Bloomberg Businessweek Book: Tech Billionaires Threaten Free Speech
Feb 5, 2025
Owen Higgins, a journalist and author of "Owned: How Tech Billionaires on the Right Bought the Loudest Voices on the Left," delves into the profound impact of tech billionaires on media and public discourse. He discusses the rise of platforms like Substack as alternative journalism havens and the challenge of monetizing creativity in an evolving landscape. Higgins highlights the dangers posed by wealthy influencers to free speech and the evolving definitions of news, raising critical questions about journalistic ethics in a decentralized media world.
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Tech Billionaires' Media Influence
- Wealthy individuals have always influenced media, but tech billionaires' approach is new.
- They aim to create a more subservient media landscape by destabilizing traditional institutions.
Alternative Media Ecosystems
- Tech billionaires aim for a subservient media by supporting alternative ecosystems.
- This destabilizes traditional, critical media while promoting their viewpoints.
Taibbi and Greenwald's Shift
- Matt Taibbi and Glenn Greenwald, once left-leaning, are now central figures in this shift.
- Taibbi, known for financial crisis reporting, and Greenwald, for the Snowden revelations.
