By Joseph Farah

You hear it every day – from all the Democratic presidential candidates and 98 percent of the media: The existential threat facing America and the world is … climate change. They are in agreement that we must adopt a radical new lifestyle of coercive government control, stop using gas-powered cars and trucks, do without air travel, stop raising children.

But we don’t need to adopt a Green New Deal to save the planet.

We need to adopt a Media New Deal to save free speech, the free press, freedom of religion and free elections.

That’s what we need.

And we don’t have 10 or 12 years to do it. We may only have until 2020.

America’s freedom has never faced a greater threat. The Democratic Party leadership is now dominated by openly brazen socialists and semi-closeted ones. The Big Media are in the tank for them as never before. And, this time, the biggest and most powerful tech monopolies in the world are censoring dissent, actively destroying the independent media, subverting President Trump at every turn and plotting a putsch for a radical New World Order.

I know I may sound a little … out there today.

But hear me out.

Some of you know my work over the last 20+ years as the pioneer in online news-gathering – the co-founder in 1997 with my wife, Elizabeth, of WorldNetDaily.com, known more recently as WND.com.

WND was the first independent online media company to be approved for White House coverage.

WND was the first independent online media company to be approved to cover the Congress.

WND was the first independent online media company to publish books and produce movies – including dozens of New York Times bestsellers and No. 1 selling films.

In 22 years, WND earned more than $150 million in revenues.

But today, the Google-Facebook cartel (with a supporting cast of You Tube, Amazon, Apple, Twitter and PayPal) have conspired to destroy WND and all the independent media that followed in our path to truth-telling and the countering of fake news.

From 1997 through 2016, WND was apparently too successful.

Following the presidential election of 2016, the robber barons of Google-Facebook and company declared war on the independent media, along with free speech and dissent against their radical leftwing agenda. With control over 95 percent of Internet searches and 80 percent of digital advertising, they began starving WND, Breitbart, the Daily Caller and the rest of the independent media.

From 2017 through 2018, our revenues were slashed by 80 percent – and we’ve been fighting an uphill battle for survival ever since.

Why did they attack us? Because they blamed us for the 2016 election results. (Their Russian collusion excuse was always just a ruse.)

But the independent media are like the proverbial canary in the coalmine. The Google-Facebook Cartel won’t stop when they destroy us. In fact, they are well on their way to destroying America’s most precious institutions of free speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion and free elections.

That’s why I say we don’t need a Green New Deal. We need a Media New Deal. If we can’t achieve it before the 2020 presidential election, the beacon of American liberty could go dark.

Don’t think I am exaggerating. This is the real existential threat we face – not climate change.

Robert Epstein, a Ph.D. research psychologist who focuses on search-engine manipulation, warned that Google’s attempts to manipulate public opinion are more terrifying than the Chinese government’s attempts to control its citizens.

“To me, [China’s manipulation] is scary, but people are aware of it,” he said. “It’s done openly by the government. I think what is happening elsewhere in the world that’s being driven mostly by Google I think is much more dangerous, because it’s mostly invisible,” said Epstein, whose research features prominently in the recent documentary film, “The Creepy Line.”

“There’s no transparency, there’s no accountability,” Epstein added. “It’s a more ambitious kind of surveillance than that of the Chinese government.”

Epstein says he is certain Google employed elements of its ability to change its users’ opinions on whom to vote for in the 2018 midterm election – thus potentially affecting control of the House of Representatives. His research also suggests it is possible for Google to select the winner of the 2020 presidential election – without detection.

A Hillary Clinton supporter in the 2016 election, Epstein says his research suggests Google’s demonstrable pro-Democrat activism in that race explains most of her vote lead in the popular vote.

Epstein says Google has “enormous power to shift opinions and votes, but they’re aware that they have the power, they talk about using the power, and my own data suggests that they do in fact use the power.”

Epstein argued that their bias impacts their algorithms, even without a conscious attempt to influence people.

“There is solid research showing that programmers have a bias of some sort; that bias ends up getting expressed in their code unconsciously,” he said. “Even without deliberateness, we still will end up with algorithms that have biases embedded in them.”

Think about it. Google and Facebook have more of your personal information than the NSA does. Armed with that data and their algorithms, Epstein charges, Google and Facebook have the power not only to change your mind about who to vote for, but they have the power to do it without you even realizing what is happening.

Please understand what I am saying to you today. Google-Facebook is killing us. But the goal of these radicals is much bigger than killing WND. They are aiming to rig the next election and depose Donald Trump. Then they will impose draconian hammerlock control on speech that will pervade the entire Internet. No more opposition, no more dissent.

The hour is indeed late. What can you do?

• Inform yourself! That starts by seeing “The Creepy Line,” a brilliant documentary on the crisis we face. I was not involved in the making of this movie, nor do I derive any financial benefit from anyone for recommending it. I just know it is the best informational tool we have at this time to spread the word. So, please see it – and spread it! Unfortunately, the only way you can see it is through Amazon and Apple – they control everything. But some of your money will support the courageous filmmakers who made it.
• Pray for WND and the rest of the independent media. We’ve worked very hard over the last 22 years to redeem a small slice of the media for you. Today, all that work is threatened. We are fighting for our survival like never before. One of the differences you will recognize within the independent media is that we have a soul and heart for God. We know He is in control and that He responds to the cries of His children. Please cry for us, America. Cry for your country!
• Help us survive to fight another day. Your faithful financial contributions since 2017 have made the difference. We have cut expenses as much as we can. We have stopped publishing new books. We have stopped making news films. All we can do is focus on our core business – bringing you the news and perspective you can’t get anywhere else. Please give as generously as you can. Monthly donations help tremendously. We thank you and bless you for whatever you can do.
• We recently launched WND News Center, a non-profit corporation to which you can make tax-deductible donations in any amount. Soon we will launch a donation website, but, for now, you can send checks to WND News Center, 2020 Pennsylvania Ave NW #351, Washington, DC 20006. Be sure to make your check out to “WND News Center” for the tax deduction. Thank you.