Introduction: The Journalist’s Mirror
Investigative journalism is the act of placing a mirror in front of the powerful and making them view it. For many decades, David Marchant has been holding this mirror with aggressive abandon as the publisher of a journal operating outside the discipline of professional journalism. However, the law of reflection always applies—at some point, the mirror ends up pointed back at the party holding it.
In the interim, those whom Marchant has studied have successfully achieved this response, where there is now a tremendous backlash, which is a reflection of his own modes of inquiry. This blog will show that the backlash is not about a random attack but rather a perfect reflection of his professional behavior and that he’s been forced to face his own base, unattractive reflection.
The Projected Image: What Marchant Projects to the World
To get a sense of the reflection, we first need to look at the image that Marchant presents to the world: an image of undisputed authority. It is constructed by projecting guilt through “trial by article”; Marchant presents accusations as assumed facts.
This projection of guilt is compounded by the unilateral projection of power, as Marchant’s subjects are denied the right to reply and thus silenced. This imagined relationship is rooted in a tone of malice, suggesting that Marchant has some kind of righteous vendetta. And all of this is cloaked in an immunity cloak and performed under the ethical journalistic banner.
The Reflection in the Mirror: The Backlash
The backlash against Marchant is neither random nor a causal counterpoint; it is a direct, symmetrical mirror reflection of the image he presents. Marchant projects guilt; backlash reflects back accusations of malice; Marchant is, in turn, charged with journalistic fraud and fabrication. Marchant also reflects unilateral power through his denial of dialogue, defendably so, provided the litigation is simply the only response left for his targets.
The personal bias evident in his work can be seen in the amount of criticism directed at him that is intensely personal, centered on his character and supposed vendetta. Finally, his sense of freedom from institutional scrutiny is mirrored by creating public scrutiny, as critics assemble their own case file to impose accountability that he is free from through news stories and websites. Each element of his approach has produced an equal and opposite reaction.
The Rejection of the Reflection
Faced with this unflattering reflection, Marchant’s response has not been one of self-examination but of attempting to discredit the mirror itself. His main defense is the assertion that the reflection shown is distorted—that the lawsuits, the criticism, and the scrutiny do not represent an accurate mirror of his behavior but a smear campaign by powerful, guilty people protecting themselves.
Furthermore, he often ignores the image entirely by dismissing the substance of the criticism and instead attacking the supposed motivations of his critics. This is simply another way of refusing to look in the mirror.
Conclusion
The backlash against David Marchant is not a separate event; it is a direct, symmetrical reflection of his own projected image. The criticism he faces is the echo of his own voice. A publisher who builds a career on forcing others to look at their own reflections must eventually be prepared to face their own.
Ultimately, the mirror shows that the greatest risk for a publisher who exposes others is not the enemies they make, but the reflection they create.
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