In 2016, a Florida courtroom became the scene of something much larger than a privacy dispute. Hulk Hogan sued Gawker for publishing a clip from a leaked sex tape. On paper, it was a grubby case. On paper, it was also odd. Hogan was not rich. At all. Gawker wasn’t either. And yet, the legal fight that followed was brutal, meticulous and, most of all, ruinously expensive. Thats the kind of legal campaign that doesn’t happen unless someone, somewhere, is footing the bill.
Someone was.
It later turned out that Peter Thiel had secretly bankrolled the case. That’s because this wasn’t about a sex tape. It was about revenge. Gawker had embarrassed Thiel years earlier by reporting on his private life. Thiel waited. Then he paid, and Gawker collapsed. Hundreds of journalists lost their jobs. An entire media company vanished overnight.
It shook the industry and sent a clear message: you just need enough money and patience to collapse entire papers. People got cautions. And they got scared.
Since then, the press has been quietly changing hands. Not always dramatically…sometimes politely. Sometimes with a press release about “long-term sustainability” and “strategic vision.”
In Britain, the London Evening Standard was bought in 2009 by Alexander Lebedev, a former KGB officer turned oligarch. London’s free daily newspaper survived, technically. But something else happened. The newsroom thinned. The paper lost its edge. It stopped mattering in the way it once had. The title remained but the institution did not. I remember hearing this first-hand from a former journalist.
They described in detail how Lebedev would sit with his feet up on his desk and flick through stories about Russia, sometimes twenty in a day. He would read them and decide which ones would run and which ones wouldn’t. At that point, the paper might still exist but the institution doesn’t.
Later came The Spectator, founded in 1828, old enough to feel indestructible. It wasn’t. In 2024, it was sold to a billionaire hedge-fund backer with strong political interests and very little interest in pretending otherwise. Staff resigned. Readers shrugged. The sale went through anyway. Tradition, it turned out, doesn’t count for much when the numbers work.
Across the Atlantic, Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post in 2013, promising independence, ambition, and respect for journalism. For a while, people believed him. Then the cuts started. Foreign bureaus quietly reduced. War reporting deprioritised. Correspondents were sidelined. Not because the Post was failing but because it no longer aligned neatly with the priorities of it’s billion-dollar owner.
This is how it works now. Nobody storms the newsroom. Nobody censors a headline.
CNN followed a similar arc. Ownership changed in shady backroom deals. Global posture softened. A major presence opened in Doha. Coverage of Qatar grew noticeably gentler, even as the country’s role in regional politics, energy diplomacy, and extremist financing drew scrutiny elsewhere. Because that’s how media is bought.
It gets worse, especially at a micro level, hedge funds are buying up local papers across the United States, gutting newsrooms, stripping assets, leaving behind mastheads and nothing else. Communities wake up to find their paper still exists, technically, but nobody is left to report on city hall, corruption, or crime. The lights are on and nobody’s one’s home.
To top it all off, Elon’s purchase of Twitter turned a public square into a personal experiment. Moderation evaporated. Extremists flourished. Twitter didn’t stop being influential. It just stopped being stable. A single billionaire’s mood swings now ripple across global news cycles in real time and decide the chaos we read. It works too, scroll for longer than a few seconds and you can feel your brain starting to rot.
This is happening because advertising revenue fled journalism years ago, flowing instead to platforms that produce no reporting at all. Newsrooms became thinner, more anxious, and more dependent. Into that weakness entered people who could afford to lose money indefinitely. Billionaires don’t buy media to make a return. They buy it to shape the world we live in.
The result, in 2026, is a press that looks intact from a distance but feels hollow up-close. Foreign coverage dries up. Investigations take longer or never happen. Editors learn which fights are worth picking. Journalists learn which topics quietly stall careers.
The Washington Post story isn’t shocking. It’s predictable. So is the Telegraph sale saga. So is the Spectator. So was Gawker. The surprise isn’t that billionaires interfered. It’s how little resistance there was once they did.
