In September 2024, Canadian influencer Lauren Southern suddenly found herself in the eye of a media storm, accused of spreading Russian propaganda.

The US government had just alleged that the founders of the startup she’d been making videos for - Tenet Media - were working with Russian state media, in a $10 million Kremlin-backed operation.

What exactly did Russia want with a group of YouTubers? And did they succeed? Who knew what was allegedly going on within Tenet Media, and when? And what does all of this say about where everyone gets their information?

Our entire media ecosystem is rotting; ripe for manipulation not just by nation-states but, it turns out, anyone with the money and know-how to game the system.

Presented by investigative journalist Nicky Woolf (Finding Q), Influenced: The Tenet Media Plot is about spycraft, shell companies, and how a group of influencers became unwitting pawns in an information war.

Content warning: This series deals with some heavy topics. You'll hear references to sexual assault and self-harm, plus offensive content including homophobia, islamophobia, racism, sexism, and transphobia. There's also strong language throughout. We're covering this material to examine how divisive content spreads online, but we wanted to give you a heads up.

This series is intended to be considered as a whole.

Episode One: The Eye is Drawn to Fire

One morning Lauren Southern’s phone starts blowing up. She’s been making controversial videos since her university days, so she’s used to her content getting attention. But this time, something’s different. The company she’s been making videos for has just been accused of pushing Russian propaganda. That’s when the panic sets in.

Episode Two: Uncensored, Unapologetic, Unafraid

What was Tenet Media? And how did it work? To look inside the operation, we call up an old friend from the world of spycraft. And he suspects we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg.

Episode Three: Subversive Cabaret

So, we’re in an information war. But what does the Kremlin want? And why? Time to talk to some sources; people who’ve been on the front lines – on both sides.

Episode Four: The Feds

Lauren Southern gets a knock at the door. The police are outside. And with them are two strangers in black coats. They’re here to talk to her, they say. And there’ll be dire consequences if she says no.

Episode Five: The Fight Lives Here

Our quest for the other Tenet influencers takes us to Phoenix, Arizona, for AmericaFest. It’s the height of the social calendar for the right-wing influencer set – but will we find what we’re looking for?

Episode Six: To Re-behold The Stars

Just as we’re wondering if our digital world is damaged beyond repair, an unexpected twist offers the potential for answers. But they aren’t what we expected… at all.

Voice acting: Katerina Burgess, Maia Journeau, Samantha Coughlan.

Clips: ABC News, American Journal, Ben Shapiro, Benny Johnson, CBC Archive Sales, Charlie Kirk, Chrissie Mayr, CNN, Dante Alighieri, Dave Rubin, DOJ, Dr Drew, Emily Molli via Getty Images, Hannah Arendt, Identity Politics, ITN via Getty Images, Jerusalem Post, kremlin, Lauren Chen, Lauren Southern, Matt Christiansen, Megyn Kelly, O’Keefe Media Group, Rebel News, Right Side Broadcasting Network, RT, Russell Brand, Russian Media Monitor, Stringr via Getty Images, Tayler Hansen, Tenet Media, The Blaze, The House of Commons of Canada, The State of Politics, The White House, Tim Pool, Tucker Carlson, Turning Point USA, Россия-1.

Available in Dolby Atmos