Episode Title:
Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/when-the-government-lies-and-the-cameras-dont
Episode Video Link:
In this episode, Dr. Nsenga Burton examines gaslighting as a deliberate strategy of institutional power, not confusion or miscommunication. She breaks down how official narratives are constructed to override lived experience, even when video footage, eyewitness accounts, and citizen journalism clearly document what occurred.
Using events in Minneapolis as context, this conversation explores how authorities reframe and minimize protest, First Amendment rights, press freedom, and public assembly to protect systems of power. Dr. Burton explains why recording, witnessing, and documentation function as acts of civic oversight, disrupting narrative control and forcing accountability where institutions would prefer silence.
This episode situates the present moment within a long historical continuum of state-sanctioned violence, racialized authority, and resistance, emphasizing that these patterns are not new, only newly visible to those now experiencing them. It also addresses the emotional and physical toll of constant vigilance, organizing behind the scenes, and surviving systems that rely on fear, erasure, and compliance.
What you will learn
- How gaslighting operates as a systemic tool used to protect institutional authority
- Why recording and citizen journalism are essential to public accountability and truth preservation
- What the First Amendment protects, including protest, press, and assembly rights
- How historical context explains recurring patterns of power, resistance, and state violence
▶︎ In This Episode
00:00 – Gaslighting as a Tool of Power
00:34 – Defining Gaslighting Beyond Psychology
01:00 – Minneapolis, Protest, and Narrative Control
01:45 – Citizen Journalism and Recorded Evidence
02:30 – Manufactured Narratives and Authority Protection
03:05 – State-Sanctioned Violence and Resistance
04:10 – Black Identity and Historical Reality
05:05 – Organizing Beyond Visibility
06:00 – Understanding First Amendment Rights
06:55 – Press Freedom and Documentation
07:40 – Collaboration Over Control
08:30 – Fear, Dignity, and Choosing Joy
#BEP #PowerAndAccountability #StateNarratives #FirstAmendmentRights #CitizenJournalism #InstitutionalAuthority #PublicTransparency #SystemsOfPower
🔗 Resources
Links and resources mentioned in this episode:
🔔 Listen and Subscribe
Listen to this episode and subscribe for future updates
subscribe to A Black Executive Perspective podcast on
if you like what we're doing and would like to support us, here's some ways you can help us continue the uncomfortable conversations that drive change
- subscribe to our newsletter
- give us up to a 5 star review on Apple Podcasts
- share an episode with a friend, family member or colleague
🗣️ Follow @ablackexec
follow us across social media @aBlackExec
⭐️ Follow @TonyTidbit
This episode was produced by TonyTidbit ™ . Copyright © 2024 A BLACK EXECUTIVE PERSPECTIVE LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this podcast may be reproduced without prior written permission. For permissions, email podcast@ablackexec.com .
