Peter

Free Speech, Chilled to Perfection [SUBSCRIBER-ONLY] | 5-4 Get more from 5-4 on Patreon

This month’s premium episode is about the state of the First Amendment under Trump, where we address the question of how close you can get to doing a death threat before it’s illegal.

Bari Weiss Takes Her Grift Mainstream Journalism's biggest fraud takes the reins at CBS

I wrote about the ascendance of Bari Weiss from a hack columnist to media royalty, and what it means for the future of CBS News.

I cannot believe a 55 year old man cares enough about the lyrics in a young women’s song that he’d post about it online. Cool. ✌🏼

i am not a coach but one thing i’ve always thought is that when the other quarterback falls down he should generally not get up and score a touchdown

tonight was the night the chiefs answered the question of whether we’re “good again” or “bum ass” and i believe we have our answer

please send me your candidates for the weirdest things Eric Adams has done in 2025

This is a great piece. The rise of Bari Weiss is a crystalline example of how thoroughly American meritocracy has been corrupted into a form of courtcraft and a spoils system where mediocrities are rewarded for telling the wealthy and powerful what they want to hear.

she wasn't a non-writing editor, she wrote a bunch of columns

i can't believe i have to learn about the rigid technicalities of the NYT org chart

unfortunately big media is trying to suppress my reach due to how smart I am

if you don't subscribe to String in a Maze you are supporting the tyranny of Bari Weiss stringinamaze.net/subscribe

Bari is going to run CBS News not because of her journalism, or even because of The Free Press, but because much of the mainstream media serves as a vessel for elites to distribute power to their allies

Nonetheless, in an era when many major publications are bleeding readers, Bari spun a niche column into a media outlet with a sizable email list and a recognizable brand. Paramount will try to take what she’s built and scale it up, and they will probably fail, because Paramount doesn’t know how to do that. Bari will be gifted control of CBS News, a declining brand spread across several dying mediums, she will try to turn it around, and she will probably fail, because she doesn’t know how to do that.

Bari Weiss Takes Her Grift Mainstream Journalism's biggest fraud takes the reins at CBS

I wrote about the ascendance of Bari Weiss from a hack columnist to media royalty, and what it means for the future of CBS News.

A more direct comparison would be The Bulwark, which has a bit over 100k paid subscribers. The New York Times has 12 million.

I think there’s truth to this but it gives Bari too much credit. The Free Press has about 150k paid subscribers - a bit over three times more than Chapo Trap House. The reason it feels bigger is that Bari’s message resonates with elites.

Being a columnist is so cool. You can have absolutely no experience whatsoever and still drop whatever takes you want. Serve in the military? No? Work in natsec? No? Have an academic background in defense? No? Have any government experience at all? No?

Who cares! Fire that column off anyways!

ah shit

actually i think she should lean into that

i think that beefing with someone who is 1. actually introspective and 2. actually cool is a mistake for Ms. Swift

expand on this

this plus the feature are the primary indications that Sabrina has her shook

my early thoughts on the new Taylor:
- her lyrical corniness is getting less endearing over time
- she doesn’t embrace the showgirl theme enough musically
- sabrina has her a little shook, and her attempts to imitate that style are rough
- as always, there are a few bops

say what you want about it, the CEO being like “are you paying us?” is something i’ve seen verbatim on message boards and i find it invigorating

i actually prefer it when the mods actively hate the user base and vice versa, that’s how every great message board worked for years and i think we should give it a whirl

the person who published this is about to run CBS

My Favorite Actress Is Not Human Tilly Norwood doesn’t need a hairstylist, has no regrettable posts, and if you wish to see a virgin on-screen, this is one of your better chances. That’s because she’s AI. A picture of some AI girl standing on an AI landscape with an AI monster behind her. I'm gonna be so real: she looks about 14 By Tyler Cowen

I'm sorry: "if I wish to see a virgin on-screen"?

it reminds me of Israeli officials doing things like pretending a calendar was a list of hostages. that might play in a society built on propaganda, but it will backfire everywhere else

there’s a phenomenon where authoritarians become so inundated with their own propaganda that they forget what’s actually effective. normal people will clock this as weirdo shit.

not jewish, i just wanted to atone for being a podcaster