The internet showed such great promise more than two decades ago when Matt Drudge shook up the media world, followed quickly by WND’s entry as the first independent online news-gathering organization and, later, a powerful independent book publishing arm and an independent film-production company.
There was no Google, at least not as a domineering search engine with an eye to becoming an out-of-control, invasive corporate version of the National Security Agency that would know everything about you, tracking your every move, on and offline – and monetizing you. It was not yet controlling the means of distribution of information, nor had it yet placed the left-wing extremist Southern Poverty Law Center in a position to censor the news – and even define what news is.
There was no Facebook yet, the other corporate giant that would come alongside Google to grab control of the lion’s share of the online ad revenue so together they could starve out independent voices.
It’s a different world today, and it’s a dangerous one in which this Digital Cartel is – without oversight, without checks and balances, without restraint – literally the powerful gatekeeper that is killing personal privacy and free speech.
Matt Drudge saw it coming. I regret to say I did not. But he sold out. I have not.
Here’s what Drudge said in 2015: “Don’t get into this false sense that you are an individual when you’re on Facebook. No, you’re not! You’re a pawn in their scheme. …”
He warned back then how online revenue would be weaponized by Google. He warned how Facebook would control and sell you as product. He warned that Americans were becoming confined on the internet into the “playgrounds” of massive corporations.
“This is ghetto,” he said. “This is corporate. They are taking your energy and you get nothing in return! I’m just warning this country. …”
So, here we are in 2022. Tragically, we’ve fallen for Big Tech’s trap. They’ve taken our privacy and our freedom. We must fight back – and fight we will.
The independent media are in crisis with falling revenues, controlled by this cartel. We are faced with falling or static traffic that is controlled by this beast. And if the independent media fail, so will free-spirited individual voices of independence. That’s the crisis we face today.
How do we respond?
We need to respond collectively and individually as if we are in a new war of independence, a new fight for liberty, a new battle for the mind, heart and soul of America.
Don’t let the first domino fall, or it will start a chain reaction whose consequences will be catastrophic. Don’t let WND be the first domino.
Rally around the first independent media site – not only to preserve it in this crisis, but to make it more vibrant through growth.
I’m calling for your urgent help. Speak out, support WND, support other independent voices and journalists – especially those with integrity and commitment to freedom, independence and a Judeo-Christian worldview.
Recently, Google permanently demonetized WND. I’m sure they saw it as a death blow to the 25-year-old company – the final straw.
I speak with candor and urgency. We will not sell out or just fade away.
For six years we’ve been in a fight for our lives.
WND is still on the front lines of the war. It began with the Donald Trump’s campaign for president in 2016. We were ecstatic! Finally, a Republican who could win and fight!
And he did.
But we were punished for that enthusiasm – truly!
We had to disband our line of bestselling books, WND Books – because Big Tech, of which Amazon is a part, was killing it. Quickly following it, they killed off our successful line of movies, WND Films.
As Trump spent his first four years in the White House making America great, our stories did not get any search engine traffic. None. People who used to read our stories on Drudge and Google could not find us. We were virtually invisible. We were still here – but invisible to most.
That left us with what you see today – a demonetized shell of ourselves. From $15 million a year in revenue to less than $1 million.
Big Tech doesn’t exactly play fair.
Then, in 2020, they STOLE the election from Trump.
It’s become a battle for the nation now.
Do you think can afford to lose WND’s dogged determination to fight for free speech and the free press?
We welcome your encouragement and your prayers – and any help you can give.
Here’s how:
1. First and foremost, please consider supporting WND and all we do with a donation. We could really use it right now. You can make contributions for as little as $3 and as much as $5,000 at our online store.
2. You can mail us a check if you prefer. Just send it to WND, P.O. Box 100, 580 E Street, Hawthorne, NV 89415-0100.
3. Would you like to make a tax-deductible contribution? You can do so online by supporting the IRS-approved, 501(c)3 nonprofit charity, the WND News Center. Or you can mail us your tax-deductible donation by making your check out to WND News Center and mailing it to: WND News Center, P.O. Box 100, 580 E Street, Hawthorne, NV 89415-0100.
4. Even if you cannot afford to make a donation, if you value what we do at WND, we ask you to please sign up for our free WND News Alerts. For you, it means never missing another big story at WND. But for us, it means much more. Those alerts are revenue generators for us. They also represent our best vehicle for notifying you about our new products.
5. Subscribe to Whistleblower, WND’s acclaimed monthly print (and digital) magazine that focuses a 10,000-watt spotlight on one crucial topic in each issue. It’s like getting an in-depth, definitive, special report exploring one of the most important topics of our time, and every issue is a keeper because of the timelessness of the reports.
6. Become a WND Insider and read WND AD-FREE! By becoming a WND Insider, you will receive some terrific benefits and special discounts – including an ad-free reading experience!
7. And then there’s one last thing you can do: PRAY FOR ME, pray for our whole team! I KNOW IT WORKS!
Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].
SUPPORT TRUTHFUL JOURNALISM. MAKE A DONATION TO THE NONPROFIT WND NEWS CENTER. THANK YOU!
