Natural News announces recipients of the 2015 Journalist Courage Awards

December 18, 2015 By: J. D. Heyes

(NaturalNews) This past year saw a great number of journalists – new media and old – who took a stand for liberty, personal responsibility, freedom and truth, and Natural News wanted to take the opportunity to recognize and salute them.

Ben Swann: Without a doubt Mr. Swann is one of the best and brightest young investigative journalists we have today, and he's not too afraid or intimidated to take on any subject that the national-level corporate-owned and politically compromised media would find objectionable.

For instance, Mr. Swann is one of the few journalists willing to tell the truth about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's cover-up of research showing links between vaccines and brain injuries which manifest as tics and autism symptoms, as revealed by CDC whistleblower Dr. William Thompson.

Thanks for being a beacon of truth, Ben!

Sharyl Attkisson: Speaking of revealing truth about the vaccine-autism link, Ms. Attkisson, a former national investigative reporter for CBS News, has also doggedly pursued this story, even at risk to her own career (she eventually left the network because they, or their sponsors, couldn't handle the truth about this story and many other scandals involving the Obama Administration).

She digs deeper and takes stories where they lead, which is how she was able to reveal that the "latest study debunking the link was actually funded by a group with major financial ties to Big Pharma vaccine makers. Didn't hear that on TV, did you?

Keep dropping those truth bombs, Sharyl!

Eric Lipton: Along the lines of "who's funding my research?" Mr. Lipton, a staff writer with The New York Times, exposed the fact that GMO king Monsanto and other companies have been paying academics stipends to essentially develop research supporting their corporate mission. It wasn't that the science was sound, but the PR sure made it seem so – and no, the corporations did not reveal their tactic. Reporters like Lipton and our very own Natural News founder Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, deserve credit for shining light on the dark practice of corporate/academia collusion.

Light makes the roaches scatter, Eric!

Glenn Greenwald: Another ace investigative reporter, Mr. Greenwald of Britain's The Guardian has been speaking truth to power since he began working with former NSA contractor Edward Snowden to blow the whistle on the U.S. government's illicit, unconstitutional data mining programs. Since then, he has helped co-found The Intercept, which daily delivers truth bombs and exposes corruption and scandal on a global scale.

We support you, Glenn!

Pete Santilli: This longtime investigative journalist and radio personality is another who daily dishes doses of truth and reality. Recently he assisted in TalkNetwork.com's coverage of the mock mass shooting event held near the campus of the University of Texas, in a bid to demonstrate the futility of setting up "gun-free zones," especially in an era of terrorism. Although he has been targeted by governmental intimidation tactics, Mr. Santilli remains steadfast in his efforts to defend liberty for his fellow Americans.

Keep making them uncomfortable with the truth, Pete!

Gary Franchi: Should the U.S. admit defeat in the failed drug war that now involves the heavy militarization of local police forces? Absolutely, says Mr. Franchi. And what's up with all of these mass casualty drills the government keeps staging? Is Russian President Vladimir Putin trustworthy? These are just a few of the stories Mr. Franchi has recently looked at – subject matter too uncomfortable for the mainstream media. Visit NNN.is/the_new_media to see some of Mr. Franchi's groundbreaking reporting for the Next News Network.

Thanks for keeping us informed, Gary!

Aaron and Melissa Dykes: Founders and editors of Truthstream Media, the Dykes have taken on a number of controversial topics, reporting the facts as they are, not as non-objective special interest news sites and newspapers report them. Subject matter includes the truth about GMOs, why gun rights are vitally important to American constitutional liberty, the sameness in all of the political establishment presidential contenders, and more.

Then there is the Truthstream Media podcast, which contains even more honest analysis and insight.

Awesome stuff, Aaron and Melissa!

Daisy Luther: If you've never heard of Ms. Luther, you've been missing out. She's one of the Internet's foremost organic prepper/organic food experts, and she's been dishing up quality content for some time now, a trend that continued throughout 2015. For her, it's all about "self-reliance strategies for preparedness, health and personal liberty."

For all you do, Daisy, we recognize you!

Joshua Krause: Mandatory vaccines for all? Only in California, says Mr. Krause, whose exposes on the loony authoritarianism inherent in the Golden State keep readers informed of the various insults to freedom that result from one-party (Democrat, in this case) rule.

"It won't be long before they try to force vaccines on every adult and child in California," he wrote of the law, SB277. "And if they pull it off there, legislators in other states will try to see if they can use the sheepish tyranny of majority rule to force vaccines on their citizens as well.

"The slippery slope never looked so slick," he said.

Keep 'em on their toes, Joshua, and thanks!

Mac Slavo: In addition to his reporting and exposes of the government vaccine fraud, Mr. Slavo regularly reports on the worsening state of finance in the U.S. and aboard. In addition to analysis, Mr. Slavo regularly provides additional facts and statistics to back up his analysis, and to warn all who will listen that the day is approaching when the house of cards built lying politicians, corporations and mainstream media outlets will come crashing down.

Truth is a hard thing for many to accept, Mac – but keep giving it to us!

