I was going to publish an article on where I get my news these days, especially on Covid information. I am well aware that the corporate media coverage on this topic is virtually all lies, although occasionally some truth peeks through. I was going to recommend Alex Berenson' Substack, among others. Stay tuned for that article, but I put it back in the queue in order to write this unplanned piece. I think it is an important look into a specific phenomenon based on my observations.
Alex has been putting out a lot of information on Covid issues that go against the corporate narrative. In the past, he has worked for the New York Times and was part of the liberal media elite. It was a role he loved. Then he followed the truth about Covid and actually reported it. He was therefore cast out of the establishment club for daring to go against the government and media narrative.
Note that right wing news outlets have been doing this all along, but an elite journalist doing it was a big win for those reporting on vaccine issues and how poorly the entire Covid situation has been handled in the US and many other countries. The right wings folks who embrace him also love the ex-New York Times credential. In any case, Berenson now became a pariah, while the right has been used to being that for decades.
Dr. Robert Malone, one of the inventors of mRNA vaccine technology and a proponent of early treatment for Covid, has been very outspoken and completely trashed in the corporate media and government circles, lost his job, and is facing having his medical credentials canceled. They want to destroy him for doing the right thing. It is disgusting. Along with a number of other real MDs, there are very few people with more credibility than Dr. Malone in this area, if any. Berenson is a journalist with no medical credentials.
Both Malone and Berenson have been banned from Twitter for providing misinformation on Covid. That in itself is a joke, but all the Big Tech social media sites love to ban those who do not go along with the “approved” narrative. In the US, that narrative is the vaccine and boosters are the only thing. Forget problems with the vaccines and forget any early treatment. The narrative is rapidly falling apart, but Berenson and Malone (and others) have been discussing the problems from the beginning. That makes Berenson a good journalist.
The other day, Malone and Berenson were on a Fox News program about the Twitter censorship. Looking at the clip, it was obvious that Berenson was nervous and just waiting to speak. He wasn’t listening to the host; he was waiting to pounce with his pre-planned attack. When he did speak, it was totally off-topic and an attack on Dr Malone and Ivermectin (that has a ton of evidence that it helps with Covid). You can watch the clip yourself, but it was completely a blindside attack and uncalled for. It startled the host and the producer later apologized to Malone. Dr Malone was quite eloquent in responding to it. Alex came across as a complete ass. Here is the clip.
WTF?
Berenson moved to Substack in order to get his reporting published because corporate media wouldn't touch it. By all accounts, he has done quite well with paid subscriptions here. Good for him. The ironic thing is that the vast majority of his paid subscribers and vocal supporters are on the right. There may be a few liberal subscribers, but most would be classified as deplorable by Hillary Clinton and her liberal supporters.
Let me compare Berenson with the two Substacks I pay to support, Glenn Greenwald and Matt Taibbi. Both of these are liberal journalists who have also followed the truth and dare to criticize things the left does that are reprehensible. Both have been embraced by those same deplorables because they are among the few liberals who are willing to actually call out the left when it is deserved. Both of them are doing very well on earnings from paid subscriptions. And most of that money is coming from the right.
The difference, I believe, is that Glenn and Matt have embraced their subscribers regardless of what political ideology they come from. They realize that people are complicated and can never be placed into some specific category, such as deplorable. Nothing is ever that simple unless you are a liberal elite. This is to their credit. I believe that both are true journalists who follow the truth. These days, the truth tends to support non-establishment Democrat narratives, so independent news is essential. The right appreciates these guys for reporting the truth. The left hates them for it.
I think Alex Berenson is coming from a different place. While Greenwald and Taibbi embrace being invited on Fox News. I believe that Berenson hates it and is embarrassed that the only outlet that will give him a platform is Fox or other right-wing outlets. He takes those gigs willingly because it helps him, but I don’t think he likes it. He wants to be on CNN, MSNBC and Good Morning America.
I have been reading extensive comments on Berenson's recent posts and I see some real cognitive dissonance from many of those commenting. And almost all the subscribers are coming from the right and have embraced Berenson because he often reports on truths that they embrace. The liberal press does not care about truth unless it supports their narrative, so most of Berenson's audience are not fans of the New York Times, The Jeff Bezos' Washington Post, or any of the liberal TV networks. I don’t think he holds his subscribers in particularly high regard, however, that is pretty clear. And it should piss those supporters off. He wants desperately to be allowed back into the liberal elite he has been cast out of. His recent posts and actions tend to support this theory. And, to be sure, this is just my theory.
The overwhelming majority of the comments are negative regarding his attack on Dr. Malone (Malone has his own Substack that is worth reading and will be on my recommendation list). By all accounts, he is losing substantial numbers of subscribers. Berenson doubled down on being an asshole rather than do the right thing and apologize. But I think this has all been planned as a way to get back into the elite liberal media crowd he so craves.
Many of these comments mention that attacking Dr. Malone was hurting the “team.” The “Team” being those fighting the government misinformation on vaccines, as well as mandates and masks, opposition to vaccines for children, the effectiveness of Ivermectin, and all the other authoritarian aspects of Covid and the silencing of any critics of the narrative. The assumption is that Dr. Malone and Alex Berenson are on the same team and any attacks on other members of the team hurt the wider effort. Berenson is being widely criticized for hurting the team.
What these people commenting don't seem to recognize is that Alex isn't part of any team other than Team Alex. Early on, he screwed up and was cast out of the liberal elite for going off the reservation. He parlayed that into a lucrative Substack and adoration by the deplorables he obviously hates. That is the reality. If there is a team, Dr Malone is on it. Alex is not and in the past couple of days has shown that quite clearly.
He didn't even go to his subscriber base to explain his actions. Instead, he went to one of the most liberal rags out there. The Daily Beast, to respond to the controversy. Maybe he is looking for a job at The Daily Beast, but what he did was give a major Covid narrative pusher tons of ammo to use against those of us truly seeking truth. It was cowardly. If I had just pissed off the people who pay me, I would at least have the decency to explain directly to them the why and how of what I did. Or I would apologize and ask forgiveness and admit I had gone temporarily insane. He didn't. He doubled down. Here is The Daily Beast piece. This act was perhaps the best thing that could happen to discredit those opposed to the Covid narrative.
Fox News Favorite Anti-Vaxxer Guests Alex Berenson and Robert Malone Are At War
Obviously, articles like this do nothing to advance truth, but play directly into the efforts to discredit anyone who dares to disagree with the Biden administration's failed Covid policies and all the corporate media and Big Tech censors.
It is sad, for sure. As for me, I will listen to what Dr. Malone has to say and watch where Alex Berenson goes from here. It might be very interesting and revealing about his motives. Once a liberal hack, almost always a liberal hack. Meanwhile, if I get Covid, I am taking the early treatments that include Ivermectin if I can get them.
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Alex is a smart guy who's not afraid to voice his opinions. Occasionally those opinions aren't well researched.
Great article! BTW it was the third hit on duckduckgo when searching for Alex Berenson substack.