MintCast co-hosts Alan MacLeod and Whitney Webb were recently joined by Matt Kennard, a journalist at the Latin American Bureau in London who was previously a reporter for the Financial Times and has written for the Guardian, the New York Times and Mother Jones. The discussion focused first on Kennard’s 2015 book The Racket: A Rogue Reporter vs the Masters of the Universe, which recounts Kennard’s experiences as a reporter with the Financial Times and how the media is a key part of the “racket” that aids and abets the global elite.Kennard, MacLeod and Webb then discussed the current situation of Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning and what it heralds for the future of journalism, truth-telling and the public’s right to know. The interview was recorded prior to Manning’s release from prison late Thursday evening. Finally, Kennard -- who has traveled and reported from across Latin America -- discusses the situation in Venezuela as well as Ecuador and the current crises facing other Latin American countries that are often left untouched by mainstream media, especially if those countries maintain positive relations with the United States.Support the show (https://www.mintpressnews.com/donations/)