MY REDACTED NEW YORK TIMES OP-ED (Full Text)
Hey guys, I was supposed to have my first op-ed published in the New York Times today, which pertained to the Melania Trump lawsuit and various dangers facing the new media landscape. Unfortunately, after about three weeks of near-daily rounds of edits and rewrites, it appears the NYT has decided to spike the op-ed less than 24 hours before it’s planned publication due to fear of Presidential retaliation, telling me over the phone, “sorry, we just have to pick our battles,” before throwing away the piece after three weeks of near-daily edits and rewrites. At first, I was really upset because I felt like having an official NYT op-ed published would be one step closer to being taken more seriously by the establishment, who tend to slap the 'YouTube personality' or 'Gen-Z influencer' title on anything related to Channel 5 as a way to subtly delegitimize the work we do. However, I now realize that for one, I totally understand the NYT's position. Getting involved in presidential litigation is no joke, and the way I see it - messaging is more important than prestige. I'm blessed to have the following that I do, and I really just care about making some important things known before it's too late, so I figured I'd first publish it here, on Patreon. but I am not. If you guys enjoy this piece, I may consider doing a videotaped read and posting it to all main Channel 5 socials. Please let me know your thoughts - hope you all enjoy.
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NEW MEDIA UNDER SEIGE and HOW WE WIN by Andrew Callaghan
August 17, 2025.
The First Lady has threatened to sue Hunter Biden — and maybe, me too. How did we get ourselves into this mess?
Well - last month, Mr. Biden came on my online news show, “Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan,” and — during a wide-ranging interview — claimed that Jeffrey Epstein introduced Donald and Melania Trump to each other, a claim which Mr. Epstein made himself to both The New York Times in 2018 and allegedly, to biographer Michael Wolff – who Hunter directly cited in our interview.
In the weeks since, the first lady’s lawyer has demanded that my outlet remove our entire interview and that Mr. Biden issue a formal, public apology to the first lady; if not, Ms. Trump would file “legal action for over $1 Billion Dollars in damages.”
“You are on notice,” her lawyer wrote. “PLEASE GOVERN YOURSELVES ACCORDINGLY.”
When I sat down to interview Mr. Biden last month, he told me that his decision to talk to Channel 5 largely came down to our business model. I’m an independent journalist whose work is funded almost entirely by monthly Patreon subscriptions and reaches over eight million people each month, most of whom are in their mid-twenties. Mr. Biden said that our independence made him feel as though we wouldn’t twist his words against him, given that we’re not beholden to the interests of party-aligned media financiers like Rupert Murdoch, Michael Bloomberg, or Jeff Bezos.
Mr. Biden’s sentiment echoes that of so many people in this country, who have chosen podcasts, influencer livestreams and ‘outsider’ channels — instead of legacy media organizations — for our information. But I worry that this audience, my audience, does not wholly recognize the pitfalls of today’s attention-driven digital media market. While independent journalists like me aren’t beholden to large media conglomerates, we also do not reap the rewards of institutional funding, which could help shield us from powerful, lawsuit-happy politicians. Instead, we work under the incentive structures of major social and digital media platforms, which have few, if any, safeguards against presidential overreach and algorithmically reward outrageous and negative content.
Take YouTube for example, the largest host of independent media channels. To receive exposure, a creator must engineer the most tantalizing video title and thumbnail possible to maximize clicks, and fight relentlessly for viewer attention to maximize their average duration, which is no easy task. According to a Microsoft study, the average attention span of a 21-year-old media consumer is eight seconds and 60 percent of a video’s viewers will click-off within thirty seconds to seek their dopamine rush elsewhere. So an independent journalist must become both soldier and salesman; setting content booby traps for doom scrollers and selling each second of content as a preview of the next. It’s for this reason that our landscape is overwhelmingly dominated by salacious, fear-mongering, reactionary click-bait “reporting,” almost none of which discusses causal factors or solution-based policy change.
To be fair, this isn’t a new issue for journalism. Local newspapers and cable news stations have run panic programming since Walter Cronkite was in diapers, warning of impending doom between commercial breaks in a desperate ploy to court viewership. The key difference is that generally, news stations did this when they were struggling financially in order to increase ratings and barter higher rates from their advertisers.
On social media, dealing in manufactured distress has become a hobby and personal business model for thousands. Some creators, like the conservative commentator Benny Johnson and the street interviewer Tyler Oliveria, even take things a step further. For example, in one video, focused on “investigating” Trump’s false claim that Haitian migrants were eating house pets in Ohio, Mr. Oliveira’s thumbnail featured an AI-generated image of a burning cityscape and armed Haitians holding sad cats, along with the video’s title — “Inside the Ohio Town ‘Invaded’ by Cat-Eating Haitians.” Of course, within the video itself, this imagery does not exist — just street sound bites and an A.I.-generated video of a presumably, Haitian person with a pickup truck full of cats. Because his video utilized every algorithmic engagement hack possible, it received nearly ten million views across platforms, dwarfing mainstream media’s coverage and generating, presumably, tens of thousands of dollars.
To an unwitting audience, his video probably looked like journalism — a man with a microphone interviewing people. But Mr. Oliveira is actually just a skilled businessman fulfilling a market demand by producing content that confirms the pre-existing biases of online reactionaries, many of whom manufactured these xenophobic moral panics in the first place, on platforms like X.
In an environment where videos like this are commonplace, it seems almost preposterous to argue that new media will somehow replace mainstream news as our primary source of reliable information. Our space is riddled by opportunists and often mimics the worst elements of the 24-hour news cycle, but with even fewer guard rails to hold journalists accountable. There are no printed retractions, very little legal liability and no fact-checking system in place to evaluate the validity of a source or prevent misleading information from reaching millions of people.
