27 November 2016
Emergency Request For Press Freedom Award
To: Committee to Protect Journalists—International Press Freedom Award
National Council of Teachers of English—George Orwell Award
To Whom It May Concern:
We are writing to you today to urgently request that your esteemed organizations immediately issue press freedom awards to the 200 American websites that have been branded and blacklisted by the US mainstream media as being “fake news” Russian propaganda organizations without either the presentation of any evidence to support this claim, or even allowing any of these sites to avail themselves of any type of due process to counter this charge.
In what Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Glen Greenwald has called “journalistic garbage”[1], the Washington Post this past week in their article titled “Russian Propaganda Effort Helped Spread ‘Fake News’ During Election, Experts Say”[2] began supporting a “McCarthyite Blacklist”[3] of over 200 American alternative news websites based solely upon evidence created by an anonymous and shadowy group named PropOrNot.com[4] that created “The List” of sites to be blacklisted.[5]
The list of sites being blacklisted as “fake news” and Russian propaganda consists of some of the largest alternative news websites in America, like Drudgereport.com that is the 103rd most viewed site[6] in the US, and some of its least viewed—like Libertyblitzkrieg.com[7] whose single blogger and site webmaster upon learning he was blacklisted wrote:
“Despite the fact that my site is mentioned on “the list,” nobody from PropOrNot bothered to contact me while doing their “research.” They could’ve asked very simple questions about how the site is run, who owns it, and who makes decisions about editorial content. Furthermore, I doubt they did any such research with regard to any of the mentioned sites before slandering them.
Since they failed to do any real work, let me answer several of these questions. I, Michael Krieger, am the 100% owner of Liberty Blitzkrieg. I am the only person who makes decisions on what to publish and when. I have absolutely no connections, financial or otherwise, to the Russian government, Russian interests, or the interests of any other government or government related group.”[8]
Should Mr Krieger, or any other person, seek redress from being blacklisted by PropOrNot.com as Russian “fake news” propagandists, they are met by these chilling words from this shadowy sites anonymous “experts” should they seek to contact them: “If you're a Russian troll, though, don't bother. We'll just ban you.”[9]
Following the Washington Post giving mainstream media respectability to the PropOrNot.com blacklist, other such American mainstream news sites quickly followed doing the same—including Slate.com[10], PBS News Hour[11], Mediate.com[12], and Salon.com[13], to just name a few.
With both Google and Facebook now “taking aim” against what they call “fake news” sites[14], it doesn’t take an “expert” to know that these 200 American alternative websites that are now being blacklisted as Russian propagandists will be the first to be targeted for oblivion and revenue denial—but whose only “crime” were those of writing, publishing and disseminating articles counter to and critical of the existing US mainstream media power structures narrative.
This past week, Philippe Leruth, as the President of International Federation of Journalists[15], said in response to the EU’s attack on Russian media with its recent “anti-propaganda” resolution: “You should give them the right to defend themselves, and second, you should show exactly what you mean by saying they are doing propaganda.”[16]
Likewise, these over 200 American blacklisted alternative news sites have had no right to defend themselves, nor has anyone shown them why they are now being labeled as propagandists.
To the elite media and journalistic power structures your organizations represent, these 200 American blacklisted alternative websites are nothing more than “low hanging fruit”—but ask yourselves, once they are destroyed, who do you think will be next?
In medical terms there is one used called “Patient Zero”[17] that is defined as the first case of a condition or syndrome—and that if found could stop a pandemic from occurring thus saving millions of lives.
This blacklist is your “Patient Zero”—and unless you, and others of journalistic integrity like you, cure this disease it will, most assuredly, metastasize and destroy all press freedom the world over.
Therefore, and in conclusion, I respectfully request that your organizations create and provide to these 200 American alternative news websites that are being blacklisted an Emergency Award Banner that can be displayed on their sites and that link back to your statement of support for press freedom of all kinds.
To defend the right of journalists to report the news without fear of reprisal is either what you truly stand for or you stand for nothing at all.
