Thread by @aaronjmate

I recommend The Intercept's newsletter just for their hilariously disingenuous fundraising emails. This billionaire-funded news outlet that employs some of the most overpaid people in the business has "Devastating News" -- it needs your money to save journalism:

The Intercept says it needs to raise $900,000. A few ideas:

-TI's editor in chief, a "Soft, Loose Collusion" Truther (

https://twitter.com/aaronjmate/status/1321986671605403650?s=20

) who oversaw Reality Winner & other debacles, makes close to $500,000

-James Risen makes $305,000 to write Russiagate fan fiction

-They pay additionally obscene salaries for other columnists and op-ed writers that few people read

-The rent on their Park Avenue office -- with 360-degree panoramic views of New York City (I've sent it, it's lovely) -- would by itself sustain many mid-sized news outlets

The reason TI needs your money isn't to save investigative journalism. It's to ensure that they don't lose their 501(c)3 status & become billionaire Pierre Omidyar's private charitable foundation. It's scam fundraising in the name of saving journalism. Staggering dishonesty.

I don't mean to disparage the solid reporters who work there. On domestic politics TI reporters do valuable work. But as the forced departure of its founder recently exemplified, at the top it's become a left-punching, fake-adversarial site, & anything but a journalism savior.

.@NaomiAKlein, author of many great books including the definitive one about deceptive branding, "No Logo", lends her brand to The Intercept's fraudulent fundraising campaign. The billionaire-funded outlet, Naomi says, needs our money "to keep the lights on."

If you want to support independent journalism, there are so many independent outlets that:

A) actually need the money, because none have a billionaire funder like The Intercept

B) actually produce consistent independent journalism