I have made a habit over the years of sending my PJ Media articles and columns to a number of close friends who profess an interest in my work. Much of the time the act is redundant since many have already consulted the site and read some of the pieces in question, but not all are VIP members. This means I need to paste my restricted articles in my emails, a rather tedious procedure.
These paywalls or “digital gates” make sense, especially for online magazines of a conservative stamp that are always in danger of being demonetized by the leftwing Big Tech platforms and search engines. As such, they supply an alternative to ad-driven revenue streams and furnish a source of reliable income for the maintenance of both the content provider and its writers. Moreover, in so doing, the best writers are free to deliver quality to their readers.
As a result, I’ve tactfully suggested that my friends and colleagues should consider becoming VIP members not only to read those articles of mine that are behind a paywall, but to acquaint themselves with the work of—as I sometimes joke—a stable of thoroughbreds, a host of excellent writers who command a fascinating variety of styles: humorous, discursive, reflective, wide-ranging and, of course, precision-based reporting. Sean Hannity boasts about FOX News and its presumably most compelling analysis, “you won’t find it anywhere else.” This is not entirely true of FOX, alas, but it is largely true of PJ Media.
In fairness, I should state that PJM is not the only quality site on offer, but it is up there with the best of them—which is why I feel honored to write for it and why I urge my friends and acquaintances to become VIP members. As my editor Paula Bolyard writes, “Support truth-tellers in the media. We are constantly under attack, and nearly every single conservative outlet is feeling the financial strain of the boycotts, censorship, and fake fact-checking.” This is one way, and an important one, of fighting against the digital autocracy practiced by Big Tech and of frustrating its efforts to keep us uninformed and docile. Sign up here and use the promo code Big Tech for a 50% discount.