Of Robber Barons And Muckrakers

 

A hundred years ago and more our country was mostly ruled by those who were then referred to as robber barons. Robber barons were those who sought to acquire as much wealth for themselves as possible regardless of the cost to those who worked to create the wealth. The robber barons were no great geniuses, but they were shrewd enough to know they could more easily accumulate obscene amounts of wealth by controlling the narrative by which ordinary people lived their lives. Therefore they bought up all the news outlets so that the newspapers and magazines only printed news and stories that supported the interests of the robber barons. Those who sought to point out the immense amount of suffering and injustice that existed in a world controlled by these so-called robber barons were called by the robber barons and the editors and journalists they owned “muckrakers”. According to them, the muckrakers would not see all the wonderful things the robber barons had done and chose instead to obsess about what they viewed as the insignificant imperfections of a system that gave incredible wealth to a few while allowing so many who worked so hard to create that wealth to die in poverty.

 The situation we face today is very similar. All of the advances we made in the last hundred years have been gradually erased by the descendants of the robber barons in cooperation with their modern-day equivalents. While for a time the robber barons were forced to pay lip service to the words and ideas of the muckrakers, they still owned the means of disseminating facts and opinions and have been working at whittling away at the influence that muckrakers had. We’re at that point now where the amount of muckraking permitted in the media owned by robber barons is close to zero and trending downwards. Muckrakers getting a paycheck from a corporation are mere anomalies, now, exceptions that prove the rule. Any media outlet owned by robber barons is drowning out dissenting voices in their vociferous support of the agendas of the robber barons.

 But muckrakers aren’t the sort to keep silent just because the information channels owned by the robber barons won’t give them an outlet. No, they are using any means necessary to speak their opinions. They are out there, speaking as bravely as they can the message they feel people need to hear. And the robber barons and their well-paid lackeys are doing their part to make sure their voices are not heard. And when that fails, they are doing what they can to make sure their reputations are tarnished. Because robber barons do not and never have cared about who is destroyed in their march towards dominance and wealth.

 But the muckrakers care more about speaking truth than they do the consequences of speaking the truth. If they felt otherwise, they’d probably have good-paying jobs at MSNBC, FOX, and The Washington Times.

 The muckrakers of our age are worthy of our attention. They are too numerous for any one person to point out, but let me share with you some of the many people I admire for placing themselves in the front line of a battle that needs to be fought. Those I list below are people I feel are truly deserving of the term “muckraker”. There are many more who are deserving of mention, but, like the rest, I believe they are more interested in fighting the good fight than they are in personal glory:

 Caitlin Johnstone: She is my queen. Her every article sparkles with wit, wisdom and bravery. A special mention is needed for her husband, Tim Foley, without whom Caitlin could not work all the miracles she does.

 Jimmy Dore: He is my king, but this a matriarchy. He is funny and fearless. A special mention to his wife, Steph Zamorano, who contributes so much to his work.

 Just a few more who are worthy of your time: Graham Elwood, Ron Placcone, Niko House, Glenn Greenwald, Lee Camp, Kyle Kulinski, Jamarl Thomas, Richard Medhurst, Max Blumenthal, Anya Parempal, Ben Norton, Black Agenda Report, Rania Khalek, Matt Taibi, Katey Halper, Danny Haiphong, Ajamu Baraka, Margaret Kimberly, Aaron Mate. I'm sure once you begin to appreciate the work they do, you will find many more worthy of your attention. 

Seek them out, and once you do make sure you give them the support they need to continue their work. It is important work, necessary work, courageous work.

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