Did a secret book fuel a witch-hunting frenzy in Europe?

Video Duration 58 minutes 25 seconds play-arrow58:25In the latest episode of Deja Vu, we trace how new media fuelled conspiracy theories, from European witch-hunts to AI.Here’s how conspiracy theories shaped the last 600 years. The printing press helped spread European witch-hunts even as it helped usher in the Enlightenment. The Nazis turned radio into a weapon of mass persuasion. Social media promised freedom but gave dictators new tools of control. We trace centuries of conspiracy theories – and ask what artificial intelligence could bring next.In this episode: Aya Labanieh (@ayafrankenstein), writer and academic Episode credits:This episode was produced by Mohamed Hassan, Marcos Bartolome, Marthe van der Wolf and Sonia Bhagat and was edited by Alexandra Locke. Our engagement producer is Adam Abou-Gad. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan.Connect with us:@AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTubePublished On 1 Nov 20261 Nov 2026SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylink