Operation Mockingbird Exposed: How the CIA Still Controls Your News

In 1975, a Senate investigation uncovered something that shattered the idea of a “free press” in America.

Declassified records and congressional testimony revealed that the CIA built relationships with journalists and media outlets to plant stories, shape narratives, and bury coverage—all under a program that became known as Operation Mockingbird.

In this episode, we investigate:
- How the CIA’s propaganda apparatus formed after WWII
- Frank Wisner, the OPC, and why information became a weapon
- The Church Committee’s 1975–76 findings
- Claims of widespread media relationships and what the record shows
- The “reforms” that followed—and the loopholes that remained
- Why the modern information environment makes this easier than ever

This is history as investigation—no spin, just receipts.

👇 Comment below:
Do you think Operation Mockingbird ever truly ended… or did it just evolve?

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CHAPTERS:
00:00 Operation Mockingbird: Declassified Proof the CIA Shaped the News
00:49 What This Episode Exposes (And Why It Changes How You See Media)
01:19 Welcome + How We Investigate “Hidden Forces”
01:47 Why Mockingbird Started After WWII (1947–1948)
02:18 Frank Wisner, the OPC, and the CIA Propaganda Machine
02:39 Allen Dulles Enters the Story
02:52 The Budget Explosion and the Media Mission
03:10 How Journalists Were Used as CIA Assets
03:31 The Scale: Major Outlets and High-Level Relationships
04:05 Philip Graham, CBS, and Media Leadership Connections
04:43 “400 Journalists” Claim + Global Media Influence Networks
05:33 How Narratives Were Planted (And Stories Buried)
06:04 Watergate Changes Everything
06:18 The Church Committee Findings (1975–1976)
06:46 CIA Reforms Under George H. W. Bush (And the Loopholes)
07:23 William Casey Era: Restrictions Quietly Loosened
07:54 The Core Question: Why Would They Ever Stop?
08:29 Smith–Mundt Modernization Act (2012) and Domestic Propaganda
09:00 From Journalists to Algorithms: The Digital Age Problem
09:29 Modern Case Studies Mentioned in the Episode
10:36 What Mockingbird Proved (Capability + Compliance + Belief)
11:32 How to Consume News After Mockingbird (A Practical Framework)
12:12 Why Declassification Matters (30–50 Year Lag)
12:48 Final Takeaway: The Infrastructure Never Vanished
13:35 What to Watch Next (MK Ultra / Northwoods) + Subscribe

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