Radio, Propaganda, and The War of the Worlds

This illuminated lecture features Professor Paul Lerner as he discusses the famous 1938 radio broadcast by Orson Welles of "The War of the Worlds" vis-à-vis analysis from Austrian Jewish media researcher (and later advertising exec) Herta Herzog, who studied audience reactions to the broadcast and argued that the tensions of the time – the rise of fascist movements, the growing likelihood of war – agitated listeners and predisposed them to believe the fabricated threat from the skies, despite Welles’ assurances that the broadcast was a hoax.This episode was recorded as a live presentation on September 1st, 2024 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. Learn more at theatredybbuk.org/podcast.