Journalists Outraged When FBI Acts Like FBI, Not Just on Brown People
The Independent reports collective horror from press organizations after the FBI searched a Washington Post reporter's residence. This, we're told, is a shocking new development, unprecedented for 'free democracies.' One might wonder if these same esteemed organizations recall the FBI's consistent, unyielding surveillance and harassment of whistleblowers like Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning, and
Edward Snowden, or the raids on activists' homes that don't make the front page because the activists aren't based in Georgetown. The media's performative amnesia is astounding. For years, the FBI has routinely targeted marginalized communities, anti-war activists, and investigative journalists operating outside corporate guardrails. But the moment the long arm of the law brushes against a pillar
of the Washington establishment, suddenly it's 'illiberal.' Perhaps the criteria for an 'illiberal regime' is simply one that inconveniences a Washington Post reporter, not one that systematically violates civil liberties for decades.