Wikipedia presents itself as a free, crowd-sourced online encyclopedia “that anyone can edit,” a claim that seems democratic and open-minded on the surface. However, this anonymity and openness mask an entrenched ideological ecosystem shaped not by the average contributor, but by a relatively small group of senior editors, moderators, and administrators. These gatekeepers enforce not…
Media Hall of Shame Series: Insider
Originally launched in 2007 as Business Insider, the outlet began with a focus on financial and tech news but has since expanded into a wide-ranging digital platform known simply as Insider. Under the leadership of co-founder Henry Blodget—a former Wall Street analyst banned from the securities industry for fraud—Insider quickly adopted a brash, attention-grabbing style…
Media Hall of Shame Series: TruthOut
Founded in 2001 in the wake of the disputed Bush-Gore election and the lead-up to the Iraq War, Truthout emerged as a digital nonprofit news organization with an openly left-wing, activist bent. Its stated mission is to provide “independent reporting and commentary on a diverse range of social justice issues,” and unlike many legacy outlets,…
Media Hall of Shame Series: Mother Jones
In the vast ecosystem of left-leaning media, Mother Jones stands out—not for balance or investigative rigor, but for its full-throated, unapologetic progressive activism. Founded in 1976 and named after the fiery union agitator Mary “Mother” Jones, the magazine was always intended to be a partisan outlet. And that’s exactly what it is: an ideological fortress…
Media Hall of Shame Series: The Guardian UK
Once regarded as the genteel voice of British liberalism, The Guardian has in recent decades transformed into one of the most aggressively ideological media outlets in the English-speaking world. It has shed the cloak of classical liberalism and donned the armor of full-spectrum progressivism: anti-capitalist, anti-nationalist, secularist, globalist, and deeply antagonistic to traditional Western values—especially…
Media Hall of Shame Series: Alternet
AlterNet is an unabashedly left‑wing digital media platform—with roots reaching back to 1987—founded by the Independent Media Institute and designed to aggregate and amplify progressive content from across the ideological ecosystem. In April 2018, it was acquired by the owners of Raw Story—John K. Byrne and Michael Rogers—who continue to operate it under AlterNet Media…
Media Hall of Shame Series: The Young Turks
The Young Turks (TYT) is an online news and commentary network founded in 2002 by Cenk Uygur, a former MSNBC contributor, and co-hosted by Ana Kasparian, among others. It began as a radio show before expanding to YouTube, becoming one of the earliest and most aggressive examples of a fully digital leftist broadcast outlet. TYT’s…
Media Hall of Shame Series: The Washington Post
For generations, The Washington Post was the gold standard of serious journalism in the American capital. With its famed exposure of the Watergate scandal and a long history of investigative work, the Post earned a reputation as the paper that held the powerful to account. It was once described as “the conscience of Washington”—a journalistic…
Media Hall of Shame Series: CBS News
CBS News holds a place of historic prestige in American journalism. For generations, it was known as the “Tiffany Network”—a reference to its polish and class. Names like Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite, and Dan Rather defined the idea of a trustworthy broadcaster for millions of Americans. Even now, CBS retains a certain aura of…
Media Hall of Shame Series: Semafor
The name Semafor is derived from the maritime word “semaphore”—a visual signaling system once used by ships to communicate over distances with flags or lights. It suggests clarity, signaling, and structured communication—ideals that Semafor claims to embody in a noisy, fragmented media landscape. According to its founders, the name reflects a goal to “signal” truth…
Media Hall of Shame Series: MSNBC
If CNN has drifted into progressive bias, MSNBC has fully embraced it. Where other networks attempt to maintain a facade of neutrality, MSNBC wears its ideological allegiance on its sleeve. It is not merely a news channel—it is a platform for moral and cultural evangelism on behalf of the political Left. From its talking heads…
Media Hall of Shame Series: Podcast Save America
Pod Save America is a flagship podcast of Crooked Media, a company founded in 2017 by former Obama administration staffers: Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor. All three were top-level political operatives within President Obama’s communications team—Favreau as chief speechwriter, Lovett as a speechwriter, and Vietor as National Security Council spokesman. Together, they launched…
Media Hall of Shame Series: Time Magazine
Once a titan of American journalism, Time magazine—founded in 1923 by Briton Hadden and Henry Luce—was, for decades, considered the defining voice of middlebrow America. It brought news to coffee tables across the nation with gravitas and clarity. But that era is gone. Since being sold off by Meredith Corporation to Salesforce co-founder Marc Benioff…
Media Hall of Shame Series: Slate
Slate is an explicitly progressive, online-only news and opinion outlet founded in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley. Originally launched under the ownership of Microsoft, it was later sold to The Washington Post Company, and ultimately to Graham Holdings, which spun off Slate into The Slate Group, a subsidiary focused on digital media…
Media Hall of Shame Series: Salon
Salon was founded in 1995 as one of the earliest digital-only news magazines, positioning itself as a progressive alternative to legacy print media. It gained prominence during the early 2000s with its acerbic tone, cultural commentary, and fierce opposition to the Bush administration. Over time, Salon cemented its place as a mouthpiece for hardline progressivism,…
Media Hall of Shame Series: CNN
Once hailed as the pioneer of 24-hour news coverage, CNN (Cable News Network) began in 1980 with the promise of neutral, fact-based reporting delivered straight to the American people. Founded by Ted Turner, CNN emerged during the Cold War as a vehicle for bringing fast, global coverage into living rooms across the country. For years,…
Media Hall of Shame Series: USA Today
At first glance, USA Today may not seem like an obvious candidate for a “Hall of Shame.” Compared to overtly ideological outlets like Rolling Stone or The Nation, USA Today presents itself as cheerful, accessible, and middle-of-the-road. Its colorful graphics, digest-style layout, and bite-sized summaries are designed to appeal to a broad, mainstream audience. But…
Media Hall of Shame Series: Democracy Now!
Of all the outlets featured in this series, Democracy Now! is arguably the most openly ideological—yet it cloaks that ideology in the language of journalism, justice, and truth-telling. Hosted by Amy Goodman, and broadcast across alternative radio, internet, and public-access television, Democracy Now! presents itself as a fearless, independent news program “speaking truth to power.”…
Media Hall of Shame Series: PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) presents itself as a calm, steady, trustworthy institution in a media environment that often feels shrill and partisan. For decades, it has wrapped its programming in a soothing tone, authoritative narrators, and orchestral theme music designed to convey seriousness, culture, and objectivity. From PBS NewsHour to Frontline, from Washington Week…
Media Hall of Shame Series: CNBC
CNBC bills itself as “the recognized world leader in business news,” a reputation built on real-time stock market coverage, interviews with corporate executives, and financial commentary aimed at investors and business leaders. To the casual viewer, CNBC might seem like a bastion of free-market capitalism—championing entrepreneurship, profit, and innovation. But behind the tickers and suits…