Unsurprisingly, politicians and billionaires have learned to manipulate creators within the new media space. President Donald Trump masterfully did this in the month leading up to Election Day last year, sitting for a series of informal interviews with podcasters and stand-up comedians who essentially, traded the monetized, content value of his appearance in exchange for softball interviews, which is the exact thing Trump’s camp accused me of doing in my sit-down with Hunter Biden.
It should be noted that laundering reliability through comedy podcasts doesn’t always work for politicians. For example, a couple weeks ago Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared on the Full Send Podcast, a web show hosted by two Canadian pranksters. Likely to Bibi’s surprise, the episode’s comment section was flooded with backlash, with thousands of people accusing him of being a war criminal who they were uninterested in shotgunning a hard seltzer with.
President Trump’s podcast run went much differently and served to reinforce his image as an off-the-cuff, free speech warrior, sent by God to un-ban the Facebook accounts of baby boomers. But since he took office, his administration has crafted a feverish series of lawsuits aimed to do the complete opposite. He has leveraged over a dozen suits against CBS, Paramount and The Wall Street Journal and slashed over a billion dollars in public broadcasting funds. Watching his camp’s lawfare from the sidelines, I felt some mild concern — but never really expected it to come knocking on my door.
So far, the first lady hasn’t actually sued me — or Mr. Biden. In a follow-up conversation we had on Monday, Mr. Biden seemed gleefully unfazed by the whole situation – saying, “fuck that, not gonna happen,” to Mrs. Trump’s demand for a retraction and public apology. Truthfully, I feel the same; I’d rather live in the pitch-black storm drains beneath Las Vegas for the rest of my life than allow the first family to bully me into pulling down a video.
That said, if their lawyers do come for me, I believe “Channel 5” will survive this situation, largely because we have a consistent subscription base that keeps the wheels moving without having to make slop or retract interviews that displease a president’s wife. However, our independence still relies entirely on private companies whom we can’t control. If Patreon shut down, so would Channel 5. If YouTube tweaked their algorithm, our sponsors would disappear. If Instagram complied with a legal takedown request, our fan connection would dissolve. If President Trump were to ask TikTok to ban us, we’d probably have no recourse if the company complied.
In that alternate reality, having a parent company to shield us from liability and pay lawyers to fight on our behalf doesn’t sound half bad. After all, if I’m found liable for damages as a result of publishing Mr. Biden’s statements, I’ll be in financial ruin.
At this juncture, it is more important than ever that independent journalists double down, organize and create a media ecosystem that can ensure journalistic integrity and protect us from government overreach. As it currently stands, our most significant point of weakness is that we’ve built up our followings on platforms that’re owned by private companies, none of whom are legally obligated to enforce free speech standards, yet all of whom could be targeted or bought by the Trump Administration or whoever comes next.
The way I see it, our first step toward freedom is to build our own websites — paywalled, self-hosted platforms where our viewers can watch our content and show support through direct means. Not only will this remove the burden of having to accommodate an ever-dwindling attention span, but it’ll make it harder for the government to purge ‘disloyal’ new media channels without the ability to use big tech as a point of leverage.
I’m sure that for those who’ve built multi-million-subscriber followings on the “big 4,” migrating all of those people sounds impossible. But I fear it may soon be the path forward, unless social media platforms can urgently address how news content is distributed.
Without change on our end, our generation is doomed to fall back into the same feedback loop we’ve so desperately been trying to claw our way out of.
PLEASE GOVERN YOURSELVES ACCORDINGLY.
Comments (252)
No one takes the NYT or any news print, late night news etc seriously. Compare your numbers to theirs. You're coming up and their falling down. Make zines I know you were a writer with big time mob connects. If you want to make high quality zines hit me up I can show you examples of ones I've done for plantrees, Girafa etc
This should still be read in front of a camera and dispersed. Thanks Andrew
I've never joined anyone's Patreon until this one. I would absolutely join and contribute to a post-Patreon self reliant system, whatever form it may take.
post a table read with discussion on main youtube channel please ! your main fans deserve to know whats going on in your life! blessup
I'd love to help build these websites.
NYT has sold out and everyone knows it. They can suck it.
Don’t get butt hurt cause those boogers didn’t pick U homie… IT'S better that way... acknowledgment seeks validation that consumes credibility!!! Clandestine consciousness facilitates freedom%%% You are who you are because of these platforms, not in spite of them! Don’t forget who you are and where you came from… I think you need to ask yourself the question why are you fighting so hard to become a part of the very thing you oppose? If the establishment takes you more serious IT won’t be viewed with acclaim, esteem, or prestige but a squinted eye and range finder…stick with you’re current trajectory, continue to gain the people’s support, and eventually the masses will take you more serious… the powers in the people not the politicians or their profits!!! You’re an amazing journalist, you’ll always have our support, and you never have to make an edIT to get IT!!! ( bro you a goofy a$$ white boy and they let you walk on Oblock!!! The most serious of US have taken you serious, don’t ever forget IT)
Dude we will crowdfund your litigation if the president tries to squash your rights as a journalist and as a citizen. Bring it on!
I'm actually quite shocked that the NYT would not publish this article — its hardly inflammatory, and really is quite a sober take on the current state of play in the new media landscape. Continue fighting the good fight Andrew. Viva la Channel Five!
That said, I would have to question the actual viability of having own-run platforms — how would such a platform realise the mass migration of eyeballs to make such a thing viable? I fear that platform consolidation is a somewhat intractable situation. :(
I dig that this is a great op-ed and concurrently embodies your voice to a T. Way to make loads of edits, respond to the expectations of a major streamlined publication while maintaining self identity, voice and authenticity. Good on ya.
If your average subscriber age is mid 20 then i am almost double that, but still see what I get from Channel 5 is the most real news there is - hope I am not the only one
I’m def double that haha you’re not alone
eyes were rEADing. M takeaway: a new platform/website developed by skilled workers who share a similar vision for the future of independent media is a great idea.. I wonder where would be a good place to look for these skilled workers? or what’s the process like for getting something like that started?
