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

Deja Vu

In 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.

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Published On 1 Nov 2026