Recently, I gave a talk to the Greater New Orleans Tea Party. The title of my talk was “The Louisiana Information War,” and I wanted to convert the information from my talk into an article here on The Hayride.

To start, what is an “information war”? According to tech expert Margaret Rouse, an information war is “the tactical and strategic use of information to gain an advantage.” While the term does have its roots in military applications, the popularization of the term “information war” comes from talk show host Alex Jones and his news website InfoWars.

Using that definition, I firmly maintain that we are experiencing an “info war” in Louisiana politics. If you take a look at the local and statewide news media landscape in Louisiana, you will find some concerning far-left forces that are looking to influence Louisiana politics.

Let’s look at a few examples of some of the major players in the Louisiana info war:

#1 The Louisiana Illuminator‘s Far-Left Parent: States Newsroom

Started in 2020, The Louisiana Illuminator is a far-left news organization dedicated to primarily covering Louisiana politics. If you type in “Louisiana news” into the search bar of any search engine, then you’re bound to find articles from this organization.

Here is the description listed on its website:

The Louisiana Illuminator is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization with a mission to cast light on how decisions in Baton Rouge are made and how they affect the lives of everyday Louisianians. Our in-depth investigations and news stories, news briefs and commentary help residents make sense of how state policies help or hurt them and their neighbors statewide.

We’re part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

Well, what exactly is States Newsroom? Should Louisiana citizens know who runs the far-left rag Louisiana Illuminator?

Media watchdog Influence watch describes States Newsroom as a multi-million dollar left-wing media network and non-profit:

“States Newsroom (formerly the Newsroom Network) consists of a number of left-of-center media outlets that cover state-level politics and policy and a Washington, D.C. bureau that claims to focus on congressional delegations and key Supreme Court decisions that specifically affect the states.

Before 2019, the Newsroom Network was a fiscally sponsored project of the Hopewell Fund, a left-of-center 501(c)(3) funding and fiscal sponsorship nonprofit managed by the Washington, D.C.-based consultancy firm Arabella Advisors, which manages multiple high-dollar left-leaning philanthropic organizations. ¹ In 2019, States Newsroom re-branded and received independent nonprofit status.”

The States Newsroom does not hide its far-left bias even on its own website. States Newsroom director Chris Fitzsimon is also listed as the “founder and director of Common Sense Foundation, a progressive think tank in Raleigh.”

Additionally, Influence Watch points out that States Newsroom posted a job listing on Linkedin a few years ago that exposes the far-left activism coming from this organization:

Something tells me that The Louisiana Illuminator is hiding the truth when it calls itself an “independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization.”

In short, a multimillion dollar nonprofit in North Carolina (Newsroom Network) is negatively impacting Louisiana politics. This subversion runs deep and should concern Louisiana citizens and elected officials alike.

#2 George Soros’s purchase of WWL parent Audacy

Back in February, the Soros Fund Management purchased over $400 million of debt in US radio broadcaster Audacy. Audacy currently owns over 200 radio stations across the United States.

This purchase consequently gives George Soros a large stake in the parent company that owns local New Orleans talk radio station WWL. WWL is one of the to talk radio stations in the greater New Orleans area. Do we really want to cede control of a local media outlet to Soros Fund Management?

The sovereignty of Louisiana is under attack when external far-left sources control some of the major media outlets in Louisiana. That’s why The Hayride is such an important part of the Louisiana information war. It is one of the primary conservative media platforms in Louisiana pushing back against the establishment, far-left narratives pushed by The Advocate, The Louisiana Illuminator, and others.

Even when Louisiana conservatives control the state government and the governor’s mansion, Louisiana’s far-left media outlets still have a profound effect on Louisiana politics. The failure of Rep. Beau Beaulieu’s constitutional convention bill (HB 800) and the funding of an unnecessary federal summer EBT program were the direct results of pressure coming from the hack journalists in the Louisiana political media landscape.

Whether we like it or not, Louisiana is waged in an information war, and we must ourselves employ tactics and strategies to reposition ourselves for better outcomes.

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Nathan Koenig is a frequent contributor to RVIVR.com, a national conservative political site affiliated with The Hayride. Follow his writing on the Louisiana First Standard Substack, on Twitter (X) @LAFirstStandard, and on Instagram @tincanconservative. Email him here: louisianafirststandard@proton.me