Online anonymity is an important right that has been hotly debated in recent years. The case for preventing people from being “doxxed” was further reiterated yesterday when popular podcaster and Twitter star “Catturd” was swatted in the middle of his show.
So, I was just swatted during my podcast.
The caller pretended to be me and told the cops – "I've stabbed someone, had a gun, and was going to kill myself."
This is the result of being doxxed over and over by leftist outlets. You can imagine how dangerous this is.
I'm okay,…
— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) September 25, 2023
Thankfully nobody was hurt, but as we’ve learned in the past getting swatted can have deadly results. And that seems to be the point of going after Catturd, who was a favorite of President Trump’s when he was still active on Twitter.
According to Luis Cornelio from Headline USA:
Catturd, a popular anonymous internet personality known for his humorous jabs at left-wing politics, faced a harrowing swatting incident while live-streaming his podcast, In the Litter Box with Jewels and Catturd.
This alarming event followed the doxxing of his identity by unhinged left-wing critics, marking yet another apparent attempt to silence conservative voices.
In his own words, Catturd described the chilling episode to his over 2 million followers on Monday. “I was just swatted during my podcast,” the man behind the account said. “The caller pretended to be me and told the cops – ‘I’ve stabbed someone, had a gun, and was going to kill myself.’”
The account bluntly blamed his doxxing for the dangerous swatting. “This is the result of being doxxed over and over by leftist outlets,” he said. “You can imagine how dangerous this is. I’m okay, the pets are okay, and the local cops were fantastic.”
Catturd had been a target of doxing in the past months, with several accounts sharing his name and alleged residency. However, despite the shock, he reassured his followers he will remain active on social media. “Thanks for your concern. I’ll continue to talk truth to power,” the person continued. “I won’t stop. Love you all.”
Personalities on both sides of the political aisle have called for the end of online anonymity. Dr. Jordan Peterson has notably been an opponent of it, claiming that people should not be allowed to rant or make threats while remaining anonymous. He should tell that to Catturd.
Independent Journalism Is Dying
Ever since President Trump’s miraculous victory, we’ve heard an incessant drumbeat about how legacy media is dying. This is true. The people have awakened to the reality that they’re being lied to by the self-proclaimed “Arbiters of Truth” for the sake of political expediency, corporate self-protection, and globalist ambitions.
But even as independent journalism rises to fill the void left by legacy media, there is still a huge challenge. Those at the top of independent media like Joe Rogan, Dan Bongino, and Tucker Carlson are thriving and rightly so. They have earned their audience and the financial rewards that come from it. They’ve taken risks and worked hard to get to where they are.
For “the rest of us,” legacy media and their proxies are making it exceptionally difficult to survive, let alone thrive. They still have a stranglehold over the “fact checkers” who have a dramatic impact on readership and viewership. YouTube, Facebook, and Google still stifle us. The freer speech platforms like Rumble and 𝕏 can only reward so many of their popular content creators. For independent journalists on the outside looking in, our only recourse is to rely on affiliates and sponsors.
But even as it seems nearly impossible to make a living, there are blessings that should not be disregarded. By highlighting strong sponsors who share our America First worldview, we have been able to make lifelong connections and even a bit of revenue to help us along. This is why we enjoy symbiotic relationships with companies like MyPillow, Jase Medical, and Promised Grounds. We help them with our recommendations and they reward us with money when our audience buys from them.
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Even our faith-driven precious metals sponsor helps us tremendously while also helping Americans protect their life’s savings. We are blessed to work with them.
Independent media is the future. In many ways, that future is already here. While the phrase, “the more the merrier,” does not apply to this business because there are still some bad actors in the independent media field, there are many great ones that do not get nearly enough attention. We hope to change that one content creator at a time.
Thank you and God Bless,
JD Rucker
