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Johnny Harris
Independent Filmmaker helping you better understand the world Join our community: newpress.com Inquiries: partnerships@newpress.com
What viewers say
Johnny's explainers on geopolitics and economics draw big, heated discussions; many value the visual storytelling, while others argue about framing and bias on topics like Iran and China.
Praised for
- Strong visual, map-heavy storytelling
- Big topics broken into an engaging narrative
Common criticisms
- Viewers frequently debate his framing and perceived bias
- Sponsor reads at the start
Summary of the top viewer comments on recent videos, written by The Pod Atlas in its own words. Checked 2026-11-12.
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1:25Floating down the world’s longest river
21K views · 6d ago · 1:25
Episode 1 of the Human Element was a year in the making. So proud to say it’s live now everywhere. Join me for a journey down The Nile River.
41:27Why Egypt Guards This River With an Army
2.5M views · 6d ago · 41:27
An adventure down the Nile River, looking at how it shaped civilizations, changed the lives of millions, and became the center of one of the world's most important struggles over water. The Human Element is Johnny Harris' new show. It examines the biggest forces shaping our lives through the lens of the people most affected.
Topics: The World’s Longest River · The Headwaters · The Dam · A Ribbon of Green · Nasser & Nubia · Nubia Today
▶️ Mentioned videos: Vox Borders
📰 Mentioned news: NYTimes · NYTimes · NPR Planet Money
50:26The REAL reason China built so much
6M views · 29d ago · 50:26
Why does China LOOK like that?? China can BUILD. Their infrastructure is incredible. And I always figured that was because they're basically a dictatorship: what the leader says, goes. But the real reason turned out to be way more interesting.
Topics: Chinese Characteristics · Party-State · Modest Prosperity · Eating In Separate Kitchens · To Get Rich, First Build Roads · Lying Flat
▶️ Mentioned videos: Vox Borders
📰 Mentioned news: NYTimes · NYTimes · NPR Planet Money
1:48What I've been working on all year
1.2M views · 1mo ago · 1:48
Join Newpress, our community-driven hub for creator journalism Trailer by Skymography MORE CHANNELS Do you have an insider tip or unique information on a story? Do you have a suggestion for a story you want us to cover? Submit to the Tip Line
▶️ Mentioned videos: Vox Borders
📰 Mentioned news: NYTimes · NYTimes · NPR Planet Money
3:00:24The world's most extreme places, explained
790K views · 1mo ago · 3:00:24
Watch these five videos that have taken me all over the world. Get Exclusive NordVPN deal + 4 months extra here → It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee! From the deserts of Saudi Arabia to the ice sheets of Greenland, I've been lucky enough to be able to travel all round the globe to tell stories. These are five of my favorites from through the years.
Topics: How Greenlanders Survive Brutal Winters · Why Switzerland Has 374,142 Bunkers (and likely more) · Why Saudi Arabia is Building a $1 Trillion City in the Desert · Inside the Most Prepared Country on Earth · This Ghost Town was Sealed for 50 Years
▶️ Mentioned videos: Vox Borders
📰 Mentioned news: NYTimes · NYTimes · NPR Planet Money
51:11I don't get democracy
3.7M views · 2mo ago · 51:11
The word ‘democracy’ gets thrown around a lot, but everyone seems to mean something different when they say it. What IS democracy? What does it actually mean? Explore V-Dem's data here Join Newpress, our community-driven hub for creator journalism
Topics: Electoral · Liberal · Egalitarian · Participatory · People are stupid · Deliberative
▶️ Mentioned videos: Vox Borders
📰 Mentioned news: NYTimes · NYTimes · NPR Planet Money
2:58:31How Money Actually Works
3.8M views · 3mo ago · 2:58:31
Watch these six videos to learn how the economy really works. We explore How the first economies were created, how they've changed over the last 100 years, and what they look like today. We start with the magic of gold - and what it tells us about how collective belief is such a key part of any type of money.
Topics: Gold Explained, Finally · 1955 vs 2025 - who really has it better · 25,000 vs 25 million · The Business of Keeping People Poor · Why Groceries are So Expensive now · What Being a Billionaire Really Looks Like
▶️ Mentioned videos: Vox Borders
📰 Mentioned news: NYTimes · NYTimes · NPR Planet Money
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3:13:16The American war machine, explained
3.5M views · 3mo ago · 3:13:16
Here are 8 videos reflecting my decade-plus of reporting on the U.S. military and security apparatus We explain the colossal American defense budget, look at the historical origins of the arms trade, and show how the U.S. military's operations stretch across every corner of the globe.
Topics: Why the US Military Spends So Much Money · Why the US Sells Weapons to 103 Countries · Every Secret CIA Prison, mapped · The Operation Northwoods Conspiracy, Explained · The Deep State, Explained · Area 51
▶️ Mentioned videos: Vox Borders
📰 Mentioned news: NYTimes · NYTimes · NPR Planet Money
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39:31The REAL reason the US can’t beat Iran
6.6M views · 4mo ago · 39:31
What everyone misses about Iran When you see the brutal religious Iranian regime with all its anti western chants, it's easy to think this conflict must be about religion. I want to show you the REAL story of how superpowers created the modern Iran we know today.
Topics: Between Two Empires · Oil & the CIA · The Path to Revolution · The Islamic Republic
▶️ Mentioned videos: Vox Borders
📰 Mentioned news: NYTimes · NYTimes · NPR Planet Money
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48:47Oligarchy is worse than you think
4.4M views · 4mo ago · 48:47
I thought I knew what "oligarchy" meant. I was totally wrong The constitution video we reference I thought “oligarchy” meant Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg. But those guys are just the tip of the iceberg. I had no idea what a massive phenomenon oligarchy really is.
