I have a reputation for bringing hidden truths to light, but the most damning truth about the

Trump crime world is that very little of its illicit activity was hidden.

It was out there, decontextualized and obscured, but reported in real time for decades on end. I stood out as an anomaly, not for what I claimed,

but that I thought it was important, particularly when it came to predicting how he would act as

president. From 2015 until 2021, my response to inquiries about how I was able to predict Trump's behavior was,

it was in the public domain. I lost track of the number of times I told a dubious reporter

deeming my allegations of Trump and his associates' past behavior, a conspiracy theory,

to simply consult their old archives for proof.

But it was the availability of archival materials that allowed me, and other journalists and

social scientists, to put the pieces together. For nearly the entirety of Trump's campaign

and tenure in office, most media outlets remained free.

Many offered archives that provided a window into decades of dirty deeds. But in the beginning of

2021, after democracy had been defenestrated, that window abruptly closed.

He who controls the past controls the future, said Orwell.

And now they who control the past decided people needed to pony up to see what had happened.

By spring 2021, nearly every major news outlet had erected a paywall,

often prohibitively expensive, that blocked content from general view.

Journalists, both frustrated with the paywalls or facing layoffs after financial restructuring,

quit and started their own newsletters or podcasts, many of which also required a subscription to access. What remained free of charge?

Misinformation, propaganda, and lies. Memes, fact-deprived political propaganda, and lies.

Memes, fact-deprived political websites,

and social media gossip continued to circulate as the hard news hit away.

...