From the Editor-in-Chief
A word from the Editor-in-Chief
Over the last thirty years, international media has changed – as has the world. Only, for the media the change wasn’t for the better. Journalists, once leading the way, largely became suppliers of content on demand. The tastes of consumers and the pressure of activists now dictate what is reported, what is investigated, who is criticised.
One example is the Trump presidency. The media has largely divided into a Trump-hate-club and a (much smaller) Trump-fan-club. Objective reporting on what the President really achieved, and what he really messed up, is practically impossible to find. Partisanship became the norm. We see a similar approach to almost any sensitive topic: global warming, abortion, same-sex marriage – you name it.
This is bad journalism. And it gets worse in the field of human rights.
On 8 and 9 January 2026, the Iranian regime massacred tens of thousands of its own unarmed citizens, whose only crime was protesting against the dictatorship, the corruption and the regime’s inability to provide even basic living conditions. The exact death toll is still disputed, but it was very likely close to forty thousand – women, men, children and the elderly.
Yet this massacre, like many others around the world, did not trigger mass demonstrations in Western cities, coordinated campaigns on social media or riots at major universities.
This was not by chance. According to media reviews, the massacre received less than half the coverage given to the conflict in Gaza, and drew a hundred times fewer protests (JPPI/Glazer Information Center).
Selective coverage leads to selective outrage and selective compassion.
Terminology that is loaded in the coverage of one issue is often treated as ambiguous in the coverage of others.
Why does this happen? Because legacy media largely stopped being courageous leaders and became lazy followers. Activists, often from the political fringes, set the agenda. Hostile states invest enormous sums to skew the information space in their favour.
And journalism, once a noble profession of pioneering mavericks, became a service – subdued by the rules of the free market, satisfying the tastes of masses that are pre-cooked by someone else.
Where democracies lose the initiative, others pick up the torch: conspiracy theorists, lobbyists, religious fundamentalists and, above all, powerful state actors.
This project aims to resurrect the fearless, honest journalism that once was the norm. Not “fearless” as extremists on the left and right understand it, not “honest” as conspiracy theorists see it. Real independent, liberal, democratic journalism.
We are not naïve. We fully understand the diminishing role of traditional media in today’s world. Meridian 21 is only one part of a much larger project against disinformation and extremism – a broad daily that serves as the cornerstone of a wider network of democratic, liberal and honest sources. We are building a presence on social media, making inroads with young people who often avoid the news altogether, and reaching into the developing world, which is chronically underserved by quality journalism.
One way to get closer to our readers is to make objective reporting free – free of paywalls and free of intrusive advertising.
Ours is a non-profit endeavour. Meridian 21 is published by an NGO, Libera Mondo (Free World, in Esperanto), and supported by a broad base of donors.
We are under no illusion that one daily can undo thirty years of drift. But someone has to begin – and we would rather begin, and be judged for trying, than wait for permission.
So here is what we promise. We will not tell you what to think. We will do the harder part – finding out what happened, to whom, and why it matters – and we will do it without fear and without a sponsor whispering in our ear. What you make of it is yours.
Welcome to Meridian 21.
If you are a journalist who still believes reporting should lead rather than follow, come and write with us. If you believe this work should exist and want to help it begin, help us fund it. Either way — write to us at editor@meridian21.com.