WBUR

Democracy Awakening: Historian Heather Cox Richardson on the state of America

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host Meghna Chakrabarti moderated a conversation with historian Heather Cox Richardson about her new book, “Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America.”

Following the phenomenal success of her newsletter “Letters from an American,” Richardson continues her mission to distill bleak headlines and wide swaths of America’s past into a coherent story. With her command of history and her calm, accessible prose, Richardson masterfully explains how our country got to where it is today and the steps we must take to preserve democracy. Subscribe to WBUR CitySpace’s

On Point: Social media is killing democracy

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Social media platforms have immense power, from shutting down voices to amplifying what we see. But is that singular power perilous to democracy?

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Guests

Shoshana Zuboff, professor emerita at Harvard Business School. Author of “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism.” (@shoshanazuboff)

Guillaume Chaslot, founder of AlgoTransparency. Mozilla fellow. Advisor at the Center for Humane Technology. He helped develop YouTube’s recommendation algorithm from 2010 to 2011. (@gchaslot)

Ramesh Srinivasan, professor in UCLA’s Department of Information Studies. Director of the UC Digital Cultures Lab. Author of “Beyond the Valley.” (@rameshmedia)

Meghna Chakrabarti serves as host and editor of On Point. Based in Boston, she is on the air Monday through Friday.

George The Poet’s Genre-Bending Call For Change

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George Mpanga, better known as George the Poet, is a 29-year-old British spoken word artist. His new podcast is a genre-defying mix of music, poetry, storytelling, and personal narrative. We talk to him about his art, his push for social change and this moment now.

George the Poet, London-based spoken word artist. Host of “Have You Heard George’s Podcast?,” the first European podcast to ever win a Peabody award.