Friday, August 24, 2018

Media Roots — US Sanctions Shut Down ‘The Empire Files’ with Abby Martin

The Empire Files is temporarily appealing for donations on a one-time and monthly basis to continue production in the midst of US attacks on the TeleSUR Network.
As a result of US sanctions against Venezuela, The Empire Files has been forced to completely shut down operations.
The Empire Files, which airs on TeleSUR throughout Latin America and on Free Speech TV and The Real News Network in the United States, has been funded through a contract with the TeleSUR network. As Abby Martin’s primary broadcast, it has released over 100 documentaries, interviews and on-the-ground exposés from battlefields in Palestine, Venezuela and beyond.
As a result of financial attacks by the US government on the primary source of TeleSUR’s funding, production was halted before the completion of Empire Files Season Two.
Season Three, contracted for 26 episodes, was scheduled to begin on July 1. But with the US government blocking wire transfers that originate in Venezuela, the ability to receive funding has not been possible.
For over a year, funding has been sporadic and often delayed. The Empire Files has been operating by alternating between waiting for late payments and funding production out-of-pocket.
However, with US attacks and sanctions intensifying, the ability to receive funds appears to have been cut-off completely.
Contract TeleSUR journalists elsewhere, including at Empire Files, have had funding blocked by the US government for over 6 months. Even wire transfers not originating in Venezuela, but ally countries which also fund TeleSUR, have been severed.
There appears to be no solution, and no end in sight, to this ongoing financial attack.
The Empire Files officially halted all production on May 27, and had to cut all staff prior to that. But we have been holding-off on an official announcement in hopes that the wall put in place by the Trump Administration would be overcome.
We are making this announcement now because, after numerous attempts and constant rejections of all types of fund transfers, we do not believe this barrier will be removed in the near future....
Media Roots
US Sanctions Shut Down ‘The Empire Files’ with Abby Martin

11 comments:

Konrad said...

I would donate to keep Abby going if I had the money.

Venezuela could wire money to some neutral third country, which erases its source, and forwards it to Abby Martin. However this won’t work, since the U.S. government would investigate any foreign party who sent money to Abby’s bank account. And even if Abby could survive that, YouTube would purge all her videos and channels. The U.S. government has already censored her by cutting off her funding.

First they cut your funding. If that doesn’t do it, they purge you. Twitter and Facebook have been purging anyone who questions media lies, and who has a large audience. If that doesn’t do it, they forbid any web site from hosting you. Yesterday Google purged 39 English language channels from YouTube, plus 13 English language accounts on Google+, plus six blogs from blogger. Goggle claimed that the 59 accounts had “ties to Iran,” but would not explain what that meant. If that doesn’t do it, they block foreign web sites that host you. If that doesn’t do it, they assassinate you.

Tough times for Abby. Wish I could help her. (Hell, I wish she was my girlfriend.)

Kaivey said...

Cor! She's gorgeous, Konrad. I wish I had the money to help too.

Konrad said...

Yes I have long had a secret crush on her. Not only for her looks, but for her mind, and even her voice.

Kaivey said...

Yes, Konrad, her personality is attractive to. I spend as much time fancying her as I do listening to her.

Kaivey said...

And I should use my name, Kevin Vincent, more, but I set up my Google account with the pseudonym, Kaivey, long before I joined MNE's.

Noah Way said...

VIPS will get axed shortly as will Ray McGovern's site and various others speaking against corrupt power.

Kaivey said...

The people aren't being informed. On another Katie Hopkins video people were leaving horrid comments about Muslim immigrants. Now I can understand how people feel and they are scared, but I left some comments telling them who is behind the immigration crisis and why. I also gave them a link to Paul Craig Roberts' site. PCR has always feared he's on their list to be shut down.

It's scary to see this mass propaganda in the West where no one knows the truth. Billions of people have no clue and think the real news is fake news. Even my brother had a go at me once for saying on Facebook that the Skripal affair was a hoax and that Boris Johnson and Theresa May were lying. He thinks I'm some kind of pro Putin subversive. It's like in Nazi Germany where family members, neibours, and friends became divided enemies.

Matt Franko said...

Giving her munnie would be like giving munnie fo Trump University....

Konrad said...

She mainly lives in the USA, and she can’t spend Venezuelan bolivares outside Venezuela.

And if she (or anyone else) brings more than the equivalent of USD $10K into the USA, she must declare it at customs each time. If she brings in less than USD $10K several times, that is called "scheduling," and she will again be caught.

Besides, if she somehow gets around the U.S. attack on her funding, then U.S. social media platforms will simply censor her.

Noah Way said...

It's like in Nazi Germany where family members, neibours, and friends became divided enemies.

Mission accomplished! When we are all at each other's throats we won't band together against them.

Matt Franko said...

Well then She could just set up her own production company here and generate her needed advertising revenue right here in the USA in USDs and teleSur could just distribute it perhaps... munnie would never have to leave the US system..