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Journalism is important and its defunding, which actually takes place at grassroots level, stifles and disrupts free speech and the public access to alternative and often vital news. Have you heard about Dana Rivers? Most of you reading this haven’t. Yet women have been asking why this story has gone ignored by major and independent media. You are directly affected by this because if you are only hearing one message from large organisations with an agenda, you will not be aware of alternative viewpoints or stories that have been buried by propaganda. You will be uninformed. Supporting grass roots journalism ensures that a variety of views can be expressed, considered and evaluated. That is the basis of a free speech democracy which you and the generations to come need to thrive.
Background to Launching "Disappearing Acts"
I am Julian Vigo, an anthropologist, writer, filmmaker and editor of Savage Minds. I came into journalism in 2010 when I left academia and went to Haiti to conduct an ethnographic-journalistic project on child trafficking to include an analysis of the problems within the NGO and UN model which professionalised older colonial ideologies and professions, shifting them from “viceroy” to “humanitarian worker.” This experience informed my approach to journalism.
First, I learned that news subjects coverage were dependent upon the political tendency of the publication. It rarely matters what the facts are—it matters what readers want, even if that means to serve up a dish of fake news.
Second, in my shift to journalism I found that this field operates as a pyramid scheme in terms of which writers receive payment for their work while the rest are expected to write for free. Getting paid isn't an option journalists deserve a liveable wage. Inversely, fake news proliferates largely due to publications scraping the barrels of free submissions. Who cares about the war in Yemen when we can read: “Ten Ways to Be a Non-Binary Ally!” It is time that everyone contribute to ethical labour practices and chip in where and when we can and commit to supporting independent journalism. (Here is where I am tempted to pull out a picture of my two children ages five and eight. They're extremely cute.)
Lastly, there is a political undercurrent within publishing that affects which news items are deemed “fit to print” and which stories are completely ignored. Just review the media surrounding convicted murderer Dana Rivers or his trial. The fact is that most media did not cover this story at all. Where women are concerned it is often the case that right-of-centre news media will more likely cover these stories whereas the left-leaning media is fully entrenched in identity politics that mostly eschews—and even derides—sex specificity. And as female staff journalists are still being paid less than their male cohorts we see that equal pay is more often a concept than it is an exercise. All this translates to few journalistic pieces being commissioned about women, the poor or the murderer of a lesbian couple and their child.We are launching "Disappearing Acts" to return to ethical journalism while covering those stories long-ignored or entirely misrepresented.
Summary of "Disappearing Acts"
“Disappearing Acts” is a series produced by Savage Minds whose focus is on investigative journalism, ethnography and video related to various types of disappearance. The title of this series refers to the portion of magician performances where invariably a woman is made to disappear inside of a box or behind a curtain. The disappearances highlighted in our series will focus on various types of vanishing acts from the fading of material reality in public discourse to the disappearance of fact-based reporting within media today to the cover image of this campaign taken from my research on child trafficking.
Where the news media has shifted from telling the stories of events on the ground to focussing on opinion stories and running infomercials for big business as "news items," the links between the physical disappearances of human life to the disappearance of objective journalism are not coincidental. From the disappearance of the word "woman" to the newly formed journalistic ethos enshrined into journalist union guidelines which requires that all material reality be abandoned in favour of ideology, we find a common thread in these seemingly disparate disappearances that form part of an intricate journey where media, corporations, NGOs, Big Tech and Big Pharma are collectively complicit in undermining language and objectivity while advancing neoliberal identities for the subject to embrace.
Commercial media strategy today operates within the framework of the rinse and repeat of manufactured news intended to divide along class and party lines. The poor and lower-middle-classes are barely an afterthought in major media coverage today as these voices have long been wiped off of the 24-hour news cycle. Conterminous to the disappearance of fact-based reporting is the manufacturing and curation of various debates by Big Tech today that advance ephemeral identity politics. In an era where sensationalisation and polarisation of the news go hand in hand, many independent media also falls into this pattern of writing up the latest "angry op-ed" that will trigger readers' latest resentment ending in a stream of revenue-earning clicks. Sadly, the news model today relies upon activating an ever-angry readership who then turn to social media to share "outrage stories" resulting in more clicks despite the fabricated nature of these news stories. Who wants to read about Nile water flowing downstream of Ethiopia's GERD when we can get angry about a pronoun "misuse"?
