How Censorship Works in 2026 (It Looks Like Accounting)

How Censorship Works in 2026 (It Looks Like Accounting)

Author: Sascha Funk May 6, 2026 Duration: 14:53

We're heading into the final weeks of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert - CBS' number one show for nine straight seasons. The official reason: "purely a financial decision." Two weeks earlier, Colbert had criticised a settlement between Trump and Paramount, CBS's parent company, which is currently seeking White House approval for a $110 billion merger. David Letterman called CBS "lying weasels."

Also this week, Reporters Without Borders released the 2026 World Press Freedom Index: the lowest score in 25 years. In 2002, 20% of the global population lived in countries with good press freedom. Today it's less than 1%.

These are not two separate stories. In this episode, Sascha unpacks how press freedom actually erodes in democracies - not through arrests or bans, but through ownership structures, regulatory dependencies, and "financial decisions." Chomsky's Propaganda Model. Agenda-setting theory. The political economy of who controls what gets said.

FUNK !T - media and communication theory for what's actually happening this week.



In a world saturated with constant notifications and algorithmic feeds, FUNK !T | Mindful Media & Communication offers a necessary pause. Hosted by Sascha Funk, who leads the media studies department at Thammasat University, this podcast is a deep and practical exploration of our daily interactions with technology and information. Each episode moves beyond surface-level tips to examine the underlying structures of our media environment, asking how we can engage with it more consciously. You’ll find conversations that dissect digital trends not just for their novelty, but for their real psychological and social impact. The discussions here are about building resilience and intention-whether that means refining how you communicate professionally, understanding the design of the platforms you use, or simply finding more agency in your personal scrolling habits. This isn't about rejecting technology, but about developing a sustainable and critical relationship with it. Sascha brings academic insight into accessible, actionable territory, making the complex dynamics of media feel relevant to your everyday life. For anyone feeling adrift in the digital noise or curious about the forces shaping our modern conversations, this podcast provides both a compass and a toolkit. It’s a space for learning how to be present and purposeful in a mediated world, one thoughtful discussion at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

FUNK !T | Mindful Media & Communication
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