The Post Millennial

[[File:The Post Millennial Logo (2020).png|thumb|165px|The Post Millennial Logo]]
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'''''The Post Millennial''''' or occasionally '''PM''' is a [[Canadian]] [[far-right]]<ref>{{cite news |title=SubscribeStar Website Lets Extremists Profit From Hate |url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2022/06/03/subscribestar-website-lets-extremists-profit-hate |access-date=12 May 2024 |work=Hatewatch |publisher=[[Southern Poverty Law Center]]|quote= far-right website the Post Millennial}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Fake racial advocacy group asks white parents to keep students out of Ivy League schools |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/fake-racial-right-wing-flyer-b1897079.html |access-date=12 May 2024 |work=The Independent|quote= the Canadian far-right website the Post Millennial}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Fox News and right-wing media circulate seemingly inauthentic “antifa poster” to fearmonger about police protests |url=https://www.mediamatters.org/tucker-carlson/fox-news-and-right-wing-media-circulate-seemingly-inauthentic-antifa-poster |access-date=12 May 2024 |publisher=[[Media Matters for America]]|quote=far-right website The Post Millennial}}</ref> news and opinion website<ref name="canadaland">[https://www.canadalandshow.com/guide-to-new-popular-populist-political-media/ The CANADALAND Guide To New Popular, Populist Political Media] ''Canadaland'' 6 January 2019</ref> founded by Matthew Azrieli and Ali S. Taghva in 2017.<ref name="suburban">[https://www.thesuburban.com/life/lifestyles/the-post-millennial-a-growing-right-of-centre-voice-in-the-media-landscape/article_64d49340-246b-5d92-b1e7-2d64c641437a.html The Post Millennial a growing right-of-centre voice in the media landscape] ''The Suburban'' 24 July 2019</ref> Both Azrieli and Taghva admit to not having any training or expertise in [[journalism]] (with Azrieli only having a degree in song writing), [[Astroturfing|founding the website]] out of dismay at the lack of [[Liberal bias|"right-leaning" material in Canadian media]]<ref name="suburban"/> and with [[Astroturfing|the help of a "seed investment" from his Real Estate managing family which is listed as the 13<sup>th</sup> richest in the country.]]<ref name="canadaland"/> The pair were also involved in the now-defunct conservative website ''The Nectarine.''<ref name="canadaland"/> Ali S. Taghva left the website quietly in the summer of 2020.<ref name="rightwing">[https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/the-post-millennial-canadian-rage-bait-far-right-america/ The Post Millennial: The Latest Canadian Outlet Serving Rage Bait to Far-Right America] ''Right Wing Watch'' 10 September 2020</ref>

Most of the content on ''The Post Millennial'' consists of stories from the [[CBC]] rewritten to reflect far-right viewpoints with very little original, on-the-ground reporting. For example, a press briefing in Ontario (available online from multiple outlets including the government itself) might be "covered" by an author using a "Brooklyn, New York" byline flattering the current conservative premier.<ref>[https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-doug-ford-speaks-out-on-greedy-landlords-tells-them-to-have-a-heart BREAKING: Doug Ford speaks out on greedy landlords, tells them to ‘have a heart’] ''The Post Milennial'' 15 May 2020</ref> The website has become notable as the long-term roost of [[Andy Ngo]] following his collaboration with [[far-right]] groups in Portland<ref name="beast">[https://archive.ph/errtX Right-Wing Star Andy Ngo Exits [redacted] After Damning Video Surfaces] (26 August 2019) by Will Sommer ''The Daily Beast'' (archived from 26 Jan 2025 14:52:26 UTC).</ref> and notorious far right misinformation troll Ian Miles Cheong. In 2019, ''The Post Millennial'' was planning on opening a "six figure broadcast studio" and had more [[Facebook]] engagement than ''[[Rebel Media]]''.<ref name="CBC">[https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/the-post-millennial-journalism-conservative-advocacy-1.5191593 Canadian news site The Post Millennial blurs line between journalism and conservative 'pamphleteering'] ''CBC News'' 27 June 2019</ref> [[Right Wing Watch]] found that most analysis indicates the vast majority of their traffic is coming from the United States.<ref name="rightwing"/> ''The Post Millennal'' has also never applied for membership to the Canadian regulatory body for news media, the National NewsMedia Council, despite receiving numerous complaints about the outlet spreading misinformation.<ref name="rightwing"/>

