I'm sure most people by now are aware that sales of newspapers are down and continue to fall, as more and more people turn to the internet to gain access to news and information.
This is nothing new, but now the mainstream media are showing clear bias more often than ever - the strange thing is in this instance their target.
Earlier this week the Wall Street Journal published an article Unfortunately I cannot view the article without a subscription, however the video they made is available for all to view - within this video they portray Pewdiepie (Felix Kjellberg) as a Nazi.
Pewdiepie image source
The video on The Wall Street Journal site shows different clips of Pewdiepie, combined into one with text displayed over the top and only allowing his dialogue to be heard at chosen moments of the clip.
It was only because of Philip Defranco's video where he showed the full context of the scene where Pewdiepie is dressed in a khaki uniform and Red Alert 2 hell march playing in the background.
But they failed to point out this was featured during a response to the mainstream media's criticism of him, where he did this as a tongue in cheek response - not to mention he is not wearing a nazi uniform from what I can tell and the music is a game reference, instead they manipulated it to their narrative.
The shocking thing was just how many supposedly reputable news organizations choose to run with the same story - The Washington Post, The Independent and even Time decided to present thier investigation.
Now I want to make it clear here Pewdiepie did make the videos these institutions featured in their news articles, however the issue I see here is how the media have taken these videos and presented them completely out of their intended context - that context being comedy, sarcasm or even to show how people would do anything for $5.
Pewdiepie video image source
Also I am not saying I agree that what he did or said or if I would make the same joke in that situation, but I find it fundamentally wrong to try and present this as something that it's not and that's anti semitism - especially from the allegedly reputable mainstream media.
As a long time viewer and subscriber to Pewdiepie, I was taken aback when I heard about this claim for the first time on the Philip Defranco Show's youtube channel.
I am grateful that I first heard about this on Defranco's show because unlike the mainstream media, he didn't skew the details to fit his narrative.
Within Defranco's episodes he details the claims made by the so called media, and then he goes on to show how they manipulated the evidence they presented to suit their narrative.
Whilst I get my news independently, so many others who still chose to get their news from the established media mega corporations without scepticism or question - I knew immediately this was fake news, unlike some other Australians...
This is a tweet from an Australian street artist who seems to paint public walls with political/social issues as they see them, I have no idea what they intend to draw or if it will depict the situation positively or negatively - but from the wording used in the tweet it appears they believe Pewdiepie is a nazi.
Articles, Quotes and the problem with Media:
The following quote from polygon article incinuates Pewdiepie is attempting to do what the media has just been shown doing on this very story :
Places like YouTube and Twitter give individuals in that situation unlimited access to a huge, often uncritical audience. They don’t have to answer questions they’d rather avoid, while being able to frame each conversation in very specific ways to make their points.
It is shocking to see them claim it's Pewdiepie that is forcing a narrative and controlling public perception, but isn't this what the mainstream media has done for generations?
Anyone who has used the internet knows for themselves that when you put your work out there especially on youtube the audience can often be extremely critical, harsh not to mention all the trolls - the media paints the picture they want choosing to ignore the well known truth.
image source
It's a perfect example of self policing and how it doesn't work, who holds the mainstream media accountable if they are the only ones capable of credibly investigating?
There is no oversight and journalistic integrity has been lost to the mainstream for some time now, the media establishment has become a multibillion dollar industry - using TV, radio, newspapers and now the internet to sell you a product, their story.
The mainstream media has grown so large that it can no longer be considered Independent, it is by it's own structure and nature dependant upon money - and when something requires money it's values change with the sole purpose of obtaining that money by any means necessary.
Here is a quote from a Time's article where they state:
On Monday, TIME was told Disney was cutting off relations with Kjellberg.
Showing they had contacted the institution prior to the publish date on Tuesday when this article is said to have been posted - to me this appears as though they approached Disney and Youtube and asked them why they are supporting an anti semitic youtuber, possibly prompting them to make the decision.
image source
Another misframing was posted by the Mirror they never mention he was trying to find an outragous topic to proove his theory was about people be willing to do anything for $5 - they focus on his appology for if he caused offence and how the two men in the clip lost thier jobs because of pewdiepie.
They only briefly mention that he tweeted fiver to try and help get the two men back their account, and this was three page scrolls down .
Surely this should have been included higher in the article rather than an explanation as to what fiver was, or the two photos posted consecutively above it to push it further down the page.
I mention this because it is a commonly used technique to hide information, people often only read a few lines of an article not wanting to scroll indefinitely.
Another method often used is to place large banner ads you would normally associate with the end of an article so people automatically assume that is where the story ended and miss the less incriminating evidence you left in so they can say it was covered.
