HELP US BUILD AN INDEPENDENT BULWARK AGAINST AUTHORITARIANISMFLASH SALE ENDS TONIGHT: Bulwark+ for 50% Off For The Next Year
Last week news broke that Bari Weiss, the Trump-friendly new head of CBS News, had started firing some stalwarts of 60 Minutes: Sharyn Alfonsi, Cecilia Vega, Tanya Simon and Draggan Mihailovich. While you probably don’t know these journalist by name, they were bulwarks for the standards and fearless journalism that has made 60 Minutes an important, profitable and enduring American institution. We should be clear: Bari Weiss is murdering 60 Minutes. She is doing so not out of incompetence or foolishness, but with malice aforethought. She is doing it at the behest of her corporate patron, because while she may cause CBS News to lose millions of dollars, her stroking of Trump will gain David Ellison billions of dollars. That’s what is happening. And anyone who pretends that this is about “free speech,” or adapting to an age of “new media,” or confronting “dangerous ideas,” or reclaiming some “forgotten audience” is selling you something. The only antidote is building media institutions independent of corporate ties. Which is what we’ve done here at The Bulwark. There are downsides to being independent. You don’t have enormous corporate resources to tap. We can’t build out giant production teams; we can’t put reporters on the ground in the Middle East. We can’t do incredibly slick infographics. We can only grow as fast as our revenue grows—which means that everything we do has to be sustainable. Which is a fancy word for “slow.” In truth, there’s only one upside to being independent: We’re in control and our incentives are aligned with yours. No one tells us what to say, or whom to fire. We are not a loss leader for some other division. We exist to tell you the truth and create value for you, the people who read and watch us. I don’t know Nick Bilton. [Bari’s pick for the now vacant executive producer role at 60 Minutes.] Never met the guy. But I cannot imagine what sort of journalist would look at Bari Weiss and everything that has gone down at CBS News over the last few months and think, Yeah, baby! I want to be part of that! Maybe he’s attracted to the resources; to the ability to do all those things we can’t do. Or maybe it’s something else. I dunno. But for me? Eight years ago I decided that as God is my witness, I was never going to be at the mercy of some corporate d-bag. Not ever again. I would live and die with you guys. The Bulwark isn’t 60 Minutes. We’re never going to be 60 Minutes. And that’s a shame, because 60 Minutes—the real show, not the Frankenstein Bari and Bilton will ship under the legacy brand—ought to exist in the world. It’s good. It has value. I hope someone out there builds a new 60 Minutes, soon. (Hi Laurene! 👋) But what we’re doing here has its own value. It deserves to be nurtured and supported by the people who consume it—not just through membership, but through the discussions we have here together and evangelization and honesty and camaraderie. If you want to give David Ellison, Bari Weiss, and the rest of Trump’s oligarchs and vampires the finger, come and join us. Become a member. Introduce yourself in the comments. Share this piece with someone you know. Read the whole thing here but first… HELP US BUILD AN INDEPENDENT BULWARK AGAINST AUTHORITARIANISMJOIN BULWARK+ BEFORE OUR FLASH SALE ENDS TONIGHTWe’re heading into a summer that’s going to be more expensive and less predictable than ever. That’s because Donald Trump is fully embracing his Mad King persona, starting wars, insulting allies, corrupting our institutions and generally doing things that make life harder and pricier.
Recession-proof your summer reading now with 50% OFF a Bulwark+ membership.Keeping on top of the news is both exhausting and infuriating, but it’s also critical to understand where this authoritarian presidency—and, sadly, our country—are headed. With a Bulwark+ membership, we’ll help you see around corners, and we promise to tell you what we really think. Join Bulwark+ now at 50% off for a year of sanity in your inbox.The Bulwark isn’t just a publication: it’s a community. We’re all riding through this together, because the only way to beat authoritarianism is to meet it head-on. Help us build the kind of independent media we want to exist in the world. Ride with us through the mid-terms and beyond—and save some money during this Memorial Day flash sale. This flash sale ends tonight.
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