I’ve spent the last three years reporting from Ukraine, where the consequences of weak journalism are easy to see. Before that, I worked on investigations into disinformation and foreign interference in British politics for Byline Times – one of the last bastions of true and independent journalism. But places like Byline are under attack more than ever, and that means when journalism retreats, power moves faster and cleaner.
That’s why I started Caolan.Reports.
Not because I think independent journalism is romantic. It isn’t. It’s exhausting. It’s unstable. It fails all the time. But it’s still better than a press that exists at the pleasure of men wealthy enough to never be contradicted.
There’s no foreign investment here. No government funding. No advertisers. No benefactors with interests to manage. The site literally survives if you decide it’s worth reading. If it isn’t, it dies. That’s the trade.
At least it’s an honest one
Well Done!
Amazing. Your journalism feels like a breath of fresh air. I’m excited to see many more articles coming out from you. Keep going and good luck! I will be a loyal reader
This is a very interesting read. Great work. Keep it up!
Keep up the good work Caolan 🙏🏼
Thank you
Keep up the good work Caolan!
Honestly is all we want
Thank you for the article. Strong independent non-corrupt media was never more important.
I stand with you!!! I want to hear and read more from you!!!
We love your style of writing. If I could physically do anything for Ukraine I would, although I do subscribe monthly to the Kvyv independent team. You never mention them… are they true to their marketing or are they biased. To me they seem a good set of journalists teamed up for truth, but in a different genre. Keep it up we love you but watch your back. Greatest of luck for getting it out into the world at large. Our BBC and other terrestrial networks say nothing…
Thank you!
The slow and deliberate dismantling of Section 310 of the Communications Act of 1934, cleared the way in the USA (101st Congress really beating it with the same shovel used to bury it).
Done with the same sad, but destruction behind the scenes dirty money we watch today bringing such destruction.
Which was always the aim.
Putin declared when “the wall came down” he’d do whatever he needed to aquire the salve for his bruised, malignant narcissist ego. With his paid Machiavellian monkeys, he’s done well.
For now.
* Apologies in advance for the USA reference. It’s an example of reality that I know exists everywhere.
I’ll support you in anyway I can. Be objective, cut the emotion and whilst you’ll running uphill for awhile, I can see a growing audience who will support your efforts. Not your usual left but more so the sleepy centrists who are starting to realise their way of life is under threat. In the immortal words of Sergeant Phil from Hill Street Blues (before your time), “Let’s be careful out there”
Thank you Caolan. I’ve been reading you since the first post I got to see on this plateform. And I will keep reading you.
Detailed analysis from an insider. Sorelly needed as journalists in main stream média would never touch the subject.
It is the same in France where several newspapers and TV has been bought by Bolloré. There is a discussion in the French parlement on how to reform the system and avoid this extreme concentration of médias in the hands of millionaires . It is a difficult subject for a democratic governement wanted reform without imposing official sensure like Pravda
Keep up the honest reporting. Let your light shine upon the truth. Thank You Caolan
Caolan, your persistence to report real news, your motivation to report the truth, your perseverance to report factually, is so refreshing. Well done.
You’re an inspiration for the future of journalism, and journalists, globally (I believe).
Keep up the good work, and please take care of yourself, always.
I’m curious what you think about other media outlets. Al Jazeera, Double Down News are two that I see some good reporting. Closer to home for you, Kyiv Independent and Ukrainer. The elephant in the room is the BBC. I’m sure you could write masses on them, there is so much wrong there. But what do you think of there Ukraine coverage? Thank you for your continued support of Ukraine. I know many Ukrainians appreciate your coverage 💙🇺🇦💛
Caolan, you’re an amazing young individual. May you be able to stay strong to your commitments. Please speak out for all of us who believe in justice for all.
