The fear is in our heads and the fear is triggered from the outside ”, Ken Jebsen whispers in the ears of the audience. Jebsen, whose real name is Kayvan Soufi-Siavash, was considered a young talent in public broadcasting. Now, in the spring of this year, the Berlin Office for the Protection of the Constitution classified “KenFM”, Jebsen's media platform, as a suspected case. What is the development in between? Then the six-part podcast asks "Cui Bono - WTF happened to Ken Jebsen?" Using Jebsen's vita, he describes what conspiracy theories, the multiplication-trained algorithms of social media and foreign disinformation campaigns do. For Radio Fritz, the youth broadcaster of the rbb, Jebsen produced the then innovative program "KenFM" from 2001 to 2011: Not in the studio,Instead, on the streets of Berlin, Jebsen presented a wild potpourri of live music, interviews, curious rubrics and calls from the listener. His impulsive style of moderation and his rapid speaking were particularly striking.

Anna Schiller

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    With anecdotes from companions and archive recordings, the podcast draws a portrait of a man who is convinced that he will one day become a great showmaster.

    But more and more often Jebsen gets lost in confused monologues.

    We hear Jebsen spreading conspiracy myths unhindered at the rbb.

    Without being contradicted, he claimed that the mass media were no longer independent;

    called for people not to vote and produced a special program on "Terror Lie 9/11" - on a youth radio station on the public broadcaster.

    In 2011, the rbb dismissed Jebsen.

    In addition to Studio Bummens, NDR and the production company K2H, rbb was involved in the production of the podcast.

    The fact that the station, which at the time was struggling with the emerging criticism of Jebens, made comprehensive archive material from Jebsen's broadcast on Radio Fritz available, can be seen as late self-criticism.

    However, the rbb was not involved in the production of the second episode, which sheds light on his time in public broadcasting, due to a confidentiality agreement.

    In the rabbit hole of the conspiracy myths

    Is it legitimate to give so much space to a conspiracy preacher? “Ken Jebsen is one of the most influential conspiracy theorists in Germany. But we also know: There was another Ken Jebsen once. By tracing his path, we want to show how such a person can come into being. Ken Jebsen is an entry point for us to talk about the bigger picture, ”says Khesrau Behroz, author of the podcast, in an online interview. The individual episodes are dedicated to key experiences in Jebsen's career: the dismissal by the rbb, an appearance at a lateral thinking demonstration, a trip to the Crimea. “We don't give Ken Jebsen a stage in our podcast, because he follows our dramaturgy, our story that we tell. We decide when to leave statements by Ken Jebsen,because he exposes himself and when we have to classify them. "

    The production actually manages this balancing act and offers an unusual listening experience by local standards. With Eurodance, the podcast initially draws listeners to Berlin at the turn of the millennium. Companions describe the collaboration with Jebsen, who is becoming increasingly eccentric. The longer sequences taken from Jebsen's programs are impressive. They allow a look from the outside into the rabbit hole of the conspiracy ideologies. The excerpts often leave the listener perplexed at first: the monologues are so absurd, the theses so crude that it is incomprehensible how they can convince a large following. However, the underlying argumentation patterns are classified in Einspielern. Complex relationships, including the programming of the algorithms of social networks,are explained in a compact way. The podcast combines investigative journalism with entertainment. It becomes a collage that illustrates the interlocking of the factors that make up the success of conspiracy narratives. Recordings of lateral thinking demonstrations show what mobilization potential lies in the disinformation campaigns and how they divide society.

    A few days ago, Jebsen's website was hacked by the activist group Anonymous. She temporarily halted his performance, claiming she had stolen data from subscribers and donors. The official media regulator also has the conspiracy theorist in its sights. The media authority Berlin-Brandenburg initiated proceedings against “KenFM.de” at the beginning of May because Jebsen had violated journalistic due diligence. If he does not meet the requirements, his page could be switched off. In this case, Jebsen has already announced the move to a foreign address.

    Cui Bono - WTF happened to Ken Jebsen?

    is available on all common podcast platforms. New episodes appear on Sundays. Radioeins broadcasts them on Sundays at 8 p.m., N-JOY at 9 p.m. The episodes can be heard at rbbKultur on Mondays at 7 p.m.