1 yr. ago • 68%

Gofundme freezes Grayzone fundraiser 'due to some external concerns'

The Grayzone raises over $90,000 for 3 independent journalists.
Gofundme freezes the funds.
British Counter-Terror Police detains journalist Kit Klarenberg and interrogates him for 5 hours about his political views and reporting.

The West sure loves its press freedom™ huh?

Edit: Thanks for the valuable discussion, I didn't plan to donate anything cuz I also have my reservations towards the Grayzone. But you guys really showed me that I should probably do it anyway 😅

Here is the link if you want to donate too.

48 comments

Since 2014, when a US-backed coup installed a nationalist government in Kiev, our contributors have been at the forefront of exposing the role of Washington in pushing Ukraine toward all-out war with Russia.

I think I found the reason. The press is free to report whatever it wants, though! And gofundme is free to withdraw funds.

See, freedom means that everyone can do whatever they want as long as they abide by law. Grayzone is free to spread their lies, gofundme is free to not support those lies. No one is banning Grayzone, it's just pretty much everyone decided they don't want to deal with it, which they're free to.

To answer your question, yes, we sure do love our freedom, press or otherwise!

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- Since 2014, when a US-backed coup installed a nationalist government in Kiev, our contributors have been at the forefront of exposing the role of Washington in pushing Ukraine toward all-out war with Russia.
  
  But I actually have to agree with you on this, that is bullshit. The Grayzone was not at the forefront of this in 2014; the BBC was. (full transcript)
  
  3
- The money didn't come from Gofundme, it came from private donors, who have not been notified or refunded so far.
  
  If freedom of the press is loved, why is it made extra difficult to support the independent media of your choice?
  
  People donated to that site because they probably view the information it provides as valuable.
  
  It's fine if you think the Grayzone is shit, no one will force you to read it, but please be aware that you accept authoritarianism when it suits your bias and political beliefs. Not even questioning the reasons for the withholding? Do you just think the boss or some random person of Gofundme spontaneously thought "Nah, not those guys, not today" then froze the 90k? Not even questioning how a journalist ends up on a list of the UK Counter-Terror Police?
  
  And btw, dismissing journalistic work when it proves that you've been told lies does not make you a critical thinker, it just makes you a victim of propaganda, all the best 😘
  
  -2
  
  They are free to use a platform that aligns with their tankie fantasies
  
  7
Following in the footsteps of PayPal freezing the account of Mint Press, Wikileaks being smeared, etc. Anti-imperialist voices will be silenced by the empire, by force if necessary.

This is also only the tip of the mud iceberg The Grayzone has been dragged through, and only because they report on uncomfortable facts.

The west never had freedom for anything except capital.

7
They're pushing some crazy conspiracy theories.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grayzone

I hope they crash and burn... Far left! Pah, these people are nothing but far from sane.

EDIT: Lol at all the russian disinformants in the replies. Wikipedia literally references tens of articles that were conspiracy theories. "without evidence" only works if you're blind. Also weird that the website only lists anti-ukrainian articles....

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- That wiki page is hilarious. The cite for the claim greyzone is misinformation is a paper that offhandedly and without evidence says that grey zone is misleading people.
  
  Actually most of the cites are "people are saying' levels of evidence. Wikipedia is a joke.
  
  If you wanted to claim that greyzone was " sympathetic to authoritarian régimes" or "denied genocide" then you could just link directly to the greyzone to show what they're doing, but instead they wiki authors have decided to cite articles the obliquely mention these claims. Its the equivalent of writing a ransom note with magazine clippings but with citations.
  
  I suspect they avoid linking directly because GZ articles are usually well sourced and have nuances that don't support the wiki author's bs.
  
  13
  
  I suspect they avoid linking directly because GZ articles are usually well sourced and have nuances that don't support the wiki author's bs.
  
  This is exactly it, but not directly. Grayzone is forbidden from being used as a source on Wikipedia for this reason.
  
  5
  
  Its weird that youd lie considering their front page is full of charged wording and conspiracy level articles. Not to mention wikipedia CITES everything. "No evidence" only works if you're blind. I suppose you're one of the authors lol.
  
  2
- Don't quite get how supporting Russia would ever be considered left wing.
  
  7
  
  Russia is strongly associated with communism in many people's minds. Including many Russians'.
  
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- List the conspiracy theories you think are "crazy"
  
  5
  
  They sure uncovered some crazy conspiracies; one of my all-time favorite: Western media’s favorite Hong Kong ‘freedom struggle writer’ is American ex-Amnesty staffer in yellowface
  
  3
- I don't see how the things reported on that page could be considered "left"
  
  3
  
  They just are so far left they came out on the right again
  
  -8
It's not actually journalism. It's an extreme left propagandist and conspiracy website.

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-grayzone/

1
- They are not leftists, they are tankies who are pro-Russia, pro-CCP, pro-Assad, and basically pro-every-authoritarian. They defend multiple genocides. They're fascists stealing leftist valor.
  
  15
  
  yeah just going to OP's link just half of the "popular stories" links are pro-russia propaganda nonsense, and the rest are bizarro tankie takes.
  
  6
  
  Do you consider yourself a leftist?
  
  -7
- Yeah, you should only get your news from right wing media owned by oligarchs. That's how you know it's true.
  
  7
- https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/new-york-times/
  
  lmao lol even
  
  4
  
  When your overton window has fallen off the bloody table.
  
  3
  
  Left of center, highly factual reporting. Ok.
  
  1
- That may be true. But don’t discount that media disseminated under capitalism is also biased. Source
  
  -2
Gofundme is a private company they are free to do what they feel is right within the confines of the law.

As far as I can tell he has been released and not improsined so why it may be an overstep he's hardly been silenced. And the news organisation seems to still be running freely as well.

I can't find any actual information about the event online so it's hard to form an opinion either way.

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