Love the “own your platform” ideas. Sorely needed, especially for video. If you need legal help, FIRE might be an option: https://www.thefire.org/contact-us
Excellent Op-Ed! In your diagnosis of the problem new media faces: being beholden to the YouTube algorithm, facing governmental overreach, and indirect control of your main funding source, I found parallels to older media sources like dictionary.com whose business model collapsed after Google started posting definitions automatically at the top of search results. Luckily, I think with creative distribution channels and funding models like the ones you proposed in the piece quality human journalism like Channel 5 will persist well into the future.
"I’d rather live in the pitch-black storm drains beneath Las Vegas for the rest of my life than allow the first family to bully me into pulling down a video." Andrew, you, and the rest of the team at Channel 5, fucking rule dude. It took trying to comment to realize I had the free tier, but I just upgraded. I will follow you to the ends of the Earth bro. I'll resort to mailing you cash if that's what it takes to support Channel 5.
Yes. Please post this on all available platforms. This direct, no bullshit, call to joint action is exactly what we need more of amongst leaders in our media to bravely stand up to tyranny. Thank you for being one of the most genuine and brave voices of our generation.
I completely agree, self-hosting is the future, the escape from the dumpster capitalism turned the internet into and set on fire. Please lead the way, I would love to see how this can be done and will follow you to whatever site you make however janky and filled with tiled backgrounds.
I'm going to up my contribution in support of whatever you do with this thought. Please try to make something with integrity.
Please look at what Tim Heidecker and friends have done with the HEI Network. Comedy angle, but exactly what you're talking about re self-hosted crowd-funded websites for a reimagined media landscape.
This text is amazing, very well written, and I think the NYT not publishing it is a very clear indication that their primary motivation is money, not good journalism. You could try approaching other outlets, maybe even in Europe, to get the message out into mainstream media. Thank you for fighting the good fight, what you're doing is probably the most valuable thing anyone could be doing at this moment for our society.
Playing Devil's advocate, their primary motive may be as simple as survival. As Andrew suggests, litigation from the President is no joke!
I can’t think of a reason not to post a reading.
Yo, what’s up. I reposted this in my Facebook and then my Facebook account got deactivated and deleted. Seriously no bullshit, I literally post stuff about Fishing and some stuff about the state of the current political landscape, but not a lot and as soon as I posted this, I could no longer access my Facebook account. They reviewed it and then it got deleted. I’m not looking for sympathy or anything. I’m just trying to put it out there because why the fuck did that happen? It’s hard to define. I run a Fly Fishing business and I use a lot of social media to promote stoke to get people of all walks of life outside. And I hate that it was a reliant upon social media for community. And I’m not saying I regret reposting this or that it’s the core reason but it’s just very coincidental. I love your work and share it often. I just feel that this is too much of a coincidence.
This is fucking wild
100% share this, and of course thanks for fighting the good fight.
Channel 5 website would go HARD
Share this for sure. Hyped to see the carnival, big dog
Great read. As a former journalist, I agree with your stance on moving independent journalism beyond the big four. Thank you for taking on this fight and good luck.
read it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
after reading it all - yea do a video on it. that shit needs as much publicity as you can generate
Definitely make it into a video. Knowing the attention span of younger generations, a lot of people will look at that and say tldr. But this is such a great message and needs to shared.
I build websites, get in contact with me and we can setup a time to talk about logistics
Damn, hell yeah. Thank you for posting this, eloquent and well paced
EXCELLENT piece Andrew - and it feels just like a normal 5Cast or video from you. You are setting a new standard out here and it's keeping me sane.
Say, there’s people that will follow channel 5 wherever for the rest of time. Keeping it real. Just keep up the good work. It speaks for itself. This is an absolutely fantastic piece and a breath of fresh air in a world that is more desperate than they know for truth and integrity. I for one am all for an independently run website and unfortunately I think there’s no way forward with these broken platforms. We don’t fuck with custers
Fantastic piece, I would read it - needs to get out there somehow
From a northern european periphery perspective: I think in the following years something like your suggestion has to happen or "the west" as a collective will delve deeper into a dark authoritarian abyss. Shit was funny in the all gas no brakes -days but as the us political and media climate is starting to overshadow us as a russian bordering -country Im getting actually scared. The effect and power that social media and similar content hosting platforms have in the everyday realities of people and the way they experience reality is super scary and I think we the people really need to start working on somehow decentralized or independent sources of information, be it news or info on social events or info on communal, local events and things. Now for me the reality is that all the main information outlets are almost in the pocket of a crazy us president, and there really is no alternatives. Meanwhile this very same US president is getting friendly with a crazy russian president and our own government is cutting funding on social services, arts and media to narrow down the perspectives available for people. Im scared that as the monopolisation of information exceeds the big countries of the world will have less push-back on falling to the old "who gets what" -game on peoples and lands of small countries. Knowledge is power and we need to keep it in our own hands. Sorry the text might be a bit rambly this all somehow dawned on me just now in a really real way.
Nice op ed. It would be nice on the channel but it is aimed more for an audience that hasn’t heard of C5 before. I’m sure you would do a good job of reading it out.
This is a great point, and I also appreciate your circumspect view of the NYT's reluctance to poke the orange bear. They have their interests to protect, though standing up to authoritarianism is the MAIN job of a democratic press. I have some quibbles with the Cronkite reference. Cute but historically mixed up. Cable news starts 1980. Cronkite is from the network era. I imagine the NYT editors zeroed in on these types of rhetorical choices as well. I would advise one more revision before pumping it out. If you want another pair of eyes (those of an old critical political economist of media), I am happy to give more feedback on how I think the piece could punch harder and more incisively. But I'm just an aging prof that wants to see your perspective cut into the mainstream. Trump is able to boss Paramount and Amazon and . . . . all media moguls because the American public is media illiterate. Your message is needed. Your platform is primed to make a difference. Keep it up.
