Media

Media articles deliver critical analysis and commentary on mass media, legacy media, entertainment, censorship, propaganda, and disinformation — exposing narrative control, institutional failures, and threats to open dialogue and truth.

We cover key issues like mainstream bias, information wars (e.g., on vaccines, antidepressants, autism), legacy outlet declines (NY Times, Washington Post), Orwellian parallels, pandemic-era propaganda, fraud industrial complex, intellectual courage in dissent, and the defense of free press, independent journalism, and human dignity against centralized narratives.

All articles from Brownstone Institute are translated into multiple languages to reach global audiences, foster international resistance to propaganda, and support open, evidence-based discourse worldwide.

Brownstone Institute - media and science

The Future of Alternative Media Is Unknown, But Critical

SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

The possibility of reforming the science writing profession seems very unlikely, as science writers remain locked inside their own community—constrained by partisanship, class, education, and cozy ties to their sources. Any criticism pointing this out is often either ignored or deemed to be proof that the critic is politically conservative, lacks education, or does not have the contacts in science to understand the complexities of research.

The Future of Alternative Media Is Unknown, But Critical Read Journal Article

Brownstone Institute - free speech

The Post-Cold War Origins of the Surveillance State

SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

Those who have grounded themselves in politics rather than principles have created a great unmooring that has left us vulnerable to the latest political huckster and led us down a dark, dark, path. Is the speed and force of this shift enough to convince those who had abandoned free speech to renormalise it as a principle? The shoe is now on the other foot.

The Post-Cold War Origins of the Surveillance State Read Journal Article

brownstone institute - propaganda

Propaganda and the US Government

SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

Propaganda is a form of public opinion manipulation involving creation of a specific narrative that aligns with a political agenda. It uses techniques like nudging, repetition, emotional appeals, selective information, and hypnotic language patterns to influence the subconscious mind, thereby bypassing critical thinking and shaping beliefs and values. 

Propaganda and the US Government Read Journal Article

fear of a microbial planet

Ten Examples Where Experts Were Wrong 

SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

Unfortunately, many of these examples are not becoming outdated. Mask mandates have returned in some places, including schools, despite no high-quality supporting evidence. Same for COVID vaccine booster recommendations for healthy people under 65. Many European countries, including Denmark, have altered their recommendations based on careful risk/benefit analyses. Once again, although it would seem obvious that U.S. leaders should have followed suit, that didn’t happen.

Ten Examples Where Experts Were Wrong  Read Journal Article

Megyn Kelly Asks Trump a Few Hard Questions

SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

For more than three years, there have been burning questions about Trump’s role and precisely why this hell was visited upon us. It will undoubtedly be studied for years. More frustrating still has been the general unwillingness even to ask questions of the great/evil man who Republicans cheer and Democrats loathe. 

Megyn Kelly Asks Trump a Few Hard Questions Read Journal Article

vaccine mRNA

Editor at “Pro-Vaccine Publication” Experienced Serious Adverse Event After Second Pfizer Shot

SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

As a journalist, I cannot say much more than the best available facts suggest, but as has been clear for far too long, the mRNA vaccines were not beneficial and safe on a population-level for young, healthy men — yet the CDC and FDA didn’t care. Hopefully, “pro-vaccine publication[s]” may recognize the harm they helped perpetuate.

Editor at “Pro-Vaccine Publication” Experienced Serious Adverse Event After Second Pfizer Shot Read Journal Article

DSA

You Should Be Very Worried About the Digital Services Act

SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

The only hope is that this ugly, complicated and regressive piece of legislation ends up before a judge who understands that freedom of expression means nothing if held hostage to the views of the European Commission on pandemic-preparedness, the Russia-Ukraine war, or what counts as “offensive” or “hateful” speech.

You Should Be Very Worried About the Digital Services Act Read Journal Article

fact-checking

How “Fact Checking” Obliterates Truth

SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

For “fact-checking” to have any legitimacy whatsoever, it needs to ditch rating the crazies. It also should start each week with releasing a list of 20 items, check each of those, and then write about all of them, true or false. At the very least, the public would know the fact-checkers aren’t hiding facts they don’t like.

How “Fact Checking” Obliterates Truth Read Journal Article

UFOs or Covid

Why Are They Talking about UFOs Instead of Covid Fascism?

SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

The lesson of the muted response to COVID from the so-called right is that clearly things have not gotten bad enough. The sad and terrifying thing is that whatever they must throw at us to elicit a righteous and unified policy response will now have to be so devastating that we will likely never have the political ability to fight it even if we wanted to. Meanwhile, the vanity and political circus will continue unabated.

Why Are They Talking about UFOs Instead of Covid Fascism? Read Journal Article

lets pretend

The Great Game of Let’s Pretend

SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

It’s a very strange time in American political history, no doubt. We have one line of thinking sweeping through the population – which is based on mass incredulity and fury – and then another which is a veneer of normalcy that is slathered on top of our anger by all official institutions, which work hard to keep all these topics out of respectable conversations. Meanwhile, the whole of academic, mainstream social media, major mainstream media, and all of government seems to agree that all these obvious topics are too incendiary to be raised in polite company. 

The Great Game of Let’s Pretend Read Journal Article

censorship

The Dangers of Self Censorship During the Covid Pandemic

SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

To compound this any expert or publication that dared raise a challenge would be investigated by fact-checkers and predictably labeled as misinformation and subsequently censored. Everyday citizens, on the receiving end of this distorted information machine, were left without any previously respected outlet for any well-founded skepticism. A few spoke out and were virtually ostracized from mainstream society. Many others saw the writing on the wall and, wishing to maintain their relationships and avoid uncomfortable situations, kept their opinions to themselves.

The Dangers of Self Censorship During the Covid Pandemic Read Journal Article

questions

The Questions Crying Out for Answers

SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

There are a whole host of questions about those fateful days leading to lockdowns. We are not getting answers because no one is asking the questions. All the people who are in a position to end the silence have a strong interest in perpetuating it for as long as possible, in hopes that mass amnesia takes hold and grants them all amnesty.

The Questions Crying Out for Answers Read Journal Article

Join the Brownstone Community
Get our FREE Journal Newsletter