Idealism is good, but it doesn’t pay bills. At the moment, you are young and don’t have to pay for a family. When that moment arrives, you will also look for a sponsor. It will start small as you described in the article, but it will grow. Donations go up and down, but the rent has to be paid monthly.
And what you ignore is that the number of people reading anything longer than a tweet is shrinking to almost zero. Already in your generation, the number of people ABLE to read a text longer than 2 sentences is maybe 50-60%. And the numbers are falling off the cliff with every year you go younger. In Germany, officially, almost 50% of senior students in high school cannot read, write or calculate. And that number is rising every year. And the ones who can technically read most often are unable to understand anything as complex as the article you just wrote. Maybe 10% of the population is actually able to understand your article. And the numbers are dropping. You understand that the basis on which you build your whole business is collapsing. Not because you do a bad job. In contrast. Because you are too good at it, and nobody is able to follow you.
On top, Journalism will be replaced by AI. Everywhere. Only some old guys will cling to a human journalist. Too few to support even a single journalist with a family to provid.
Thanks for your work, your devotion to good causes, your honesty, your decency, your obsession with justice, your courage and your intelligence. You are one of the brightest lights in this darkness.
Really nicely written and a harsh truth. The difference between an owners spin and independent honest journalist is both stark amd frightening.
Dear Caolan,
That was quite a read! I do wish you luck with all you shall endeavour. You’re a brilliant journalist as far as I’m entitled to judge. I know you through your YouTube videos which I admired. May you find enough support by the good people to fight off the attacks or bribes of the ruling elites. Count me in!
Best wishes from Germany
Florian
If your news reports are as comprehensive as your videos, I look forward to every issue. Thank you for the work you’re doing.
What you are saying, Caolan, is true. We can’t trust our press anymore, perhaps with a few exceptions, the BBC who investigate a lot of bad things, the Guardian and perhaps the Independent. But you are right, it’s time to make a stand. Power to you and I wish you every success.
I’ll be watching and reading.
#GirlFromKansasAndTexas
Great idea! Thank you for your efforts 🙏
Something has to give after years of repression and decline in news objectivity. I look forward to this project’s growth and success!
Good work, keep being true & courageous reporting the truth lad 👍
As a Ukrainian descendent, I admire your honest commentaries and know others do so. Interested in subscribing to support your efforts.
I love it, a quick history, and Your last paragraph says it all . Journalism has become a target for people that don’t like your opinion. Someday the fight will come to you I’m sure, but the Reader here ,I think are different . We know you and we joined you because we know how you can fight. And how you can report. And like you we are all here for the fight, so when it comes we’ll be here right beside you, love what you doing don’t change your thing.
One more thing my favorite thing to say The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil , is for good men to do nothing. 🌻🕶️☘️
Great work, I wish you all the best
Just found your reporting and have found myself agreeing with everything you say. Keep doing what you do but can I ask for more presence on Bluesky please?
Brilliant reporting; can’t wait to see what this site becomes! 💪
Brilliantly well said.
Thank you for your integrity.
What a wonderful start. I’m so glad to hear that you’re going to take a few days off, to get at least a bit of distance from what you’ve been immersed in lately. We in the U.S. have watched as “venture capital” funds have bought, downsized, stripped the value from, and then disgorged the remaining pieces of newspapers, radio & tv stations, even veterinary clinics, medical services, and the funeral business. Nothing is safe. “Independent” businesses are leaving in droves. Everything is up for sale to people and groups who have obscene amounts of money. I wish you great success with this site. The world needs it.
Unfortunately It very much feels what your saying is true
I like what your doing and I’m going to follow your journey and hopefully people start to wake up to what damage these Billionaires are ding
Hi Caolan
for the record, I am following you in Ukrain since 2022 at least…
What you say about the dooming fate of the english and american press stands for the french press too. Magnates have bought most of our main newspapers and news channels. We hopefully got a few free press still alive, paper, radio or TV but most of them are attacked on a daily basis by the mainstream channels.