Well written dude, definitely post this on the main channel!
Hi Andrew, I’m an independent journalist who writes for MendoFever.com based in Mendocino County, Ca. I will show this to my editor, Matt LaFever, a high school teacher who started an online site to cover local news. This is very low budget news coverage. As a retired legal assistant, I write every piece with a view towards preventing someone from suing me. So far, it’s working, LOL. Hope it keeps working, sigh.
Get the word out.
This is very good. And something thy deserves a wider audience.
Beautiful piece, my dude. I must say it hurts my heart to read the NYT can't publish that. I get why, but it's a damn shame. You're right. The future kinda necessitates not being dependent on the platforms themselves for the following. The self-published site with the paywall is quite an interesting idea and I wholly support it. Obviously, I'm commenting here on Patreon, but to you and the team, don't stop. I think you have one of the best platforms in the world, and are doing some of the most difficult work to do in media in general, let alone journalism, to navigate this environment truthfully with conviction cannot be anything but agonizingly difficult and this really does help me understand the full weight of the entire thing, and really crystallizes and clarifies it with a potent idea for what to do about it. I salute you. We're near the same age in the same city. I'm Los Feliz, near enough to Hollywood & Vine to echo the greeting right back. "Channel Five WorldWide Hollywood & Vine. Fuck the Authority, Channel 5 News. We don't fuck with custers. And five is the best number. AEueUEUEUEUEUEUEUUEUEUEUEUUEUEAHGGH" Cheers fellas. And as Murrow said, good night and good luck.
Phenomenally written, thank you Andrew! This definitely deserves a reading and YouTube post!
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
100% post a video on YouTube of you reading the op-ed! That was fantastic
Very nice, I wish this had made it to the mainstream. I am all for watching on a dedicated site, Channel 5's coverage deserves it!
Brother, Love that you dropped HB interview. Big middle finger to the establishment, mainstream media, and today’s administration. I’d support C5 in any possible way I can. You’ve got a lifelong supporter outta me
Great article, but please do not lump yourself in with CBS. You held a long form interview in which Hunter Biden made a claim and cited his sources, while CBS knowingly edited their interview to manipulate their audience. If we want to embrace truth and transparency, we need to call out this behavior regardless of political affiliation.
Unfortunately building your own site will still leave you in the hands of companies like Amazon, Google and Microsoft. There are ways, for sure. But generally speaking, streaming video content to millions of people requires some serious tech infrastructure. Not to mention cybersec. If your audience is in their mid 20s, chances are there's a few software engineers that could get the ball rolling pro bono. I'm game with that.
Well written.
I'd move site to Continue supporting you
Well written Andrew! Fighting the good course
100% release a reading of this on your channel. Also, if you need a website built I’d be happy to help you. I have 15 yrs of experience and could build you a great site for content publishing that’s easy to use.
Yes build your own website! Do it like Redbar he can do whatever he likes
you rock
Great piece Andrew, this is the sentiment that needs to be shared with and by as many people as possible. It gives me hope to read something like this and see others engaging/reacting positively.
Party of small government and freedom of speech, eh?
I, among lots of others, will follow you whatever platform you decide to land! On the flip side if you need a developer/architect for a site that complex/involved you can hit me up lol that is quite literally my job.
I'm game too
A journalist collective platform would be amazing! In the meantime check out peertube: https://joinpeertube.org/
Linus Tech Tips saw the same writing on the wall which is why they made Floatplane. Might want to take a look at the how and why.
Really good stuff mate. Keep up the good work 👏
The only other issue besides who is hosting your content, is payment processors, as that is now the go-to for attempting to cancel things the puritans hate.
PLEASE do not cover yourself in filth by interacting with the New York War Crimes, they have lost ALL PRESTIGE, they are a petty and poorly written propaganda outlet for Israel! Fuck the NYT.
Why does this read like a trump tweet?
Go as hard as you feel comfortable but know we got your back.
Wear that shit like a badge of honor big dog. Even the NY fuckin Times don't want that smoke. Keep it real man. Channel 5 is one of the last real ones left and I know you know that.
Great article from you and the entire Channel 5 Team. Would love to see it widely distributed across your socials.
I appreciate how you call out the hypocrisy of the current administration. It is absolutely bullying and in my opinion, anti-american if the press isn't allowed to be free. I've also been disheartened that so many institutions have kissed the ring - capitulation isn't enough for the current administration. They won't stop until their enemies are destroyed or turned into servants of their agenda. I'm glad you have stood up to them, even if it is scary.
Genuinely believe you’re doing the only honest journalism left in this country. 100% believe in you guys and will support you wherever you go and whatever you do
Fire bro. Please read this and publish this far and wide
Absolutely do video read throughs bro. Love to Andrew and the channel 5 team thanks for existing 🙏🏼
Put us and the fans on an email mailing list, incase everything goes south
This is excellent
Has anyone received their physical copy of "Dear Kelly" yet? I ordered mine a month ago and havent heard any update. Ive messaged @channel5 and they havent replied
Same here, haven’t gotten any response.
Yeah please share this publicly
Putting this into video format would be so good for starting conversations between public peeps.
I completely agree that building your own paywalled website and moving followers over there is the best way to protect your content, integrity, and livelihood. I've been following your work for a long time and the biggest incentive to support your Patreon was so that I would no longer have to go on YouTube and have their algorithms exploit my psychological weaknesses (grated I wanted to support your work as well). Taking a midday break to watch one of your videos would turn into a YouTube rabbit hole and interfere with my work and over time, my mental health. Ironically, part of my consumption of social media was because I was writing a book about how it is contributing to the meaning and mental health crises, and in the process I got to experience both. At least on Patreon I can be more discerning and it feels better for my mental health, since ADHD and anxiety, with occasional depression, are ripe targets for algorithmic exploitation. All this to say, I think you can make a pretty good case for having your supporters transition to your own website because the way I see it, its a win-win. Good luck Andrew, and see you in Toronto in December!
