August 22, 2026
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1:00:41Now PlayingDr. Steven Hassan goes LIVE with filmmaker Friedrich Moser, director of How to Build a Truth Engine, to explore disinformation campaigns, propaganda, conspiracy theories, mind control, and information warfare. Is information control the key to hacking humanity's mindset? How can we defend against it?
In this livestream, Dr. Steven Hassan, author of Combating Cult Mind Control, speaks with Austrian filmmaker Friedrich Moser about his acclaimed documentary How to Build a Truth Engine (produced by actor and activist George Clooney). Together, Hassan and Moser will examine how disinformation exploits the brain’s natural need to recognize patterns, construct cohesive narratives, and make sense of an increasingly complex world.
How to Build a Truth Engine is a groundbreaking documentary that combines expertise from investigative journalists, neuroscientists, computer scientists, and experts of folklore to investigate one of the defining threats of our time: how propaganda, conspiracy theories, social media, and information warfare can manipulate what people believe and ultimately, what they do.
The film focuses on timely, specific case studies such as the January 6 insurrection on the Capitol, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the COVID vaccine uproar and shows us how modern researchers are tracking the propagation and proliferation of false narratives online. The film breaks down precisely how "fake news" is created, connected, amplified, and spread by media networks and President Donald Trump himself, and how disinformation can manipulate people's perceptions and beliefs to horrendous outcomes.
In this important discussion, we will unpack how propaganda, conspiracy theories, and disinformation networks spread false narratives, exploit vulnerabilities in human psychology, and shape what people believe and do. The film bridges the gaps between neuroscience, investigative journalism, and technology to reveal how information warfare can become a powerful tool for manipulating minds and how this results in orchestrated events in society.
Dr. Hassan and Friedrich Moser will explore:
- How does disinformation take root in the human mind?
- Why is the human brain so vulnerable to conspiracy theories and propaganda?
- How pattern recognition and storytelling are vulnerabilities in our mind's defense mechanisms that are exploited by manipulators
- What can neuroscience teach us about belief, persuasion, and misinformation?
- How did the “stolen election” narrative lead to the events of January 6, 2021?
- How social media algorithms amplify fear, outrage, conspiracy theories, and create "media bubbles" that contribute to polarization
- How dehumanization transforms political disagreement into an “us vs. them” mentality
- Can artificial intelligence and technology help detect conspiracy theories and disinformation or will it make the problem worse?
- The importance of investigative journalism & independent research
- How do propaganda and authoritarian influence overlap with the mechanisms of cult control?
- Why cults work so hard to control access to information in order to manipulate our actions
At a time when AI-generated content, political propaganda, conspiracy theories, social media manipulation, and fourth-generation warfare are transforming how we process reality, this conversation asks a fundamental question: If someone can control the information you receive, can they control what you believe and subsequently, what you do?
🎬 Learn more about How to Build a Truth Engine and Friedrich Moser's work
Moser's Instagram
Moser's Substack
📅 LIVE Friday, August 21, 2026 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time
👉 Like, subscribe, and share to support informed discussions on cults, authoritarianism, propaganda, disinformation, and mind control. Join us LIVE to ask questions, share your perspective, and be part of this important conversation!
#StevenHassan #FriedrichMoser #HowToBuildATruthEngine #Disinformation #Propaganda #MindControl #ConspiracyTheories #InformationWarfare #January6 #Trump #BITEModel #CultOfTrump #Authoritarianism #Misinformation #Neuroscience #Brainwashing #PoliticalPolarization #AI #SocialMedia #TruthEngine
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