Give the gift of an independent press
We know Trump will try to crush journalism. So we must stand up for the outlets most likely to stand up to him.
Before the election, the corporate powers behind the most powerful media outlets in the country made it clear that they either wanted Donald Trump to win or were more than fine with that result. Since the election, the media landscape has looked like the end of Godfather 2.
The Washington Post has “quietly” fired its political editor. The New York Times has “replaced” its political editor. And the Wall Street Journal’s Politics Editor is “leaving.”
his may seem like a coincidence to you. Then, so would Comcast suddenly deciding to sell all of its cable channels, including MSNBC.
You’ve probably felt an ominous sense there was a Tech Coup or a Billionaires Coup or a Crypto Coup that has succeeded and is now preparing to gut the old regime—and by the old regime, I mean “democracy.” With our lingering attempts at self-rule, we have meddled with the primal forces of nature and must atone.
But you don’t seem like the atoning type. At least, you’re not going to atone for believing that the First Amendment still exists, even when we have a wannabe strongman preparing for his second swipe at authoritarianism.
In her new podcast, Next Comes What, which I help produce and which has an astounding 157 5-star reviews at the latest count, Andrea Pitzer advocates practical actions to resist the anti-democratic thrust we know is coming.
One of her action items is “Support small-to-mid-sized independent media outlets directly with our dollars if we can.” Why? They “won't have the institutional blinders that can make reporting from the large outlets so frustrating.”
She goes on:
…those smaller outlets are less likely to present as one big institution interpreting another big institution. And they take themselves a little less seriously and, I think, have an easier time calling bullshit. At least, that seems to be how it's been going so far.
Podcasts like this one can help keep you informed. But it's critical to support reported news where people are on the beat and following events day-to-day and investigating abuses. Especially, you don't have to subject yourself to horror stories every minute of every day or faint every time Trump makes a threat. But you do want to have actual factual news sources at your disposal, doing reporting and telling you what's happening in the world.
So, if you’re listening and able, this is a call to be the force for good you wish to see in the world. Support some small-to-mid-sized independent media outlets and consider giving some gift subscriptions to your loved ones, especially if they’re MAGA and you want to irritate them! They can be smaller—like Marcy Wheeler’s irreplaceable Emptywheel or Andra Watkin’s For Such A Time As This, born from her early and relentless coverage of Project 2025. Or it could be your local paper, ideally, if it’s an independent and searing voice like the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Here are the publications I’ll be backing for this Black Friday:
There are many others! I probably missed yours. Let me know here or at Bluesky.
We all know the connection with facts has helped bring us Donald Trump. Two charts show that better than I ever could articulate.
- From Data for Progress:
We know the lack of fact-based reporting has helped create a crisis for democracy. And it’s only going to get worse. I hope it’s some slight relief that there’s something we can do about it.