Beautiful!
now we can govern ourselves per the first lady
i’m with u 100%. expose them for what they r!!!
Great job highlighting the downsides of "new media". One note: there is now fact-checking on X and Facebook. It isn't perfect, but it's still more than you find on NYT or WaPo. I think that's a good example of how new media might just work...there are new solutions to old problems, thanks to tech.
Fuck yes andrew!
Very well written. Sad that this is what has become of media in America, where so many are afraid of this administration that ran on “free speech” that they’d rather appease them than risk a potential lawsuit by keeping their integrity and conducting quality and accurate journalism. Thank you for your commitment to quality journalism and presenting people and events as who/what they are and not as some means to push a narrative.
I hope all the republicans who follow this channel act accordingly
Sad for this sorry state of affairs. If you feel it is safe I reckon you should put out a video version of this and hope it gets the traction it deserves. Though would fully understand if, under the circumstances, you didn’t. X
Liable laws are meant to protect journalists, not the subject of the article. Even the National Enquirer knows this. Newspapers used them for decades to defend against this type of threat from subjects of investigation. Trust me, they know and they are not afraid of Trump—that was a lie. You have been ghostlit, my friend, by the NYT. You should have no problem finding a lawyer to defend you in court for cheap, you don't need the best of the best for this case. Get a hack like Trump does. Someone that wiil really scare the respectable hardworking first lady who "does not care". I would go to her hometown for interviews next. I would pursue her at this point. Truth will be your sword. We want her deposition and you should cover it, then cover the lawsuit. This is years of income for you… Get the money raised from publishing everything about the lawsuit. Grift like the rest of them. There was no way the NY Times was going to ever publish your content. You are criticizing the mainstream media. That’s why—they are not afraid of a lawsuit, silly. You have been cancelled because you criticize them in the article and basically call them cowards. This is a gut punch to what a newspaper is supposed to be. No way are they supporting you in any way. You are their competition; they are not going to promote you. Try not to believe the lie about presidential lawsuits. Stay the course, don’t give in. It’s an attempt to silence you to protect them from closing their doors and invalidating what they do. I can assure you it is not because they have to pick their battles—what a deceitful asshole that carried that message forward—it’s a fucking cult of toxic positivity to keep all the minions smiling. Don’t believe it. It’s them, they are afraid of you—not the president.
FUCK THE AUTHORITY
For the sake of our ever sinking attention span, I think it would be nice if you could read that yourself. I had an AI voice read it aloud. Also you could then combine it with a small episode of 5cast or something and give a little bit more details
Great piece. Too bad the mockingbird NYT put the kibosh on it, but you're doing excellent work.
Good shit Andrew, you’re a talented writer
only on the patreon since I saw the email about the NYT op-ed. is the discount code still working? If it does still work for subscribers I'll buy a box for Philly!!
Thanks for posting this Andrew. You're one of the most important journalists out there right now, IMO 2 thoughts: 1. I want to know more about the process of trying to get this published. What did they push back on. Don't burn any bridges, but tell us what you can about how that went down. 2. What does a self-hosted platform look like? Are you going to run your own web servers? How do you truly free yourself from dependence on private companies?
Appreciate getting access to this piece even if it didnt make it to MSM
Get on Nebula or something, jeez
Real question: Do you think Nebula would? I'm a sub for years and I love Nebula but I feel like they wouldn't take C5 tbh simply because controversial.
This is important thank you we'd migrate to channel5.com say the word
GONZO FUCKING POWER HERMANO
This is a fascist president.
T is such a pussy
WHAT UP 'DREW 1st OFF MY TAG NAME IS slop WHICH IS ALWAYS NICE TO READ, CATCH ME ON x/SLOPMASTER00 ANYWAY IVE ALWAYS SAID YOU VOTE WITH YOUR MONEY AND YOU GOT MY VOTE HERMANO HOLD STRONG YOURE NOT ALONE AND KEEP PUTTING OUT THAT FIRE/IMFORMATIVE/"LYRICAL MIRACLE BARS" CONTENT OUT I ENJOY SHARING IT WITH MY COWORKERS THAT ARE 50+ THE CONVERSATIONS ARE ALWAYS OPEN ENDED & NEVA ENDING. THANKS FOR STARTING THE CONVERSATIONS & OPENING OUR 3RD EYE.
"I’d rather live in the pitch-black storm drains beneath Las Vegas for the rest of my life than allow the first family to bully me into pulling down a video." -beautiful, this is the energy I subscribe too lmao
Bc it’s just you and me. We all peeps Shee
A.
so much respect, we need this kind of shit right now!
Holla
NYT is CUSTERS. Keep your eyes on the prize, your instinct to create your own platform is the correct one
I think maybe the NYT isn't interested in allowing an editorial that exposes the ruse of media model they follow. And yes, they do need to tip-toe around the president- a lawsuit against the Times wouldn't have merit, but it would be costly. Your team just keep doing what you do, and you will continue to gain credibility. The Biden interview will only open bigger, better doors for you.
We're seeing it happen right now - the news orgs that lie are playing up. Don't lie, don't need to pay up. Keep telling the truth like you're doing
You should share your original revision
I too would be interested in what the NYT spent so much time editing out.
