Big Tech’s War on Journalism

Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and others at Donald Trump’s inauguration in the US Capitol on January 20. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Sipa via AP

It’s official. Jeff Bezos is at war for the oligarchy.

As you might know, the billionaire proprietor of Amazon sent an email Wednesday to the staff of the Washington Post, which he also owns, announcing “a change coming to our opinion pages.” Moving forward, he declared, “We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets.” And, he added, “viewpoints opposing these pillars will be left to be published by others.”

This created quite the storm within Medialand, with the New York Times front-paging the proclamation and reporting that the Post’s opinion editor, David Shipley, was quitting rather than acceding to Bezos’ edict. The robber baron’s statement was full of rah-rah-America blather, and no details about what he considers “personal liberties” or “free markets.” WaPo has certainly published an abundance of editorials and columns extolling abortion rights and free trade. But did he mean there now could be no columns about the demise of Consumer Financial Protection Board, the judicious regulation of crypto, antitrust initiatives, the taxation of wealth, the limitation of corporate power, possible government guidelines for AI, vulturous health insurance firms, or labor safety standards for workplaces? And do “personal liberties” encompass trans rights or the right to spew hate speech at trans people?

The details were less important than the big flex: This is my newspaper, and I am going to throttle debate, seemingly in a manner that is in sync with the new regime in town. It’s, of course, Bezos’ right to do whatever he wishes with the newspaper he bought a dozen years ago. But this diktat follows his last-minute intervention to kill the paper’s endorsement of Kamala Harris in October, and his look-at-me attendance at Trump’s inauguration—each a sign, intended or not, of his obeisance to an authoritarian demagogue who presents a clear and present danger to the free press.

Trump has called the media the “enemy of the people”—as Hitler once did—and has repeatedly slammed the Washington Post. Last fall, his campaign filed a bogus complaint with the Federal Election Commission, absurdly asserting the newspaper was a “partisan player” that had made an illegal in-kind contribution to the Harris campaign. And after all that, Bezos thought it was appropriate to toss $1 million into the coffers of Trump’s inauguration committee and then attend the inauguration and giddily applaud for Trump. This sure was obeying in advance, as he no doubt hoped for favorable (or, at least, non-hostile) treatment from the new administration for his retail empire, web service firm (which earns billions through a Pentagon contract), and Blue Origin spaceship company.

Long before he decided to turn the Post opinion section into his own libertarian group chat, Bezos had publicly demonstrated that he prioritized making nice with Trump over serving as a newspaper owner dedicated first and foremost to fully supporting his publication. Now he shows us that the Post will be his plaything and that he cares more about defending the prerogatives of billionaires than promoting robust discourse. This is not unheard of. Like other newspaper owners of the past and present, he wishes to use his acquisition to advance his own interests. It’s just tough to watch the Washington Post, with its heralded past (which, to be fair, includes plenty of misguided editorials, op-eds, and columns), be degraded, as far as its opinion section goes, into a message board for plutocrats.

All this is in keeping with Big Tech’s war on journalism. Over at X, ever since he bought the site, billionaire Elon Musk, the maniacal conspiracy theorist, has been dissing the media and journalism. There’s no need for media outlets anymore, the boy-tycoon cries out. They’re all corrupt and driven by left-wing agendas. The only information one requires, he insists, can be found on X, posted by…well, whomever. That includes racists, neo-Nazis, antisemites, conspiracy theorists, MAGA extremists, and all the other fringe players whom Musk has empowered and retweeted.

For years, Musk has been on a tear to demolish the standing of the press, fully in tune with Trump’s assault on the media. These two narcissistic egotists who constantly spread disinformation share a deep aversion to accountability. They each want to reign supreme, without scrutiny from pesky reporters. Musk has fully embraced the alt-right attack on the media and the basic practice of journalism. Newspapers, television news networks, magazines—none of that is to be trusted, he says. Just rely on social media posts, he urges. “You are the media now,” he tells his 219 million followers. At times, this self-proclaimed free-speech absolutist has made it difficult for reporters on Twitter or X to direct their own followers to their work. And my hunch is that the X algorithm does not fancy certain journalists.

Musk, a demagogue like Trump, wants Americans to view the press as an enemy. He has called the New York Times "propaganda" and "an unregistered lobbying firm for far left politicians." In 2023, he applied a label to NPR’s X account that falsely suggested it was state-controlled. (NPR withdrew from the site.) Last month, echoing his co-president, Musk tweeted, “60 Minutes are the biggest liars in the world! They engaged in deliberate deception to interfere with the last election. They deserve a long prison sentence.” His goal has been to discredit journalism.

