If loneliness and social isolation are part of what pushes people down the rabbit hole, what’s the cure? CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan sits down with a cult survivor who explains why conspiracy theories can have such a powerful hold on believers, and he learns from a pair of documentary filmmakers who have a prescription for a fractured, lonely society.
Diane Benscoter is the founder of the nonprofit Antidote, and she's the author of Shoes of a Servant: My Unconditional Devotion To A Lie. You can listen to more of Donie's conversation with Diane on YouTube.
Pete Davis and Rebecca Davis are the directors and producers of the documentary Join or Die. You can learn more about their film here.
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35:08
Persuadable: Back Up the Rabbit Hole
What would you do if the person closest to you woke up believing something that sounded completely crazy? That’s what happened to Stephen Ghiglieri when his then- fiancée, Katrina Vaillancourt, became a Q-Anon believer overnight. But their story is a hopeful one. In part two of Persuadable, CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan explores one route out of conspiracy theory belief.
Listen to more of Donie's conversation with Dr. Joe Pierre, author of False: How Mistrust, Disinformation, and Motivated Reasoning Make Us Believe Things That Aren’t True, on YouTube.
Read about Katrina Vaillancourt's book, ReQovery: How I Tumbled Down the QAnon Rabbit Hole and Climbed Out, here.
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37:29
Persuadable: Why Do We Believe Crazy S**t?
Conspiracy theories are not new. They’re as old as time itself. But if you feel like they’re everywhere right now, you’re not alone. So, what do you do when somebody you love has fallen down a rabbit hole? CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan has been covering the world of misinformation for more than a decade, but now he's less interested in what people believe than why they believe it. So, he’s trying to find out.
See more of Donie's interview with Dr. Samuel Veissière on YouTube.
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32:31
All Over The Map: Why America Voted, From Actual Voters
As the dust settled in the wake of election day, the All Over the Map team started calling up some of the 86 swing-state voters John King has been visiting and revisiting over the last year and a half. Who they ultimately voted for — and why — offers a window on a country taking stock in the aftermath of an unprecedented election.
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33:26
All Over The Map: The Pennsylvania Voters Who May Decide the Race
With just hours before election day, we’re returning to a handful of people who represent a crucial voter segment: unhappy Pennsylvania Republicans. John King interviews three people who voted for Nikki Haley in the state’s primary back in the spring — long after she’d dropped out. How they and others like them fill out their ballots this week may decide the next president of the United States.
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The Account is CNN’s home for powerful, narrative-driven audio storytelling. Featuring in-depth reporting from CNN journalists.
Our new season features CNN Senior Correspondent Donie O’Sullivan, who has been reporting on people with “crazy” beliefs for years. In this new, deeply personal podcast series, O’Sullivan confronts some crazy beliefs of his own. With help from cult survivors, psychologists, and families who’ve tried to pull loved ones out of the rabbit hole, O’Sullivan puts an empathetic lens on a fraught topic, debunks common misconceptions, and leaves listeners with practical takeaways for navigating this slippery world.
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