You should try to get some other publications to run it. Great piece. Thanks for all the good work you do
Floatplane/nebula as a alternative to patreon? I know they cant capture 100% of us but best to diversify now
Andrew, thank you for writing this. While I too am disappointed NYT decided to not run your piece, I totally understand. The reasons I subscribe to your Channel 5 you actually rattled those reasons off in your piece. You are independent and not beholden to a bigger power but you still understand and seek to reach audiences like those of NYT or even Fox News. You also have integrity to criticize your own type of journalism. My favorite part of the piece was how you scrutinized your own form of YouTube journalism. To me you’re the one I can trust. I’m 34 and I consider myself an old millennial. I grew up admiring Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather but realized society lost trust in the news once ABC, CBS, etc were all sold off to big corporations for profit first, journalism last. Anyways, I know I’m rambling but I’ve said to my friends and family you’re like Uncle Walter. We can trust you to give us “and that's the way it is” reporting. I agree with you the best route is for you to have your own platform so no one can fuck with you. I wish there was more I could do for you. I am but a humble project manager who manages projects for the federal government.
Beautiful article, man ! The very USA idea of freedom of speech is getting crushed in front of our very eyes. So pathetic, and how blatant they dissolving what the symbol of America was to the world. But yooo congrats on the interviews, so fire ! Fuck the apology, but she should do an interview with you and tell the truth about modeling agency she from and the nyc elite shit. Would be crazy story
Will this be made a public post so we can share??
AC we need a reading ASAP. Much love <3
I'm confused at what NYT was afraid of exactly. This is well written and a factually solid opinion piece. Really sad the dark times we are in. Glad this channel exists
They're afraid of the Executive Branch of the United States Federal Government. I would be scared too lol
Sounds like you may be making a case for Federated services: +-------------------+-------------------------------------------+ | Federated Service | Commercial Alternative(s) | +-------------------+-------------------------------------------+ | Mastodon | X (formerly Twitter), Threads | |-------------------+-------------------------------------------| | Friendica | Facebook | |-------------------+-------------------------------------------| | Pleroma | X (formerly Twitter), Threads | |-------------------+-------------------------------------------| | Lemmy | Reddit, Discord | |-------------------+-------------------------------------------| | PeerTube | YouTube, Vimeo | |-------------------+-------------------------------------------| | Funkwhale | Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud | |-------------------+-------------------------------------------| | PixelFed | Instagram, Flickr, Pinterest | |-------------------+-------------------------------------------| | Nextcloud | Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive | +-------------------+-------------------------------------------+
You should have a segment on the C5 cast covering local political issues titled: "Please Govern Yourselves Accordingly"
Would love you to do a reading of it, just because text doesn't give the amount emphasis to words that voice does. I'd say you should do it because you know how it SHOULD read, but getting some random person who might add another edge to it due to who they are or their voice could be good too. Either way, putting it out on the channel I think is the right thing to do.
blatant dystopian level censorship, shits so fried
Record & post this on main
this is beautifully written, it’s so perfectly your voice I could hear every word. You give hope every upload you make. Thank you for caring about journalism Andrew
Exceptional article, and the call to action of returning to early media days is so correct. Look at college humor, now dropout media. They used to host their own videos, then they hosted embedded YouTube. Now they’re hosting their own media again. Their payment structure is through their app, as is the consumption. They dress up a YouTube facing portion in shorts, but the real content is on their personal app. It’s all incredibly clean. Follow suit.
AARP Gilf Gangbang
Love it !!! So should be very proud of your self 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 thank you so much 🙏🏻
This is so well written. Even if I can see where it's been edited. Such a cogent argument. Thank you for putting all the pieces together. Such a shame they won't publish it. The scary part is the sticking point for them could be so many ideas in here. It calls bullshit on everyone holding this dying country up.
Andrew you are on a historic run Keep following your gut Wherever you go people will follow
Andrew and Ken Klip are like the only two journalists in America right now.
Weren't you previously featured in NYT by Taylor Lorenz? I think it was the AGNB story? (maybe it was WP, not NYT)
Also, I understand it's different to author an op-ed vs being featured in an article
I agree with everyone else. I think you reading this out loud will firmly show where you stand. Where we stand as proud supporters of Channel 5.
I love how you threw that govern yourselves accordingly quote back at the end. Great read, and sad to hear NYT let themselves be bullied into not publishing it. You definitely should post a reading on all socials ASAP
yall really thought the NYT would publish an article encouraging the end of their own business model? NYT been long gone for a long time, been lost to the liberal leftist abyss way too long. Surprised anyone thought they were even still relevant.
Great stuff! I’d defo suggest reading it out in a video :)
yes please. i mean, i read it in your voice anyway; but i wanted to hear you read it while i worked...but i paid full attention and read it and it was awesome. quite important. proud of ya!
There are so many details in history that if you look closely enough at, were influenced by pure bullying and intimidation. I definitely think you should stick with the "Fuck That" mentality. If they go so far as to block you from Patreon and screw you on Youtube, I think you have a big enough following that would follow you to wherever you ended up creating content, and they would continue sharing it on the other privately owned platforms. I like your idea of making your own website where people can get all your content and fund you directly from there. If you were starting from scratch, that wouldn't work at all, but you aren't. You've got the first lady mad at you, which means you're important enough for the first lady to be mad at you... I also think they are empty threats... LIke is Hunter Biden really the only person who has publicly mentioned Trump's connection to Epstein. Literally everybody has been mentioning that forever.
post a video too, man.
But I thought you were not.
This is a great description of many contemporary issues, but I can't really see the solution to all of them. The answer you give solves the greater independence part maybe, but 1) how would people find these isolated websites 2) what would solve the credibility/fact checking issue you also mention, and 3) would these isolated platforms not increase echo chambers and potential misinformation? Please keep doing what you are doing btw, it gives a bit of hope :)
These are important questions but by no means unsolvable problems.. everything has to start somewhere and it seems our boy is gaining traction and working towards thoughtful solutions
Thank you
Yes to a video taped read. We can't roll over to this type of thing.
