Snakes in the Garden: Navigating Fear Porn, Christian Virtue-Signaling & Censorship in Conservative Media

ONLY FEAR! It’s the “Only fans” for conservatives! 

Although instead of selling soft porn, the commodity is FEAR porn.

Wait a minute, this feels familiar…. 

Is conservative media becoming what I escaped from? Yet, in some ways—even worse—because it’s veiled in all the words that make us feel righteous. 

• “God!” 
• “Faith!” 
• “Freedom!” 

Is our desire to see truth and justice being exploited? No way, because we’re on the RIGHT side! …Right?

The inner turmoil of these questions has only been elevated by recent experiences—trusting people in this space who called themselves Christians only to learn their “fruit” was not only lacking—but downright spoiled. 

So, another crossroad. Another difficult choice.

In 2020, you could say I was “red-pilled.” Before then, I was living out my childhood dream. 

I had been in the new industry for over a decade… climbing my way to the top, if you will. After a lot of hard work, dedication, and persistence, I earned awards under my belt and spent the last three years as a main anchor for my hometown news leader. (Much to the dismay of my NY agent—who wanted me to make a market jump sooner.) I had moved across the country to take the lead female anchor position in the Central Valley of California. My agent told me “Next stop – network.” Then boom – pandemic. 

The “pandemic” chaos changed all of our lives in so many different ways. For me, it changed my perspective on my career. An entire idealistic view of my industry shattered—but slowly. Each day I reported to work, when I had to confront another deception, another piece of the pedestal I had put the plaque on, “I’m a journalist!” crumbled.

I was taught journalists are supposed to examine motivations and conflicts of interest. 

So, why were we running COVID case numbers, night after night, with no context? 

Why were we parroting federal agencies’ talking points with no attribution? 

If journalists are supposed to be a “voice for the voiceless,” why were so many of my colleagues cheering on the censorship of a group of doctors? 

If journalists are supposed to serve our audience with an unbiased delivery of both sides, why were my scripts filled with adjectives and the network packages I tossed to clearly taking an anti-Trump position during an election year?

After sharing my concerns over the course of about a year, I got the pink slip. I was told I was getting laid off because of the… “pandemic.” Of course. 

My agent was eager to land my next gig, but I was begrudgingly grateful I had been given a way of escape.

So, the first difficult choice—continue to pursue my dream? Or sound the alarm and recognize this as an opportunity to share what I’d seen and learned?

I ultimately called my agent and told him I couldn’t do it anymore. And I found myself in the one place that is about as antithetical to mainstream news as you can get: INFOWARS. 

I knew when I made that decision, there was no going back. I would be black-balled from the traditional news industry forever. 

But I went on to contribute to other platforms, thinking  I had found a new home in the conservative/Christian media space. Truly being a voice for the voiceless, doing my best to amplify the message of those who were defamed, betrayed, or even irreparably harmed by the institutions they should have been able to trust. Legacy Media had failed to advocate for the public they should have been tasked with to serve. 

Unfortunately, after about 2 and 1/2 years trying to navigate this Wild West of alternative media, I’m starting to feel uncomfortable again.  

Getting Burned by Christian Virtue-Signaling

Is Christian/Conservative media becoming the very beast it purports to oppose—just in different ways?

I’m concerned the understandable outrage we all feel at this point is being exploited. I’m seeing the same kind of tabloid headlines the “mainstream” started adopting. Top Conservative influencers rail against the elite Ivy League plagiarism scandals as they steal (plagiarize) smaller accounts’ content. Elon Musk is the savior for allowing us to speak… let’s just gloss over that many are still shadow-banned or unable to monetize.

Everyone has an affiliate code to push. How many of these sponsors are truly vetted? All someone has to do is SAY they’re a patriot or Christian, and they’ve opened a mass market of people eager to throw the little money they have left after Bidenomics to those products or services being peddled. 

I must admit I fell for this. I temporarily brought on a sponsor that advertises himself as a Christian, and I got burned. I worked with some so-called Christians and got burned.

It reminds me of the early 2000s. I remember reading an article about George W. Bush and his daily Bible reading. His invoking the biblical term ‘evildoers’ was all it took for me to believe the cause was righteous. You know how that story ends…

I believe Christianity is being exploited perhaps even more now. We want to believe the best in people, especially when facing such blatant evil— Sodom and Gomorrah part deux. 

Too many use “I’m a Christian!” as a marketing tool, then check integrity at the door. You could say, “It’s just business.” But true Christians are held to an even higher standard. Are we so eager and desperate for truth and justice that CINOs (Conservatives or Christian In Name Only) know they can say, ‘It’s just behind this huge paywall…’ 

Barriers to Truth

If the truth sets us free, shouldn’t the truth… be free? What we’re all up against is way too important to impose barriers.

Now, to be fair, people’s hard work should be rewarded. There are expenses to any media operation: staff, equipment, and travel. Not to mention, people need to support their families. 

But the Monetary divide in this space is deep and wide. I’m not saying I have the solution, I just feel uncomfortable with how this parallel economy is being built. 

There’s also the issue of hero worship. The freedom movement Marvel team. The name-dropping. It feels gross. Are we so desperate for a savior in these perilous times that we’re replacing THEE savior? 

One of the most important messages this country needs right now is a call to repentance. Why should our land be blessed if we’ve turned from God? Just a quick review of the Old Testament, and you can see the parallels. We are under judgment. 

My discernment tells me there are wolves in sheep’s clothing infiltrating and corrupting this movement. With as much as we’ve learned about operatives embedded at every level of our governments and regime media, isn’t it a bit naive to think it’s not happening on the “safe” side? We need to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves.

After personal experiences in attempts to control content and hush money offered on the side that supposedly champions free speech, I’ve now become disillusioned with both the legacy media and some conservative media.

So, where does that leave me? Black-balled from both?

Alone?

Well, here’s what a couple of our founding fathers had to say about that…

“Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for ’tis better to be alone than in bad company.” – George Washington

“Always stand on principle even if you stand alone.” -John Adams  

Or should I revisit the concept I told my kids when we were “church shopping” in a new neighborhood? ‘We’re not necessarily looking for a church we like best and what it can do for us, but rather what church home might need us there.’

How can I serve this space rather than what it can do for me?

And with that, I press on with that in mind. And I’ll stay rooted in what I registered the name of my venture two years ago – “Kristi Leigh Independent Media.” Independent. 

My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is the only One worthy of my complete faith and trust. 

You can support Kristi Leigh, Independent Media, and KristiLeighTV by following her on LOCALS.