Mark Zuckerberg, the Meta billionaire, has been an enemy of journalism in a quieter fashion. In recent years, Facebook—long used by media outlets to attract traffic for their articles and reports—has rejiggered its algorithm to downplay news, thus limiting the views of Facebook posts that link to reporting and throttling traffic to media sites. I’ve seen this with my own Facebook experience. I maintain an author’s page on Facebook where I regularly post my work. Several years ago, these posts—full of keywords signaling they refer to current events or politics—would routinely draw tens of thousands of views, often reaching six figures. Nowadays, they tend to attract between 2,000 and 4,000 views. As a test, I recently put up a post with a photo of my dog Moxie and no political content. It hit nearly 11,000 views.

Zuckerberg, like Bezos, is free to run his company as he sees fit. What’s particularly diabolical is that the algorithm Facebook uses is secret and that when Facebook decides to deprioritize journalism and politics, it does not inform its users or tell them how they can get more of this content, should they desire to. Most Facebook users do not know the site is essentially censoring journalism and blocking information that they might want to see. And though folks on the right have whined that Facebook was somehow biased against conservatives, there’s evidence that Facebook actually tweaked its algorithm toward the end of the first Trump presidency to benefit publications on the right and hinder those on the left. While reducing the flow of news on the site, Zuckerberg has not played it straight.

Once upon a time, Zuckerberg professed to be an advocate of journalism At a 2019 event, he said: 

The work that you all do in the news industry and journalism is critical for democracy. I care about giving people a voice. So that people can share their own experiences, so that they can share their opinions on thing. But at the end of the day, in order for that to be valuable, there needs to be a strong and free press, and people actually going and doing the work of uncovering the truth and the important stories, so people have the basis and ground truth to talk about and debate and have that at scale. It’s no secret that the internet has really disrupted the news business model, and I think that every internet platform has the responsibility to fund and to form partnerships to support news.

That was then. In January, his Meta—Facebook, Instagram, and Threads—announced it was killing its fact-checking program, which had been implemented to counter the spread of mis- and disinformation on these sites. This was not a blow at journalism, per se. But it was an indication that Zuckerberg’s desire for an informed democracy is not as strong as he once contended. By the way, he also donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration and attended the King of Disinformation’s swearing-in, demonstrating his loyalty to a champion liar who’s looking to weaken the free press Zuckerberg once hailed as “critical for democracy.”

The rise of the internet did a lot to screw up the news business, while also providing tremendous opportunities for journalists (like me) to reach wider audiences. At the same time, it allowed for fact-free alternative realities to easily take hold for millions of people. Overall, it has been a tough stretch for the industry and journalism (and reality-based politics). The Big Tech titans have made it worse. (And who knows what AI will do for—or to—serious journalism?) As Bezos, Musk, and Zuckerberg suck up to an autocrat to preserve and expand their own profits, they are imperiling journalism and helping democracy die, not in darkness, but in the clear light of day and within the glow of their oligarchic power.

Got anything to say about this item—or anything else? Email me at ourland.corn@gmail.com.

Last year, I began a series of short videos called It Can Happen Here. They were meant to be warnings of creeping authoritarianism that could pose a threat to American democracy. Now we’re well past the lookout phase. I’m continuing this intermittent Telly Award-winning series, but I’m wondering if it should be rebranded It Is Happening Here. Here’s the latest one:

Donald Trump held his first Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, and the judges could’ve just watched that and been done for the week. With a toadying Elon Musk looking on, Trump engaged in what we’ve long become accustomed to: a lie-a-thon. He claimed the United States has given more than three times the amount of aid to Ukraine than Europe. (Europe has donated more than Washington.) He suggested that many federal workers don’t truly exist and that Social Security checks were being sent to phony recipients who appear as 200 years old on the rolls. And he said "millions" have been killed by fentanyl overdoses. Not so. The number—indeed, tragic—has been about 70,000 annually in the past few years.

But what caught the judges’ attention was what was not said at the meeting. When Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the anti-vaxxer conspiracist now leading the Department of Health and Human Services, was called on to react to the news that people have died in the measles outbreak in Texas, including an unvaccinated child, he remarked, “We're going to continue to follow it." He didn’t say what any previous HHS secretary would have said: Make sure your children are vaccinated.

