Alec Karakatsanis on Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News (Encore)

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12d ago 59:58

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In this timely episode, Davey D speaks with civil rights attorney and author Alec Karakatsanis about his new book, Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News. Alec unpacks how police departments deploy strategic storytelling and cultivate media partnerships to shape public perception of crime, fuel fear-driven narratives, and justify ever-expanding police budgets.

The conversation opens with Alec defining “copaganda” and dissecting how misleading claims—like the idea that shoplifting forced Walgreens to close stores—spread through mainstream outlets with little scrutiny. He draws a direct line between these narratives and the billions funneled into policing while social services remain underfunded.

Alec then reveals the powerful PR machinery behind law enforcement. The LAPD alone employs more than 40 full-time public relations staff whose job is to seed stories into local news cycles, often without balance or fact-checking. The result is a media ecosystem where police dictate the terms of public safety while obscuring their own violence and systemic failures.

In the final segment, Alec points to Houston as a case study: after George Floyd’s murder, the police department quickly crafted a compassionate public image. Yet behind that façade, policies criminalizing and punishing poor and marginalized communities remained unchanged. It’s a stark example of how image management substitutes for genuine accountability.

About the Book
Copaganda is a sharp, uncompromising critique of how police shape the news we consume. Drawing on detailed research and his own legal work, Alec Karakatsanis shows how police narratives dominate headlines, deflect attention from structural harm, and uphold mass criminalization. The book challenges readers to rethink what they believe about crime, punishment, and who gets to control the story.

About Alec Karakatsanis
Alec Karakatsanis is the founder and executive director of Civil Rights Corps, a nonprofit that challenges systemic injustice in the legal system. A former public defender, he has led national campaigns to dismantle cash bail, expose police misconduct, and confront the legal system’s role in reinforcing racial and economic inequality. He is also the author of Usual Cruelty: The Complicity of Lawyers in the Criminal Injustice System.

Hard Knock Radio is a drive-time Hip-Hop talk show on KPFA (94.1fm @ 4-5 pm Monday-Friday), a community radio station without corporate underwriting, hosted by Davey D and Anita Johnson.

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