That headline felt a bit overwrought when I wrote it, but the frustrating thing is: It's true. Between pervasive censorship efforts, blacklisting, and just plain gaslighting, the powers that be appear hellbent on stamping out independent journalism and alternative (read: not firmly under their thumb) media.
It's not hard to figure out why, either. At its root, journalism embodies the concept of "speaking truth to power." It's one of the most effective ways to ensure accountability — particularly on the part of those who hold that power. Thus, when it's allowed to thrive and function as intended, it poses a threat to them. It becomes the antagonist — even the enemy — of the powerful, and so it must be thwarted. Or coopted — which is what we've seen with the legacy/corporate media.
For outlets, like RedState, that operate independently from the legacy press and present an alternative to the corporate-approved narrative, that places them in the crosshairs of the powerful. So out come the talons. Whether via elaborate censorship orchestrations or attempts to scare advertisers away from "disapproved" sites, the ultimate aim is to silence us by suffocation — deprive independent media of oxygen (revenue) and smother it.
It's ironic that at the same time, the legacy media is facing its own revenue woes — so much so that we've seen thousands of layoffs in the industry. Perhaps it would be worth their while to ponder the value of their "journalism" versus that of old school muckrakers?
READ MORE:
Oh How the Mighty Have Fallen: The LA Times Appears to Be in a State of Imminent Collapse
RedState is just one relatively small outlet, but through our investigative endeavors, we've managed to punch well above our weight. As our Managing Editor Jennifer Van Laar noted recently we manage to hang in the same ballpark as the "big dogs," even without their advantages.
It's also interesting that RedState's traffic is in the same universe as the Los Angeles Times' despite having a very small fraction of the resources (equipment, writers) the LAT has.
With that very small fraction, RedState manages to bring its readers comprehensive coverage of world events (be they international, national, state, or local), political campaigns, media malpractice, culture, humor, and much more on a daily basis. On top of that, this little website that could has brought amazing in-depth coverage exposing the corruption and abuses of some of the most powerful. Consider, for instance:
Toxic Workplace Leads to Employee Suicide at LA County Department of Public Health
Looks Like Ronna McDaniel Is Out After All: Trump Releases Endorsements of New RNC Slate
Julie Su's Nomination to Secretary of Labor Sent Back to Biden's Desk
New NIH Letter Again Confirms That Fauci Lied, Funding Went To Wuhan Lab; Cancels Funding of Grant
Here's the bottom line, dear readers: We need your help. Conservative media is at a crossroads, and the only way independent journalism will survive is through direct reader support provided through our VIP program.
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