The Conspiracy Files
9/11 was an inside job. Aliens have already made contact. COVID-19 was created in a lab.
Maybe you rolled your eyes at some point while reading that list. Or maybe you paused on one and thought... well... it could be true.
Since the first Americans started chatting online, conspiracy theories have become mainstream — and profitable. It's gotten harder to separate fact and fiction. But if we don't know who we can trust, how does a democracy survive?
On today's episode, we travel the internet from UFOs, through 9/11, to COVID, to trace how we ended up in a world that can't be believed.
To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy
Maybe you rolled your eyes at some point while reading that list. Or maybe you paused on one and thought... well... it could be true.
Since the first Americans started chatting online, conspiracy theories have become mainstream — and profitable. It's gotten harder to separate fact and fiction. But if we don't know who we can trust, how does a democracy survive?
On today's episode, we travel the internet from UFOs, through 9/11, to COVID, to trace how we ended up in a world that can't be believed.
To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy
- Datum:
- Duur:
Gerelateerde podcastafleveringen
/https%3A//npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3128x3128%2B0%2B0/resize/3000/quality/66/format/jpeg/%3Furl%3Dhttp%3A//npr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com/35/29/340208434116823f810775e1c325/51255387-e747-40a9-81eb-cc96b902a48b.jpeg)
/https%3A//npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/2250x2250%2B0%2B0/resize/3000/quality/66/format/jpeg/%3Furl%3Dhttp%3A//npr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com/25/8d/c7211ffb4521b868681110443440/73bdce69-6504-460e-8f40-bd1b686aa3b0.jpeg)
/https%3A//npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3000x3000%2B0%2B0/resize/3000/quality/66/format/jpg/%3Furl%3Dhttp%3A//npr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com/6a/8b/35b657374eba8b0f4ff7029c0c7e/153c562c-c3e0-4b09-a5f7-aa0963d8c506.jpg)
/https%3A//npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3000x3000%2B0%2B0/resize/3000/quality/66/format/jpg/%3Furl%3Dhttp%3A//npr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com/3a/a0/e677348c4f8a894dc9132fa818c5/602b9895-b7e2-4ffa-a72e-4c86dae2f008.jpg)
/https%3A//media.npr.org/assets/img/2025/08/06/8a-cruel-and-unsual_sq-723c824ee1d176222d732a755ff5e586812b97f6.jpg%3Fs%3D3000%26c%3D66%26f%3Djpg)
Meer afleveringen van Throughline
-
A History of Settlements
The Israeli government recently approved a new settlement project in the occupied West Bank that would effectively cut it in half. The plan is illegal under international law and has been widely condemned. To get a sense of why... -
A Primer On The Federal Reserve's Independence
President Donald Trump has been loudly critical of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for years now. Since January, the President has accused him of playing politics by keeping interest rates high. Trump has also threatened to oust... -
The Queen of Tupperware
Who ushered housewives into the workforce and plastic storage containers into America’s kitchens? Today on the show, the rise and fall of Brownie Wise, the woman behind Tupperware's plastic empire — and a revolution in women’s...