As I once explained all the way back in August, no one is censoring deranged screech harpy Sheila Gunn Reid or anyone at Der Rebel; rather, Rebel was (as you can read) fined all of $3,000 for not registering as a third-party advertiser, nothing more.
Note however, how -- in order to hoover up cash from the dumbest people on the planet (aka "Rebel Nation") -- Rebel once insisted they needed at least $300,000 to take this fight to the Supreme Court, and are currently asking for another $50,000, all in aid of fighting $3,000 in fines that they know -- that they know -- they deserved.
There's grift, there's awesome grift, and then there's Sheila Gunn Reid:
BONUS TRACK: In case you think I'm exaggerating about the level of pure grift here, this is a screenshot:
That would be Ezra, adamant that he will fight "a few thousand dollars" in fines, and is ready to spend at least -- at least -- $300,000 to do it.
Sure, that sounds legit. After all, it's your money, not his.
7 comments:
"I give my money to Ezra Levant so that he can fight the librull-commies who would steal my tax dollars to provide me with health care and education!"
@thwap: what's really pathetic here is the grifters that run The Rebel have basically monetized stupidity. It's brutally obvious that 99% of their fundraisers are for causes that will likely as not never see the inside of a courtroom.
Financially, it's the equivalent of a lottery, only you know from the start you'll never get a dime back
I'm curious about what's happening at the Rebel behind the scenes these days. Anybody have any inside info?
- They're shifting their brand away from its focus on Ezra and Dave, both of whom are becoming less and less prominent on the site. Tnat in and of itself is a very good idea; they both look exhausted and dispirited in their increasingly rare video appearances, and they both seem stuck on old grievances and beating the self-martyrdom drum.
- I assume they're attempting to attract a younger crowd, which makes Sheila's new prominence a little surprising. Shes very much of the old vitriol and bullshit brand, which I'm sure plays well just before last call at the Legion in Lethbridge, but is of limited appeal to anyone who actually reads ANY print or online source except for the Rebel.
- What limited energy remains comes from wife beater Avi Yemeni in Australia, but even that's fading (thanks in part, I assume, to a few very insightful articles over the last couple of months about the extreme right's extreme bullshit in its near psychotic exploitation of public weariness at Australian public health measures.
- As for Ezra's new crop of inexperienced kids embarrassing themselves by cosplaying kid reporter - well, that's why the "democracy fund" provides grants for training folks without any journalism credentials - I assume that would pay in part for their salaries, and for the "mentorship" (gag) they receive from the old farts. It's a sweet little grift. I feel a bit sorry for them, actually. Probably sounds like a fun gig, it's money a byline, and a line on the CV. What they haven't figure out is that no-one who works for the Rebel will ever work for a legitimate media outlet again.
@Anonymous at 10:39AM:
I don't spend a lot of time looking at the Rebel, so I'll run with your observations as reasonably accurate.
Going back to when Ezra was running The Western Standard (2004-2007/8ish), there's a similar pattern - run things into the ground, get bored, withdraw / shutter the operation. Western Standard in some ways was a successor to the Byfield's "Report" publications which folded up in 2003.
What you are describing sounds like Ezra's version of "The Rebel" has run its course for him, and he's getting ready to move on to something else. The number of failed litigations is beginning to mount up, and I suspect that Ezra can't bury the costs much longer - even with the relatively successful fundraising model they're using. (and yes, as much as it annoys me, it is a successful model)
Expect to see The Rebel getting sold to someone else (Scheer?) in the next while as Ezra extracts himself from the operation. The Rebel won't go away, but it will become part of the Conservative "welfare/training machine" - much like The Western Standard has, and the CTF did. (Although there's an argument that the CTF was created specifically as a training ground for conservatives)
What's next for Ezra? Probably a comfy seat on the Democracy Fund board where he can siphon up donation $ there to continue to pay out the legal expenses from numerous lawsuits he is currently embroiled in. (and gets to play "lawyer" without having to actually be a lawyer.
One more bit to toss into the picture - for the last year or so, The Rebel has been advertising for a couple of positions that sound like the last shreds of actual work associated with Ezra's diminishing role at the Rebel
- a "Director of Development" to "maintain and grow relationships with our generous donors"
- an "Outreach Coordinator" to "share Rebel News stories and campaigns with like-minded media, NGOs and other influential public figures with the goal of promoting the Rebel News brand, spreading public interest in our channel, inducing others to follow our stories and campaigns.
I think the writing is on the wall - they've put ALL their indignation and fundraising eggs in the "COVID RESISTANCE" basket, an input that's going to evaporate within a few months as the pandemic wanes.
Anonymous @ 12:24PM:
Or it could just be plain old burnout. One might imagine that even someone as perpetually toxic as Ezra has limits to how long they can play the angry/aggrieved/outraged card.
TBH, the few bits I’ve seen (I generally don’t waste time watching their trash), Ezra’s become increasingly bored with what he’s doing. I also think part of this is just the normal course of any of Ezra’s ventures - they have a natural lifespan of 3-5 years, and The Rebel is into its 6th year now. It might stumble along a bit longer because its got a few other toxic personalities in it, but frankly it’s run its course.
@MgS Isn't monetizing stupidity basically the definition of grift? Old as the hills. One born every minute, and all that.
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