I believe you could deploy your Caolan.Reports in French too… it would probably help the truth survive…
Thank you for your great coverage on Ukraine. Love from Poland!
Good going Caolan.
I am so tired of news based on commercial interests, ratings and especially AI generated.
You are the real thing.
Thank you for being you.
Carry on!
– Matt
Powerful and sobering piece. Independent journalism is hard, but voices like yours are exactly why it still matters. Thank you, Caolan.
Well done Caolan – I’m ALWAYS proud of you and your work. Your instincts are sharp and you do your research, honing in on important stories big and small, that shine a light on what needs to be seen, heard and understood. I’d be happy to re-edit this article for you as a trial, just for you, to see if it helps with your flow in this new medium. Let me know. x
That was a great read. Perfectly worded and witty. You are absolutely right about everything that you said. Loved all the conclusions that you’ve made. This is the painful truth about what is the reality for the media nowadays. Thank you for everything you do for Ukraine (as a Ukrainian), I’m incredibly grateful for such a bright and wise person as you to spread awareness about my home country and what it goes through. Thank you for choosing independence and opening your own platform. I will do my best to support it and continue to support your work. And congratulations! That’s a big step in your career 🙂
Comhghairdeas/Congratulations.
Maith thú !
It’s on fire. But I still can’t get past your Tommy Robinson era 🙁
Thank you. I’ve been following you for 3 years reporting in Ukraine. I didn’t know about the Thiel story. Or the some of the other papers being subsumed by oligarchs.
Maybe it’s because I live in New Zealand and Peter Thiel was ‘given’ residency by a conservative prime minister John Key here back in the day. Public had no say in it and I pinpointed that action to NZ becoming compromised in media stories thereafter. We lost our trust and sovereignty somehow! Naive I know.
Today I search for real journalists reporting and that’s how I found you… on X. (I loath having to use X) often the latest news here in NZ is so dam tainted by our main media reporting verbatim from Foxnews about Ukraine!
I think you’re brave, truthful and your integrity standards are 💯 %.
I hope Ukrainians kick those hideous hoards into oblivion forever.
💙💛
I respect what you were trying to do and will definitely make you one of my trusted news suppliers
I really appreciate the reporting you are doing in Ukraine. I feel that the billionaires are decimating the news outlets to prevent journalists from exposing some of the heinous acts that they are committing. I despair for the future of humanity.
Keep up the stellar work Caolan.
Thank you Caolan, very well written! Informative, great clarity.
-Evidence of this is everywhere “Billionaires don’t buy media to make a return. They buy it to shape the world we live in.”
-This is a recurring theme in many western nations: “The surprise isn’t that billionaires interfered. It’s how little resistance there was once they did.”
A pleasure to visit your website.
Much success to you in all you do. Here’s to the CAOLAN.REPORT!
Everyone trying to break or comment on news as you do should have their own web site and even their own server if they can afford it so as not to depend on any one platform — or at least diversify. In my 50 years of working in various human rights and media organizations including 6 years exclusively covering Ukraine and Russia’s war from a safe distance, I would say simply that you have to pace yourself because your topic is huge and the Kremlin has a great capacity for evil and can and will make the effort to make your life miserable. You can take time off now and then to recuperate because Russia will still be there when you get back, and your skills will be needed. Really, you have proven the recipe time and again. Billionaires are an abstraction; evil Putin/Russia is an abstraction, but they are abstractions that drone people precisely, and you can tell that individual’s story as emblematic of everything else without becoming overwhelmed.
Where is the Ukrainian grandma and her little goats, and her fellow shepherds? All gone, but we will never forget the Human Safari.