Media research has shown that much of mainstream news outlets are caught up in spreading misinformation in large part due to how news media is funded as "sponsored stories" have become one of the models for financing larger media operations where outlets like Forbes runs a publication catering to its commercial clients by using its "journalistic" cover to provide six-digit funded webspace to companies looking for top-billed advertising. The description for this service Forbes describes on its site, "Connoisseur provides brands with a direct link to the Forbes audience showcasing everything luxury. This is our artful form of custom storytelling presented in the most visually-stunning and prestigious content formats." Forbes like other major media regularly produces fake news that is sold as objective reporting. CNN also engages in this practice under the moniker of a "brand solutions" and "special reports," running the line between infomercial dressed up as investigative journalism while acting out the full-fledged promotion of a brand. No better example of the power of this lobby could be seen than during lockdown where both media outlets haemorrhaged story after story on vacation travel.
"Disappearing Acts" is intended to be a permanent series within Savage Minds examining the various historical and present-day problems of how news stories are covered to include the disappearance of on the ground objective reporting along with the rise of infomercials-as-news stories for the multi-national corporations that can pay the prices that major media commands. As many journalists around the planet reporting the news are still suffering the effects of the HuffPost-era erosion of their salaries and profession and readers have been simultaneously trained to accept "outrage articles" and listicles as "news," our series will engage reporters on-the-ground to report the news while giving readers information instead of prescriptions for living.
To launch "Disappearing Acts," Savage Minds needs to raise the funds necessary to pay journalists. After a series of discussions with various journalists around the world, the consensus overwhelmingly supports the need to return to bare bones journalism where questions are asked, subjects are interviewed, facts are checked and all sides of the stories covered. Producing ethical news stories requires paying writers and editors a living wage. Savage Minds is asking those who are invested in returning to grassroots journalism to support this series.
Some of the topics "Disappearing Acts" will cover include, but are not limited to:
-the disappearance of women and girls and the conterminous rise of Big Pharma-the disappeared bodies of human trafficking
-the lobbies promoting the disappearance of free speech
-the disappearance of science & the promotion of legal fictions (identity politics)
-Big Tech's containment of the news through social media censorship
-the disappearance of objective news media in the age of sponsored news stories
-international stories that examine the terms of wars and neo-colonial political practices
"Disappearing Acts” will follow these and other subjects through the analyses of events and the inclusion of interviews, expert voices and meta-analyses.
We must connect the dots between major media's non-stop laudatory coverage of Bill Gates during the pandemic while the creators of the Great Barrington Declaration have been painted as "unhinged" science deniers. "Disappearing Acts" will hold major media and Big Tech accountable as to why the origins of COVID-19 are now being revised retroactively by news outlets and why social media giants are stifling discussion about this issue. In an era where political and scientific query necessitates coverage, dialectic and information from all sides, it is clear that major news outlets are operating as propaganda platforms with no due diligence to truth while disappearing what they deem to be oppositional voices and the lives of the disenfranchised.
Please help fund “Disappearing Acts” so that we can expand our news coverage to fact-based reporting while paying journalists on the ground for their labour.
What We Need
Your economic support of "Disappearing Acts" will mean that writers can come onboard to Savage Minds ready to do ground-breaking research in their area of expertise and make visible the once invisible. Here is what we need from you:
- We are raising €17,500 which will provide enough money to pay professional writers, editors and videographers.
- If you can't donate today, please share this Fundrazr crowdfunding wildly.
- If you are a marketing expert, help! We were not born with that clownfish gene that allows us to be cis-marketing experts. Throw us a bone!
- If we fall short of the €17,500 we will still move forward as planned and get as many writers to pitch and submit stories while we continue to fundraise.
- Read Savage Minds where "Disappearing Acts" will be housed.
What You Get
"Disappearing Acts" will allow our supporters to have greater input into story topics, development, podcast guest suggestions, and the production of short videos. Depending on your chosen "perk," here's some of what you can get in return for supporting "Disappearing Acts":
- Suggest topics of investigation for articles, podcasts and videos.
- Access to video content and a subscription to "Disappearing Acts."
- Participate in the research of an article or video within the "Disappearing Acts" series.
- Participate in the production of one of the project's videos.
- You will have input on the post-production facets of a video.
We expect this project to make an impact on readers and to
signal much-needed changes to the professionalism of journalism
and its adjacent outrage spin machine, social media. We
specifically direct this to all editors who are paid while while
expecting the journalists writing for them to go unpaid. Here is
what we hope comes out of this fundraiser after the financial
investment in our project:
- That readers are aware that if a publication they are supporting is not paying its journalists, that they need to stop supporting what are exploitative labour practices;
- That publications and editors stop exploiting professional journalists and offer fair rates of pay;
- That non-professional writers are aware when they submit their work for free, that they might consider doing so to publications that pay their journalists;
- That more people stop uniquely consuming free media. Mix up your reading/viewing with independent media that offers different perspectives and investigations;
- That people consider taking out subscriptions to different online news sites. It is only through abandoning mainstream media that these outlets will get a clear and loud message that people are uninterested in the "hidden costs of owning a superyacht" or being subjected to never-ending cycles of Russiagate stories.
