In this episode of The Free Thought Project Podcast, Jason and Matt sit down with award-winning journalist and best-selling author Matt Taibbi, Editor-in-Chief of Racket News, an independent investigative journalism platform exposing corruption, censorship, and abuses of power across the political spectrum. With a storied career that spans decades—from covering the financial crisis to co-authoring the Twitter Files—Taibbi has become a rare voice of integrity in modern journalism.
We discuss the impactful story of the Free Thought Project's censorship experience and the crucial role played by journalist Matt Taibbi in shedding light on our deplatforming back in 2018. As they celebrate Matt Agorist's birthday, the conversation takes listeners through a revealing journey into the heart of media manipulation, the complexities of social media platforms, and the ongoing struggle for transparency in the information age.
From there, we dig into the shadowy entities behind our page removal, including the DFR Lab, an arm of the Atlantic Council, which continues to shape online narratives in partnership with government and Big Tech — all under the guise of fighting “disinformation.”
We shift gears to the new wave of authoritarianism from the right, namely Trump’s executive order targeting anti-Israel speech on college campuses, and how it's a direct assault on the First Amendment. Taibbi shares his insights on the duopoly's weaponization of censorship, regardless of which party is in power.
In a particularly raw and revealing moment, Matt opens up about being shadowbanned by Elon Musk himself, despite having helped bring transparency to Twitter via the Twitter Files. He details the financial and emotional toll of having his reach artificially suppressed and the betrayal felt when those who claim to champion free speech fall short.
Despite the challenges, the conversation ends on a hopeful note. Matt delivers a powerful answer to our white pill question, and even lets listeners in on a little-known detail about where he really falls on the political spectrum.
This is an essential episode for anyone trying to make sense of the new censorship-industrial complex, the betrayal of civil liberties from both sides of the aisle, and how we push back with truth, humor, and principle. (Length: 1:01:08) Matt's Substack: https://www.racket.news/ Follow Matt on Twitter: https://x.com/mtaibbi
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