'The Brainwashing of My Dad': Documentary Explores the Scary Influence of Right-Wing Media

Filmmaker Jen Senko examines the effect of conservative media through the lens of her own father's radicalization and its impact on her family.

The new documentary The Brainwashing of My Dad explores one of the most bizarre media phenomena in this country: the dangerous power right-wing media can have on everyday people.

As filmmaker Jen Senko tried to understand the transformation of her father from a non-political, life-long Democrat to an angry, right-wing fanatic, she uncovered the forces behind the media that changed him completely: a plan by Roger Ailes under Nixon for a media takeover by the GOP; the Powell Memo urging business leaders to influence institutions of public opinion, especially the universities, the media and the courts; and under Reagan, the dismantling of the Fairness Doctrine.