Regarding Gawker, it’s true that one rich man could put them under and that’s not good, but they were pretty nasty on their own, from Nick Denton on down. They felt they could criticize everyone in tech but they were careless at times — andif you didn’t chime in the right way, or criticized *them* you were simply banned from the comment section forever. You always need to triangulate with a source like Gawker — and yes, it was a source, not proper media, whatever you want to say about billionaires, because basic fact-checking, basic research and investigative journalism — this was uneven and run by kids sometimes. Now we have a million substacks by fired journos and I’m not sure we’re better off, but the collapse of Washpo and the utter supine posture NYT has taken to Trump even covering him to death means we have to go elsewhere and not just the Guardian. Never stop asking the “5 ws” and in the Russian context, the 3Ks:
Кто виноват?
Кому выгодно?
Кто заказчик?
Fantastic, Caolan! You are a champion. Keep it up.
Great! We need this!
Have been watching your reporting and interviews for a while, am impressed by your insight, knowledge and you are very well spoken, and express and explain your reporting in depth.
Your reports are like fresh air- please keep up your great journalism, Caolan! We appreciate what you do.
Much support from Australia!🇦🇺
Keep reporting Caolan. Your reporting from Davos was very enlightening. The corruption and lies have become so bad, that the truth is no longer trusted.
One of the brightest and most courageous young men I’ve seen on the internet in a very long time. Keep up the excellent work. Keep up the fight. Most of all… be safe.
Amazing news and thank you Caolan for your courage and significant and transparent commitment to journalism that doesn’t pander to individual power interests. Thank goodness someone is standing up! You will need support. Journalists, for those of you who therefore why you entered journalism in the first place, please join Caolan!
So true! Please continue what you you – you have got my full support and admiration.
You are incredibly brave to do this job. And you are doing it great! Keep going! Ukraine supports you and stamds with you, when it comes to revealing the truth
Good afternoon. You’re saying soooo correctly. There aren’t many people like you who soberly assess the political situation. Is it possible to unite journalists like you? I know a journalist who fled Russia, and he’s the only one in all of Russia – ALEXANDER SOTNIK. Only you have an understanding like he has. He has a YouTube channel with 500,000 subscribers. It’s on PATREON. Please contact him because you have so much in common.
Yes it is worth reading.
Yes your reports matter.
Yes you are incredibly talented and brave.
Keep it up Coalan you are a light in the dark.
thank you 🙏
More power to your elbow, Caolan. It’s sick to see, and depressing to watch so much “proper” journalism gutted. In all, it’s not a pleasant world any more!!
But, please keep reporting this stuff. There is likely to be a big “explosion” in some countries soon at the way we’re being taken for fools.
Good job Caolan.
Take care of yourself.
Wish you all the best!
Guess I could describe myself as an ‘ancient Brit’, who fled the UK to exercise my free movement rights as an EU citizen to live in France.
I spent 30 years of my working life in the Conservative Party, doing some interesting things. but the ways in which what was ‘my Party’ became more and more corrupt has left me without a Party I can truly believe in.
So, I applaude your initiative and your bravery in launching CAOLAN.REPORT.
Please don’t stop.
Everything you’ve said in your premier article is bang-on accurate. Control of the media, by some of the most corrupt and dangerous individuals on the planet, is influencing the populace with their twisted narratives, driving opinions in directions that are causing very real harm.
For the most part, people are capable of forming good opinions but that capability is limited by the quality and accuracy of the information they receive. Media bias undoubtedly skews those opinions – often in the most bizarre, unhinged directions.
Legacy media, or what remains of it that hasn’t been taken over by those seeking to twist reality, are, for the most part, letting us down severely. Many hugely important global issues are simply not being reported, which is deeply concerning.
It’s now up to you and the new breed of strong, courageous, passionate, and intelligent independent journalists and reporters to carry the flag, so to speak, because you’re earning huge amounts of trust.
I continue to follow you on both Instagram and You Tube and hope you might branch out into other social media outside of Meta and Google, such as Bluesky, Telegram, Signal and Monnett, to reduce dependence on platforms owned by the ultra rich.
Thank you for your outstanding work and congratulations on the new platform.
