In a stark assessment of the American media landscape, a Guardian columnist has expressed profound relief at working for a reader-funded publication, as rival outlets grapple with the dual pressures of billionaire ownership and political intimidation.
The Squeeze on American Journalism
The year 2024 marked a turning point, ushering in an era where major US news organisations found themselves negotiating between competing and often compromising incentives. On one front, a wave of consolidation has placed powerful outlets in the hands of a few ultra-wealthy individuals.
The influence of these proprietors is palpable. The Murdoch family's dynamics shape Fox, while Jeff Bezos has imprinted his vision on the Washington Post. Pharmaceutical magnate Patrick Soon-Shiong exerts influence at the Los Angeles Times, and the Trump-aligned Ellison family now controls Paramount and CBS, having launched hostile takeover bids for CNN owner Warner Bros. in the final weeks of 2025.
Concurrently, media faces tremendous pressure from the Trump administration. Donald Trump has personally employed a strategy of frivolous defamation lawsuits and weaponised regulatory agencies to punish critical coverage. He secured a vast settlement from CBS over a minor edit to a Kamala Harris interview on 60 Minutes, sued the New York Times, and saw his FCC chair threaten ABC's broadcast licence over a comedian's on-air comments.
A Sanctuary of Editorial Integrity
Caught between the preferences of owners and the threat of governmental retaliation, some outlets have softened their coverage, hedged bets, and reshaped opinion sections to avoid conflict. The result, despite many journalists' best efforts, has been a palpable decline in quality.
"It might be most generous to characterise their behaviour as negotiating between competing incentives," the columnist notes, highlighting how the core mandate to serve readers and tell the truth has too often been sidelined.
Against this backdrop, the Guardian's model stands apart. "The Guardian has never – and would never – ask me to pull a punch," the columnist states emphatically. Coverage is not shaped by political expediency or a desire to avoid trouble. Crucially, the publication is both willing and able to challenge the powerful.
Powered by Readers, Not Billionaires
This steadfast independence is rooted in its ownership structure. Free from a billionaire proprietor, the Guardian does not need to flatter an owner's ego or advance their business interests through its opinion pages. Instead, it is funded by its readers, whose financial contributions directly support investigations and sustain the newsroom.
"It is you, not a billionaire, that we answer to," the columnist writes, addressing the Guardian's global readership. This relationship creates a direct accountability to the public interest.
As the US media continues to flounder, uncertain of its profit models and unsteady in navigating the Trump era, the Guardian remains a rare haven. The columnist describes the opportunity to work there as "the greatest honour" of their career, a place where telling the truth as they see it remains the paramount objective, shielded from the corrosive forces reshaping much of American journalism.
