Today on his Substack site, Chris Hedges posted the following:
“I was just informed by Max Alvarez, the Editor-in-Chief at The Real News, that they will no longer run my show. The reason for the cancellation, he said, is that my critiques of Biden, especially for the genocide in Gaza, jeopardizes his nonprofit status. My last show with Dennis Kucinich, who is running as an independent for Congress in Ohio, was removed from the site.
“I will resurrect the show on an independent platform, although it may take me a few weeks to get this set up.”
As brave voices across America and the West are silenced and demonised as a direct result of their ethical desires, journalistic responsibilities and need to speak out against any corruption and/or acts of criminality and violence, those of us who depend on these voices – those of us who understand the deep necessity of these voices for educating, informing and instigating critical change – must take direct action to speak out against institutions, organizations and individuals who actively thwart that change. Today, The Real News became one of those in a rapidly-expanding list (Universities framing peace protests as anti-semitic mob rallies, the House passing an anti-first amendment bill that irresponsibly and dangerously expands the “legal” definition of anti-semitism to include criticism of Israel). As America, under Biden, swiftly descends into a form of authoritarianism and fascism that many were told was only reserved for Trump, it is imperative that we rise up against such forces – if only with our voices, though hopefully more – to try and sway those teetering between compliance and action to choose the right side of history.
Those who choose to speak out against institutions of power who have abused their privilege and are directly responsible for the deaths and suffering of millions, are subjected to a form of social hell that has been reserved for so many courageous voices throughout history. What they all have in common, as Hedges himself pointed out in his recent article, SERMON FOR GAZA, is a:
“…commitment to the truth, incorruptibility, courage, a distrust of power, a hatred of violence and a deep empathy that was extended to people who were different from them, even to people defined by the dominant culture as the enemy. They are the most remarkable men and women I met in my 20 years as a foreign correspondent. I set my life by the standards they set.
“…To resist radical evil, as you are doing, is to endure a life that by the standards of the wider society is a failure. It is to defy injustice at the cost of your career, your reputation, your financial solvency and at times your life. It is to be a lifelong heretic. And, perhaps this is the most important point, it is to accept that the dominant culture, even the liberal elites, will push you to the margins and attempt to discredit not only what you do, but your character. When I returned to the newsroom at The New York Times after being booed off a commencement stage in 2003 for denouncing the invasion of Iraq and being publicly reprimanded by the paper for my stance against the war, reporters and editors I had known and worked with for 15 years lowered their heads or turned away when I was nearby. They did not want to be contaminated by the same career-killing contagion.
“Ruling institutions — the state, the press, the church, the courts, universities — mouth the language of morality, but they serve the structures of power, no matter how venal, which provide them with money, status and authority. All of these institutions, including the academy, are complicit through their silence or their active collaboration with radical evil. This was true during the genocide we committed against native Americans, slavery, the witch hunts during the McCarthy era, the civil rights and anti-war movements and the fight against the apartheid regime of South Africa. The most courageous are purged and turned into pariahs.“
If this is something that is important to you, please feel free to send your thoughts to The Real News: Contact@TheRealNews.com
Below is the short letter I just sent:
To Whom it may concern,
Please know that I will be unsubscribing from The Real News as a direct result of your announcement of the cancellation of journalist Chris Hedges’ show. While I understand financial constraints, we live in a time when voices like Chris Hedges’ are more essential than ever. Please know that wherever Chris Hedges’ show can be seen, I and millions of others will be there to see it. In cancelling Chris Hedges, you have also canceled me and others as viewers and supporters of The Real News. My support is based on the actions you take and the decisions you make. In taking this particular stance, you have – in my opinion – aided in the silencing of a critical and essential voice within a society that depends on voices like Chris Hedges in order to survive, flourish and overcome the forces that are currently undermining so much of what many of us value and desire and are ethically compelled to speak out against.
I believe your decision here makes the world and the United States that much less safe and informed. I support brave voices like Chris Hedges and cannot support companies or organisations that choose to silence or cancel those voices. Especially in such dire and consequential times.
Sincerely,
Hal Masonberg
This is not the moment to be silent. This is not the moment for denial. We stand in the center of a critical and existential point in history. We have tumbled over the ethical, moral and humanitarian precipice and how we act in this moment – today – defines if that fall ends in destruction or salvation. There are choices beyond the ones you have been told you are limited to. As Plato said, “Silence gives consent.”
I do not consent.
Below are links to Hedges’ most recent work including his interview with Dennis Kucinich on the corruption of the two party system, the genocide in Gaza and the struggle to reclaim our democracy:
THE HAL BLOG 
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