Over a year ago, I submitted a book proposal about the failures of corporate media. No one wanted to touch it because corporate media would promote it. So I'm releasing chapters here for free.
I listen to the Daily beans every day. I know you speak the truth and have helped me with my anxiety. Everyone says not to worry but I can't believe that anymore. There is no one to talk to so I listen to you and Dana. Thank you for all you do
What a great essay, AG -- thanks so much for sharing it with us here. Like many of us, I have moved away from legacy media (unless you count The Guardian as legacy, but I think they're in a category of their own, pretty much). I have been carefully curating my email news feed (thank you, Substack), prioritising writers like you, Joyce Vance, HCR, Harry Litman, etc. It takes more time to read the news, as a result, but it's worth it. Thanks again for the work that you do, however you want to describe it!! Cheers from the Canadalands (which are not for sale, and will not be intimidated!)
I'm in awe of your accomplisments, thank you for everything you do!! I follow your podcasts and always learn so much from you and guests. The next few years will be terrifying and I'm glad to have your support ❤️
Alison, I've followed and loed your work since 2016. I am a literary agent and consultant. I'm interested in selling this for you. I know your agent went through a bunch of editors, but the timing is different. bigfishleap.com Herb Schaffner
Title: Arranges, Conducts and Performs Information Symphonies
Skills: Assembly and arrangement of the incoherent and corrupted into coherent and authentic information symphonies. Personal performance and conducting of information orchestras
Projects: Producing and performing podcasts, articles, books and posts
Your posts, and posts like these are the only "news" I am going to consume from now on. For all the reasons you mentioned (speed vs. substance) AND because your analyses are informative and clear, I need this. I also need to upgrade to a paid subscription. This is where our "news" money should be spent. Thank you.
As a working musician and college music professor, and an activist who follows your work closely, this whole exegesis rang true. THANK YOU for what you do!
I'm 1962. That's roughly GenX-10 or so. Awkward. Early '60's babies have pretty much no cultural constituency, eg., we were old enough to hate disco, but we get treated like we invented it. 😑.
Anyway, I'm reading about how you define your role in new media and I keep thinking of my Mass Media, Journalism, and Comms profs trying to define mine during the early Reagan years. They were just beginning to recognize what ownership consolidation, a fundamental building block of trickle-down, was already doing to how we communicate to audiences even then.
As a ’59er I always thought I was a baby boomer (1946-1964), but I see that I also fit generation Jones (1954-1965). I'd never heard of generation Jones before (so thank you, it'll be one of my ‘you learn something new every day’ items for today 🙂). However, one of the factors describing generation Jones is “not having grown up without a TV”. We didn't get a (B&W) TV until 1970, so I guess I didn't really grow up with one (to be fair, it does say “most”), although we did have a colour TV the year we lived in the US (the academic year ’67-8, in Champaign-Urbana (my dad was a mathematics professor and Champaign-Urbana (as was: it's now known as Urbana-Champaign, don't ask me why) is the site of the University of Illinois (UI). It's probably best known because the Chicago Bears moved to UI's Memorial Stadium in 2002, while their stadium, Soldier Field, was being rebuilt).
Generations seem to have become shorter since the boomers (qv https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation?wprov=sfla1) at around 15 years. I'd always thought that a generation it's really around 30 years, that being the age by which most people start their families, but I've also thought it to be a bit of a vague concept. In the social sciences it appears to be founded along major influential events experienced during the first 20 years of life, although the moon landings aren't mentioned, which I would have thought was one of the most monumental events of the 20ᵗʰ century: it really felt like the whole world was watching and united behind it, that it was seen as not just a US achievement, but one of all humanity. Anyway, I've always thought that boomers were one of the most diverse and largest generations, so it could well do with being separated. I'm not so sure I like being called a Jones though 😄.
Yes, thanks for the link! My sibs and I are '54-'62. Joneser's Dad's did the forgotten war, Korea, but their kids were mostly too young to know Kennedy or fight in Vietnam. We had the privilege of being old enough by the time personal computing came along (right after Disco, 🤮) to recognize that huge changes were coming on many new fronts , while Gen X'ers were still teething and my older sibs were still trying to preserve the '60's (and Disco!).
Ha! I only liked disco for a minute when I met a cute guy who took me disco dancing in '79. My four siblings are all younger ('63-'70) so I identify a little bit with GenX, but still felt out on my own a lot.
This post of yours has finally inspired me to subscribe! Masterful piece of writing. And I feel this, having had serious pursuits as a classical flutist, in painting, children’s fabric design, and finally finding my sweet spot in writing urban and historical fantasy. I do feel that writing is painting with words. And I teach (very part-time) art students how to write spec fiction. It’s a course I would have loved back in art school! I will continue to read your posts and be guided by them as we enter dangerous days ahead.
Love this post. I would definitely buy your book if you can get it published. You’re a great writer and you have a perfect podcast voice. Can you tell I love everything about you🤣😂🤣
You are amazing! I'm part of a small community radio station staffed entirely by volunteers. Our remarkable News Director, Lori Gallo Stoddard often says that it's our job in News to add context to content.. I very much want to read the rest of your chapters!
Thank you for sharing! Corporate media has failed us. Take heart that government workers like me will undermine Trump just like we did during his first term: https://democracydefender2025.substack.com/p/the-resistance-is-strong-and-deep
What a life Allison. Humanitarian might make it in one word, lol.
Certainly a Renaissance lady.
Much love my dear !!!
A renaissance badass.
I so agree !!! lol
I love the word “lady,” I used woman, but I think lady is more appropriate
I no longer like the word ‘lady,’ except in special cases because where I moved ‘lady’ usually means White and ‘woman’ means Black.
