Fact & Friction
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Explore critical thinking, media literacy and the systems shaping attention with Harry Kemsley and Sean Corbett. Each full episode has a companion Insight for further reading.
Fact and Friction is a long-form podcast exploring how truth is shaped, distorted, and contested in the modern information environment.
Rather than reacting to headlines, each episode slows the conversation down. We examine where evidence collides with narrative, where incentives bend perception, and where certainty is manufactured rather than earned.
The focus is not outrage or ideology, but understanding:
- how attention is captured and steered
- how algorithms, media systems, and power structures influence belief
- how individuals can recognise these forces and retain agency in their thinking
Explore these episode themes:
- the economics of attention and outrage
- algorithmic personalisation and its hidden trade-offs
- AI-generated media and synthetic reality
- narrative framing by governments, corporations, and platforms
- practical tools for reading the internet critically
Fact & Friction launched in May 2026.
Listen using the episode players above and explore the companion Insights.