==Various Notable Editors and Their Adventures==
=== Off to a great Start! ===
Despite frequently using [[Gamergate]]-like appeals to [[Gamergate#"Actually, it's about ethics in video game journalism"|the failure of "journalistic ethics" of others]], ''The Post Millennial'' was found in 2019 to have [[Plagiarism|plagiarized]] its ethics policy from ''[[The New York Times]]'', ''[[The Washington Post]]'', ''The Globe and Mail'', and ''The Toronto Star.'' The Editor in Chief at the time (with no journalistic accreditation) denied that doing so was wrong.<ref name="CBC"/>

=== Oops! We Left for Vacation and Published a Transphobic Neo-Nazi! ===
About a year after its founding, ''The Post Millennial'' published a column<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180708182042/https://www.thepostmillennial.com/bill-c-16-or-the-transgender-identity-bill-is-an-act-of-velvet-totalitarianism/ Bill C-16, or The Transgender Identity Bill, is an act of “Velvet Totalitarianism”] ''The Post Milennial'' 8 July 2018 (archived from the [https://www.thepostmillennial.com/bill-c-16-or-the-transgender-identity-bill-is-an-act-of-velvet-totalitarianism/ original] on the 8 July 2018)</ref> by notoriously [[bigot]]ed ''[[National Post]]'' columnist [[National Post#Barbara Kay|Barbara Kay]] [[transphobia|attacking trans rights by comparing them with totalitarianism and the Medieval Church]] featuring a rather notorious fake quote from [[Voltaire#Famous non-quotes|Voltaire]] which was first coined by open [[neo-Nazi]] [[Kevin Alfred Strom]]. Kay doubled down to agree with the quotation when confronted by saying "The words of the quotation in fact make very good sense, that the mind who thought it up was corrupted by hatred to the point that he was delusionary {{sic}} about who {{sic}} ‘you cannot criticize’ is not my fault.”<ref name="Kay">[https://www.canadalandshow.com/barbara-kay-quotes-neo-nazi-to-justify-attack-on-trans-identity/ Barbara Kay Quotes Neo-Nazi To Justify Attack On Trans Identity] ''Canadaland'' 26 July 2018</ref> The managing editors claimed that, while they were informed of the mistake, they failed to remove the error or the column due to leaving on vacation that day.<ref name="Kay"/>

=== Cosmin Dzsurdzsa ===
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa was one of the most prolific contributors at ''The Post Millennial'' from 2017 to 2019. In addition to lying about his involvement at the Oxford English Dictionary (which had no record of his employment), Dzsurdzsa had previously worked as a "Creative Director and correspondent" at Free Bird Media, which multiple news organizations have characterized as an [[alt-right]] outlet<ref>[https://pressprogress.ca/ontario-pc-candidate-promoted-alt-right-website-linked-to-hate-figures-at-young-conservative-event/ Ontario PC Candidate Promoted Alt-Right Website Linked to Hate Figures at Young Conservative Event] ''PressProgress'' 28 May 2018</ref><ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/skelly-hat-1.4682146 PC candidate draws fire after holding hat associated with controversial right-wing website] ''CBC News'' 29 May 2018</ref> at a time when Free Bird was promoting [[Richard Spencer]] and [[Faith Goldy]]. Founder and Editor-in-Chief Matthew Azrieli's response to Dzsurdzsa's history was first to accuse ''National Observer'' reporters inquiring about Dzsurdzsa's connections of "claims of [[guilt by association]] that are spurious at best and defamatory at worst", with Dzsurdzsa denying any connections on [[Twitter]].<ref name="observe">[https://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/08/22/news/he-used-work-site-promoted-racists-now-he-edits-canadian-news-outlet He used to work for a site that promoted racists — now he edits a Canadian news outlet] ''Canada's National Observer'' 22 August 2019</ref> However ''The Post Millennial'' claimed to have parted ways with Dzsurdzsa in September 2019 due to an investigation of the allegations,<ref name="observe"/> despite his daily posts appeared on the website until the end of October of that year,<ref>[https://thepostmillennial.com/author/cosmindzsurdzsa Cosmin Dzsurdzsa] ''The Post Millennial''</ref> following the exposure of further information on the Post Millennial's involvement in foreign disinformation operations by an anti-racist blog.<ref name="blog">[http://anti-racistcanada.blogspot.com/2019/10/guest-article-nazis-russians-and-tories.html (Guest Article) Nazis, Russians, and Tories; Oh My! Penetration of Conservative Canadian Media by Pro-Russian Actors] ''Anti-Racist Canada'' 16 October 2019</ref> Dzsurdzsa's wife Lindsey Shepherd immediately demanded a retraction following the doxxing of the blog owner.<ref>{{a|https://twitter.com/NewWorldHominin/status/1215361170720337922|Lindsay Shepherd on Twitter}} 9 January 2020</ref>

