TO: The readers of People’s World
FROM: G. Seb—Volunteer Correspondent, Washington, D.C.
For as long as I can remember, I was always scrolling through news reports and following live broadcasts. It was part of the reason why I became so interested in politics, history, and everything in between. The habit drove me to move to D.C., study all things politics, and eventually walk my own path as a baby activist.
Being a member of Gen-Z, I was also one of those who spent probably too much time on social media. To me, it was one of the most effective means of transferring information between individuals and groups. In a way, social media became the dominant tool of news transfer among my generation and thus also acted as the biggest point of influence in how people view politics.
There was a distinct flashpoint I remember that sparked where I ended up today—writing for People’s World. It was 2019, and I was following reports about the right-wing coup in Bolivia. Many supposedly reputable sources of media like the New York Times were highlighting the supposed corruption of the previous left-wing and pro-Indigenous government as the reason why the coup occurred.
This narrative had me questioning what I understood about Bolivia, a country that I thought had a popular political movement but which was now being accused of electoral fraud and lying to its people. Surprisingly, my confusion was quickly resolved by an unlikely source—a Twitter reply from Elon Musk: “We will coup whoever we want! Deal with it!”
It was a simple phrase, but it was so blatantly prideful in what the 2019 coup really represented in the eyes of its puppeteers. For the billionaires who desired the lithium and natural minerals of Bolivia, the lives and political independence of its people stood in the way. One of the richest people in the world pulled back the curtain on the narrative that Western media had created around the left in Bolivia and its supposed failures to its people.
I remember waiting for the New York Times and other news outlets to expose this blatant confession. Instead, crickets. All the media channels that I thought would drop bombshell articles about the involvement of Musk and other U.S. elites in the Bolivia coup didn’t say anything.
It became immediately obvious that I needed to not only be more diligent in what type of media I consumed but also that the journalism I initially saw as balanced was actually part of the U.S. ruling class’s propaganda machine. Only a few years later, Musk himself bought the social media platform that he used to post his statement, and the connection of media and propaganda couldn’t be ignored.
All media has its biases, but with People’s World, the bias is toward those who have been sidelined and ignored by the largest news companies and social media corporations. The working-class people of this country and abroad for too long have had their voices drowned out by media that doesn’t reflect their interests, by “news” outlets that ignore their stories and distort their realities.
In the heart of the empire, the people who live in its capital know this all too well. In D.C., media companies like The Washington Post and others have shown their true colors as publicity machines for the billionaires rather than producing reporting that presents the interests of the people of the city. As corporations form monopolies and more news falls under the hands of the far right, it’s more imperative that the people have news and media that highlight their stories, their struggles, and their livelihoods.
Supporting People’s World isn’t just supporting independent media; it’s supporting the one of the last bastions of independent news that prides itself in its bias towards the people of the world and not the billionaires that have controlled the news for decades. It means supporting young journalists like myself who want to tell the stories of the people in our communities. It means building the avenue by which people may have their own moments of realization, just like I did when confronted with the reality of corporate media.
Support People’s World by either making a donation to the 2026 Fund Drive or by becoming a monthly sustainer. Your help means that the stories of the working class can continue to be in the spotlight when other newspapers ignore them. Let’s build a media platform where the people are truly at the center.
Solidarity to all working-class people!
G. Seb
CONTRIBUTOR