Pewdiepie fighting back tears in response video image sourceSteemit and Media:
I can see three main reasons why the mainstream media chose to push this story and manipulate the evidence to suit their own desires.
The first is that Pewdiepie stories sell, he draws a crowd people will click on a story about him because he is a celebrity.
Secondly the mainstream media has been struggling to stay relevant for years and failing, they are attacking youtube by attacking their biggest star - this is because youtube is a direct competition to their power structure.
Thirdly this suits the current mainstream media narrative that there is a rampant neonazi movement going on, and anyone who shares different views to the mainstream also just so happens to be one.
The issue is compounded when people listen to the mainstream media and believe it is infallible, or doesn't have an agenda that it is trying to push.
image source
The easiest way I can think to put it is that the mainstream media is a business running for profit, due to this it has an obligation to sell it's product to the people.
This product is sold for the financial benefit of the multibillion dollar corporations that own them, corporations have agendas and political policies they want and need to have in place to increase profits - this means one thing they serve the interests of organisations not individuals.
If you want to have an unbiased independent media they need to be paid for by the viewer/reader, the person who most stands to benefit from the information they have worked to present to you - rather than on behalf of a corporation run by a millionair, seeking another tax break.
The media cannot be funded by companies and remain unbiased towards them, yet this is how our media establishment has been structured and run for generations.
I believe independent journalists like Defranco, Luke from we are change and even Alex Jones show the power independant media has achieved and grown in recent years.
All of these individuals are being funded at least in part by their viewers,this at least means they have some monetary responsibility towards providing them with reliable and unbiased information - at least a lot more than a regular viewer has with the mainstream media.
image source
I believe steemit has an amazing opportunity and ability to fulfill, a few major gaps in the current media system in the future.
firstly by viewers being able to support independent journalists by being able to help fund them by a simple vote - this ensures you are supporting the media you use for information through no cost to yourself.
This immediately ends big corporations from getting involved with the news in the first place, as steemit gains popularity and a user base it is perfectly situated to be the next big launching platform for independent journalism the same way youtube has been.
Secondly steemit has built in features that prevent an archived story to be deleted, any person posting as a journalist only has a small opportunity to remove it from the site or edit it and even then with some digging it can be found.
This would hold more journalists to some integrity with their work, knowing you can't edit it or delete it means it is out there forever and can force people to ensure a minimal level of quality and fact based statements.
Third there is no censorship on steemit, yes flagged posts are hidden but made visible with a few more clicks this means that no bought account can completely silence an independent journalist - just make their stories harder to see.
image source
I also believe the community at least as it stands now is in full support of a censorship free site where any topic isn't off limits, this is proven by the current topics being actively investigated on this platform without the censorship we have witnessed on other sites like reddit, youtube and twitter - these organisations can and will just delete accounts and or posts.
Steemit can rival all of these platforms given time to grow, the people active in the community now are crucial to how steemit will grow in and be perceived in the future - we need to take this responsibility seriously to ensure we encourage the best to come to this platform.
We need to actively research and investigate showing all evidence, we should hold ourselves to a higher standard and retain the proof required to validate our research on the blockchain - forever for all who wish to see it.
If we encourage the best researchers, writers, artists and thinkers in general steemit will become by default a well respected and trusted source - we even have a built in reputation system that lets readers know how trusted the author is.
The only way to know what resources to trust at the moment is to research things independently and verify the facts for yourself, even then if all media is preaching the same 'facts' how can one tell besides public opinion?
Steemit has arrived at a rather crucial time of need for a platform that is censorship free, where the truth is harder to hide because of the blockchain and our rep system gives new viewers a glance at what the community thinks of a particular user's work.
source
Independent Research:
I think it is crucial for every person to start questioning the things they read or hear, rather than blindly following do some research yourself - then make a fully informed decision based on the evidence you can confirm.
Because I believe all that I have written and presented to you, I have linked all the pewdiepie videos I could find relevant to this including the two deleted videos.
I have also included three videos of Philip Defranco's which he features a discussion on the accusations against Pewdiepie, included in all of his videos on his page he links to different sources - if you'd like to continue your own research even further.
There are too many articles and issues to go into all of them in full proper detail, so I have tried to link to every article I mentioned in this post - but there are many others out there, plus extra links in the bottom of Defranco's videos.
image source
Pewdiepie links:
This is a link to Pewdiepies statement on tumbler when this issue first started, intended to clarify and appologise for any misunderstanding or confusion and that he doesn't support Nazis.
In spite of the media's attempt to damage Pewdiepie's image and carer as you can see by thissubscriber live count of his youtube account this whole media cycle has had little to no effect in the grand scheme of things to his viewership at least.
