Skip to content Skip to footer

Truthout TV Interviews Mark Karlin About the Recent Court Ruling on Jeff Olsen

Mark addresses the wider legal implications of the case.

Did you know that Truthout is a nonprofit and independently funded by readers like you? If you value what we do, please support our work with a donation.

Chalk sticks(Image: Chalk sticks via Shutterstock)Ted Asregadoo speaks to Mark Karlin, editor at Buzzflash at Truthout, about the recent court ruling on Jeff Olsen – who was charged with 13 counts of vandalism by the San Diego city attorney for writing protest messages against Bank of America on public sidewalks. Mark addresses the wider legal implications of the case.

Important Message: Please Read

For 25 years, Truthout has survived by publishing impactful investigative journalism and analysis; distributing full editions 365 days a year; and building a community of readers who support us with small, hard-earned donations.

Eighty percent of our $3 million yearly budget comes from small donors alone. Of those, 8,000 readers support us with monthly donations. Back in 2018, when Facebook decided to suppress the circulation of posts made by organizations, thereby cutting readers off from seeing many articles shared by the news organizations they had intentionally decided to follow, Truthout’s total traffic declined by 40 percent, as nearly all of our traffic from that platform disappeared.

Now, Google has recently rolled out its AI search bar, providing AI summaries instead of directing readers to our site. Google Search is our single largest source of traffic; it’s the route by which nearly one third of our readers find us. Much like in 2018, a shocking 40 percent of our Google traffic has disappeared overnight.

It will not be easy for Truthout to shoulder this blow. Nor will it be easy for our peers and collaborators — news sites that depend on traffic and aren’t bankrolled by large corporations.

If you can support Truthout with a donation today, you can help us resist the AI onslaught. Please give today.