Welcome back to KK&F — this week we’re joined by Katie Halper to discuss how she was dismissed from her appearances on The Hill’s Rising in retaliation for her coverage of Israeli apartheid. As ironic and counterintuitive as it sounds, conservatives literally make a career out of crying “cancel culture.” And when right-wingers do face consequences (books pulled from shelves, Twitter accounts permanently banned) for spreading dangerous misinformation, you’ll notice that we keep hearing from them — now on the topic of endangered free speech. But when independent left-wing reporters like Katie tackle significant issues dealing with human rights abuses — issues that reveal the U.S.’s own hegemonic interests in the Middle East — they’re kicked off platforms that tout themselves as open-minded and intellectually diverse.

This hypocrisy reminds us how important — and difficult — it is for the American left to fight back against corrupt media institutions. For her part, Katie has done an incredible job bringing attention to the topics those institutions have deemed “taboo,” and she’s also spoken on other platforms about the significance of her firing from The Hill (you can check out this interview on the Intercept). We hope you enjoy this critical conversation with a truly important voice in international left politics, and we’re grateful to you for joining us for another week of KK&F.

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