Episode Summary: "An Open Letter to Peter Baker of the New York Times"

Podcast: Free Thinking Through the Fourth Turning with Sasha Stone
Date: January 17, 2026
Host: Sasha Stone

Overview

In this impassioned solo episode, Sasha Stone addresses an open letter to Peter Baker of the New York Times, critiquing Baker's and the broader mainstream media’s perceived double standards in their coverage of political protests, especially regarding Trump-era divisions, Black Lives Matter, January 6th, and more recent unrest in Minneapolis. Stone reflects on her own journey out of the left-wing "bubble," arguing there is now a deeply entrenched two-tiered society, enforced by media narratives and cultural orthodoxy. The episode weaves in media excerpts, TikTok commentary, and coverage of the Evergreen State College protests, ultimately contending that legacy media distorts reality and fuels division for ideological ends.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sasha’s Open Letter: A Critique of Media Bias

• [00:00-03:00] Sasha Stone opens by positioning herself as a former Leftist who has become disillusioned with the media and the "rules of thought and speech" enforced by the left, particularly at institutions like the New York Times.
  • "I used to believe that if all I did was read page one of the New York Times, I'd be well informed. Brainwashed is more like it." (Sasha Stone, 00:47)
• She cites Michelle Goldberg’s piece and reactions on social media praising the "resistance" as an example of the media's echo chamber.
  • "We were never the resistance. We were always the empire. We colonized the Internet, after all." (Sasha Stone, 02:35)
• Stone accuses Baker and the NYT of distorting Trump’s relationship to protest movements, expressing outrage at their coverage.

2. Double Standards in Protest Coverage

• [03:01-09:00] Sasha highlights what she sees as hypocrisy in the media’s treatment of different protest movements:
  • The 2020 BLM protests are celebrated as democracy in action, while January 6th is depicted solely as insurrection.
  • She contrasts headlines about "heroic" protestors versus "dangerous" ones and argues that the legacy media demonizes Trump supporters while excusing violence from left-leaning protestors.
  • "Anyone who dared to question the 2020 election or who voted for Trump was inspected under a microscope by you all, or insurgent terrorist." (Sasha Stone, 06:44)
• The personal impact of 2020: Sasha describes it as "a year that broke America and broke me." (05:48)

3. The Ashley Babbitt versus Renee Goode Media Narrative

• [07:55-10:25] Stone notes the contrast in how two deaths are covered:
  • Ashley Babbitt (killed at the Capitol) is depicted as a radical or QAnon follower, while Renee Goode (shot during an ICE raid) is lionized as a poet and victim.
  • _"One is treated like human garbage and the other is treated like a hero. So just say it. Just admit that this has become a two tiered society." _ (Sasha Stone, 08:35)

4. Social Commentary from TikTok on Violence and Immigration

• [09:55-11:23] Sasha incorporates viral social media commentary:
  • TikToker 1 highlights supposed government double standards regarding riots and protest depending on political aims.
  • TikToker 2 recounts a murder by an undocumented immigrant, criticizing the lack of media or protest response, and calls out Black Lives Matter for not mentioning the victim.
  • "Most people are happy that ICE is out there kicking out people who do not belong in this country... Don’t worry, BLM, I’ll take the torch for you. I will make sure that we say her name, Dakara Thompson." (TikToker 2, 10:38)

5. Evergreen State College & The Flight from Free Speech

• [11:23-16:39] Stone uses the case of Bret Weinstein at Evergreen, showing how even progressive dissenters are ostracized when challenging leftist orthodoxy.
  • Vice News clip: "Weinstein branded it a form of racial segregation. A group of student protesters called him a racist... Weinstein objected to the day of absence in a formal protest email to colleagues arguing that, quote, one's right to speak or to be must never be based on skin color." (Vice News Report, 13:14)
  • Students demand his firing, claim that his actions incite white supremacists.
  • "If you stand up against one of these things because you think it's ill considered that you will be branded as a racist." (Student Protester, 13:58)

6. Stone’s Final Arguments on Media Reality Distortion

• [16:39-20:46] The episode crescendos into a direct attack on the Times and legacy media for comparing American protest movements to those in authoritarian countries like Iran.
  • "How dare you compare them to the protesters in Iran... Pampered, privileged, bored white women and bratty college kids... are in no way risking their lives." (Sasha Stone, 16:39)
• The media's obsessive coverage of left-leaning martyrs, even as international atrocities go underreported.
• Stone argues the protests in Minneapolis are "against democracy"—that when Democrats lose, they "throw a fit."
  • "The left's protesting now, says one. Do what we want or else. That is, Mr. Baker, closer to fascism than Trump will ever be." (Sasha Stone, 20:35)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "It's been an ugly road out of the doomsday cult of the left, but now I live free as an exile." (Sasha Stone, 02:53)
• "No, they didn’t have the right to riot. Ashley Babbitt lost her life over it and then her memory was dragged through the mud by all of you." (Sasha Stone, 07:55)
• "You are among the ruling classes and the underclass has none of the same rights. You will decide they are racists and thus have no real stake in what happens in this country..." (Sasha Stone, 08:40)
• "We either have all the same rights or we don't have a democracy." (Sasha Stone, 07:32)
• On Evergreen: "This is not a discussion. You've lost that one." (Student Protester, 12:53), and, _"If you stand up against one of these things because you think it’s ill considered that you will be branded as a racist." (Student Protester, 13:58)
• "That is, Mr. Baker, closer to fascism than Trump will ever be." (Sasha Stone, 20:35)
• Closing: "And remember to thine own self be true." (Sasha Stone, 21:02)

Key Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:00 — Opening, framing as an open letter to Peter Baker
• 03:00 — Contrasts in media coverage: BLM vs. January 6th
• 06:40 — Treatment of Trump supporters and coverage of January 6th
• 07:55 — Contrasting Ashley Babbitt and Renee Goode
• 09:55 — TikTok commentary: Minneapolis riots, immigration, BLM
• 11:23 — Evergreen State College: Weinstein case, campus protest intolerance
• 16:39 — Legacy media, media international comparisons, final critique
• 20:35 — “Closer to fascism than Trump will ever be.”
• 21:02 — Closing and sign-off

Tone and Style

Sasha Stone’s tone throughout is personal, urgent, reflective, and indignant—often passionate and polemical, interspersing analysis with personal anecdote and direct address. She positions herself as a truth-teller outside the establishment left, using vivid language to describe her sense of betrayal and disillusionment.

Summary Takeaway

This episode is a piercing critique of elite media’s framing of protest, insurrection, and dissent, calling out double standards, omitted nuances, and an activist-press culture that Stone believes undermines democracy and social cohesion. Through contrasting case studies, personal narrative, and media analysis, Stone paints a picture of contemporary America divided not merely by politics, but by incompatible realities—and blames the media for deepening those divides.

For the full transcript and related essays: sashastone.com