When we started Midnight Writer News, we knew we would face some challenges that are synonymous with any alternative media venture. We felt like we had a niche within a niche since we were focusing on challenging the historical establishment more than current mainstream media reporting, but we knew that would only make our little corner of the alt.room even smaller. We felt – and still feel – however, that the quality of what we do, along with the fact that we personally write every piece of content we publish, would set us apart. We believe that it has.
We are not competitors in purpose. The Midnight Writer News staff never discusses wanting to out-do another specific site, show, or host. We truly want all of the good, hardworking researchers and podcast hosts to survive. Though we host a podcast/show, we are still fans of Brent Holland, Chuck Ochelli, Len Osanic, Alex Jones, Jeff Rense, Lorien Fenton, Art Bell reruns, and every single Mae Brussell episode we can find. We read the other authors, bloggers, and columnists, and we praise their work. We will truly feature anyone on our site, and we will have anyone on our show. We are NOT competitive. More than anything, we just want to be us, the Midnight Writer News staff. We want to be positive voices in the community, and we want to support those who do great work.
That said, there are challenges. We are realistically in competition for ears and eyeballs. If someone interested in our field wants to read articles and listen to shows, he or she only has a set amount of time in their week to do so. They weed, whittle, and wind through podcasts and sites, making discerning decisions based upon their interests, the quality of the work, and the credibility of those doing the work. That is inherent competition. We hope ours stands the test of time.
We are all in what appears to be a struggle for dollars. Even the best hosts and writers seem to be financially strapped. Not many, if any, of us have colossal sponsorship deals or venture capitalists financing our work. The friendly neighborhood staff at Midnight Writer News doesn’t even have rich parents or wealthy ex-spouses to finance our lives (though a few of us are open to adoption if any billionaires need adult children). Some in the truth community have worked diligently to acquire sponsors. I would ask you to visit and patronize those sponsors, as well as buying the books. Many of us simply have donation buttons on our webpages. If we truly believe that your dollars are votes – and who shouldn’t in an era when our votes themselves seem meaningless – then we should all ask ourselves if we truly dollar-vote with our favorite hosts, sites, and shows as much as we do with McDonalds, Wal-Mart, and the office vending machine.
I feel squeamish mentioning the donation button on the show, and have avoided it on a few occasions, but the truth is – those donations pay for us to visit and then report on conferences as well as helping us buy books, DVDs, and materials so our reporting can be what we want it to be. It also pays for equipment, technology, and talent.
The American Free Press – agree or disagree with some of its ideologies – is a fine alternative paper ran out of Maryland. It is constantly asking for donations and support, even with its relatively (for the alt community) large circulation. We do not disparage them at all. The AFP does great work and needs to finance that work. That is something we understand completely. For those thinking “It’s a business… live or die as a business would,” I would ask you to remember that businesses are often without emotion. Every player in this field entered the field because they believed in something that was not evident in the mainstream. They are emotionally invested, just as you are. This is a mission for almost all of us, not just a business and maybe not a business at all.
In trying to effort guests for the show, the challenge is being unknown. The publishers know the power of the behemoth Coast to Coast AM – or as I like to call it “The House that Art Built” – but they may not recognize you, me, or us. I am currently trying to forge a long-term relationship with both TrineDay and Skyhorse, two companies who publish phenomenal, important works. I am hoping we will be able to do so with both. If you know an author or an expert on some alternative perspective, please share their information with your favorite site or show. The next generation of Jim Marrs, David Icke, Len Colodny, Donald Jeffries, Al Cuppett, or Linda Moulton Howe are out there. Let’s find them, and let’s allow them the opportunity to be heard and read.
What I was unprepared for were the schisms among the relatively small alternative communities. I was privy to a bit of it at the JFK conference in Dallas. The two dueling conferences didn’t seem exactly joined as one on a mission to reveal truths. They were and are both great conferences with outstanding speakers. I first noticed the battles in the 9/11 Truth community. Everyone has their pet theory, their favorite expert, and their bane in the community. My hope for these communities is peace. We have so much against us in an era when we are being called “fake news.” It is time for us to work together, when possible, to bring options to a public that has always been told that there was only one way to believe. If another researcher’s opinion differs from yours, can the public not hear both and then decide? Must one treat the other like a bonehead out to destroy the community’s “good” research? (CIA plants excluded)
The next time you go to a website you like or listen to a show you find interesting, write them a note and say “thanks.” If you have a little “change in your pocket going jing-a-lang-a-lang,” then donate. If you have a way to improve the show by suggesting a guest, please do so. But let them know you’re out there. Let them know you are reading and listening. Let them know you are behind what they do. Let the word “community” mean what it was originally intended to mean (as opposed to the Agenda 21 meaning). This, above all, is your community in search of truth. Let us write and talk with you and not at you. Thanks for listening, thanks for reading.
“From the other side of the mountain… on the best side of midnight….. I wish you peace.”