=== Anna Slatz ===
{{see also|Reduxx}}
As with Andy Ngo, ''The Post Millennial'' has developed a reputation for hiring staff who have been disgraced for association with, or promotion of, far-right sources and fired from more respectable outlets. Previous to her work at ''The Post Millennial'', contributor Anna Slatz (then publishing as Anna De Luca) had gained notoriety in 2018 for uncritically publishing a Letter to the Editor from an openly Neo-Nazi activist named Michael Thurlow for the student paper of the University of New Brunswick.<ref name="blog"/> The letter praised Canada's notoriously abusive {{wpl|Canadian Indian residential school system|Residential School system}} and insisted [[International Jewish conspiracy|Jews were conniving and seeking to control the world]].<ref name="Buzz">[https://www.buzzfeed.com/ishmaeldaro/the-baron-nsclrp This Student Newspaper Let A Nazi Sympathizer Write For Them] ''BuzzFeed News'' 29 January 2018</ref> When pressed by outlets about whether featuring far right sources uncritically did not abrogate journalistic responsibility,<ref name="Brunswick">[https://www.canadalandshow.com/unb-baron-laughs-off-critics-of-nazi-op-ed/ New Brunswick Student Paper Laughs Off Critics Of Nazi Op-Ed] ''Canadaland'' 30 January 2018</ref> despite multiple professional journalist professors insisting that it was,<ref name="Buzz"/> Slatz doubled down, insisting her work was [[Balance fallacy|aimed towards de-polarization]] and represented ''real'' journalistic integrity.<ref name="Brunswick"/> Slatz never apologized, but was removed by the Board of Directors of the paper after a wave of resignations,<ref name="Brunswick"/> shortly thereafter being picked up by ''The Post Millennial''.

From time to time, Slatz attempts to blow [[Gamergate]] embers back into life in the most exploitative ways possible, strongly insinuating a connection between Zoe Quinn and Alec Holowka's [[suicide]].<ref>[https://thepostmillennial.com/exclusive-zoe-quinns-allegations-are-falling-apart EXCLUSIVE: Zoe Quinn’s allegations are falling apart] ''The Post Millennial'' 8 September 2019</ref> (See also: [[Timeline of Gamergate#2019|Timeline of Gamergate § 2019]].)