Broadcasting this outside of the paywall will bring even more support. Keep going, Andrew.
Great work!
I never want to hear another Republican talk about free speech or censorship ever again, when they voted for THIS.
you understand its a legal claim and no one has been found guilty yet right? you know how people love to cite the few exceptions to free speech, well this is a claim that one of those were violated, thats all. But, lots of democrat leaning people want to ban people from saying "being gay is retarded" which doesn't even violate any of the exceptions. So your comment displays your ignorance on the topic.
Andrew vs the prez 🥊
Great article, many things that people need to hear. Stand strong, we all support what you are doing.
Super good read. As a supporter, there is a lot that I would actually appreciate if you put your content behind a url like channel5.com. Whatever your next platform is you can count on me to be there. And I agree that that might be the future
Keep pushing brother
Keep pushin
Great article. One problem with the websites is they can go after those too. Either with hackers & ddos attacks or by going after the hosting companies. Fucked up time we live in. Keep doing what you're doing AC, for all of us.
Yes to this, net neutrality comes in to play as well as the nations hosting. You could go to a sympathetic country but censorship cuts off anyone not savvy. That's not the end though, we have to be imaginative in these times
It was an amazing article. The fight continues! Just cancelled my NYT subscription to up this one instead. I recommend the latest Elephant Graveyard video on the topic of comedy podcast highjacking… would love that you interview EG.
Also you might want to consider joining Nebula. Heard good things and it’s a pretty independent platform with solid legal backing.
I think you absolutely should do a video reading and public youtube release. You are in such a cool position of having enough of a following to get public attention, and are crowd funded so you can do whatever you want. Use your unique power, and stay good, please.
"Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one." -HST
HELL YEAH
Thank you for sharing Andrew! Will thumbs up the video if you post it 😉
Andrew, if you see this, pls get in contact with Adam curry and look at what he does with his podcast “no agenda”. Completely independently run website, financial system, and platform for content. I think the goal you talk about in this article aligns with how he operates his show and could possibly serve as a model for a Channel 5 platform.
Andrew, you fuckin rock. Keep going!
fuck NYT - power to the people!
absolute banger Andrew
f the ny crimes. read it out loud brother andrew
Out of all the wrongs pointed out, the NYT chickening out is probably the worst. It should tell you something about the current state of the freedom of press.
You should release this on YouTube, this also puts pressure on NYT to not cow down to the administration. It would also be good to have a natural separation in the video where you describe your own feelings about NYT killing the OP-ED either before or after you read it for the audience not on Patreon.
You’re the king of the less than 24 hr notice surprise right hook. Cant wait to read this
I don't feel that "attention driven media market" frames your next point well. I thought you were going towards a point about algorithms but instead it was about lawsuits. I'd cut that little bit. Maybe use something like "independent media sources" instead. "But I worry that this audience, my audience, does not wholly recognize the pitfalls of today's attention-driven digital media market."
Reading this naked in the shower goes hard. Good luck Andrew.
Andrew, I’m a long time subscriber and a cloud infrastructure engineer, if you need help building your own platform I’d be so down to help you out
Channel 5 lead the way to a new platform similar to YouTube for video creators/writers!
I would have thought the NYT would not give a care what Trump thought or was planning to do what about yer oh so famous constitution that you have let the world loudly hear ,plzzz dont tell me its not worth the paper it was written on :)
Amazing article and incredible writing, hilariously apt description of Trump "reinforce his image as an off-the-cuff, free speech warrior, sent by God to un-ban the Facebook accounts of baby boomers."
Love it. Free press for life. I'd love to see you with Amy Goodwin.
This is awesome. Well said sir
thank you.
The work y’all do is groundbreaking and inspiring. Love to see it
Thank you for posting this.
You’re an inspiration
Awesome write up! I’ll watch it and share it if you release it to the socials. You’re absolutely shaking up the landscape. Keep doing what you’re doing and the accolades and respect will come when it’s supposed to! Much love, see you in Denver!!
Would gladly circumvent platforms to subscribe to your content directly. Thanks for being the journalist we need.
Fantastic op-ed Andrew! Fuck NYT for having no backbone, this isn’t even a controversial piece.
PGYA
Great read and very true. Thank you for not backing down. You are an inspiration!
Getting spooky out here 👀 yall be safe
I’m off NYT since last year and on Channel 5 and I’m a 53 year old woman. This is a good piece explaining to people my age how these platforms work and the pressures legacy media faces. It’s kind of the same pressure those leaders felt at Trump’s meeting today to chuckle at his complimenting the German chancellor’s tan and praising Putin’s willingness for a lasting peace. I truly wish it had been Kamala representing us today.
I agree, I think most nytimes readers could use an article like this to explain the business of media today. Like if you don't understand that Trump "traded the monetized, content value of his appearance in exchange for softball interviews" then you don't understand what is going on
Please record it and post it.
Well said, please record and post! You can have your own website/paywall but you'll still be owned. We're digital sharecroppers.
Can you explain this more? Still be owned by who?
thankfully tech has advanced and solutions are kinda ready to use: peertube, mastodon, piefed. (self-hostable) alternative solutions exist, time has come to make good use of them. IMHO it can't hurt to post simultaneously on multiple platforms and see whether it really is impossible to migrate user-/fanbase
Do what you need brother. You have homies all over.
Have Hunter read it in the video for extra exposure
Very based
Yeah this smacks. Channel 5, from Midwest Fur Fest to billion dollar lawsuits. Looking forward to the carnival!
Great article and in essence not so much about Trump (or Melania, although being the incentive to write this) but more about freedom of speech and protection against litigation by people with abysmal deep pockets (remember Gawker - Hulk Hogan) forcing anyone to the ground. Sad that NYT chickened out which actually proves your point. Well done
Andrew, please publish this on every channel as the world needs to hear this. I'm hoping that people will become cognizant of their attention deficits and overcome them in the pursuit of becoming more informed from sources that aren't weaponizing their (lack of) attention spans.