On Tuesday, Trump announced that for $5 million foreigners will be able to by a “gold card” allowing them to reside in the United States, as if they had a green card. Asked if this offer would be open to Russian oligarchs, Trump said “possibly,” and he added, “Hey, I know some Russian oligarchs that are very nice people.” Yeah, I bet he does. A few have collectively pumped millions of dollars into his pockets over the years, through real estate deals and his Miss Universe contest, which was held in Moscow in 2013 (as I noted in the previous issue of this newsletter). With Trump, everything is transactional and for sale. And for Trump, being a pal of Vladimir Putin—obligatory for a Russian billionaire—is a feature, not a bug.

Appearing on the show of Stew Peters, a far-right and antisemitic podcaster known for spreading false claims about Covid, white nationalist Lana Lokteff urged the repeal of the Civil Rights Act because it supposedly ended freedom of association in the United States and because overturning it was necessary to stop Black people from being allowed “in all our white spaces.” She added, "All of this because they couldn't drink [from] the same water fountain or use the same toilet. Was it really that big of a deal?"

This racist comment was hardly surprising coming from a bigot. The judges, however, wish to point out that MAGA activist turned FBI Director Kash Patel appeared on Peters’ show at least eight times. But when Patel came before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearings, he said he didn’t know who Peters was. Following that hearing, Peters declared: “Clearly Kash Patel is lying.”

Trump, as I noted in last issue, has been pushing disinformation about the Ukraine war that echoes Putin’s talking points: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a “dictator”; Ukraine, not Russia, was responsible for starting the war. That means all Dear Leader’s advisers have to follow suit. As did Steve Witkoff, a diplomatic envoy for Trump. Appearing on CNN, he said, "The war didn't need to happen. It was provoked. It doesn't necessarily mean it was provoked by the Russians. There were all kinds of conversations back then about Ukraine joining NATO…That didn't need to happen. It basically became a threat to the Russians."

Putin did not provoke the war with his brutal and criminal invasion of Ukraine? Poor guy just gets a bad rap.

At the recent annual Conservative Political Action Conference, held in Washington, DC, there was plenty of nonsense spewed by Trump, Elon Musk, Steve Bannon, and other speakers. It could merit a DCotW contest of its own. But the judges highlighted this remark from Jack Posobiec, the far-right conspiracy theory-monger who pushed the crazy and dangerous Pizzagate hoax: “Donald Trump is the living embodiment of the American Constitution.”

Welcome to Pyongyang on the Potomac. By the way, check out my recent article reporting on how top Trump Cabinet officials have embraced Posobiec, who has associated with white nationalists and who last year co-authored a book that praised fascist leaders who used violence to suppress their opponents and that demonized modern-day progressives as “unhumans” bent on annihilating American civilization.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has yet to win the DCotW. She came close this week, when she claimed, “We've been incredibly transparent about the way that DOGE is working."

She made this comment during a press conference in which she refused to name the administrator of DOGE. Meanwhile, the DOGE office has not identified all its employees, many of whom have routinely showed up at government offices without providing people their names or explaining their responsibilities. The Trump-Musk blitzkrieg has been largely conducted in secrecy. The  White House finally did reveal the name of the DOGE administrator, Amy Gleason, and it turned out this past week she was on vacation in Mexico. Not very efficient.

Sorry, Leavitt, the winner this week is Edward Martin, the Trump-appointed US attorney in Washington, DC. He’s a MAGA extremist who was part of the fraudulent Stop the Steal movement and who defended January 6 rioters. After the Associated Press refused to follow Trump’s demand to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” was booted out of White House events, and subsequently sued the administration, Martin put out this statement: “As President Trumps’ [sic] lawyers, we are proud to fight to protect his leadership as our President and we are vigilant in standing against entities like the AP that refuse to put America first.”

This was a deplorable and stupid comment. Federal prosecutors swear an oath to defend the Constitution, not the president. And wire services do not have the mission of putting “America first.” They report the news. It was also a frightening remark. The top prosecutor in the nation’s capital was targeting AP as unpatriotic. This is ominous, and the judges are handing Martin the crown this week because they want people to pay close attention to this thug.

Nothing gets Our Land readers worked up more than the haplessness of Democrats. The recent issue on how many Dems have been MIA during the Trump-Musk blitzkrieg led to so much mail that several workers in the Our Land mailroom suffered hernias. Fortunately, we offer very good health insurance.

Beaty Reynolds emailed:

As much as I was excited to share the stirring and insightful call to action of your most recent newsletter, I was disappointed that there was no mention of Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas). She is a fearless and fierce crusader. Please include a sidebar or something on her in a future post. Your words actually mean something. And, yes, Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries are not up to the job at hand. 

Glad to hear my words matter. And, yes, Crockett has been on fire.