Other Ways You Can Help
Given that the aim is to support full-time journalists who contribute to Savage Minds, this isn't a luxury fundraiser—we are a bare-bones operation. We understand that it's been a rough year plus for many so even if you can't donate today, please do spread the word about what we are doing here. The core message of this fundraiser is that people begin to understand the direct links between how journalism is funded and why certain stories are not being covered (eg. the disappearance of women and the word “woman”) in mainstream media while other news items are covered (eg. the news this week that the COVID-19 vaccines don’t affect sperm count). Great news for sperm, bad news for women.
So if you are hurting economically as so many are in this era of a global pandemic, there are other ways to support "Disappearing Voices." First, sign up for Savage Minds free subscriptions. Most of what we publish is free. Second, please share our articles and podcast episodes on social media. Lastly, there are many other excellent independent publications out there that need funding and that are doing excellent work. Give them your support and shares as well!
The bottom line is that we need to shift those .35 cents a day we used to spend on a newspaper from a few decades ago into real-time currency which—even at 1990 rates—translates to just over €10 a month. We must join the dots between major media serving up half-truths, their corporate partners and the "sponsored stories" (infomercials) and the downgrading of journalism as a professional practice by blurring the line between reporting, personal empowerment and a mirror.
Let's push together to create a more ethical news series where writers are paid, news coverage is not fabricated and objectivity is brought back into journalism.
Perks
This is an entry-level sponsorship "Disappearing Acts," that allows you to get original, investigative pieces, interviews and videos for less than the price of a coffee over a two-month period. This tier allows you entry into both stories and videos that focus on the many political arenas of disappearance on a shoe-string. Included Items: •Digital access to videos •2-month access to series
Contribute to "Disappearing Acts" by making story suggestions on a topic of disappearance. For instance, the trafficking of women and girls , current gender ideology which is disappearing somatically and legally women as a legal entity, or the links between Big Pharma and media coverage within gender ideology and COVID-19 medicine. Included Items: •Digital access to videos •6-month access to series •Suggest possible stories
As an assistant producer, you will have a hand in the pre-production of one of the videos or investigative pieces within "Disappearing Acts" from any one of stages of the project formation—from the selection of topic and focus to later stages when interviewees are chosen and the archival approach to presenting historical facts selected. Included Items: •Digital access to videos •1-year access to series •Produce an article or video
As a producer, you will have direct input into production of one of the "Disappearing Acts" episodes to include the subjects covered, assisting in shaping the focus and direction of an episode, assisting in the editing stage, and you will have a hand in deciding which individuals and organisations are best investigated and how. Included Items: •Digital access to videos •Produce an article or video •5-year access to series
As an executive producer, you will have direct input into production of one of the "Disappearing Acts" episodes to include: episode focus, subjects covered, approach for covering certain topics, and you will have a hand in laying out preproduction research. You will also have the option to be part of the post-production process. Included Items: •Digital access to videos •Produce an article or video •Unlimited access to series
Highlights
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This is an entry-level sponsorship "Disappearing Acts," that allows you to get original, investigative pieces, interviews and videos for less than the price of a coffee over a two-month period. This tier allows you entry into both stories and videos that focus on the many political arenas of disappearance on a shoe-string. Included Items: •Digital access to videos •2-month access to series
Contribute to "Disappearing Acts" by making story suggestions on a topic of disappearance. For instance, the trafficking of women and girls , current gender ideology which is disappearing somatically and legally women as a legal entity, or the links between Big Pharma and media coverage within gender ideology and COVID-19 medicine. Included Items: •Digital access to videos •6-month access to series •Suggest possible stories
As an assistant producer, you will have a hand in the pre-production of one of the videos or investigative pieces within "Disappearing Acts" from any one of stages of the project formation—from the selection of topic and focus to later stages when interviewees are chosen and the archival approach to presenting historical facts selected. Included Items: •Digital access to videos •1-year access to series •Produce an article or video
As a producer, you will have direct input into production of one of the "Disappearing Acts" episodes to include the subjects covered, assisting in shaping the focus and direction of an episode, assisting in the editing stage, and you will have a hand in deciding which individuals and organisations are best investigated and how. Included Items: •Digital access to videos •Produce an article or video •5-year access to series
As an executive producer, you will have direct input into production of one of the "Disappearing Acts" episodes to include: episode focus, subjects covered, approach for covering certain topics, and you will have a hand in laying out preproduction research. You will also have the option to be part of the post-production process. Included Items: •Digital access to videos •Produce an article or video •Unlimited access to series
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