The Myth Of A Free Press

There is no free press. It’s very expensive

The three estates of the French Revolution. The fourth estate just jumped on top

Journalism is called the fourth estate, along with the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners. It’s important to understand it as an estate no more trustworthy than priests or politicians, and as distinct from the expression of people. There is no free press at all. It’s actually very expensive.

What we call a free press is actually a series of digital fiefdoms owned by billionaires, employing millionaires, deceiving the rest of the population. From Fox News to the New York Times they are a power and they defend the interests of power, there is no other reckoning.

The whole idea of a ‘free press’ is based on the idea that journalists are some incorruptible priesthood devoted to truth, but look at actual priests. They’re all just human, they’re all influenced by power and money, and they’re all prone to wild abuses, especially if you blindly believe in them. The press is just another estate along with the clergy, and no more worthy of obeisance.

The fact is that in this day and age it costs billions of dollars to control a ‘free’ press, which is the opposite of freedom for 99.999% of people. It’s just another industry that’s massively consolidating under capitalism. Thus the press will no more declaim capitalism any more than a big shoe company would…