In this episode, we dive into the wild, worldwide PR machine known as Hasbara, Israel's official strategy to shape global opinion, rewrite narratives, and "explain" things that probably shouldn't have to be explained. What starts off as a lesson in public diplomacy quickly turns into a crash course in how coordinated messaging, mass disinformation, and a whole lot of lobby money can bend reality in real time. Somehow, all of this still makes room for quirky insights, offbeat learning, and the kind of comedy commentary you'd expect when three confused people attempt to decode one of the most sophisticated propaganda machines on the planet. It's messy, infuriating, and unexpectedly educational. If you've ever wondered why the same talking points echo across headlines, think tanks, comment sections, and your uncle's WhatsApp forwards, this episode might finally explain.

Important links:

1. Wikipedia talking about Hasbara – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasbara

2. The New York Times article on Hasbara – https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/06/nyregion/new-york-day-by-day-to-help-israel-improve-public-relations.html

3. The wonderful ad man, Carl Spielvogel – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Spielvogel

4. About the baby cosplaying a suicide bomber – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/2075072.stm

https://www.dawn.com/news/45235/argument-over-baby-s-picture

5. Haaretz article on the baby photographed – https://web.archive.org/web/20051206195110/http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=181370&contrassID=1&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=0

6. Jewish Voice for Liberation explaining how Hasbara works – https://www.jewishvoiceforlabour.org.uk/article/hasbara-a-long-running-strategy/

7. Israel's new funding into Hasbara – https://www.972mag.com/hasbara-funding-foreign-agents/

8. To volunteer with Tech for Palestine – https://techforpalestine.org/volunteer

9. Kapow's Instagram handle – https://www.instagram.com/itskapowtime/

Don't Know, Do Care is the brainchild of Ashmita, Sandy, and Prakhar, three friends from different backgrounds and interests. Ashmita works in sustainability, Sandy's an entrepreneur (puke) who'd rather not be, and Prakhar works with Sandy and is just trying to make sense of it all. Three mildly confused friends, one weirdly specific topic each week. We don't know much, but we care just enough to talk about it for up to an hour each week. Don't Know, Do Care is produced by "Ghar Pe Productions", edited by Prakhar and Sandy, critiqued (thoroughly) by Ashmita, and enjoyed mostly by our friends. Thanks for giving us a listen!