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IGN Is the Latest Victim of Corporate Meddling in Media

Freedom of press cannot be asserted under the thumb of capitalism.

A. Khaled
4 min readMay 17, 2021
IGN’s E3 2018 badge. Courtesy of Lunar Saloon.

It isn’t simply enough to advocate for an independent media out of principle–an environment in which writers have latitude to use their own platforms for good is necessary for a thriving ecosystem, but today we witnessed a textbook example of it being repressed only to appease corporate interests. IGN — a games media outlet — recently released a statement walking back their staunch support for ending the ongoing violence in Palestine, portraying it as a miscalculated decision on their part to not heed both sides of the conflict with equal regard–one need only to read between the lines to realize that this statement does not represent the views of the editorial in what is yet another instance of capital encroaching upon the media’s supposed noble aspiration of serving the public good.

For gaming media especially, this is a rare occurrence–the culture surrounding this space rarely serves up any intelligible political commentary, and it’s been partly the reason why high-profile developers have shied away from being explicit with their politics under the guise of neutrality. That withstanding, seeing the gravity of the situation in Gaza — and Palestine in general — IGN stepped up to the plate in an act of utmost…

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A. Khaled
A. Khaled

Written by A. Khaled

Internet culture scribe with an interest in the digital economy, content creators, media and politics.

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