Theory of Change podcast

It's well-known by now that disinformation media played a significant role in enabling the political rise of Donald Trump.

But the truth is that …

As America barrels toward the 2022 midterm elections, polls have been indicating that Democrats could be in for some very bad news in November. Party …

Contrary to the predictions of political consultants and commentators, both of America's two major parties have continued to be politically relevant …

It’s a bit hard to believe that one year ago, Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States. A lot has happened during that timespan but a lot has also *not* happened.

As of this week, Biden and the …

Every podcast has its “lost episodes.” Or at least that’s what podcasters tell themselves. But booking, producing, and hosting a podcast all by yourself is a lot of work--and technical issues can make that especially …

It’s now been a full year since a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol with the intent of overthrowing the 2020 election so that then-president …

Polling over the decades has shown that most Republican voters are heavily motivated by white Christian identity politics. But Republican elites— …

All of us are much more than what we do for a living. And yet, when we lose a job or have trouble finding another one, we feel like we’re missing something important.

But work is about more than just something to do with …

William Faulkner's line that "the past isn’t dead, it isn’t even past" is certainly true in regards to today's Republican Party, which is quite …

Misinformation (incorrect beliefs about the world) and disinformation (deliberately constructed falsehoods) have always been a part of human history. …

We don’t think enough about just how much our lives have changed because of technology. If you’re a millennial or older, chances are you can remember …

Five years after it was written, the so-called Steele dossier, a collection of memos compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher …

By now, a lot of people are aware of and concerned about the lies, hatred, and rumors that are so rampant on social media. The social media companies are definitely responsible to a large degree for letting this happen. …

Every four years, the United States holds its presidential elections. But one year afterward, the states of New Jersey and Virginia hold their own …

Extremist Muslims and extremist Christians hate each other, or at least they did before the meme wars.

It's hard to believe, but extremist Muslims and Christians are actually starting to cheer each other online. After …

It’s October, and since we’re all about the larger trends here at Theory of Change, we’ll be celebrating the Halloween season with a brief history of Satan and a look at modern-day Christian apocalypse literature.

Like …

Democrats have the narrowest of majorities in the House and Senate. And after a few months of a presidential honeymoon for Joe Biden, they really are feeling the constraints of their tiny margin for error. The Senate is …

As technology has given extremist movements a much greater ability to spread their views and carry out violence, researchers are studying …

Although we usually talk about political and religious trends at Theory of Change, technological trends are also very much worth paying attention to. …

The 1960s are famous in the American political memory as a time of leftist revolution. Millions marched against racial segregation and the Vietnam …

In a 24/7 news environment, we're all surrounded by information, some of it true, some of it false, and much of it somewhere in the middle.

As social media has become universalized, we've seen a new type of journalist …

People often say that we live in the Information Age. But what does that mean? It means that people living today on Earth truly do have the world's …

American politics is broken in a lot of ways. There are many reasons for this. A big one is what podcaster and former CNN host Michele Mitchell calls …

A lot of people know about "The Southern Strategy," the multi-year plan of 20th century Republicans like Richard Nixon to get white voters in the …

While the Republican Party's embrace of authoritarianism has attracted a lot of media attention in recent years, the Democratic Party's inability to …

In recent American history, the mainstream media has adhered to a "both sides" approach to covering politics. But as the Republican party has …

As the Covid-19 infections continue to rise among non-vaccinated people, it's worth taking a look at the history of anti-vaccine conspiracy theories and unqualified media medical advice.

In this episode, Theory of Change …

Pat Bagley has become a fixture in Utah politics and one of America's best-known editorial cartoonists. In this episode of Theory of Change, he joins …

Among American conservatives who came of age in the 20th century, Christian fundamentalism seems to serve as the unifying force. But among younger Republicans, is opposition to feminism what keeps the coalition together?

A huge part of why American politics is so messed up today is the country's for-profit media ecosystem that prioritizes controversy, eschews policy …

The internet and the explosion of free political content that it created has had a dramatic effect on the media industry.

One sector of journalism …

If you read, listen or watch the news today it’s impossible to avoid public opinion polls. They are literally everywhere. The president’s approval …

There’s been a lot of commentary about how Donald Trump is changing the Republican Party. There’s even a cottage industry of former Republicans who often write about how Trump has ruined the GOP they once knew and loved.

As the actual voting in the Democratic presidential primary gets closer, the race is becoming tighter, both numerically and emotionally.

Some wealthy Democratic donors appear to be panicking as the candidate they’ve …

How do you impeach a president? As a legal matter, it's all very simple. But as a political matter, it's anything but.

Impeaching and removing a …

Republicans have taken control of dozens of state governments since the mid-1990s. But despite having complete authority in many state legislatures …