The legacy media hasn’t exactly covered itself in glory this election season, but it looks like they’re lowering their already-low bar even more by attempting to silence prominent conservative voices like Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson with just one week to go until Election Day. You can see the desperation setting in as there are only a few more days left to deliver an “October surprise” that will lead to Donald Trump’s defeat next Tuesday. 

The New York Times, fresh off of their embarrassing anti-Trump editorial tantrum timed to appear on the day of his Madison Square Garden rally, is apparently preparing a hit piece in which their intention is crystal clear: shut up people like Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson, who may be able to influence the election away from Democrats. Better yet, perhaps even get them demonetized and de-platformed as an added bonus. 

This isn’t journalism; this is jack-booted thuggery.

Why this NYT “journalist,” Nico Grant, thought it was a good idea to try and threaten the likes of Shapiro and Carlson is anyone’s guess, but it’s a pretty safe bet that Mr. Grant lives his life in a cozy, elitist bubble and has no idea that the media landscape underneath his feet has shifted dramatically.

It was Ben who first brought Grant’s lame attempt at an October surprise to light with this tweet and screenshots of Grant’s attempt to get comments from him:

1/ If you were wondering what the legacy media would plan for its October surprise, wonder no longer: it’s here. Today, I received the following text from a reporter at @NYTimes: pic.twitter.com/YjK7yiVhpn

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) October 29, 2024

Basically, if they can’t get Donald Trump, they’ll go after anyone with a kind word for him. But, it’s more sinister than simply trying to silence a voice with a differing opinion; they want their careers destroyed and their livelihoods ruined. 

What Nico Grant and the New York Times don’t realize is that Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson are a million steps ahead of them when it comes to innovative journalism. Both of them have eschewed corporate media and set up their own media empires that generate the kind of revenue that the NYT can only dream of these days. They are their own bosses, and they are extremely adept at using modern media tools, including YouTube, not just to level the playing field but to become very wealthy whilst doing so.

And therein lies the problem for the New York Times: people like Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson are so successful at what they do and are so popular with millions of American voters that they must be stopped, preferably before Election Day.

One of the funniest parts of Nico Grant’s attempts to engage the two is his reliance on – wait for it! – Media Matters of America as the basis of his story. That is simply absurd on its face, as Media Matters is a clownish “watchdog” whose “analysis” of conservative media is basically just Pravda in English. 

Ben saw right through the pretense and proceeded to lay waste to Nico Grant and the New York Times:

@NYTimes

2/ What, precisely, is NYT doing? It’s perfectly obvious: using research from Media Matters, a radical Left-wing organization whose sole purpose is destroying conservative media (see below), in order to pressure YouTube to demonetize and penalize any and all conservatives ONE WEEK FROM THE ELECTION.

3/ That’s the entire game here. Run an article in America’s “most trusted newspaper” that declares pretty much every major conservative a purveyor of “misinformation” on YouTube, thus strong-arming YouTube into taking action against conservatives.

4/ This isn’t about “election misinformation.” Obviously. As pretty much everyone knows, I have always acknowledged that Joe Biden won the 2020 election. And if it is “election misinformation” to point out the “rigging” of the voting rules for election 2020, resulting in massive mail-in voting and ballot harvesting, then the NYT might want to talk to…the NYT and CBS News, for starters.

5/ And, by the way, even if someone *does* think Joe Biden didn’t win the election, that is still protected speech under the First Amendment

6/ But that’s the point: you don’t have to purvey “misinformation” to be the target. You just have to support Trump.

7/ This is totally scandalous. In 2020, the legacy media shut down dissemination of the Hunter Biden laptop story and laundered the claim that it was all Russian disinformation, all to get Joe Biden elected.

8/ In 2024, they’re even more brazen: they’re openly trying to intimidate YouTube, one of the most dominant news platforms in America, into shutting down anyone who isn’t pro-Kamala.

9/ Again, understand the mission from these supposed guardians of free speech and American liberty: silence the opposition the WEEK BEFORE THE 2024 ELECTION.

10/ They can’t get away with it, and they won’t. If ever you doubted that The New York Times is part of the Democrat-Media Human Centipede (see below), doubt no longer.

11/ So, The New York Times wants comment? Here’s my comment: kindly, go f*ck yourself.

That last one really says it all. 

Then, Tucker got in on the action, and included his response to Grant’s text:

pic.twitter.com/NbjA2iMe1N

— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) October 29, 2024

Here’s that exchange:

CARLSON: So the New York Times is working with a left-wing hate group to silence critics of the Democratic Party? Please ask yourself why you’re participating in it. This is why you got into journalism? It’s shameful. I hope you’re filled with guilt and self-loathing for sending me a text like this. Please quote me.

GRANT: Thank for your prompt response. Would you like to address any of the points or questions above?

CARLSON: Would I like to participate in your attempt to censor me? No thanks. But I do hope you’ll quote what I wrote above and also note that I told you to f*ck off, which I am now doing. Thanks.

This lame attempt to silence the big dogs of conservative media proves that corporate media truly is at an inflection point. They’ve debased themselves to such a point that it’s hard to see how they turn things around. They could try emulating people like Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson, but they’re too un-self-aware to pull that off.

Oh, and here’s one last tweet for you:

Lol

Nico Grant of the NYTimes locked down his X account. So confident in his “reporting!” pic.twitter.com/P6HEPCqS1t

— KK Berd 🇺🇸 (@keny_berd) October 29, 2024