The Messenger, aka The Hill 2.0, which just this morning the Daily Beast reported is weeks away from running out of cash to fund operations, having only generating less than $5 million in revenue after founder Jimmy Finkelstein promised $100 million after its May launch, is desperately seeking a buyer and if we hadn’t given it away in the headline you probably would have already guessed that this is exactly the kind of opportunity that malign, moneyed right wingers thrive.
The sharks include, per Axios “Omeed Malik, a financier who backed Tucker Carlson’s new media venture, Garrett Ventry, a Republican political operative, Ryan Coyne, founder of digital media agency Starboard, and George Farmer, the former CEO of Parler who sits on the board of Britain’s conservative news network, GB News.” Without any skepticism whatsoever, Axios writes that the group “aren’t interested in getting involved with the company’s editorial efforts, but believe The Messenger needs to create more revenue opportunities beyond traffic-based advertising and events,” even after mentioning that their $30 million offer “for a 51 percent position – could provide The Messenger with a much-needed lifeline, but would require Finkelstein to give up control.”
It’s not like The Messenger or The Hill under Finkelstein were ever bastions of progressive, rational coverage, but it’s hard to credit any of this shit about the MAGA propaganda dickheads not being interested in making any changes to the editorial direction of the site like Axios does so blithely.