Journalism that unpacks the global authoritarian toolkit
Current
Authoritarian Tech
In this current, stories on how technology has captured every aspect of our lives from intimacy to politics.
The Werewolf game: an interview with Google’s former news chief Richard Gingras
Richard Gingras spent 15 years shaping Google’s relationship with journalism—funding conferences, building friendships, creating dependencies. At a Vienna conference, we asked him to account for the system he architected.
How tech design is always political
Social media companies have made many mistakes over the past 15 years. What if they’re repeated in the so-called AI revolution?
THE THINKERS
“I don’t have hope, I have anger”
THE THINKERS from Coda Media: bold ideas, urgent questions, and the people behind them.
Recorded at ZEG Storytelling Festival.
From warzones to hospital wards, Dr. Seema Jilani has spent her career confronting the failures of the global aid system. For the pediatrician and humanitarian, compassion isn’t passive — it’s political. She calls out the colonial mindset of international aid, rejects the language of resilience, and urges us to turn righteous anger into action. Here, she reveals why endurance, not hope, is what keeps her going.
Current
Disinformation
Truth is under attack as our information system splinters. Ever more platforms and voices means ever more noise and alternative facts. This current looks at the winners and the losers in the war for people’s minds.
From Bolsonaro to Mamdani: the global delegitimization playbook becomes New York reality
In 2022, we documented election fraud rhetoric going global. Last week, it arrived in Harlem, before the mayor-elect even took office. Here’s how a pattern we’ve tracked for years became a playbook operating in real-time.
The Christian right’s persecution complex
Some MAGA supporters accuse Ukraine of attacking Christianity. It’s a perception that has been over a decade in the making and projects Vladimir Putin as a champion of traditional values
The Big Idea
The Playbook
History doesn’t repeat, but it sure does rhyme. In this special series, we expose the tactics that powerful leaders use to change societies—tactics that follow surprisingly similar patterns wherever they appear
Current
Polarization
Who you are and what you believe have been weaponized in new ways in the power struggles of the 21st century. We track what price individuals and societies pay for these identity battles.
Do Nigeria’s Christians need a savior?
The U.S. government has threatened military intervention to prevent a ‘genocide’ in Africa’s largest democracy. But data shows that the escalating violence affects all Nigerians.
What we miss when we talk about the “Middle East”
Why journalism that refuses to simplify, refuses to look away from messy, contradictory realities remains essential to telling the story of conflict
The danger of hope
How to persist when disillusion sets in and effecting change can seem like a pipe dream
Current
Rewriting History
In this current, stories on how those in power shape our future by weaponized the past and manipulating our memories
The Orbán precedent
Donald Trump has studied the playbook of his favorite European leader. All Americans should, to see what happens when a country elects an authoritarian
Erasing August: How Russia Rewrites Georgia’s Story
On the anniversary of Russia’s 2008 invasion of Georgia, an increasingly autocratic Georgian government toes the Kremlin line, blaming its predecessors for “instigating” war
coda story + stranger’s guide collaboration
Our photo story ‘The New Aztecs’ wins National Magazine Award
Our visual narrative has just won the prestigious National Magazine Award for Best Service and Lifestyle Photography. Read more about the award and our collaboration with Stranger’s Guide.
