A Public Service Announcement for Independent Media
As alternative media rises, Glenn Greenwald issues a warning about the growing vulnerabilities threatening independent journalism.
WHEN asked by a viewer to reflect on the recent secret meeting between various conservative independent media personalities and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Glenn Greenwald offered a measured response, using the moment to reflect on what it takes to succeed in the independent media landscape. He discusses the vulnerabilities that independent outlets must confront if they hope to avoid the same pitfalls now afflicting legacy media corporations.
An excerpt:
“If you’re suddenly now—because you cheered on MAGA, you cheered on Trump everyday—now you’re getting invited to the White House, you’re being let in on secret meetings, the Trump White House is calling you, giving you little tidbits; to what extent is that really independent media?
I mean, I’ve always believed it’s important to keep people in power at a distance, at arms length. The minute you start befriending them, the minute you start talking to them too much, the minute you start succumbing to the temptations of being let into their world, and you know, people with power, they can open doors… of course that’s going to compromise your independence.
Or maybe not of course, maybe you can resist that and fight against that. But it’s certainly going to have a big effect. That’s why I’ve always hated anything that reeks of journalists and political power merging socially, or any other way, like that White House Correspondents dinner.”
The media didn't fail because they were biased or anti-Trump or liberal... They failed because they intentionally and constantly decided to stop investigating and exposing certain powerful individuals and organizations within society, afraid of the political and cultural implications. Those entities just happen to be the most powerful actors in our culture. They've never accounted for this failure.
https://jmpolemic.substack.com/p/horizontal-information-flow
Glenn is owned by the tech bros….