Despite holding one of the most powerful microphones in the world, the silence from major winners at the Oscars regarding human rights and the rise of fascism was the real star.

When artists like Paul Thomas Anderson, whose film One Battle After Another swept the awards, refuse to use their power to address the very real injustices their films capitalize on, they "obey in advance." This silence is the symptom of massive corporate media consolidation. Director David Borenstein, winner of best documentary for Mr. Nobody Against Putin, used his power morally to remind us that this is how Putin cemented a dictatorship.

With the looming merger between Warner Bros. Discovery and the MAGA Ellison family's Paramount Skydance, we face a future where 40% of our media is controlled by a single far-right family. If you want to know what that might look like, see what Barri Weiss is doing to CBS.

See you at the Gaslit Nation Salon today at 4 PM ET. The Zoom link is live on Patreon.com/Gaslit, where you can also catch the recording of last week's session. Whether you need to vent, share best practices, or just find community, our weekly resilience gatherings are here for you. Join the movement and support the show at Patreon.com/Gaslit–we couldn't do this without you.

Use the scripts below to contact Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta of California to demand they enforce existing laws to investigate, slow-down, and block the Warner Bros. deal–or there won't be anymore films like Sinners and One Battle After Another, supporting California's economy.

To Governor Gavin Newsom:

Phone: (916) 445-2841 | Email: https://www.gov.ca.gov/contact/
Socials: @GavinNewsom
Script: My name is [Name] from [City]. I am calling to urge Governor Newsom to publicly oppose the Ellison takeover of Warner Bros. This merger threatens jobs and creates a dangerous media monopoly. Governor, please use your influence to protect our creative economy and information space from MAGA-aligned consolidation.

To Attorney General Rob Bonta:

Phone: (916) 210-6276 | Email: https://oag.ca.gov/contact/general-contact-form Socials: @AGRobBonta
Script: Attorney General Bonta, Use your power to open an immediate antitrust investigation into the Warner Bros. and Paramount Skydance merger. We need you to enforce state anti-monopoly laws to prevent a single entity from controlling nearly half of our news and entertainment. Protect our markets and our speech.

Join us at the Mrs. Orwell book launch on April 13 at PowerHouse Books Arena in DUMBO. Patreon supporters at the Truth-teller level or higher get in free: https://powerhousearena.com/events/book-launch-mrs-orwell-by-andrea-chalupa-in-conversation-with-nomiki-konst/

Show Notes:

Elon Musk got $1 billion from Larry Ellison for his Twitter takeover https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/5/23058295/elon-musk-twitter-funding-qatar-larry-ellison

Merger Madness and How to Stop It https://www.freepress.net/blog/how-to-stop-warner-bros-discovery-merger

The Chilling Silence of Hollywood's New McCarthyism