The Internet Didn't Fail. It Was Taken.

TL;DR

The internet's promise of democratized information is being hijacked by a few billionaires consolidating control over media and platforms.

Key Points

• 1.Throughout history, information control cycled between elites and masses — printing press, broadcast media, and the internet each briefly shifted power toward the public before being recaptured by the wealthy.
• 2.The 1980s elimination of the Fairness Doctrine ended enforced balanced journalism, turning news into a profit-maximizing, attention-optimizing product and accelerating today's media consolidation.
• 3.Billionaires like Larry Ellison are on media buying sprees — he now holds a controlling stake in CBS, is pursuing CNN, HBO, Warner Bros. Discovery, and has invested in U.S. TikTok operations.
• 4.Algorithm-driven feeds on mobile devices, while initially empowering, created personalized echo chambers that distort reality and concentrate audience attention inside a few privately owned platforms.
• 5.The creator is launching Newpress (newpress.com) — a free, algorithm-free, crowdsourced journalism platform with optional $60/year membership, uniting creators like Max Fisher and Sam Ellis to reclaim independent, community-driven reporting.