Jeffry John Aufderheide: Keeping with the "truth about vaccines" theme, Mr. Aufderheide did yeoman's work in keeping readers updated about SB277 in California, the mandatory vaccination measure ultimately passed by majority Democrats and signed by Democrat Gov. Jerry Brown.

For example, Aufderheide reported that "groups and individuals who are well-connected to pharmaceutical companies assisted in an opportunistic marketing campaign which promoted the passage of this bill," a fact that few outside of him and Natural News were pointing out.

Maybe we'll get them next time, Jeffry, but don't give up the ship!

Michael Snyder: There are few social and political commentators with as sharp an eye as Mr. Snyder. That's what makes his analyses of current events so important and so "must-read." This year, he's been tracking events and political machinations that he views as a war on preppers, which will ultimately have disastrous consequences for gun owners especially.

"Because he can't get Congress to approve the things that he wants to do, Barack Obama has apparently decided to rule by decree for the rest of his time in the White House. One of Obama's latest moves is to try to ban some of the most popular ammunition for the most popular rifle in America," Snyder observed in February.

Obama has about a year left in office, and Snyder thinks he's got plans to hasten his "fundamental transformation" of the country, so stay tuned to him.

Keep us up to date in 2016 like you have this year, Michael!

James O'Keefe: One of the premier undercover journalists today, Mr. O'Keefe has revealed many bombshells, including evidence gathered via undercover video earlier this year that Democrat presidential contender Hillary Clinton's campaign officials were engaged in illicit and illegal behavior. In one, a paid campaign staffer is shown telling a volunteer to only register Clinton supporters to vote, when the law says all Americans should be offered voter registration regardless of political affiliation.

"James O'Keefe's Project Veritas" is "an organization responsible for holding a number of government officials accountable for bad behavior," writes Katie Pavlich at Townhall.com.

We can only imagine what you have in store for us in 2016, James.

Tess Pennington: So, if we vaccinate our children against, say, measles, mumps and rubella, they won't get measles, mumps or rubella – right? Not so, and Ms. Pennington's spot-on reporting this year reminded us of that fact. She tracked an outbreak of measles earlier this year that spread to multiple states, an outbreak that included infections among vaccinated children.

Pennington, who is the author of The Prepper's Blueprint is a major advocate of self-reliance, and her reporting is full of useful data and information about how to prepare for any emergency effectively and efficiently. In fact, she can tell you how to be self-reliant in four easy steps.

Thanks for instructing us and keeping us informed, Tess!

Dave Hodges: A member of the TalkNetwork.com radio line-up, Mr. Hodges – a longtime radio host and author – regularly tackles political and social subjects that, frankly, very few others will discuss. In this piece he warns that the powers that be are coming for our collective wealth:

   The globalists are preparing to steal everything you own, they have rehearsed for this day, they are on a timetable to carry this plot out and they are laughing at our collective stupidity!

   The American people have been through several beta tests related to our private wealth being confiscated and no resistance was offered by the sheep of this country.


The "beta test" he talked about was the massive trillion-dollar bailouts of Wall Street and the big banks early in the Obama Administration. And that won't be the last time our wealth is stolen to compensate the thieves, he says.

Keep it up, Dave – we're with you!

Jeremy Scahill: A top foreign policy reporter for none other than The Intercept, Mr. Scahill's investigative reporting most likely keeps Obama Administration officials up at night. His excellent and thorough expose on "The Drone Wars" that have been conducted by the Bush and Obama Administrations (and actually, drone strikes have increased under Obama) are as chilling as they are revealing. The report reveals a massive information and intelligence network dedicated solely to the identification and targeting of bad guys overseas, and how news about collateral damage to civilians caused by drone strikes is regularly downplayed or plain omitted by the government.

"From his first days as commander in chief, the drone has been President Barack Obama's weapon of choice, used by the military and the CIA to hunt down and kill the people his administration has deemed — through secretive processes, without indictment or trial — worthy of execution," Scahill writes, introducing the series he and several reporters and researchers prepared. "There has been intense focus on the technology of remote killing, but that often serves as a surrogate for what should be a broader examination of the state's power over life and death."

What's more, Scahill notes, sources that were referenced for the series say the U.S. military has become accustomed to this way of operating – and assassination by another name is what the Pentagon is doing, despite subsequent presidential bans on the practice.

We expect plenty more of this kind of in-depth investigative reporting from Jeremy in 2016.

Murdoch Pizgatti: Another in the growing line-up of TalkNetwork.com hosts, Mr. Pizgatti's Don't Comply Show is one of the preeminent programs focusing on life, liberty, freedom and the constitutional pursuit of free-market opportunities and betterment, free of government interference.

"This show will hurt your brain with deep philosophical questions asked and answered by a wrecking crew of real beer-drinking guys you can relate to. Love or hate it, you will be talking about the show that discusses the inner working of the matrix, voluntaryism, the police state, agorism and zombie apocalypse preparedness," we reported when introducing Mr. Pizgatti to our readers.

Keep up the fight, Murdoch, and know that we're in it with you.

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