Congress Set To Fund 'McCarthyesque' Investigation Of Alternative Media, 'Fake News' Criminalized

Congress Set to Fund ‘McCarthyesque’ Investigation of Alternative Media?

Republicans ready to launch wide-ranging probe of Russia, despite Trump’s stance …  Congress is doubling down on promises to investigate Russia, after President-elect Donald Trump dismisses evidence that Russia was involved. – Washington Post

In the new year, Congress may authorize and urge wide-ranging investigations into the alternative media under the guise of claiming that non-mainstream reporting cooperated with Russia in generating “fake news” that undermined US elections.

Within the context of legislative accusations, “fake news” is apparently not generated by the mainstream and can only be found in non-mainstream news and information. The result could be the hounding of the alternative media at the expense of the mainstream media.

Leading Senate Republicans are preparing to launch a coordinated and wide-ranging probe into Russia’s alleged meddling in the U.S. elections and its potential cyberthreats to the military, digging deep into what they view as corrosive interference in the nation’s institutions.

… The loudest GOP calls for a Russia probe are coming from McCain and Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.). Both have taken a hard line on Russia and have been highly critical of Trump, particularly his praise of President Vladimir Putin.

Even Pope Francis recently added his voice to “fake news” denunciations, reportedly making the point that politicians in particular ought not to be criticized.

The statements from British law enforcement are laying the groundwork for action aganst fake news. This could be where the US is headed as well. (Certainly, a false flag might help …)

But it is surely feasible that the bill will pass because there is a sizable anti-Trump rump of Senate Republicans that would be as pleased to fund attacks on the alternative media as their Democratic colleagues. Support is probably being lined up very quietly even now.

It is possible that anti-media campaign is being pushed forward mostly by the Clintons and their allies. Hillary Clinton had suggested she would attack the alternative media once she won the race but even though she lost perhaps her plan was initiated anyway. There are certain “hurried” elements about it.

Fake News, Criminalized

MI6 Chief Says Fake News And Online Propaganda Are A Threat To Democracy … The chief of MI6 has said he is deeply concerned by the threat posed by rival countries attempting to undermine democracy through propaganda and cyberattacks. –Buzzfeed

The next step in attacking the alternative media is to criminalize it.

Right now the alternative media is under attack in Europe for “hate speech” and (potentially) terrorism. In the US, the alternative media is being accused of presenting Russian propaganda. Earlier today, this approach was taken up by British intel (see above).

In the US, there are Congressional attempts underway to provide funds for law enforcement to investigate alternative news sites as supporters of Russian propaganda. But so far there have been no major statements from US federal law enforcement officials. Now, however, we have one from Britain – as the head of MI6 has spoken up.

Since Western alternative media is simply an outgrowth – an expression – of discontent with the current system, those producing it cannot ultimately be seen as tools of Russian propaganda. However, alternative media is proving deeply disconcerting to the larger Western power structure. For this reason, suspicions of Russian propaganda merely provide a justification for investigation. One an investigation has been pursued, it may not stop until something – anything – is found that can be construed as criminal or at least problematic.

In this way alternative media can be first criminalized and then hounded. Or so the plan goes …

In fact, what is being planned is not going to work. It will likely make life miserable for certain reporters and others associated with the alternative media. But it is far too early for the powers-that-be to stamp out alternative journalism (and the thinking behind it) no matter how much they wish to.

For one thing, alternative journalism is now representative of a larger mindset among tens and even hundreds of millions of people, especially in the West. Thus it will take at least a full generation to wipe out new perspectives and rediscovered information.

Second, because the news is representative of people’s points of view (rather than vice-versa) alternative media insights and information will continue to be presented in various ways – on the  Internet as well, only not so obviously.

Finally, the growing war against the alternative media will only reinforce its relevance and credibility, thus causing more people to become informed (or deepen their perceptions) about the issues presented in the so-called alternative media.

There is a whole alternative culture that is offered by modern alternative media. Some of it may be leftist but the initial approach – for those who have tracked its emergence on the ‘Net – was basically libertarian and freedom-oriented.

But as pointed out above, it is not going to be simple or easy to remove fundamental truths from the body politic. The last time we witnessed this kind of paradigm was after the invention of the Gutenberg press that blew open societies throughout the West and helped create the New World and then the republic of “these United States.”

Time and history are working against authoritarianism and not with it. Depriving people of knowledge and history is a signature of repression. But in the current technological era it becomes more and more difficult.

What is pending is period of chaos and difficulty. But over the next century we may see an efflorescence of the sort that took place after the Gutenberg press with the expansion of the Renaissance and the advent of the Enlightenment and the rediscovery of scientific thinking.