Since the previous episode, Josh has been living through history, and seeing first hand how reality can be so different from how it’s portrayed in the media. Today, he shares his experience of being stuck in Tel Aviv after learning during a 3 a.m. ride that Israel had launched a historic attack on key Iranian nuclear sites. Soon, he and his group were hiding in bomb shelters as The Islamic Republic of Iran began to rain huge numbers of missiles down on Israel. He takes you on the trek that allowed his delegation to make it to safety, including a passage that’s usually off limits, and a late night flight that, ultimately, got them out of Iran’s reach.

Along the way, Josh tells you crucial facts and context missing from the coverage in big media, including the reason “mutually assured destruction” does not work as a deterrent for Iran’s nuclear ambitions; the perils of a “failure of imagination”; and the inefficacy of a key international agency. He describes the “wild card” of the Iranian public, and how his own coverage of an uprising in Iran ended up being featured at the top of a PBS documentary.

Plus, how the U.S. media’s obsession with politics and refusal to stop and think led it to carry a nonsensical “runaway angle” immediately after the news broke. And how the attention economy can lead people to endanger others.

Meanwhile, Josh explains why his experience overseas helped him see the extent to which algorithms are dividing Americans no matter where they are. And he asks for your input on media coverage of events stateside, including protests and the National Guard deployment in California.
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