George Gerbner: The Man Who Counted Fear

George Gerbner: The Man Who Counted Fear

From All Bones Considered: Laurel Hill Stories by Joe Lex

May 29, 2026 · 1h 18m · Episode 494

About this episode

The episode discusses George Gerbner's insights on media narratives and their parallels to fascism.

BBB:LHWS #056 George Gerbner... ...was a Hungarian refugee and combat survivor who grew up through the start of European Fascism during the 1930s. His discovered that the power lay with those who controlled the narrative and tell the stories. He used violence as an example to spread his message, but a deeper reading shows that his concerns were that American media were starting to resemble the prefascist state he had known in his youth. Needless to say, he was a controversial figure for many years.

People in this episode

Host: Joe Lex

Guest: George Gerbner

Topics covered

  • media influence
  • narrative control
  • fascism
  • American media
  • violence
  • storytelling

Keywords

  • George Gerbner
  • media
  • fascism
  • narrative
  • violence
  • storytelling
  • American media

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Hungary, America, Laurel Hill

More episodes of All Bones Considered: Laurel Hill Stories

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the All Bones Considered: Laurel Hill Stories podcast page.