Build the (pay)wall!
Shame on NYT and every other institution who chose to bend the knee like spineless cowards. Appreciate everything you do Andrew 👏🏼
I was somewhat surprised to hear your main base is 20 something’s. I thought we were all mid 40’s like me (haha). I follow you because your message is prescient for all generations. Keep going! Fuck the authority.
TLDR 😉
lol
This reaffirms why I'll never pay for an NYT subscription. This isn't even controversial, but they're going to axe an op-ed to avoid a confrontation with the president? Who could trust a news outlet that's afraid of authority?
I’d be happy to volunteer my time to help you build a mobile app if you decide to create your own platform. While I know such a project would take a full team, I’d gladly contribute my experience and skills specifically on the mobile side. Please feel free to reach out to me via DM if I can be of help. Thank you for all the amazing work you’re doing!
What a great article. What pussies to not publish. I love the idea of hosting your own website. That’s what democracy now does and it seems to work well for them. It would be ideal if the website had a similar build to patreon. I like that I receive an email and a notification from the app when something is published in one of the patreons I’m in. I would 💯 follow to a website if it meant a more secure future and independent from being shut down by these uber wealthy corporations baying for control of the online landscape.
Wonderful. I hope he does the recorded read-through and there's a platform like what Andrew mentioned, I'm pretty sure Nebula is creator owned, might be worth looking into, I'd re-up that subscription in a heartbeat if Channel 5 was on it.
Great article. NYT proved they are not worth subscribing to right now.
If your idea of success is potentially getting sued by the Trump family, I can see why this didn’t work out with the Times. This isn’t really a substantive op-ed. It’s simply a “I’m getting negative attention from the President’s wife” blog post. And if you’re already reaching some eight million people online, it doesn’t seem like you actually need to be published in the Times. As a Times subscriber, I’d like to know that my money is being spent on voices that don’t have eight million people waiting for their next video. Sorry, man, but this doesn’t really strike me as a necessary piece to publish. And now you’ve risked unnecessary negative attention from a deranged and psychopathic family that could easily wipe your channel off the internet if it wanted to. This isn’t your fight. Stick to the fringe issues your channel is about.
This is so CIA coded lmao
Our Studs Terkel rides again.
"I'd rather live in the pitch-black storm drains beneath las vegas..." is a great line.
Real ones know 👌
This is so tricky because DON'T take down that video, and stand firm and all that, but also DON'T let yourself become pigeon-holed as "the Hunter Biden interview guy". The pigeon-hole effect is so real right now, and people dismiss each other without a second thought. I would love to share this, since NYT isn't printing it: where will it be available?
Well written, NYT can suck it. Definitely would support a Channel5 independent site and you’re already leading us there with the possibility of the streaming platform upcoming.
I wonder if you couldn't publish this kind of article with Reporters Sans Frontiers https://rsf.org/en/news
I am happy to help with the software side of things, if you need it. I don't agree with everything I've heard in your work, but I vehemently disagree with using the law to bully independent journalism or censor free speech. Please keep up the good work. I respect your pursuit!
I think that's a wonderful idea, ie a paywalled site outside the algorithm. It would give you so much more freedom, and I know I will follow y'all no matter what form it transforms into. Thank y'all for what you do!
Good piece, do you have our emails? You should get your subscribers emails across all platforms — not perfect but if social media follows are dollars, emails are gold.
Huge custers at the NYT
Love this. You could always post it the old fashioned way, as an article on your website? A video read on YT could also work but it might feel a bit stiff. Whatever you end up doing, you have my full support! Keep up the incredible work. Big love from London 🇬🇧
Last sentence is killer
Also ending on “Please Govern Yourselves Accordingly” slaps, the NYT could never
Hell yes. Double down on independent journalism. Loved this piece, would happily watch and share video recording.
One of the real ones. Keep up the good work, Andrew!
You should definitely release thit outside of the paywall
Keep at it Channel 5, we got your back 💪🏽
Thank you for your integrity in publishing this article. It is powerful and i’m honored to support someone who so clearly cares about not just the content he puts out, but the audience that receives it. Thank you, we won’t forget your bravery. We, your people, got your back.
I wonder if channel 5 has considered a partnership with Rumble. They seem to do a good job at protecting the creators on their platform. On a related note - Ive been wanting to see a Greenwald-Callaghan collab for a while now.
I own YourTeen Magazine, the largest website for parents of teens. Let me know if you ever want to publish an op-ed on there!
the C5 heads crave a YourTeen exclusive Op-ed
Good shit. Fuck the authorities, channel 5 worldwide
I for one would be open to reading more of your thoughts and takes in formats similar to this. Keep up the good fight Andrew. I'll be tuning in accordingly lol
Damn, whack — you might have given them the best case against independent media they ever would have published BTW (which I have heard before and thought myself based on Chomsky loosely [algorithm and audience capture degrades media or selects for the most degraded]) Wouldn’t be surprised if it gets echoed in the paper
Coop model like Nebula??
Perfect besides "Seige" instead of "Siege". (I say with peace and love.) Post it! Keep up the good work!!
Don’t stand down C5 that’s why we love you! I’d love to see a taped reading
Read it on video.... It needs to be out there...
lol no wonder they didn't want to publish it as is. You call out their bullshit.
Amazing work as always. Shame they didn’t want to publicize, but at least they offered it in the first place—hopeful for the future :)
What a time to be alive
This is fire 🔥
You got balls, I’ll give you that - Tuco Salamanca
post it player, channel 5 live hollywood and vine
Haven't read it yet, but looking forward to it! I would love a read aloud so I can listen while I'm driving home from work.