The Constitution guarantees that a free press will not be hampered through unlawful measures by government. This is a crucial aspect of liberty that our founding fathers clearly understood and that patriots today recognize as unmistakably relevant for modern America. In Chicago, the Constitution has essentially been subverted as freedom of the press has been wiped away by mayoral decree.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot looked at her city’s skyrocketing crime, multiple riots that resulted in wanton destruction to private property, and Black lives apparently not mattering to anyone on the left who claim otherwise. Black men, women, and children are murdered weekly at the most alarming rates in the nation, yet Mayor Lightfoot has chosen to utilize hundreds of police officers to keep “peaceful protesters” off her street. As my colleague noted, it’s all part of her “superiority complex.”
Now, she’s abusing her power even more by not only stopping “peaceful protesters” but even the free press from reporting from a public street. According to Elijah Schaffer from The Blaze:
UNCONSTITUTIONAL: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot used police to block me/@fromkalen from filming on a public street
While covering a controversial story about her
We were then accused of being a threat to the mayor & told to leave just for filming outside pic.twitter.com/XKoaWsZG45
— ELIJAH RIOT (@ElijahSchaffer) August 23, 2020
This is a clear-cut violation of the First Amendment. It’s worse than a lawsuit waiting to happen because any violent crimes that could have been stopped by law enforcement that was instead used by Mayor Lightfoot to break the law is blood on her hands. She truly believes her “safety” from the being reported on by the press supersedes the lives of the people who voted her into office. As Chicago residents die, she’s making law enforcement officers act as public relations security guards.
Not only is she wasting valuable resources that could be used to protect people, but she’s doing so in defiance of the Constitution itself. Lori Lightfoot is vying to be the worst mayor in American history, and that’s no hyperbole.
Coronavirus lockdowns put the future of independent news at risk
Reports indicate rising traffic but drastically lower revenues for mid-sized independent news outlets.
The economic downturn from COVID-19 lockdowns has hit many industries in the gut. One industry that doesn’t get nearly enough attention is journalism. The corporate conglomerates controlling mainstream media outlets are able to weather the storm, but independent news outlets have seen revenues plummet to the point that many are considering shutting down. We know. We’ve had to consider the possibility ourselves.
We’ve always run a very tight ship, keeping expenses to a minimum by limiting travel and technology expenditures. This has proven to be beneficial during the economic crisis, but we would not have made it this far if not for our generous donors. I cannot appropriately express my appreciation to those who have helped us raise nearly $4,000 since we started asking for assistance. It has been a true blessing and has inspired us to work harder to bring the truth to light that mainstream media tries to hide.
As I note below, traffic is through the roof. The appetite for honest news reporting, conservative opinion writing, and right-leaning podcasts is high. Every day we pick up new readers and subscribers; it’s another blessing we do not take for granted. But despite the increases in traffic and viewership, revenues have continued to plummet. We have maxed out on the number of ads we run, and that’s definitely not by choice. Ideally, we would run minimal ads or no ads at all, but this isn’t a hobby. This is a business, the only one that supports my family, so I’ve chosen to do what I hate doing by having plenty of ads on the site. Even with more ads, revenues are not what they were before the coronavirus lockdowns. This is why we’re still desperately asking for help.
The best way NOQ Report readers can help is to donate. Our Giving Fuel page makes it easy to donate one-time or monthly. Alternatively, you can donate through PayPal as well. Our initial estimate of $11,500 to stay afloat through the end of the year was understated. Just as revenues have gone down, so too have expenses risen. We need to pick up quite a bit more than expected; I won’t even venture a guess anymore. At this point, literally everything we receive helps us keep the dream of being a truth-centered news outlet alive.
The second way to help is to become a partner. We’ve strongly considered seeking angel investors in the past but because we were paying the bills, it didn’t seem necessary. Now, we’re struggling to pay the bills. This shouldn’t be the case as our traffic the last year has been going up dramatically. June, 2018, we had 11,678 visitors. A year later in June, 2019, we were up to 116,194. In June, 2020, we had 614,192. We’re heading in the right direction and we believe we’re ready to talk to patriotic investors who want to not only “get in on the action” but more importantly who want to help America hear the truth. Interested investors should contact me directly with the contact button above.
Election year or not, coronavirus lockdowns or not, anarchic riots or not, the need for truthful journalism endures. In these times, we need as many conservative media voices as possible. Please help keep NOQ Report going.
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American Conservative Movement
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