically Grounded: Emphasizes the ongoing, ancient struggle between authority and liberty, officialdom and the people.

Who Should Listen

Listeners interested in free speech, history, media studies, politics, technology, or those puzzled by the modern “crisis of trust” in news will find this a comprehensive, eye-opening primer on how we arrived at today’s debates—and what might come next.

This summary skips non-content sections such as ads and sponsor messages, focusing on the intellectual core and direct dialogue. For a deeper dive, listen to the noted segments—a masterclass in media history and contemporary dilemmas.