Legacy Media's License To Kill

We've lived to see the day when a newspaper excuses the man who butchered their journalist

By November, 2018, the CIA had concluded that Saudi Arabia was responsible for the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. And moreover—that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally ordered the killing. In the months and years that would follow, then candidate Joe Biden promised to make MBS a “pariah” to the world. Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos honored the memory of Khashoggi with a public commemoration. And the Washington Post itself continued to demand accountability for the horrific crime.

And yet, by November 2025, all of it had been memory-holed. MBS walked triumphantly into the White House, shaking hands with Donald Trump. Bezos publicly praised the same regime that murdered his own employee. The Washington Post—which once proclaimed that “democracy dies in darkness”—chose silence.

So what happened in those seven years? And how do we, as the public, ensure we are consuming journalism—not billionaire-funded propaganda designed to whitewash crimes? Let’s Address This.

How Did We Get Here?

1. MBS Kills Jamal Khashoggi

The CIA’s 2018 assessment was clear. Jamal Khashoggi was assassinated inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul—drugged, suffocated, dismembered. American intelligence identified the murder as a premeditated act carried out by agents loyal to Mohammed bin Salman.

This wasn’t just the killing of a journalist. It was the extrajudicial disappearance of a U.S. resident. A direct attack on press freedom. An assault on the idea that truth can stand up to power. For weeks, the Washington Post published editorials demanding accountability. Since fired Washington Post journalist Karen Attiah led the global charge to demand accountability. Jeff Bezos himself memorialized Khashoggi on Twitter with the below Tweet and hashtag “#Jamal.” And initially they found a powerful ally in then candidate Joe Biden as he ran for President.

2. Biden promises to make MBS a pariah, Bezos praises Khashoggi

During the 2020 Presidential campaign, Joe Biden promised to “make MBS a pariah” and that we would no longer sell weapons to the Saudi government because they had “very little redeeming value.”

The moral clarity seemed absolute. Candidate Biden condemned the murder, pledged consequences, and framed the issue as a test of America’s commitment to human rights. Bezos echoed these sentiments. Under his ownership, The Washington Post initially held firm. Journalists, columnists, and readers believed that the murder of a journalist would not be something America simply moved past.

3. Biden goes back on his word, Trump doubles down, Bezos reverses

Then the backslide began.

Then Biden won the election, fist bumped MBS, and reneged. His administration resumed arms sales, normalized relations, and publicly embraced the Saudi government. MBS was no longer a pariah—he was once again an ally.

Trump, returning to the White House, declared MBS “a great friend.”

And perhaps most shocking—the Washington Post has begun rehabilitating the very regime that murdered one of its own. Bezos attended the White House dinner held in honor of MBS. And the same publication that once demanded justice for Khashoggi, now refused to have their journalists at the event so much as ask MBS about the murder. In doing so, they are accepting—and enabling—the very disinformation machine that tried to erase him.

This was not an accident. This was a choice.

Call It What It Is—The Rise of State Media

When billionaires own major media outlets, “news” becomes something closer to state messaging. Not because the government controls it, but because the financial class that funds political power also owns the platforms that shape public perception.

That is a form of state media. And it is dangerous for at least four reasons:

1. It erases history.
The same outlets that once told the truth about Khashoggi’s murder now pretend it never happened. When truth becomes optional, accountability becomes impossible.

2. It protects the powerful, not the public.
When media owners share business interests with authoritarian states, their coverage reflects those interests—not the needs of ordinary people.

3. It normalizes impunity.
If murdering a journalist carries no cost—not even professional condemnation—then nothing is off limits. What else gets violently banned? Protests? Blogging? Tweets?

4. It conditions the public to accept propaganda as journalism.
When news becomes an extension of political and corporate power, democracy loses its immune system. The Fourth Estate collapses. And disinformation rules.

This is what happens when billionaires control information. They decide what you see, what you don’t, who becomes a villain, who gets rehabilitated, and whose death is worth remembering. This is why it is critical that once we recognize this new media reality, we take meaningful action to protect ourselves from disinformation, and build new platforms to fight back against falsehood.

How We Fight Back

1. Support Independent Voices

I launched Let’s Address This to actively confront and counter injustice. Now, more than 635 articles and 35 million readers later, we’ve built something powerful. We’ve exposed corruption, elevated marginalized voices, and challenged fascism at every step. But I cannot and have not done this alone.

If you’re a subscriber, thank you. If you’re not yet, please join us. No paywalls. No billionaire backers. No capitulation to any political party. Just people-powered and fact based insight on the critical human rights issues that impact us all. Every subscription, every share, every read chips away at the disinformation machine.

2. Use Ground News to Cut Through the Noise

How would you know that Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post and dictates their reporting? How would you know this once trusted platform , is now bending the knee to theocratic dictators? Well, up until now many likely wouldn’t. That’s where tools like Ground News come into play—tools I use when researching and writing articles to disseminate to each of you.

Ground News is more than a news website and app—it’s a critical tool in a disinformation age. Here’s how Ground News works and why I encourage you to consider subscribing to them.

On whatever topic you’re informing yourself about, Ground News does three critical things. It gathers related articles globally in one place, reveals source bias and factuality, and cuts through partisanship and sensationalism to focus on the facts. Thus, Ground News reports on who funds a media outlet. So if it’s a billionaire using it as his personal propaganda outlet, you’ll know right away.

It’s also worth mentioning that Ground News itself is subscriber supported, not billionaire funded. So by subscribing, you directly support my newsletter and you contribute to keeping the media transparent. And right now if you subscribe to Ground News at my exclusive link below, you’ll conveniently get 40% off their Vantage Plan, the same one I use. That's $5/month to stop letting other people's agendas control how you think.

Conclusion

Bezos and Washington post is just one example, sadly. I am researching for a future piece that does a deeper dive on how billionaire dollars are attempting to stranglehold our every bit of information consumption. This is devastating to our democracy and basic information freedoms. When billion-dollar media conglomerates exchange integrity for access, when truth becomes negotiable, and when the pursuit of profit outweighs the pursuit of justice, democracy itself hangs in the balance.

But remember, we are not powerless. The same technology used to spread the cancer of disinformation can also expose and excise it— if we choose to support the voices doing the work. That’s where you and I come in.

We can fight back by building the media we deserve. Invest in independent voices rooted in facts, not financiers. By supporting Let’s Address This, you’re fueling insight that refuses to bow to the powerful and continues shining a light on what others are paid to ignore. Every subscription, every share, every act of engagement helps keep this work alive. And by using tools like Ground News, we can reclaim our power as informed citizens.

Because it is not enough to read the news—we must understand who’s behind it. So, subscribe. Stay engaged. Support independent voices and fact-based platforms that serve you, not billionaires.