The following are two broken links of videos he has taken down broken link 1 broken link 2 I included these to show that some of the information in the mainstream media's reporting was true that he had removed these videos, the odd thing to me is that they seem to want him to remove the "offensive" posts but when he does what they ask - they present that as evidence against him - do they want them up or not?
Published on Feb 16, 2017 this is Pewdiepie's latest response in defence of the biased and skewed reporting on him.
Published on Dec 2, 2016 Pewdiepie's video where he is complaining about changes on youtube and makes a clearly sarcastic statement about him being punished by youtube because he commplains to much and is white.
Published on Dec 8, 2016 Pewdiepie's video where he discusses the sudden influx of higher profile media outlets reporting on him and discusses this, this is also the video where at the end he dresses up as a soldier for context in the Washington Street Journal article earlier.
Published on Feb 16, 2017 Defranco video discussing the mainstream media's latest round of attacks, misrepresentation and taking things out of context when talking about Pewdiepie.
Published on Jan 17, 2017 Defranco video addressing the Pewdiepie fiver scandal.
Published on Dec 5, 2016, Defranco video where he manages to investigate better than the mainstream media and details the attacks on Pewdiepie over the being punished for being white video.
Mainstream Media Article Links:
The Mirror
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post
The Independant
Polygon
Daily dot
Time
Time
The Guardian
The Verge
Check out my story
or follow me on twitter @krystlehaines
fantastic work krystle. great post
Thanks hun took several hours to write and research, but I think well worth it :) Cheers
good post. I agree with what you say about how it fits with the MSM's neo-nazi narrative they're pushing, even though real neo-nazis are few and far between these days. He's a white guy who chose to peddle something other than blatant left-wing politics to the youth, and thus he committed a cardinal sin. A hit piece was certain to come. I think the media will be surprised though- the backlash against the media and support PewDiePie will receive, over time, will be more potent than the buy-in.
Thank so much for the comment, I just think it can only help their current push with saying everyone they don't agree with must be a nazi.
It's insane to think people are believing this bullshit, having his show cancelled didn't just affect him, over 100 people were working on the scare Pewdiepie show - they now don't have jobs let's just take a moment to see the real world effect this has had on many people who had nothing to do this but are still out of work.
The outpouring of support is amazing, but just last night I saw another article that again was manipulating and lying about the situation they are still blatantly lying about this - and some people are still listening.
I think this was a massive error in their judgement, and as the group of people aware of fake news just spread exponentially this should and could have some amazing long term repercussions on the media establishment - people will become more aware with time.
Your work with this post really opens my eyes to what is possible for independent journalism in the future. This type of content is so precious and valuable for not only the information and awareness it brings but also the innovation in how the research is presented, you leave a perfect trail for the reader to follow and know that your points are fully supported by real evidence. Incredible! The world needs more of this. So happy to have finally switched from the empire (facebook) to the rebellion (steemit). Bravo.
Lol love it, the steemit rebellion!
Thanks so much I spent WAY too long on this post, many hours more than I usually do and I still haven't got it all in there but all anyone needs to do is look - my question is when did the media stop present actual evidence to support their claims?
I as an individual tried to present the other side of the argument and could back it up with publicly found information, I thought the media was supposed to be doing that for their work but they rarely if ever provide any sources these days - not sure when this became an acceptable mode of practice.
But I really think if we foster the environment correctly on steemit, we have a great opportunity to fill a much need void in the media market - we just need to hold work to a high standard with evidence provided, is that really too much to ask when your labelling (in this situation) someone a racist and attempting to damage their career and financial security.
I am not a fan of Pewdiepie at all, I think he brings absolutely nothing to the table except garbage for people to listen to so they can avoid the real problems in this world. He is just entertainment like everything else that is pushed to the top of Youtube.
However, I do agree with you that the media is wrong on this one. I do believe in freedom of speech and I don't think Pewdiepie should be censored for what he did. If people don't like what he is saying then stop watching, you can't be offended by something you aren't watching.
I agree @titusfrost! I can't stand Pewdiepie but this is ridiculous. The MSM is in a tizzy over the breaking apart of their Monopolies... anyone is fair game in this warfare.
Even if you don't like him, how many people did he just wake up to the existence of fake news in the mainstream media?
This could be just what a large chunk of society needed to wake up, and this is easier for them to prove independently as well.
Thanks I just wanted to open and honest about being a fan, but I have to say I mostly watch his game playthroughs for commentary - games are so expensive in Aus sometimes it's just nice to see the game cause we can't always get them.
