Today our guest is a Chicago Local, Kit Cabello. Kit is the Co-Founder of Hard Lens Media, an independent network that covers local and national politics. I discovered Hard Lens Media around 2018 or 2019 as part of my media journey. It’s important to me to think about where I’m getting my news coverage, whether from local or national sources.   If you know me, you know I talk about economics, politics, and current events a lot. I try to dig through and get my media from a variety of sources in order to form my own opinion and see what’s actually happening. Mainstream media that take ad revenue from major corporations isn’t the only place to find news, which is why I’ve been a contributor to independent sources like Breaking Points. I truly believe that our media isn’t accurately representing what’s going on in the world, all the way down to the local level.   In 2015, I had a moment when I really felt that no media outlets or politicians really met my needs. I discovered independent media on YouTube, many of them founded by independent journalists who were no longer working at the major outlets. The internet gave us the ability to have a platform outside of the mainstream press without taking ad money from major companies, which I think is a beautiful thing. The consolidated mainstream media is bogged down by red tape and corporate money, which makes me question the validity of the coverage and how it applies to what I see in my everyday life.   Independent media is an outlet that you shouldn’t give all of your attention to, but as research to look to for different talking points, commentary, and coverage you might not receive from mainstream sources. I’ve found it very valuable to understand other perspectives and realize that my experience isn’t the same as everyone else’s. If we listen to each other, we can start to understand each other. It’s the future of media and the way we stop the divide.    Bringing on Kit today was exciting because I’ve been listening to Hard Lens Media for years. I wanted to have Kit on to talk about independent media, holding politicians accountable, freedom of speech, and some of the challenges and wins he’s had since launching Hard Lens Media. Find Hard Lens Media here:   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/HardLensMedia99    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hardlensmedia/?hl=en    Website: https://99perspectives.tv/hard-lens-media/    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HardLensMedia    Find Nick Thompson here:   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nthompson513/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXipWcR8Pit6vYHd1ZcKgKg