Sincerely,
Sorcha Faal
WhatDoesItMean.com—a blacklisted site
References:
[1] https://www.rt.com/usa/368214-greenwald-washington-post-russia/
[4] http://www.propornot.com/p/home.html
[5] http://www.propornot.com/p/the-list.html
[6] http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo
[7] https://libertyblitzkrieg.com
[9] http://www.propornot.com/p/contact.html
[12] http://www.mediaite.com/online/reports-blame-russian-propaganda-efforts-for-explosion-in-fake-news/
[15] http://www.ifj.org/
[16] https://www.rt.com/op-edge/368232-international-federation-journalists-leruth/
Updates
November 30, 2016
100 signatures reached. The fight against these blacklists is gaining momentum.
Reached 250 supporters
November 28, 2016
November 28, 2016
The blacklist continues to grow while the mainstream outlets ignore our demand for due process. I am currently reaching out to individual members of the boards to force a conversation on this.
Reached 100 supporters
November 27, 2016
November 24, 2016
We are approaching one hundred supporters. Help us hit this milestone today by posting our link to your feed.
185 Comments
Suppressing the freedom of speech is an absolute no-go in any nation that calls itself developped. Blocking independent news is an act compareable with north corean style totalitarism. So what road do you follow? And where do you stand in regard to a manifold diverse humanity?
One of the first freedoms to be attacked in Germany in the early 1930s was Freedom of Speech. Once the press is controlled it is easy to take over a country. Do you see any parallels?
Proper due process should be required to blacklist and bad sites. Mainstream media have been publishing propaganda unhindered. The days of staring wars through lies and deceit must end.
Please see National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) amendment passed in July 2013 that negates the Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 (SMA) which allows the US Government to use propaganda against it's own people! Even if these allegations were true, the US Gov't allows it by law for itself.
this petition is a great idea. The sites are among the best as objectivity of information..This attack will only make them understand and appreciate more. For me the list made me discover other sites that did not know. Congratulations, good job, and so forth.
SHAME SHAME SHAME! You Globalists will end up destroying the world, NOT saving yourselves in your twisted dream! WAKE UP and ACCEPT all DIFFERENCES and GET OFF YOUR HIGH GREEDY PSYCHOPATHIC HORSE!
Keep up the great work!
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27 November 2016
Emergency Request For Press Freedom Award
To: Committee to Protect Journalists—International Press Freedom Award
National Council of Teachers of English—George Orwell Award
To Whom It May Concern:
We are writing to you today to urgently request that your esteemed organizations immediately issue press freedom awards to the 200 American websites that have been branded and blacklisted by the US mainstream media as being “fake news” Russian propaganda organizations without either the presentation of any evidence to support this claim, or even allowing any of these sites to avail themselves of any type of due process to counter this charge.
In what Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Glen Greenwald has called “journalistic garbage”[1], the Washington Post this past week in their article titled “Russian Propaganda Effort Helped Spread ‘Fake News’ During Election, Experts Say”[2] began supporting a “McCarthyite Blacklist”[3] of over 200 American alternative news websites based solely upon evidence created by an anonymous and shadowy group named PropOrNot.com[4] that created “The List” of sites to be blacklisted.[5]
The list of sites being blacklisted as “fake news” and Russian propaganda consists of some of the largest alternative news websites in America, like Drudgereport.com that is the 103rd most viewed site[6] in the US, and some of its least viewed—like Libertyblitzkrieg.com[7] whose single blogger and site webmaster upon learning he was blacklisted wrote:
“Despite the fact that my site is mentioned on “the list,” nobody from PropOrNot bothered to contact me while doing their “research.” They could’ve asked very simple questions about how the site is run, who owns it, and who makes decisions about editorial content. Furthermore, I doubt they did any such research with regard to any of the mentioned sites before slandering them.
Since they failed to do any real work, let me answer several of these questions. I, Michael Krieger, am the 100% owner of Liberty Blitzkrieg. I am the only person who makes decisions on what to publish and when. I have absolutely no connections, financial or otherwise, to the Russian government, Russian interests, or the interests of any other government or government related group.”[8]
Should Mr Krieger, or any other person, seek redress from being blacklisted by PropOrNot.com as Russian “fake news” propagandists, they are met by these chilling words from this shadowy sites anonymous “experts” should they seek to contact them: “If you're a Russian troll, though, don't bother. We'll just ban you.”[9]
Following the Washington Post giving mainstream media respectability to the PropOrNot.com blacklist, other such American mainstream news sites quickly followed doing the same—including Slate.com[10], PBS News Hour[11], Mediate.com[12], and Salon.com[13], to just name a few.
