How Corporate Media Killed Jamal Khashoggi... Again

Legacy media has made clear that it is abandoning its duty to protect our democracy—here's how we fight back and demand meaningful accountability

Do you remember Jamal Khashoggi?

In 2018, this Washington Post journalist and American resident walked into a Saudi consulate in Istanbul. He never walked out. The Saudi regime murdered him—brutally and deliberately. Khashoggi was dismembered. His body never recovered. His only "crime" was doing what journalists are supposed to do: tell the truth.

And now? Just six years later?

Silence. How do we protect ourselves when legacy media won’t? Let’s Address This.

A composite image of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. AP/Virginia Mayo; Nicolas Asfouri - Pool/Getty

A ‘Pariah’ Who Is Now A Partner

This week Donald Trump met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (“MBS”) as if nothing happened. And because my standard is justice, it is important to likewise remind readers that during his presidency Joe Biden met with MBS all the same. Despite campaigning in 2020 on making MBS a ‘pariah’ if elected to the White House, Joe Biden embraced him. Thus, MBS—the man the CIA concluded gave the order to kill Khashoggi—is once again being treated like a legitimate global partner. Corporate media barely bats an eye. Perhaps most shockingly, we see notable silence even from the Washington Post, Khashoggi’s own paper. It’s like it never happened. Like his life, his murder, his sacrifice—just…disappeared.

This is not journalism. This is betrayal. And it speaks to a broader issue of legacy media fully transitioning into the footstool of billionaire oligarchs.

The Fourth Estate Is Failing—And It’s Dangerous

Corporate media’s job—its sacred duty—is to be a watchdog for democracy, a guardian of truth, a voice for the people. But today, the fourth estate is not holding power accountable. It's cozying up to it. It’s been bought, sold, and gutted. So much of what passes for journalism today is filtered through billionaire ownership, sanitized by ad buyers, and manipulated by partisan algorithms.

For example, Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post. Elon Musk owns Twitter. Mark Zuckerberg owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Rupert Murdoch owns the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post. Summer Redstone owns ViacomCBS. The Ochs-Sulzberger family owns a controlling stake in the New York Times. Patrick Soon-Shiong owns the Los Angeles Times, The San Diego Union-Tribune and Hoy. The list goes on and on, and all of it loudly proves how the billionairization (yes I made up that word) of media is bad for democracy.

Meanwhile, local and independent papers are collapsing, with one study estimating that the United States has lost a shocking 33% of all small papers over just the last two decades.

If small papers are collapsing under economic pressure, and corporate media won’t speak truth to power due to autocratic capitulation—what makes you think it will stand up for you and me when it’s we who are in the crosshairs? If the assassination of a journalist like Khashoggi doesn’t spark unified outrage, what will?

The harsh truth is that the corporate media capitulation to authoritarianism is already here. It’s in the headlines they don’t run. The guests they don’t book. The questions they won’t ask. And if we don’t act, we will lose the very foundation of a free society: the ability to know the truth.

So what do we do?

The Solution: Ground News and Independent Media

I’ve always said—I don’t believe in only identifying problems. I believe in building solutions. Because we are not powerless. We are not voiceless. And we are not without tools. So I offer two solutions for consideration.

First, invest in independent media and writing. I launched Let’s Address This with the intention of providing clear, factual, objective, and truthful analysis on the critical human rights issues that impact each of us. To date we have published more than 400 pieces doing just that. And you have responded, with more than 131,000 (and counting) subscriptions. Thank you for your trust and support. Let’s keep building.

Two, I use critical tools to ensure accuracy. One valuable tool I use is Ground News—a platform that every reader who cares about truth and transparency should have at their fingertips. Ground News is not just another news app. It’s a revolution in how we consume information in the age of propaganda and clickbait. It does what corporate media refuses to do: show you the whole picture.

Here’s why it matters:

✅ Bias Analysis: Ground News clearly shows you where an outlet leans—left, right, center—and how reliable its reporting is. No more guessing. No more being manipulated by one-sided coverage.

✅ Funding Transparency: Want to know who owns the outlet feeding you information? Ground News tells you. Because ownership matters. Because motives matter. As Jeff Bezos pushes out Pulitzer prize winning journalists who object to his biased reporting, Ground News helps ensure you see that bias a mile away.

✅ Global Comparison: Ground News compiles related stories from across the globe—so you can see how different countries, different political factions, and different journalists are covering the same event. It restores your power to decide what’s true. The world is, in fact, bigger than the United States, and our media analysis should reflect that.

And unlike billionaire-run media, Ground News is reader-supported. It’s built for people, not profits. It answers to you, not advertisers.

I’ve written about Ground News before, and I will continue to write about it, because it works and it’s ethical. I use Ground News’ Vantage Plan to research and write my articles. You can too—click here to subscribe at 40% off—bringing the price down to just $5/month. This link supports my work, and more importantly, keeps you armed with a better understanding of the full picture in a time of disinformation.

The Time for Action Is Now

The murder of Jamal Khashoggi should have been a turning point. Instead, it became a warning sign we chose to ignore. The question now is not just, Who killed Jamal Khashoggi? It’s, Who will they come for next? Journalists? Activists? Ordinary citizens who refuse to fall in line?

When truth is silenced, tyranny thrives.

But we are not powerless. We can still choose what we read. We can still choose to support the journalists and platforms that put truth over profits. We can still fight back—with information, with solidarity, and with courage. This is why I write. This is why I publish daily. This is why I partner with Ground News.

Because the truth still matters. And because democracy doesn’t die overnight—it dies one ignored atrocity at a time. Let’s make sure it doesn’t die on our watch.