Matthew Yglesias is an American blogger and journalist who writes about economics and politics. Yglesias has written columns and articles for publications such as The American Prospect, The Atlantic, and Slate. In November 2020, he left his position as an editor and columnist for the news website Vox, which he co-founded in 2014, to publish through Substack.
Yglesias started blogging in early 2002, while still in college, focusing mainly on American politics and public policy issues, often approached from an abstract, philosophical perspective. Yglesias was a strong supporter of invading Iraq, Iran and North Korea, calling the countries on his blog "evil" and stating that "we should take them all out," although he was critical of the term "axis of evil.” He later called his attitudes about the war a mistake.
In February 2014, he left Slate and joined Vox Media to co-found Vox with Ezra Klein and Melissa Bell. On November 13, 2020, Yglesias announced that he would no longer be writing for Vox.com. Yglesias moved to Substack for editorial independence.
Matthew Yglesias was fired/resigned from his position at Vox, because he felt that he was no longer able to speak his mind without offending his colleagues. According to The Atlantic, “His managers wanted him to maintain a restrained, institutional, statesmanlike voice" along with “There was an inherent tension between my status as a co-founder of the site and my desire to be a fiercely independent and at times contentious voice.”
Why was Matthew cancelled? He, along with other writers like J.K Rowling and Jesse Singal, signed the Harper’s Letter, an open letter on justice and debate that criticizes former president Donald Trump, Cancel Culture across society and illiberalism. Unfortunately, several people who have added their signature are known for having controversial opinions regarding transgender people and freedom of speech, and as such people have taken issue with the letter and those who sign it.
Again, according to The Atlantic, “There’s something darkly comical about the fretfulness of these elite petitioners. It’s telling that the censoriousness they identify as a national plague isn’t the racism that keeps Black journalists from reporting on political issues, or the transphobia that threatens their colleagues’ lives. The letter denounces “the restriction of debate, whether by a repressive government or an intolerant society,” strategically blurring the line between these two forces. But the letter’s chief concern is not journalists living under hostile governments, despite the fact that countries around the world impose draconian limits on press freedom.”
In essence, the Harper letter calls attention to the slow erosion of the right of any individual to freely speak their mind, regardless of political position or orientation. While the message may be abrasive to some, the meaning is simple: free speech is being threatened, pay attention.
Cancel Comeback hasn’t been able to find anyone who fired Matthew Yglesias, largely because the decision to leave appears to have been made by Yglesias himself. However, mounting pressure from offended colleagues, according to The Atlantic, forced Yglesias to step down. One of these offended colleagues was Emily VanDerWerff, who stated that Matthew's signature on the Harper's Letter “made her feel less safe at Vox”.
Well if making somebody feel less safe is the new standard for dismissal, then we should consider the way militant transgender women make a lot of people feel. Many, like Matthew Yglesias, feel unsafe in expressing their opinions and keeping their job. Others feel unsafe due to verbal an physical attacks having been carried out by transgender women on biological women. Maybe it's time the same standards applied to them.
What is Matthew Yglesias doing now? As per the Washingtonian, “Yglesias, meanwhile, is already onto his next gig, writing a Substack newsletter called Slow Boring. It’s reported to be a publication where he can speak without the threat of rebuke or discipline from employees or society at large.
Matthew’s departure has had an effect. Two of his other co-founders, Ezra Klein and Lauren Williams, are leaving Vox themselves. After they are gone, Melissa Bell, Vox’s publisher, will be the last of the Vox co-founders still employed there. Vox is currently hiring for replacements, so the search is on for successors. As of January 2021, Klein is writing a policy column for the New York Times and hosting a podcast, while Williams is, as of February 2021, starting a nonprofit called Capitol B, which focuses on creating civic journalism tailored for black communities.
Matthew’s new project is promising, and reflects Yglesias’s beliefs. The opening message states that “I’m not much of a leader (and certainly not a hero) but my goal is to live up to the dual mission of passion and perspective, bringing a rigorous approach to political and policy issues.
Much too much of current political debate consists of people clicking “like” on content that flatter their prejudices and biases — content that is usually crafted by other people in order to harvest those clicks.
The reality is that most people, most of the time, mostly don’t care whether the stuff they read about politics is true or if the ideas they advocate for actually work. And while one can butt one’s head up against the wall in frustration about that, it’s built into the business model. My goal here is to work on a scale that’s small enough that it can afford to cater to people who actually do want to ask these questions.
I want to do meaningful personal work driven by a sincere effort to get things right, and to have a meaningful relationship with my audience”.
Matthew Yglesias seems to be coming out ahead of the tsunami that is Cancel Culture. Far from waiting for the wolves to blow the hut down, he’s taking control and moving over to a platform where he remains in control and can subsequently continue to practice his brand of journalism with any who join him.
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