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: 50

FUNK !T | Mindful Media & Communication
Podcast Episodes
Kimmel, Censorship, and the New Public Sphere [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:59
Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show just got suspended after a monologue lit the wrong political fuse. ABC caved under pressure from affiliates, advertisers, and even the FCC — turning satire into collateral damage. In this e…
Wrestlepalooza, ESPN, and the Billion-Dollar Suplex [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:05
John Cena’s back, Wrestlepalooza is revived after 25 years, and ESPN is suddenly selling wrestling as if it’s the Super Bowl. Oh, and WrestleMania 43 is headed to Saudi Arabia with the fattest check in WWE history. In th…
Taylor & Kelce: Love as Media Event [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:23
Forget royal weddings — the Swift-Kelce saga proves romance now comes with broadcast rights. From stadium PDA to John Oliver cracks about a “royal-killer wedding,” their relationship plays like a franchise launch. In thi…
September Lock-In: Wellness or Burnout Theater? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:04
It looks like self-care, but feels like finals week. TikTok’s “September Lock-In” trend has Gen Z turning routines into performance art — planners, matcha, and candlelit grind sessions sold as wellness. I dive into how d…
Trolls in Power, Memes in Charge [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:05
Forget speeches and policies — in 2025, it’s all about the clapback. Politicians dunk on rivals, corporations roast their own customers, and trolling has officially become a communication strategy. In this episode, I unp…
The Fall of Streaming Platforms [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:29
Streaming was supposed to kill cable. Instead, we’ve reinvented it — with more logins, higher prices, and ads on everything. Netflix, Disney+, Max, Prime: all fighting to enshittify faster. This episode breaks down how t…
Labubu & the Brain Rot Economy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:57
Meet Labubu — the gremlin plush that proves memes don’t just rot your brain online, they move into your bedroom. This episode unpacks how absurd internet culture mutates into physical commodities, from Beanie Babies to S…
Grunge, But Make It Trendy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:07
Remember when grunge meant thrift-store chaos and a middle finger to fashion? Now it’s a TikTok eyeliner tutorial with affiliate links. In this episode, I rant about how subcultures lose their bite once they’re fed into…
Emotional DRM [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:45
Emotional DRM - you're not just a fan, you're a captive audience. Don't believe me? Let me explain. #communication #media