In the run-up to Remembrance Day 2019, a failed conservative candidate for parliament in Manitoba named Cyara Bird claimed on [[Twitter]] that her cousin had been suspended for refusing to wear a [[rainbow]] poppy her school had mandated as opposed to the traditional red and black lapel poppy.<ref name="natpost">[https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/hate-speech-how-a-rainbow-poppy-from-the-u-k-led-to-a-student-suspension-in-manitoba How a rainbow poppy from the U.K. reportedly led to a student suspension in Manitoba] ''The National Post'' 11 November 2019</ref> Slatz reported the allegations uncritically without a word from the school, or evidence beyond Bird's statements,<ref name="natpost"/> and ''The Post Millennial'' added a photo of an unrelated rainbow poppy made by an unrelated hobby pin maker in the [[United Kingdom]], adding [[Fake news|an air of realism to the story]].<ref name="natpost"/> Despite many on social media and in the press raising [[skepticism]] about rainbow lapel poppies existing at all,<ref>[https://www.citynews1130.com/2019/11/08/upset-about-the-rainbow-poppy-youve-been-duped-by-fake-news/ Upset about the rainbow poppy? You’ve been duped by fake news] ''CityNews Vancouver'' 8 November 2019</ref> both the school and the pin maker were subjected to death threats and abuse over the incident.<ref name="natpost"/> It was eventually revealed (to the surprise of almost nobody) that "rainbow poppies" did not exist at all and the student had been suspended for hanging up posters without permission, opposing any recognition of [[LGBT]] people in poppies.<ref>[https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/rainbow-poppies-canada_ca_5dc2f900e4b0f5dcf8ff01f1 Teachers Did Not Ask Students To Wear 'Rainbow Poppies': Manitoba School's Board] ''HuffPost'' 7 November 2019</ref> Cyara deleted her tweets and apologized for the confusion, but Slatz insisted that she had made no mistakes in reporting despite having set off a large-scale homophobic hoax.<ref>{{a|https://twitter.com/YesThatAnna/status/1193665238073253889|Anna Slatz on Twitter}} 10 November 2019</ref>

Slatz is also the editor-in-chief of her own website, ''[[Reduxx]]''.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20231003045841/https://reduxx.info/author/anna/ Anna Slatz, Author at Reduxx] ''Reduxx'' (archived from the [https://reduxx.info/author/anna/ original] on 03 October 2023)</ref> The long and short of this website is that it's dedicated to publishing articles [[Nutpicking|emphasizing]] there are some individual trans people who have done bad things before. It's not a site well-known for mentioning any of the good things individual trans people have done before. According to the "about" page, they are "proud to take style guidance from [[Women's Liberation Front]]",<ref>[https://archive.ph/umnYr "About - Reduxx"]. ''Reduxx'', via archive.today.</ref> a group dedicated to opposing transgender rights and the [[Equal Rights Amendment]]; WoLF is also funded in part by the [[Alliance Defending Freedom]]. One of the site's staffers, Genevieve Gluck, collaborated with [[The Daily Wire|Daily Wire]] host [[Michael Knowles]] to "expose" the horrors of "hypnosis pornography" and its alleged relevance to transgender people.<ref>[https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/04/rightwing-pundit-warns-listeners-about-hypnosis-adult-content-thats-turning-men-trans/ Rightwing pundit warns listeners about 'hypnosis' adult content that’s turning men trans] ''LGBTQ Nation'' 28 April 2023</ref>

=== Angelo Isidorou ===
In 2020, campus activist Angelo Isidorou joined as an editor. Isidorou had previously shown his chops in whitewashing white nationalists by inviting Andy Ngo to the University of British Columbia long after Ngo's collaboration with Patriot Prayer was revealed and fabricating threats against the event by Antifa.<ref>[https://anti-racistcanada.blogspot.com/2020/01/ubc-cancels-andy-ngo-event-global.html UBC Cancels Andy Ngo Event; Global Platforms Ngo Without Challenge] ''Anti-Racist Canada'' 04 January 2020</ref> Isidorou had also served as campaign executive for the notoriously racist People's Party of Canada before quitting in the most self-congratulatory way possible long after it had been made clear how many of the party's candidates were far right and white nationalist figures.<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/abandoning-the-people-s-party-drake-gets-dragged-postmedia-s-politics-milkshaking-high-cuisine-and-more-1.5147118/the-nastier-side-of-populism-why-founding-organizers-are-quitting-maxime-bernier-s-new-party-1.5147163 'The nastier side of populism': Why founding organizers are quitting Maxime Bernier's new party] ''CBC Radio'' 24 May 2019</ref> 

As a principled critic of identity politics and supporter of "Free Speech" Isidorou began his work with The Post Millennial with a "review" of ''White Fragility'' that begins [[Identity politics|"As a Greek I...."]] and ending by encouraging his readers not to read the book. Engagement!