Chris Ducey wrote:

Except for Ms. Crockett, AOC and Chris Murphy, where are they? Go on Fox. Bring some reality fire!  They listened to James Carville on MSNBC: "Dems get out of the way let the people rise up organically" WTF. We need every gun at this corral to at least forestall the Truskovite takeover.

Donna Lane observed:

I have thought forever about this topic of what should the Dems do when they have no power to accomplish things. For myself, I have never seen all the Democrats in Congress sticking together totally for anything. There always is one, two or there who don’t agree, and that changes the number needed to win. Just look at the GOP who no matter what they’re fighting for, mostly bad crap, they vote in favor of it. 

This past week, the House Democrats did stick together to vote against the Republican budget bill that awarded huge tax breaks to the rich and called for $850 billion in cuts that could well come from Medicaid. Still, the House GOP, including members from districts that would be slammed by such Medicaid cuts, also stuck together to pass this travesty by two votes.

Patricia Jacobson informed us:

I’ve sent notes to Sen. Chris Murphy and others begging them to kick their colleagues into action. It’s almost too late already! Project 2025 is becoming cemented into our lives. Please send your article to every elected Democrat.

I appreciate Patricia’s confidence in my persuasive abilities. But what would matter more would be a strong response from these Democrats’ constituents. If they fear losing their jobs, they’d likely take action.

Jim Post had a different take:

Once again, criticizing Democrats for what the Republican Party is doing to America. “Democrats MIA?” Really? They are the only ones on Capitol Hill trying to do doing anything. How about criticizing the actual ones enabling Trump’s behavior? In case you hadn’t noticed, Democrats hands are mostly tied because they are in the minority in all three branches, including the Supreme Court. And how about criticizing the voters that put the convicted felon back in power. It wasn’t Democrats that did that. Focus your attention on that party that is weakening our democracy, if not outright ending it. That is where 100 percent of your ire should be directed, not at Democrats. 

In a recent issue, I excoriated the GOP for being lap dogs for Trump. I don't believe that the Dems should be off-limits to criticism. They are the ones who must try to do something to stop the assault on our country. People are looking to them for leadership and fierce opposition. That's part of their job. 

David Bunker also was sympathetic toward the Democrats:

It’s becoming clear that Republicans/MAGAs are angry about what’s happening under Trump/Musk, as the termination of government employees and cuts to budgets of popular agencies start to impact red states. So is it time for Schumer and Jeffries to speak out now and possibly divert attention from the Musk/Trump efforts to slash and maim our government, or wait and see what happens with the MAGA/Republican base?

I don't see a lot of GOP opposition. Look at how the House GOP passed the budget bill that would cut Medicaid and continue taxes to the wealthy—despite the negative impact on districts represented by Republicans. My gut tells me that there’s no time to wait. Democracies can decline rapidly. The brakes need to be applied whenever and however they can.

Nancy Bruski agreed with me:

I’m glad that there was a demonstration outside of Jeffries’ book tour event in Chicago!  What on Earth is he thinking? You, Simon Rosenberg, Robert Hubbell, and others are all calling for Democratic legislators to get their act together and have daily press briefings on what Musk and/or Trump has done that day to destroy our nation and hurt average Americans. So many people just don’t tune in, but as their lives are being affected, they are starting to. As insulin prices rise again, as people lose their jobs, as planes crash, as Medicaid/Medicare/Social Security are threatened to extend tax cuts to the very richest in America, many folks are rising up angry. But we need our leaders to amplify all of this and fight loudly against it! 

I have to say that, despite how immeasurably depressing what’s happening to our country currently is, I am revived a bit by the adorable humor in your short conversations with Moxie at the end of each edition of Our Land. What a cutie she is!

Responding to the recent issue on Vladimir Putin’s long-term investment in Trump, Mike Jowziak wrote:

Thanks for the concise recap of what’s happened over the past ten plus years leading up to the outrageous happenings of the present. It’s too bad that this story hasn’t reached more people. If it had, we might not be in this mess now!

I’ve tried to keep alive the Trump-Putin story. But I have to say that with their phony exhortations of “witch hunt” and “hoax,” Trump and his minions have been able to smother this significant narrative and duck accountability for aiding and abetting Putin’s war on America—which, at the moment, the Russian tyrant appears to be winning.

“Does this Elon Musk guy have any dogs?”
“I looked it up, Moxie, and he has had a few, including one named Gatsby.”
“Gatsby? Wasn’t he a bit of a fraud who made bad choices and ended up dead in a swimming pool.”
“Oh, Moxie, you know our rule: No spoilers!”­­