DO NOT Let Corporate Media RIP OFF Meidas!! Ben Meiselas and MeidasTouch Network Feb 12 By Ben Meiselas Hey MeidasMighty, I’ll keep this short. Here’s what’s going down. Corporate media knows they can’t compete with the MeidasTouch Network, so now they are trying to pretend to be us. You heard that right. You may have noticed this trend—many massive corporate media companies are now branding themselves as “independent media” or as supporting “independent journalism” when they are actually massive corporations with billionaire investors who helped normalize and prop up Trump. They are trying to win back their subscribers by claiming they are independent media… like us! They are NOT! I guess these massive conglomerates think they can trick consumers into forgetting who they really are and how they helped put us in the situation we are in now with Trump by calling themselves “independent media.” I want to be clear. I think there are still some great journalists who report the facts at corporate news companies. I think there are far fewer good reporters at media conglomerates than those who just parrot Trump talking points or take orders directly from the oligarchs. But there’s still some good reporting being done. And look, if people want to subscribe to corporate media for a specific writer or topic, I am not going to be judgmental at all. But here’s what I feel strongly about: I think corporate media should simply label itself “corporate news” and not try to pretend that they are independent when they are funded by billionaires and oligarchs. The most recent example I saw was with The New York Times. Its pitch to gain subscribers is telling people to support independent journalism. Here is how they try to get subscribers by saying they are an independent media company. Let’s go over the facts here, shall we? The New York Times is a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange. It has a market cap of $8.13 billion. The New York Times has 888 institutional owners who hold a total of 169,087,450 shares. The largest shareholders include Vanguard Group Inc., BlackRock, Inc., T. Rowe Price Investment Management, Inc., Farallon Capital Management LLC, Stockbridge Partners LLC, and Wellington Management Group LLP. Now, let me tell you something else that will blow your mind. Other than the Murdoch Family Trust, guess who the largest shareholders of Fox News are, which has a market cap of $23.59 billion… Ready for this? The largest shareholders of Fox Corporation (FOX) include the Murdoch Family Trust, Vanguard Group Inc., and BlackRock, Inc. Yup, the same companies that are the largest institutional investors in The New York Times and many other media companies also hold the largest shares in Fox. Sure, from time to time, I see a New York Times story that I think is well done. More often, however, I see headlines that normalize Trump and his authoritarian regime. I think The New York Times was atrocious in their election coverage and lost my trust. But, look, if someone wants to subscribe there, so be it. BUT, we the people shouldn’t be tricked into thinking The New York Times is independent journalism. It’s not! The game is already stacked against actual independent journalism like the MeidasTouch Network. When I say we are “independent,” it’s literally because we have ZERO investors at the MeidasTouch Network. We have never taken in ANY investors. We are 100 percent people-powered by the MeidasMighty community. We don’t have even a fraction of a fraction of the resources that The New York Times and others have, so at the end of these Substacks, I always have to somewhat awkwardly ask our readers to become paid subscribers so we can grow our network with ZERO INVESTORS. It’s a struggle being the leader in independent media and the driving force behind the independent news movement. It’s a righteous struggle I take great pride in—as I do being the unofficial mayor of Substack. I know my reporting, Filipkowski’s reporting, or any of the reporting you see from our great hosts will not be compromised. We don’t have to report to “BlackRock” or “Vanguard” or some other oligarch telling us what to do. Today in Politics, Bulletin 69. 2/11/25 Ron Filipkowski · 1:31 AM Read full story Corporate media has billions of dollars, thousands of employees, and oligarchs flooding it with cash, yet they have failed the American people and the world. If they want to regain the trust of the people and compete with us, they should do so fairly and write good stories that people want to read. It’s simple. Hey corporate media, perhaps you should focus on making better content and doing better research rather than pretending to be us. Make compelling, fact-based videos like we do—ones that expose the corruption and fascism of the Trump regime. Don’t normalize fascism and what’s taking place. Don’t engage in both-sidesism. Stop pretending you are doing independent journalism the way the MeidasTouch Network is. Anyway, MeidasMighty, I had to get that off my chest. Dan Goldman Calls Out Elon Musk’s Corrupt Power Grab on MeidasTouch Ben Meiselas and MeidasTouch Network · Feb 11 Read full story I know how hard you work and the sacrifices you make to support us and support independent journalism. The MeidasTouch Network is the leader in the independent media space, and I feel we must zealously protect it—not just for our own sake, but for all the other independent networks and reporters you see us fight for and work with each day. So if you want to support actual independent journalism, subscribe now to the MeidasTouch Substack. Because of our paid subscribers, the MeidasTouch Network YouTube channel will likely hit 4 million subscribers today. We are close to 6 billion views on YouTube. This month, we beat Fox News in digital video views and the Joe Rogan show on the podcast charts. We don’t have investors, so your subscriptions to this Substack make a difference, and I am sure you see how we have grown, brought on new hosts, and expanded with other YouTube channels thanks to you—the MeidasMighty. We fearlessly fight and expose the Trump regime every single day with you by our side. So please support real independent reporting with a real independent media company, and subscribe to the MeidasTouch Network Substack right now if you can. Thanks for subscribing. Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.