I’m old enough to remember when saying the Covid-19 “vaccines” are dangerous would get you banned on Twitter. I also remember when saying the 2020 elections were stolen and that Joe Biden is an illegitimate president would get you slapped with a “misinformation” warning. I remember all of these things because I and many others fought hard to get the information out in spite of the risks to our “precious” social media accounts.
I put the word “precious” in quotes because social media accounts really are NOT precious at all. At least they shouldn’t be. And acknowledging that was the first step I needed to take in order to truly fight against the now-famous Censorship Industrial Complex.
Journalist Michael Shellenberger coined the phrase this week in front of Congress; you can watch his opening statement here. It’s a powerful and spot-on representation of what has been built in America today. The Censorship Industrial Complex is a phenomenon that continues to grow and is even being used against the “Twitter Files” testimonies that are currently attempting to expose it.
What everyone needs to understand is that it’s far bigger than just black-and-white censorship. The tactics used to quash non-compliant perspectives are numerous and diverse. As we’ve known for years regarding “shadowbanning,” one does not have to have their accounts officially banned in order to experience perverse censorship.
Then, there’s the counteroffensive against the truth that is used regularly by government and corporate media known as the “limited hangout.”
According to Victor Marchetti, a former special assistant to the Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, a limited hangout is “spy jargon for a favorite and frequently used gimmick of the clandestine professionals. When their veil of secrecy is shredded and they can no longer rely on a phony cover story to misinform the public, they resort to admitting—sometimes even volunteering—some of the truth while still managing to withhold the key and damaging facts in the case. The public, however, is usually so intrigued by the new information that it never thinks to pursue the matter further.”
We are seeing the limited hangout techniques currently being used against Tucker Carlson’s revelations about January 6. Instead of Uniparty Swamp members saying, “This information needs to be explored,” we’re seeing them lash out against Carlson and anyone echoing the unambiguous conclusions we should all be drawing about January 6. There are actually many conclusions we can draw and many more that we will be able to draw once the tapes are released to the public (Lord willing), but the overarching takeaway is that the January 6 Committee and those complicit in disseminating their narratives willfully lied to the American people to paint a distorted and obtuse picture of the “insurrection.”
As CJ Hopkins colorfully explained in his article, “The Censorship Industrial Complex,” we need “real” journalists to speak the truth about the important topics that are taboo. Unfortunately, just as the vast majority of doctors refused to expose what they knew in their hearts about the jabs out of fear of being ostracized from their lucrative profession, so too are “real” journalists unwilling to delve into the “fringe” even if they believe it to be true. After all, they could lose their coveted “Fox News Contributor” badge if they express wrongthink.
To get the “real” journalists to speak the truth, we need “fake” journalists (like me) and non-journalists (the people) to beat the drums of reality. When those drumbeats get loud enough and are hammered often enough, the “real” journalists will have the cover they need to disseminate what is being said.
We saw a perfect example of this with the January 6 tapes. Tucker Carlson would have never been able to expose the truth to the masses if “fake” journalists like Darren Beattie at Revolver News and Julie Kelly at American Greatness had not continuously asked questions and demanded answers for the last two years. They and an unfortunately small handful of other “fake” journalists set the stage for Kevin McCarthy to release the tapes to Carlson. If Beattie and Kelly had said nothing, too few American patriots would have demanded answers. McCarthy would have felt no compulsion to stick his neck out for the January 6 political prisoners.
This is the only way to bring the truth to light in this age of mass censorship against ideas that go against the government-prescribed narrative. Only a tiny handful of Americans are reading my Substack, visiting Revolver News, or combing through American Greatness. But millions of Americans turn on Tucker Carlson every night.
One of the reasons I love the work I do at The Liberty Daily and Discern Report is because I get to shine spotlights, dim as they may be, on news that Americans need. It’s often not the news that gets highlighted on Fox News. It doesn’t get a mention from Joe Rogan or Ben Shapiro. It’s just too “fringe.” But if enough of us start sharing these stories and amplifying the truth, we can fight back against the Censorship Industrial Complex by clearing the way for “real” journalists and prompting them to reach the normies who still get their news from corporate media.
I’m often told something to the effect of, “I want to share your story but it could get me banned on Twitter/Facebook/YouTube.” This is true. I’ve been banned multiple times on multiple social media sites for sharing my own stories. Heck, I got banned from Spotify in early 2021 at a time when they claimed they wouldn’t censor anyone. But social media is just a tool. It’s not who I am. It’s not who you are. If a tool breaks, you get a new one. If a social account gets banned, you go elsewhere or start fresh. There’s nothing “precious” about these online accounts.
Congress will hold its hearings, but absolutely nothing will come out of DC that could even slow the Censorship Industrial Complex. It is self-perpetuating; those engaged in the lies need those lies protected through the telling of more lies and the suppression of the truth. They have too much at stake to let Tucker Carlson or Jim Jordan slow them down.
The Censorship Industrial Complex will continue to grow until the masses start speaking out against it. This is why “fake” journalists and their audiences need to compel “real” journalists to reach the masses with the truth. Otherwise, we will continue to see the vast majority of Americans spoon fed lies to keep them complacent, compliant, and docile.
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.
The same can be said about our preparedness sponsor, Prepper All-Naturals. Their long-term storage beef has a 25-year shelf life and is made with one ingredient: All-American Beef.
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
