Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News by Alec Karakatsanis

Ever wonder why the evening news feels like an endless loop of crime stories? Why “tough on crime” politicians win elections, and why so many of us believe we’re less safe than we actually are?

Copaganda pulls back the curtain on one of the most powerful—and least examined—forces shaping American society: the symbiotic relationship between police departments and the media outlets that amplify their messaging without question.

Alec Karakatsanis, a civil rights lawyer who has spent years challenging our broken criminal legal system, delivers a searing investigation into how carefully crafted police narratives become tomorrow’s headlines. From press conferences staged like theater productions to “ride-along” segments that frame policing through a single lens, he reveals the sophisticated machinery that manufactures public consent for mass incarceration, bloated police budgets, and policies that disproportionately harm marginalized communities.

This isn’t just media criticism—it’s a field guide for recognizing propaganda in real time. Karakatsanis shows us:

• How language choices (“officer-involved shooting” vs. “police killing”) shape our understanding of violence
• Why certain crimes dominate coverage while corporate and police misconduct goes underreported
• The economic incentives keeping newsrooms dependent on law enforcement sources

Sharp, urgent, and deeply researched, Copaganda is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how power operates in plain sight—and how we might begin to see more clearly.