A Journalist Was Arrested and the Mainstream Media Was Silent
It is somewhat rare to receive news that the author of the book you’re currently reading has been arrested. But while recently scrolling through Twitter, I learned that Max Blumenthal, author of “The Management of Savagery”, was arrested by Washington D.C. police on the morning of October 25, 2019.
In a SWAT-style raid, Blumenthal’s residence was surrounded by local police, some of whom threatened to break down his door. The arrest warrant listed him as “armed and dangerous” — a comically absurd claim clearly meant to elicit an intimidating response by law enforcement. After a dangerous ride in the back of a squad car, the author was subjected to 36 hours of detainment and denied access to legal counsel. In subsequent appearances on The Jimmy Dore Show and Aaron Maté’s Pushback, Blumenthal recounted the details of this draconian incident.
The charge — simple assault — was based on a five-month-old warrant (which was initially rejected and later revived without Blumenthal’s knowledge) related to an attempt to deliver food to the besieged Venezuelan embassy. Specifically, right-wing Venezuelan opposition activist Naylet Pacheco accused Blumenthal of kicking her in the stomach in an alleged incident on May 7, 2019.
Blumenthal wholeheartedly denies this charge, referring to it as “fabricated” and a “malicious lie.” Furthermore, Blumenthal believes this targeting is an act of political persecution due to his adversarial investigative reporting. “It is clearly part of a campaign of political persecution designed to silence me and The Grayzone for our factual journalism exposing the deceptions, corruption and violence of the far-right Venezuelan opposition,” Blumenthal stated.
In the wake of a U.S.-backed coup attempt, supporters and members of the right-wing Venezuelan political opposition engaged in an illegal siege of the Venezuelan embassy in Washington D.C. Their vicious violence, racism, and sexism was well documented, which makes this charge leveled against Blumenthal seem like pure projection.
In an October 28 statement, the National Lawyers Guild International Committee (NLGIC) strongly condemned Blumenthal’s arrest. After providing an overview of the case, NLGIC joined the journalist “in noting that his arrest took place hours after The Grayzone issued a report on USAID funding to lobbyists for the Venezuelan opposition.” The statement continued by observing that the arrest “appears to be a form of retaliation practiced against both embassy protection activists and critical journalists for their opposition to the U.S.’ unlawful intervention in Venezuela, support for an attempted coup and unilateral coercive economic sanctions directed against the country.”
As noted by Joe Emersberger at Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), the press and relevant NGOs have largely ignored this “troubling encroachment on freedom of the press.” In the Trump era, when #Resistance Democrats constantly clamor about “authoritarianism” and “attacks on the press,” you’d think the mainstream media would at least mention this chilling episode. But a quick online search confirmed a nearly ubiquitous silence.
From an idealistic ethical perspective, the refusal to report this injustice may seem baffling. But the mainstream corporate news media is simply a multi-billion dollar industry selling a product (“the news”) for a profit. A concern for upholding the First Amendment’s “freedom of the press” isn’t part of the equation. Furthermore, as famous linguist and political dissident Noam Chomsky once wrote, “those who occupy managerial positions in the media, or gain status within them as commentators, belong to the same privileged elites, and might be expected to share the perceptions, aspirations, and attitudes of their associates, reflecting their own class interests as well.”
In addition to the inherently corrupting effects of the profit motive and the class solidarity of elite institutions in general, major news outlets often flagrantly collaborate with the American military and intelligence community instead of reporting in the public interest. This has been true for decades, but as journalist Rania Khalek recently pointed out, a disturbing trend has emerged in which numerous former intelligence officials have been hired as political pundits by popular news outlets. Even when these millionaire news anchors aren’t directly regurgitating the pronouncements of government officials, they still consistently cheer for covert and overt foreign interventions.
In most cases, reporting that challenges the national security state narrative is either vilified or ignored, regardless of how accurate it is. This is why the prolific journalism of Max Blumenthal is so important. Over the years, Max has explored the dark side of U.S. foreign policy, from its imperialism in Latin America, to its arming of jihadists in Syria and Libya, to its complicity in Israeli war crimes. Blumenthal provides a perspective that is absolutely necessary — a robust challenge to the bi-partisan consensus on endless war — and, in the wake of this obscene political persecution, should be vehemently supported and defended by anyone who believes in a free press.