Quality content must be paid. Journalism, especially investigative journalism, should be paid by public.
If you don’t pay for your content, somebody else does.
Thank goodness there’s someone most definitely at home behind your lights Caolan. In awe. From an old ‘un.
Thank you for caring about holding power to account, I support Byline times for that reason, really interesting article and I really appreciate the effort this must take, good to see there are still really decent people with morals and honour fighting to ensure we still have a free press that allows us to make informed decisions and protecting the rule of law, I pray we see some justice soon 🫶
Great beginning. The design is perfect for readability, which is a bizarrely difficult thing to achieve, so kudos for that. For me, the most exciting thing going on in journalism, at least in the states, is the work that Candace Owens, Baron Coleman, and Ian Carroll are doing to drive the investigation into Charlie Kirk’s assassination. It’s game changing. Doing it as podcasts on YouTube provides an income stream, which I think is mobilizing and incredibly helpful, but the focus on driving a specific goal really helps build an engaged community supporting your work. In any case, a great start and I look forward to more.
Great article.
The Uber-rich are (have?) ruining OUR world, lives & the actual planet.
The Uber-rich (a lot of them) also, appear to be Child Rapist’s & more.
IMO, The Uber-rich ARE the actual Problem ❗
The world needs to hear this. What are possible solutions? I’ve canceled my WaPo subscription twice in as many years. I follow several great researchers such as yourself who aren’t afraid to post the truth and go into war zones. We need solutions to stop this evilness. Keep safe and doing what you need to do. You’re keeping people informed and alive.
A very good piece Caolan, and also deeply disturbing. School children need to be taught critical thinking, understanding the role good journalism has in holding power to account.
Caolan, thank you for supporting Journalism, in particular in reporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Keep going Caolan. Love your work. You are one of the few that are left! You and Dylan C. Even the Economist has gone pussy soft.
Great idea.
Great idea.
Caolan, thank you for the article. It is so true, we are on the strings of puppet masters, until we start thinking for ourselves. Will be looking forward to your next article
🏴🇺🇦❤️ As always good work with truth and honesty.
Nothing but respect for the work you do.
Great, understandable article. Thank you!
Congratulation for your new venture, Caolan – I wish uou all the best!!!
I’ve been following you for some time in X and YouTube
Your reports are indispensable to really understand what’s going on in Ukraine and elsewhere
What an enlightening report.
The recent historical “30,000 foot” view makes the topic of… “is this the plan all along” OR are the Uber-rich are trying to CONTROL what we see/read❓
MORE of this type of journalism Please.
Truth must hold Power accountable❗
Taken in context it makes “what/why” of journalism (we see/read) so much more EVIDENT.
🙏 for speaking The Truth ❤️🔥🕊️🇮🇪
Thank you for all you do to help Ukraine
I think the world is very quickly getting bored of the he nonsense on X and the endless false stories and bias on all social media. Good luck with your new project – we’ll all be reading enthusiastically!
I don’t know how I found you.. been following for a good while .. glad I did.. keep doing what you do.
Thanks for the truth
👍👍👍
In the Netherlands there is the platform “De Correspondent”, https://decorrespondent.nl/, which does in-depth independent reporting, reader-funded without advertisement, and without rich owners to set an agenda.
They tried setting up an English-language version in the United States some years ago which unfortunately did not manage to grow to a viable platform but the Dutch version has been going for over 10 years now.
Just wanted to bring that to your attention as a possible source of inspiration for building out your site!
Good article. And good luck!
Caolan, keep the gouud work you do! I venture to say that Iknow that I am not the only one that appreciates what you do, thousands more do! Your fresh honest approach is very valuable, is very important, is very honest, ans is very intelligent. Please, never give up!
Well done Caolan. Love your stuff.
I have driven to Ukraine with the Charity “Pickups for Peace” who I think you know.
I really appreciate your coverage of Ukraine and other situations that are under reported/not reported by anyone else. keep up the good fight, let me know how I can help.
