U.S. Media Discovers Internet Blackouts — Abroad, Naturally
The Financial Times highlights Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's move to impose an internet blackout ahead of elections, a tactic designed to stifle dissent and control information flow (FT, Jan 14, 2026). This is, of course, presented as a clear affront to democracy and free speech. And it is. Yet, the same media outlets consistently fail to apply similar scrutiny to the pervasive, albeit more
subtle, information blackouts and narrative controls within their own 'democracies.' While lamenting Museveni's 'crackdown,' these outlets often amplify state-sponsored narratives, deplatform dissenting voices, and actively ignore verifiable public data revealing foreign influence in their own elections. (Remember when the 'free press' unanimously condemned Edward Snowden?) It seems 'democracy' is
only genuinely threatened when the oppressor isn't a U.S. ally or influencing our own elections via PACs (OpenSecrets.org data consistently reveals millions in foreign-aligned lobbying), making outrage a selective, geographical phenomenon.