Offence is subjective and that is the point isn't it, I agree if you don't like something don't watch or partake in it - simple. Cheers :)
As someone who disliked pewdiepie and the act he chose to go through with to reach the popularity/audience he has today, I really respect him for proving how ridiculous media is becoming. I also feel sorry about Ethan Klein who must've been freaking out all this time (probably more than Felix) about what was happening after they made the few videos together recently.
Shoutout to h3h3productions btw, hope to see you here soon! :)
Great post btw! Was nice to get a full summary of everything that happened cause the rest of media is really making it hard for us.
Thanks so much, I did my best to cover what I could but there are just so many articles it's hard to get it all straight.
I just want people to look at the proof before calling someone an anti semite because the media said it so it must be true, it's really disturbing to think about how well this seems to be working.
Cheers
They surely must recognise the damage they are doing themselves by engaging in obvious yellow journalism against a target who literally has an audience of millions of young people very familiar with him.
They are literally teaching young people not to trust the mainstream press.
I would think that would be the effect, but somehow through all of this people just blindly believe what the media tells them - this is the astonishing part of it, how passive people have become they will just believe anything.
His audience is full of people who understand and appreciate his types of comedy etc, by doing this you just shown them a biased media - this is the generation the media need to get back on side to retain a shred of control, all this has achieved is to alienate his 53 million person fan base.
A job well done I guess because you forced disney and youtube's hand in having him removed but you haven't silenced him or cut his revenue stream - so congratulations to the mainstream media mouthpiece.
never seen even 1 of his videos lol happy not 2
As I tried to point out it's not about if you like him or not, I only pointed out that I am subscriber in the attempt to not hide any bias I have toward the situation.
I am in no ways a daily viewer and in the recent years his style has changed a lot, I love his game playthroughs cause they cost too much to buy in Aus - we only buy the very best games when we can, but I still like to see the content and storyline.
It's only because I knew of him prior to this article that I was confused by what the mainstream narrative was, never had I seen anything in all the years I'd subscribed to as anti semitic - and then seeing Defrancos coverage just showed me, how blatantly they manipulated the evidence.
If they can do this to a youtube start what else can the claim without evidence against anyone else, it is about standing up for what is right not just what you like :)
Sorry if I sound preachy, but talk like this from an establishment could lead to death threats and issues - pewdiepie already seems to have random people showing up at his house, this could turn really nasty over a complete misrepresentation.
Yep. This is a bit part in the pendulum swing of the new paradigm. Pewds has managed to remain not just relevant, but superior among all of YouTube for many years. That sort of ability to set the trends and remain interesting is exactly why I think he's a secret marketing genius.
I've been making videos and posts about this, too.
Upvoted!
@shayne
Yep I see it as a major win, but it has still had some pretty major repercussions on pewds, life and career - they got him fired from two jobs - not the biggest deal, but surely it will pack a punch.
And all of this from a misrepresented and in my opinion planned deciet to achieve this very goal, they want to be able to say bad things about youtube and its biggest player - because they are threatened by the power he has obtained on his own.
If no one needs the media they become irrelevant (are already imho) they were the ones who decided who was famous before and now people have the opportunity to make their own unbiased opinions and it;s not going to well for the establishment.
Just check out the sub livestream, yeah his subs went down but then they went straight back up again - as people learn and realise the lies they were believing and treating as gospel was manipulated, they will learn what it is they have really been supporting for all these years.
Cheers :)
Fantastic comments. I'd be interested to know more of your thoughts on this. If you wanted to write or make a video or something on this, I'd watch it. :)
Not sure I'd make a video on this, but if the support is there I'd be happy to do a more detailed post where I don't use my own opinion so often.
There are a lot of different claims being made by the media and to address them all individually and look into them to see if they hold any validty and then finding and sourcing all information is a lot of work.
This post alone took me over 8 hours to write and compile, I did it out of the necessity of the topic and main issue - fake news.
And to explore this it could in theory extend into fake news in general, but again the amount of work to compile these types of posts is massive and I am but one person.
We shall see how this goes, I just tweeted the story @pewdiepie so who knows maybe he will see it - just want him and people in general to know not everyone blindly follows the media and we know he isn't a nazi, for trying to make some jokes even if in poor taste as some say.
Exchellent work!!
Thank you for sharing :)
Thanks :)
So long...I think this is the longest post I encountered in Steemit.
Yeah it is long but doesn't even cover all of it, let alone in detail - I'm pretty sure I have done longer posts myself, but whilst it is a long post there are heap's that are as long or even longer on here.
I'll read this later this week. This looks like an interesting post.
No worries, yeah I think it is a really interesting topic and a really clear sign of media bias.
It is way longer than I meant it to be and there is still so much I didn't directly address, take your time it's more about the information getting out there :)
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