With both Google and Facebook now “taking aim” against what they call “fake news” sites[14], it doesn’t take an “expert” to know that these 200 American alternative websites that are now being blacklisted as Russian propagandists will be the first to be targeted for oblivion and revenue denial—but whose only “crime” were those of writing, publishing and disseminating articles counter to and critical of the existing US mainstream media power structures narrative.
This past week, Philippe Leruth, as the President of International Federation of Journalists[15], said in response to the EU’s attack on Russian media with its recent “anti-propaganda” resolution: “You should give them the right to defend themselves, and second, you should show exactly what you mean by saying they are doing propaganda.”[16]
Likewise, these over 200 American blacklisted alternative news sites have had no right to defend themselves, nor has anyone shown them why they are now being labeled as propagandists.
To the elite media and journalistic power structures your organizations represent, these 200 American blacklisted alternative websites are nothing more than “low hanging fruit”—but ask yourselves, once they are destroyed, who do you think will be next?
In medical terms there is one used called “Patient Zero”[17] that is defined as the first case of a condition or syndrome—and that if found could stop a pandemic from occurring thus saving millions of lives.
This blacklist is your “Patient Zero”—and unless you, and others of journalistic integrity like you, cure this disease it will, most assuredly, metastasize and destroy all press freedom the world over.
Therefore, and in conclusion, I respectfully request that your organizations create and provide to these 200 American alternative news websites that are being blacklisted an Emergency Award Banner that can be displayed on their sites and that link back to your statement of support for press freedom of all kinds.
To defend the right of journalists to report the news without fear of reprisal is either what you truly stand for or you stand for nothing at all.
Sincerely,
Sorcha Faal
WhatDoesItMean.com—a blacklisted site
References:
[1] https://www.rt.com/usa/368214-greenwald-washington-post-russia/
[4] http://www.propornot.com/p/home.html
[5] http://www.propornot.com/p/the-list.html
[6] http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo
[7] https://libertyblitzkrieg.com
[9] http://www.propornot.com/p/contact.html
[12] http://www.mediaite.com/online/reports-blame-russian-propaganda-efforts-for-explosion-in-fake-news/
[15] http://www.ifj.org/
[16] https://www.rt.com/op-edge/368232-international-federation-journalists-leruth/
Updates
November 30, 2016
100 signatures reached. The fight against these blacklists is gaining momentum.
Reached 250 supporters
November 28, 2016
November 28, 2016
The blacklist continues to grow while the mainstream outlets ignore our demand for due process. I am currently reaching out to individual members of the boards to force a conversation on this.
Reached 100 supporters
November 27, 2016
November 24, 2016
We are approaching one hundred supporters. Help us hit this milestone today by posting our link to your feed.
185 Comments
I have relied on alternate news sites for years, to expose the truth. What I have learned, and what many others have learned through these brave and soul searching sites cant be taken away. However, the Committee to Protect Journalists needs to jump in there, and add their support.
Suppressing the freedom of speech is an absolute no-go in any nation that calls itself developped. Blocking independent news is an act compareable with north corean style totalitarism. So what road do you follow? And where do you stand in regard to a manifold diverse humanity?
One of the first freedoms to be attacked in Germany in the early 1930s was Freedom of Speech. Once the press is controlled it is easy to take over a country. Do you see any parallels?
Proper due process should be required to blacklist and bad sites. Mainstream media have been publishing propaganda unhindered. The days of staring wars through lies and deceit must end.
Please see National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) amendment passed in July 2013 that negates the Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 (SMA) which allows the US Government to use propaganda against it's own people! Even if these allegations were true, the US Gov't allows it by law for itself.
this petition is a great idea. The sites are among the best as objectivity of information..This attack will only make them understand and appreciate more. For me the list made me discover other sites that did not know. Congratulations, good job, and so forth.
SHAME SHAME SHAME! You Globalists will end up destroying the world, NOT saving yourselves in your twisted dream! WAKE UP and ACCEPT all DIFFERENCES and GET OFF YOUR HIGH GREEDY PSYCHOPATHIC HORSE!
Keep up the great work!
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I have relied on alternate news sites for years, to expose the truth. What I have learned, and what many others have learned through these brave and soul searching sites cant be taken away. However, the Committee to Protect Journalists needs to jump in there, and add their support.