Ezra Klein: Political polarisation is not that simple

Why is America so divided? Has social media contributed to increased political polarisation? What role has Donald Trump played? And what is happening to the «centre» of the political spectrum  in the midst of this growing polarization? To answer these questions, Pedro Pinto interviews journalist and political analyst Ezra Klein.

A keen observer of American politics and society, Ezra Klein is a columnist on the opinion page of «The New York Times», host of the award-winning podcast «Ezra Klein Show» and author of the book Why We're Polarized. Previously, Klein was the founder, editor-in-chief and then editor-at-large of Vox, the explanatory journalism platform, which has won several awards and now reaches more than 50 million people a month.

In this episode, Klein discusses the growing political polarisation in the US, its causes and its impact on the country. Klein argues that the more fragmented media landscape has helped erode a social consensus around what is and isn't factual. She also analyses how social media has turned an already polarised political debate into a more extreme and radicalised confrontation.

The political analyst also tries to understand how political figures like Donald Trump, Modri and Silvio Berlusconi have been successful all over the world. Finally, he examines how the erosion of the political «centre» is both a product and a cause of growing political polarization, in a fascinating conversation.