The Monthly Review — February 2026
All of New Outlook's topics, stories, and opinions you missed this past month.
For readers who crave short, snappy reads—whether you’re pressed for time, commuting, or just looking for a quick gateway into bigger ideas.
The Monthly Review is a curated preview of the topics, stories, and opinions I explore on New Outlook—from bite-sized insights to deep dives. Let’s jump in!
➊ ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN
★★★★★
New Outlook Recommends
All The President’s Men
Released: April 5, 1976
Finally watched All The President’s Men, and my god, what a film! For those not too familiar with President Nixon’s Watergate Scandal, the film serves as a great entry-point into the story, and the journalists who broke it wide open.
Over the years, I often heard journalist Matt Taibbi reference the film in almost every interview or podcast appearance while speaking about the industry of journalism and its fall from grace. In finally getting to see the film, I understand why it’s remained a point of reference by some of today’s leading independent journalists.
Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman’s portrayal of young, hungry investigative reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein was nothing short of outstanding. What I believe the film excels at is its portrayal of how investigative journalists slowly put a story together, piece by piece.
If you’ve yet to see the film, I highly recommend it.
➋ GLENN GREENWALD RETURNS TO SUBSTACK
By the time I arrived on Substack in 2024, Glenn Greenwald had pivoted away from the platform to launch his own daily news show — System Update — on Rumble.
For me, that was a huge disappointment. I’d arrived too late to enjoy the works of my favorite journalist. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t read through his Substack archives while still tuning in to witness his foray into video journalism.
Writing for me was a new practice in 2024, and no one had made me fall in love with independent journalism more than Greenwald. Prior to that, I was enamored by photojournalism and wanted nothing more than to walk in the footsteps of renowned photojournalist James Natchwey, without having to photograph war.
In discovering Greenwald’s work years after the Snowden NSA leaks, what I respected most was the prioritization of his independence throughout his works, even when he contributed to mainstream outlets. Additionally, his writing style stood out to me for his sheer ability to craft compelling narratives about current events while infusing them with contextual elements from the past that made the pieces feel comprehensive enough for any reader. More than that, I respected his integrity, consistency, and his principled approach to journalism. There are very few journalists who are able to avoid having their personal feelings dictate how they report on a story.
While I’ve thoroughly enjoyed what System Update has accomplished on Rumble over the past few years, I was incredibly excited to see Greenwald announce on February 9, that he’s making a return to Substack — the platform where he initially centralized his independent journalism following his exit from The Intercept, the investigative journalism outlet he helped establish.
(If you’d like to learn more about Glenn Greenwald, I wrote a piece a year ago — linked below — highlighting him as one of today’s most important voices in independent media.)
➌ CORPORATIONS IN CAMOUFLAGE
The thing about institutions — Big Tech, political organizations, Government agencies, etc. — is that they will continue to evolve and adapt their strategies to match and appeal to your sensibilities in the moment.
That new, social media tech company does not in fact care about your free speech.
That hip, young, and revolutionary politician, and his/her colleagues, do not in fact care about you (the people), your patriotism, or your interests.
That government agency does not in fact care about transparency or justice.
➍ USING “FREE SPEECH” AS MARKETING LEVERAGE
New social media companies claiming to be a “free-speech platform” is an updated version of up-and-coming politicians running for office claiming to be primarily funded by small-donors.
They know how to say exactly what you want to hear. And they get away with it, every single time.
➎ THE JOURNALIST’S PURSUIT OF THE TRUTH
Any journalist who thinks that he or she is such a towering font of knowledge that calls to more sources are unnecessary is a fool, and a liability. The fact that you never stop learning in this job is one of its best features.
— MATT TAIBBI
➏ SOCIETY IS IN DESPERATE NEED OF “GOOD JERKS”
The Woke clamor for “equality” and “inclusivity” until disabled people tell them to their face that they actually want to be treated equally by being included in jokes made by comedians.
To disabled people, that simple act is how they are made to feel seen as equals, not the performative, virtue-signaling acts that activists have normalized as advocacy.
Declarations that comedians are forbidden from making jokes at the expense of disabled people, or any member of the so-called protected class, because doing so would be regarded as offensive, an exercise in superiority, or an effort to “punch down,” actually do more harm than good. In such cases, efforts of “advocacy” actually strip disabled people of their agency and voices, effectively silencing and rendering them as useless.
➐ HOW THE PRESS SILENTLY COVERS UP FOR THE GOVERNMENT
“[The New York Times] hated to be beaten [to breaking stories], but didn’t really want to be first. The Times was scared to death of being first on a controversial story that challenged the credibility of the government.”
— BILL KOVACH, Cover-Up
➑ WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY
Your ability to tell uncomfortable truths when you are not in possession of real power or influence is not an accurate measure of integrity.
Kash Patel, Director of the FBI and Dan Bongino, former Deputy Director of the FBI are classic examples of this. Prior to the positions they held in the current Trump administration, they were both loudly against the establishment. However, their rise to positions of power within the FBI has come with a muzzle and a neutered stance against the same establishment they once decried.
➒ HISTORY IS WRITTEN BY THE PROPAGANDIST ELITES
Given the levels of propagandistic deception we’ve witnessed and uncovered in the last five years alone, it’s hard to believe anything in history as it is “officially” told.
➓ LESSONS WORTH LEARNING
Any crowd — no matter what label they carry — that attempts to smear, shame, or manipulate you for having an independent outlook on a variety of issues is the crowd you must abandon, immediately.
That’s a wrap! Hope you enjoyed this edition of The Monthly Review. If something resonated, drop a like, leave a comment, and let’s discuss further. Share this with a friend. Thank you for reading, subscribing, and supporting this project. Until next month!