===The Good?===
A few writers use a semi-mysterious conservative outlet called ''Blacklock's Reporter'' as a source, including investigative material that is behind one of the toughest paywalls in the business.<ref>[https://www.canadalandshow.com/blacklocks-reporter-settles-lawsuit-against-own-freelancer/ The Strange Case Of The Ottawa Outlet That Sued Its Own Freelancer] ''Canadaland'' 23 April 2018</ref>

==The Current Stable==

''The Post Millennial'' has been a significant outlet for [[Jordan Peterson]] and his family. Jordan Peterson himself frequently posts material from the site to Twitter and Mikhaila Peterson has published "exclusive" material on the site in the past (which largely regurgitated material already published to [[YouTube]]).<ref>[https://thepostmillennial.com/author/mikhailapeterson Mikhaila Peterson] ''The Post Millenial''</ref> Peterson's website "Thinkspot" has built a significant connection with ''The Post Millennial'' and their staff have partnered for online events.<ref>[https://www.thinkspot.com/event_signup?event=wJulq8 Live Stream Q&A: The Post Millennial Writer's Room | Event Registration] ''Thinkspot''</ref>

During the Conservative leadership election, ''The Post Millennial'' largely supported Erin O'Toole against the frontrunner Peter Mackay, at one point publishing unflattering polling that caused Peter Mackay to threaten to sue for libel. ''The Post Millennial'' affirmed they would not retract the piece in question.<ref>[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-peter-mackay-issues-libel-notice-over-the-post-millennial-article-on/ Peter MacKay issues libel notice over The Post Millennial article on polling] ''The Globe and Mail'' 1 May 2020</ref> Several conservative figures have written op eds for ''The Post Millennial'' including sitting MPs Jeremy Patzer <ref>[https://thepostmillennial.com/author/jeremy-patzer Jeremy Patzer] ''The Post Millennial''</ref> and ex-cabinet minister Pierre Poilievre.<ref>[https://thepostmillennial.com/author/pierre-poilievre Pierre Poilievre] ''The Post Millennial''</ref> Several conservative campaign staffers have also been notable contributors.<ref name="CBC"/>

==See also==
*''[[Breitbart]]''
*[[Astroturfing]]
*[[Vulgar libertarianism]]
*[[Fake news]]


==External links==
*[https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/the-post-millennial-journalism-conservative-advocacy-1.5191593 Canadian news site The Post Millennial blurs line between journalism and conservative 'pamphleteering']
*[https://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/08/22/news/he-used-work-site-promoted-racists-now-he-edits-canadian-news-outlet He used to work for a site that promoted racists — now he edits a Canadian news outlet]
*[https://nowtoronto.com/news/the-post-millennial-ontario-proud-canada-proud-conservative-party/ The Post Millennial joins Conservative party's online booster club]
*[https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-post-millennial/ Media Bias Fact Check: The Post Millennial]
*[https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/the-post-millennial-canadian-rage-bait-far-right-america/ ''Right Wing Watch:'' The Post Millennial: The Latest Canadian Outlet Serving Rage Bait to Far-Right America]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

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[[Category:Alt-lite]]
[[Category:Canada]]
[[Category:Canadian media]]
[[Category:Conservative deceit]]
[[Category:Denialist websites]]
[[Category:Fake news]]
[[Category:Fascists]]
[[Category:Homophobes]]
[[Category:Internet hate sites]]
[[Category:Media]]
[[Category:Propaganda]]
[[Category:Racists]]
[[Category:Transphobes]]
[[Category:Webshites]]

Categories: Alt-lite, Canada, Canadian media, Conservative deceit, Denialist websites, Fake news, Fascists, Homophobes, Internet hate sites, Media, Propaganda, Racists, Transphobes, Webshites