Well done. Long may you have the right to write.
You may want to contact Byline Times in the UK (I have an interest of two shares, just for transparency) which appears to have a similar view on the state of journalism as you do (which is why I have purchased the shares!). Good luck with your endeavours, I hope it is a success. We need as many foils to the current trajectory of the mainstream media.
Informative as always! I am looking forward to much more
Great to see this initiative Caolan!
The collapse of the “Fourth Estate” along with the internet based nuclearization of propaganda is I believe a large reason for why the world is as it is today. Journalism is important. Journalism matters.
How do we save it?
Excellent initiative! I have been following you on Instagram but would like to quit Instagram eventually. Thank you for your excellent reporting on Ukraine!
Keep it going Caolan. Your voice is important and your messages are clear and resonate. It’s refreshing to see such a fearless approach.
Thank you Caolan! You work is really important!
Excellent article, truly highlights the background and need for strong reporting on critical stories like Ukraine.
The landscape certainly has shifted and it’s not always simple to put together the interconnected pieces as to how things fell into the current status.
Thank you Caolan, you’re an inspiration. Please never give up.
Keep your excellent work in Ukraine which l have followed for some years! Anh kudos for your cornering of Wirrkov in Davos.
Finally someone has balls to do this. Thank you for your bravery, skills and commitment to journalism.
Caolan if anyone can start a true and honest and genuine lasting paper I believe that is you, I wish you the Best of Luck in this endeavour.
Scary and maybe too late ?
Good luck for your project Caolan.
You work for truth and good. I wish everything good in your life.
My comment is that I admire your fearless and favourless reporting from Ukraine. The piece you did on Kherson Farmers affected me deeply, and standing up to that nitwit traitor Witkoff in Davos was necessary if futile. I hope you can continue your mission and your vision and that no oligarch ever makes you an offer you can’t refuse! I once subscribed to Byline Times when it first came out a few years ago. I guess I liked their ethos and crusading spirit, but I cancelled my subscription within 6 months because of a clear and damning leftist bias against Israel and how any dissenting views are knee jerk labelled as ‘far right’. No different from the Guardian, which I read daily for 20 years but no more, or the BBC for that matter. Journalism has lost its soul when it is twisted by ideology, not only money buys favours! The political spectrum has shifted dramatically to the point where I, a lifelong left of centre voter, would now be labelled far right by those I once saw eye to eye with. In the end it comes down to an apolitical, sans ideological, human matter of who you trust, and who you can speak to openly. Always be yourself.
My comment is that I admire your fearless and favourless reporting from Ukraine. The piece you did on Kherson Farmers affected me deeply, and standing up to that nitwit traitor Witkoff in Davos was necessary if futile. I hope you can continue your mission and your vision and that no oligarch ever makes you an offer you can’t refuse! I once subscribed to Byline Times when it first came out a few years ago. I guess I liked their ethos and crusading spirit, but I cancelled my subscription within 6 months because of a clear and damning leftist bias against Israel and how any dissenting views are knee jerk labelled as ‘far right’. No different from the Guardian, which I read daily for 20 years but no more, or the BBC for that matter. Journalism has lost its soul when it is twisted by ideology, not only money buys favours! The political spectrum has shifted dramatically to the point where I, a lifelong left of centre voter, would now be labelled far right by those I once saw eye to eye with. In the end it comes down to an apolitical, sans ideological, human matter of who you trust, and who you can speak to openly. Always be yourself.
Best wishes on your new venture!
World needs more people like you. Please keep doing what you do.
Thank you for yoir fearless reporting Caolan! From your followers in Ireland.
Well done! You are absolutely right. Free and independent media may have its faults but the development now, where so many people get their ”news” from social media is worrying. Democracy only works well when people have access to information from multiple sources and where independent journalists can do their job.
Brilliant! Fantastic to get back to honest professional journalism. Well done. Thanks Caolan