Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael Ep. 64: Shadowproof's Kevin Gosztola on the State of Journalism, the War on Whistleblowers, & Bernie in Chicago
On this edition of Parallax Views, Shadowproof Press managing editor, producer and co-host of Unauthorized Disclosure, and all-around maverick reporter Kevin Gosztola joins us to discuss the state of journalism today, his extensive coverage of whistleblowers from Chelsea Manning to Reality Winner, the recent tensions between CNN and his colleague Rania Khalek, and witnessing the Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign rally in Chicago.
We begin the conversation by discussing the state of journalism and the media ecosystem today. Kevin and I take on the claims that media criticism, specifically aimed at corporate media, is the stuff of tinfoil-hat wearing conspiracy theories. Kevin discusses the difference between establishment media and corporate media as well as the ways this biases many American reporting outlets.
Whistleblower Chelsea Manning, whose case Kevin Gosztola covered extensively
From there we take a deep dive into Kevin's history of covering cases of whistleblowers including Pvt. Chelsea Manning, CIA analyst and case officer John Kiriakou, and NSA contractor Reality Winner. Kevin describes how he first became interested in whistleblowers cases via the early work of Wikileaks and goes on to describe his involvement in the cases of Manning and Kiriakou as well as discussing the surveillance whisteblowers of the NSA. Then we take a dive into Kevin's latest whistleblower reporting with the case of Reality Winner, a former Air Force veteran and NSA contractor who leaked classified documents on potential Russian hacking in the 2016 Presidential election. Kevin and I discuss who Reality Winner is, the media's lack of coverage in regards to her story, how she was treated by federal investigators, nd the illegitimate smears against her because of her name and personality. Kevin also gives a bit of insight into the character of this young woman and paints a picture of a creative, conscientious, and humanitarian individual who was punished for trying to do what she felt was right and moral.
Air Force veteran and NSA contractor Reality Winner standing strong in the face of adversity
"Jail Buddha" sketch art by Reality Winner
We then switch topics to another female firecracker more than willing to speak her mind: alternative media journalist Rania Khalek. Rania was in the news recently when CNN went after In The Now, where Rania is a reporter, for its funding by Russian state-sponsored media. We discuss the debate around outlets such as In the Now, RT, and Sputnik and have a nuanced conversation about state-sponsored media, corporate media, and related issues. Kevin and I cover the importance of media literacy and the problems of broad-bushing any criticism of US policies as being part of a Kremlin Manchurian Candidate conspiracy. In addition, we discuss how Rania and journalists like have had difficulty getting gigs because their content is "too hot too handle" and as such they've been forced into a corner with regards to where they can work. You can read Kevin's report on CNN/Khalik incident here and the full, unedited CNN interview here.
Rania Khalek
We then wrap up by discussing Kevin's coverage of the recent Bernie 2020 rally in Chicago. Kevin notes how the Chicago rally illustrates the difference between the Bernie's 2016 campaign and the current campaign. He argues that Bernie has more openly embraced issues related to POC and Black Lives Matter in a way that shows his based has pushed him leftward on these matters. Kevin also discusses Bernie's history of involvement with Civil Rights in the 1960s and the inspirational speech given by the young, black, queer activist Destiny Harris at the Chicago rally.
Watch Destiny Harris Speaking at the Bernie 2020 Rally in Chicago
We then wrap up the show with a positive note on the future as well as plugging Shadowproof and its upcoming batch of freelance reporting!
LISTEN TO
UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE W/
KEVIN GOSZTOLA
&
RANIA KHALEK!