One of the reasons I share a lot of posts from X is that it is the best (and sometimes worst) place to gather information about what is really happening in the world.
That is the reason why the security state, particularly under Joe Biden, worked so hard to censor it, and why oppressive countries around the world either ban it or work hard to prevent their citizens from seeing information the powers that be don't want seen. Countries such as Germany, China, Russia, North Korea, and the United Kingdom.
You know, the countries that want their citizens ignorant and compliant.
X is the best source for raw information about what is happening in the world, and I can't deny that its openness to posts from everyone means it is flooded with propaganda, requiring one to develop discernment. But the lack of a filter has a huge upside--it isn't filtered by propagandists bent on distorting your view of the world.
It's not that hard to figure out where people are coming from, and most of the time, the propaganda is not so slick that it can fool you into believing something is real when it is not, especially if you fine-tune your bovine excrement meter. Pallywood videos are pretty obvious, and the Community Notes feature helps provide context when a post is pushing provable BS.
The complaint that X is filled with misinformation would be more persuasive, but for the fact that the Pravda Media provides almost nothing but misinformation. In the old Soviet Union, not all Samizdat was perfectly reliable, but it compared quite well to what the Soviet propagandists were feeding people. X is like that--imperfect, but far better than the steady stream of lies shoved at us.
One minute you're pontificating about capital-J Journalism with George Clooney, and the next you're begging your dwindling audience to reject the evidence of their own senses. https://t.co/VJIVI6PAtL pic.twitter.com/e14riuTUjE
— jimtreacher.substack.com (@jtLOL) June 10, 2025
The coverage of the Los Angeles riots is a perfect example of this. I can see clips of what is happening in the city next to videos of politicians and news monkeys claiming that everything is peaceful and that Donald Trump is the only problem. I can watch people burning cars while waving Mexican flags one moment, and Karen Bass or Gavin Newsom denying the violence the next.
The View's Sunny Hostin: "I spoke to 5 people that live in LA and they said that these protests were very, very orderly. They weren't violent." pic.twitter.com/vQnLwtNXMY
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) June 11, 2025
If you get your news filtered by the Pravda Media, you will hear phrases like "mostly peaceful," "serene neighborhood," "hope," authoritarianism, or even calls for you to ignore the evidence you see with your own two eyes.
One minute you're pontificating about capital-J Journalism with George Clooney, and the next you're begging your dwindling audience to reject the evidence of their own senses. https://t.co/VJIVI6PAtL pic.twitter.com/e14riuTUjE
— jimtreacher.substack.com (@jtLOL) June 10, 2025
Democrats are trying to have it both ways, and when they get to filter the news, it can almost seem plausible. On the one hand, nothing bad is going on. People are just having fun burning up cars, and trying to stop them incites violence.
And, if you DO happen to see any violence, it was caused by Donald Trump.
SUPERCUT!
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) June 9, 2025
Corporate media: These murderous riots are actually mostly peaceful pic.twitter.com/9Aig54BoH2
X is one of the only places where information flow is not strangled, and hence it is where you can see for yourself and judge for yourself. Lots of people collaborate to collate information and present it in a digestible form, and if they are BSing you somebody else will call it out.
"Don't believe what you saw" is the new slogan of the Democrat Party. https://t.co/WDK4HyT1Oj pic.twitter.com/BwxrSXDCkC
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) June 10, 2025
It is hardly perfect. In fact, back when it was Twitter, I used to joke that the site was a sewer with a bunch of diamonds and precious metals buried in the muck. Once you get the hang of it you can curate your feed to maximize the latter and minimize the former, although I recommend only ignoring the worst actors. I follow most media folks both because I need to know what they are saying, try to do a sanity check by seeing the other side, and as a bonus, I get to see The Narrative come together in real time.
Before Elon bought Twitter, it was the site where all the media folks collaborated, creating The Narrative. It was fascinating to watch as the messages got tested out, refined, and a common chant was created. That is less true today, but you can still see The Narrative develop in real time--and as a bonus, you have a history of how the messages change, sometimes taking a 180 after a test run failed badly.
For instance, both Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass have reversed their stance on the riots after getting bashed for looking weak and supporting the rioters and their cause. Suddenly, they are noticing that there is violence and saying they will punish the rioters who break the law.
Have no doubt — Violent criminals who take advantage of Trump’s chaos WILL be held accountable.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 10, 2025
Our number one priority has been and will be keeping LA safe.
If you’re protesting peacefully. Stay calm. Look out for one another. https://t.co/foYenrMx6V
Let me be clear: ANYONE who vandalized Downtown or looted stores does not care about our immigrant communities.
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) June 10, 2025
You will be held accountable.
These are, of course, lies. But at least you can see in real time how the stories have changed and don't have to rely on the Pravda Media, which will memory hole whatever they don't want you to see.
I just met with LA immigrant rights community leaders as we respond to this chaotic escalation by the Administration.
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) June 9, 2025
Let me be absolutely clear – as a united city, we are demanding the end to these lawless attacks on our communities.
Los Angeles will always stand with EVERYONE…
Karen Bass says the National Guard is not welcome in LA
— Phil Holloway ✈️ (@PhilHollowayEsq) June 8, 2025
The mayor’s inflammatory rhetoric is going to lead to more violence
More destruction
And could easily get someone k!lled
pic.twitter.com/595vXCpNFg
It would be a mistake to believe that X is a reliable source of information--it has so many content producers that it would make even less sense than claiming Substack or any other open platform is. But because it is a platform accessible to everybody, everything is there, and if one is so inclined, one can put together a pretty accurate picture of what is going on, including the biases of all the players.
Remember when you see a report by Jon Karl that he repeatedly spread the fine people hoax. That’s who Jon Karl is. pic.twitter.com/jXhqWM6TgJ
— MAZE (@mazemoore) May 11, 2025
That's better than relying on media outlets that do little more than perpetrate hoaxes.
This is one of the more striking examples of legacy media complicity in the Biden cognitive state cover up.
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) May 14, 2025
CBS News ran a five minute segment uncritically parroting the White House “cheap fake” narrative as unassailable fact.
Anchor: “Cheap fake clips went viral."
This… pic.twitter.com/yL1NndL7gs
For all the distrust in the Pravda Media, it's easy to forget that tens of millions of people still think ABC, NBC, CNN, CBS, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and all the rest of the compulsive liars are telling the truth. Given that these are the alternatives to getting your information unfiltered--including having to wade through plenty of dishonest propaganda--I will take the unfiltered version.
We have freedom of speech and freedom of the press not because we want to platform bad people or spread misinformation, but because without it we will get nothing BUT lies and misinformation from people who can censor anybody who disagrees with them.
Editor's Note: President Trump will not allow lawlessness to reign in America. We will not have a repeat of 2020's "Summer of Love."
Help Hot Air continue to report on the president's crackdown on rioters in Los Angeles and expose the truth about the violent left trying to destroy our great country. Join Hot Air VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member