Topics: The Briefcase · Defense · The Maze · The Army · The Pyramid · The Gilded Age
▶️ Mentioned videos: The constitution video we reference · Vox Borders
📰 Mentioned news: NYTimes · NYTimes · NPR Planet Money
2:19The secret wall protecting islands 🌊 @circleapp #ad
161K views · 4mo ago · 2:19
Circle helped me tell the story of why islands are sinking in the Pacific. The platform helps our community drive the journalism - letting our audience participate in the stories. By connecting us with people on the ground, experts, and engaged communities, Circle makes our reporting smarter, deeper, and more human.
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2:10:08The Real Story Behind the Mormon Church
1.3M views · 5mo ago · 2:10:08
Compilation: The story of the Mormon Church episodes 1-3 Get $20 off your first order at I’ve made three mini docs about the history of the LDS church, a lot of people were finding them in isolation so we decided to put them together.
Topics: The REAL Story of the Mormon Church · The WILD Story of How the Mormons Created Utah · How the Mormon Church Made $293 Billion
▶️ Mentioned videos: Vox Borders
📰 Mentioned news: NYTimes · NYTimes · NPR Planet Money
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33:18China’s Dirty Money Problem, Explained
4.6M views · 7mo ago · 33:18
This is How Money Disappears Without a Trace Organized-crime is using a centuries-old Chinese payment system to launder billions of dollars across the globe. We team up with experts in Fei-Chien, aka Flying Money, to show you how this clever system works, what criminals are using it for, and why it's so hard to stop.
Topics: Origins · How Money Flies Today · Infiltrating the System · Cocaine of the Sea · Global Network · Catch Me if You Can
▶️ Mentioned videos: Vox Borders
📰 Mentioned news: NYTimes · NYTimes · NPR Planet Money
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3:06:18The Modern Middle East, Explained
8M views · 8mo ago · 3:06:18
Join Newpress, our community-driven hub for creator journalism MORE CHANNELS Do you have an insider tip or unique information on a story? Do you have a suggestion for a story you want us to cover? Submit to the Tip Line VIDEO CHAPTERS
Topics: How The U.S. Stole the Middle East · The Iran-Iraq War, Mapped · How to Sell a War to the American People · Why This Country Was Erased From History · How Benjamin Netanyahu Relies on Hamas · The Rise of Hezbollah, Mapped
▶️ Mentioned videos: Vox Borders
📰 Mentioned news: NYTimes · NYTimes · NPR Planet Money
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43:10Talking news and media with Max Fisher
197K views · 8mo ago · 43:10
Guest: Max Fisher
Join Newpress, our community-driven hub for creator journalism MORE CHANNELS Do you have an insider tip or unique information on a story? Do you have a suggestion for a story you want us to cover? Submit to the Tip Line About Johnny Harris is an Emmy-winning independent journalist and contributor to the New York Times.
▶️ Mentioned videos: Vox Borders
📰 Mentioned news: NYTimes · NYTimes · NPR Planet Money
1:00:15Is Fascism Back?
7.9M views · 8mo ago · 1:00:15
Join Newpress, our community-driven hub for creator journalism You hear it everywhere these days: Fascism is back. I wanted to know if that was true. But first I had a lot to learn about what fascism actually means. Special thanks to Mabel Berezin, Cornell University Roger Griffin, Oxford Brookes University Federico Finchelstein, The New School for Social Research Timothy Snyder, University of Toronto William I.
Topics: Fork in the road · Mussolini · The Fascist path to power · Interwar Germany · Hitler · The Nazi path to power
▶️ Mentioned videos: Vox Borders
📰 Mentioned news: NYTimes · NYTimes · NPR Planet Money
13:02The Internet Didn't Fail. It Was Taken.
911K views · 8mo ago · 13:02
Information is Power. Join Newpress, our community-driven hub for creator journalism NEWPRESS CHANNELS Christophe Haubursin - Tunnel Vision Sam Ellis - Search Party Max Fisher - The Bigger Picture For centuries, elites and the people have been in a battle for who controls information, and who has access to it. Recently, people have been drowning in a sea of algorithmic noise and divisive headlines.
▶️ Mentioned videos: Vox Borders
📰 Mentioned news: NYTimes · NYTimes · NPR Planet Money
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31:38India vs China, Explained
3M views · 10mo ago · 31:38
Inside the Rivalry Between Asia’s Two Giants India and China share the world’s largest disputed border, and their rivalry with global consequences. Through the lenses of the border, trade, the Indian Ocean, and global politics, this deep dive unpacks how their relationship turned from friendship to mistrust — and how Trump’s latest moves are exposing India’s biggest vulnerabilities.
Topics: Border · Trade · Indian Ocean · Global Politics
▶️ Mentioned videos: Vox Borders
📰 Mentioned news: NYTimes · NYTimes · NPR Planet Money
29:03Why This Island Could Trigger World War 3
4.5M views · 11mo ago · 29:03
What People Get Wrong about the China-Taiwan Conflict We hear a lot about Taiwan in the news lately. But we don’t hear much about how the conflict over this small island started. We’ll walk you through, not just the history of the conflict, but how the motivations of the powers involved have evolved and made Taiwan what it is today.
Topics: Civil War · U-Turn · Testing the Situation · Sino-Soviet Split · The Enemy of My Enemy · Taiwan Hangs On
▶️ Mentioned videos: Vox Borders
📰 Mentioned news: NYTimes · NYTimes · NPR Planet Money
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