I listen to the Daily beans every day. I know you speak the truth and have helped me with my anxiety. Everyone says not to worry but I can't believe that anymore. There is no one to talk to so I listen to you and Dana. Thank you for all you do
What a great essay, AG -- thanks so much for sharing it with us here. Like many of us, I have moved away from legacy media (unless you count The Guardian as legacy, but I think they're in a category of their own, pretty much). I have been carefully curating my email news feed (thank you, Substack), prioritising writers like you, Joyce Vance, HCR, Harry Litman, etc. It takes more time to read the news, as a result, but it's worth it. Thanks again for the work that you do, however you want to describe it!! Cheers from the Canadalands (which are not for sale, and will not be intimidated!)
I'm in awe of your accomplisments, thank you for everything you do!! I follow your podcasts and always learn so much from you and guests. The next few years will be terrifying and I'm glad to have your support ❤️
Alison, I've followed and loed your work since 2016. I am a literary agent and consultant. I'm interested in selling this for you. I know your agent went through a bunch of editors, but the timing is different. bigfishleap.com Herb Schaffner
Allison Gill, Information Artist
Industry: Information Symphonics
Title: Arranges, Conducts and Performs Information Symphonies
Skills: Assembly and arrangement of the incoherent and corrupted into coherent and authentic information symphonies. Personal performance and conducting of information orchestras
Projects: Producing and performing podcasts, articles, books and posts
Genres: Politics
Your posts, and posts like these are the only "news" I am going to consume from now on. For all the reasons you mentioned (speed vs. substance) AND because your analyses are informative and clear, I need this. I also need to upgrade to a paid subscription. This is where our "news" money should be spent. Thank you.
As a working musician and college music professor, and an activist who follows your work closely, this whole exegesis rang true. THANK YOU for what you do!
I'm 1962. That's roughly GenX-10 or so. Awkward. Early '60's babies have pretty much no cultural constituency, eg., we were old enough to hate disco, but we get treated like we invented it. 😑.
Anyway, I'm reading about how you define your role in new media and I keep thinking of my Mass Media, Journalism, and Comms profs trying to define mine during the early Reagan years. They were just beginning to recognize what ownership consolidation, a fundamental building block of trickle-down, was already doing to how we communicate to audiences even then.
They were preparing us for the inevitable.
Now the poor souls are spinning in their graves.
Late 1961 here. We're Generation Jones! https://www.politico.eu/article/generation-jones-and-the-new-era-in-global-leadership/
As a ’59er I always thought I was a baby boomer (1946-1964), but I see that I also fit generation Jones (1954-1965). I'd never heard of generation Jones before (so thank you, it'll be one of my ‘you learn something new every day’ items for today 🙂). However, one of the factors describing generation Jones is “not having grown up without a TV”. We didn't get a (B&W) TV until 1970, so I guess I didn't really grow up with one (to be fair, it does say “most”), although we did have a colour TV the year we lived in the US (the academic year ’67-8, in Champaign-Urbana (my dad was a mathematics professor and Champaign-Urbana (as was: it's now known as Urbana-Champaign, don't ask me why) is the site of the University of Illinois (UI). It's probably best known because the Chicago Bears moved to UI's Memorial Stadium in 2002, while their stadium, Soldier Field, was being rebuilt).
Generations seem to have become shorter since the boomers (qv https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation?wprov=sfla1) at around 15 years. I'd always thought that a generation it's really around 30 years, that being the age by which most people start their families, but I've also thought it to be a bit of a vague concept. In the social sciences it appears to be founded along major influential events experienced during the first 20 years of life, although the moon landings aren't mentioned, which I would have thought was one of the most monumental events of the 20ᵗʰ century: it really felt like the whole world was watching and united behind it, that it was seen as not just a US achievement, but one of all humanity. Anyway, I've always thought that boomers were one of the most diverse and largest generations, so it could well do with being separated. I'm not so sure I like being called a Jones though 😄.
Yes, thanks for the link! My sibs and I are '54-'62. Joneser's Dad's did the forgotten war, Korea, but their kids were mostly too young to know Kennedy or fight in Vietnam. We had the privilege of being old enough by the time personal computing came along (right after Disco, 🤮) to recognize that huge changes were coming on many new fronts , while Gen X'ers were still teething and my older sibs were still trying to preserve the '60's (and Disco!).
Ha! I only liked disco for a minute when I met a cute guy who took me disco dancing in '79. My four siblings are all younger ('63-'70) so I identify a little bit with GenX, but still felt out on my own a lot.
This post of yours has finally inspired me to subscribe! Masterful piece of writing. And I feel this, having had serious pursuits as a classical flutist, in painting, children’s fabric design, and finally finding my sweet spot in writing urban and historical fantasy. I do feel that writing is painting with words. And I teach (very part-time) art students how to write spec fiction. It’s a course I would have loved back in art school! I will continue to read your posts and be guided by them as we enter dangerous days ahead.
Love this post. I would definitely buy your book if you can get it published. You’re a great writer and you have a perfect podcast voice. Can you tell I love everything about you🤣😂🤣
All those things are amazing. Please know I’m an ardent follower and enjoy everything you write everywhere. Thank You !!
PERFECTION. You are a treasure.
I will be a new follower, because I need a more melodic version of the news. This was interesting and informative. Thanks.
You are amazing! I'm part of a small community radio station staffed entirely by volunteers. Our remarkable News Director, Lori Gallo Stoddard often says that it's our job in News to add context to content.. I very much want to read the rest of your chapters!