Before social media’s rise, mainstream news outlets perfected the art of controlling public perception through their own powerful “algorithms”—editorial decisions, narrative framing, and selective reporting. Behind the scenes, newsroom gatekeepers decided which stories to spotlight, which to bury, and how to spin events in ways that favored their corporate sponsors or political allies. Journalists who challenged these directives often faced censorship or retaliation, creating an environment where dissent was discouraged and narratives became homogenized across different networks. This system funneled the public into echo chambers, presenting a narrow spectrum of perspectives while filtering out uncomfortable truths. The result was a carefully managed consensus, making it difficult for the average person to access independent information or develop truly informed opinions. As the digital age dawned, these mechanisms evolved but the foundational blueprint—control through information curation—remained intact. For a deeper understanding of how these subtle forms of manipulation shaped society long before the first algorithmic newsfeed, dive into the podcast episodes for firsthand accounts and hidden histories.