The Controversies at LifeSiteNews

John Henry-Westen, the CEO and Editor-in-Chief of LifeSiteNews, was recently removed from his position by the LifeSiteNews board. Then he got reinstated.

These moves caught much of the pro-life, pro-family, religious conservative world off guard. That’s saying a great deal, considering that pro-life and pro-family conservatives have seen all kinds of moral decline and degradation becoming the norm throughout the West. Pro-family fighters have witnessed same-sex “marriage,” rising defenses for pedophilia, and the increased push for assisted suicide. So little shocks us now.

What’s going on here? Should we be concerned? Why is one of the flagship pro-family (and anti-LGBT) news sites facing such leadership turmoil?

First, let’s talk about LifeSiteNews.

This Catholic-based news site has rigorously and accurately documented the downfall and decline of a De-Christianized West. For years, their commentary and confrontation on these matters commanded respect. They even republished the activist reporting from the organization I work for—MassResistance—because of our unwavering commitment against the LGBT agenda in all of its perverse forms.

LifeSiteNews did not back away from calling out moral corruption. To their credit, they were not only unafraid to call out the wrongs and evils of homosexuality and transgenderism. They were a welcome voice for social conservatives like me because they unflinchingly criticized the Republican Party, including President Trump, as they cozied up to so-called LGBT “conservatives” infiltrating the larger conservative movement. Their countercultural attack on mainstream conservatism gave me hope in spite of the growing fecklessness or cowardice of conservative leadership to oppose same-sex “marriage”, adoption, and the like.

So, what’s going on at LifeSiteNews? Is the leadership getting soft, embracing pro-“gay” messaging? Not a chance.

Rather, the news site has taken a dark turn on another set of issues.

For the last two years, I noticed the site’s publishing an increasing number of anti-Israel, anti-Zionist articles on many policy fronts. They were cataloguing the so-called war crimes of the IDF and blasting American politicians and foreign policy makers as puppets of Israel.

Here’s a sample:

Orthodox rabbi: Zionism a ‘cardinal sin’ for Jews, creation of Israel is ‘satanic’

Zionism: Rebellion against God?! | Rabbi speaks out

Why is a Catholic-oriented news site interviewing a Rabbi? And why are they going off on Israel and Zionism?

Oh, and it gets better (or rather, worse). They talk about the horrendous “Israel Lobby” that supposedly controls Washington:

GOP Congressman Thomas Massie exposes Zionist lobby’s power over Congress

Leaked audio exposes Israel lobby’s enormous power over the Trump administration

WATCH: Candace Owens exposes the Israel lobby’s stranglehold on America

For what it’s worth, Candace Owens has been exposed as an intellectual lightweight with a shaky grasp of the facts. She celebrated Andrew Tate, a serial pornographer under indictment for sex trafficking, while denouncing pornography. She also claimed that Hitler was not that bad.

Regarding the purported power of AIPAC, most of their funding goes to Democrats, and the Democratic Party has become increasingly hostile to Israel. As for Congressman  Massie, his performance theater against big spending is starting to wear thin. He never called out the big spending from his fellow US Senators, and he voted for liberal Republican Tom Emmer to be the next Speaker of the House this year. The focus and subject matter of these reports leave much to be desired.

And sadly, LifeSiteNews has thrown itself into the USS Liberty conspiracy. (I refute those talking points here.)

In 2023, Patrick Delaney, one of the editors at LifeSiteNews, wrote, “Orthodox patriarchate condemns ‘Israeli radicals’ for attacking bishop, priest at Church of Gethsemane.”

Yes, there are Jewish radicals, as there are radicals in other religions. What is conspicuously missing from this coverage, however, is the widespread denunciation from other Jews against such abuses. In contrast, Islamic militants have committed all sorts of crimes and terrorism against innocents—Christian, Jew, Muslim—and there is no condemnation from residents in Gaza or Judea and Samaria of their hostilities.

For the record, the Israeli government has cracked down on hyper-orthodox adherents harassing Christians, and local Rabbis raised funds to help repair a Catholic church attacked by Jewish radicals, too.

In 2024, Delaney wrote a particularly egregious article, claiming that Israel was conducting a “genocide” against the residents of Gaza following the October 7^th, 2023 terrorist attack from Hamas:

Israeli soldiers celebrate the ‘torturing, humiliating, and mocking’ of Palestinians on social media

I refused to remain quiet in the face of these blatant lies. I wrote an extensive response email (republished here), refuting the libelous claims about Israel and American foreign policy vis-à-vis the Jewish State. I focused on the redefinition of “genocide.” I also pointed out that his using “Al-Jazeera” as a legitimate news source is suspect.

Delaney responded, and he provided a broad mixture of half-truths and misdefinitions to justify his dishonest arguments.

LifeSiteNews eventually printed my letter, along with Delaney’s response (InfoWars republished the article, too!), but referred to me as “William” and called me a “Christian Zionist journalist,” presumably as a smear. I wear such terms as a badge of honor. The most damning aspect of Delaney’s defense of calling Israel’s attacks on Hamas “genocide” rested on his contortion of the term to include any form of fighting in a combat zone!

With all of this information in the background, let’s get to the firing and rehiring (?) of John Henry-Westen.

LifeSiteNews Co-Founder and Managing Editor Steve Jalsevac released a statement regarding Westen’s departure:

While legal constraints prevent us from delving into extensive detail, I can share that the decision was influenced by several factors, including a 72% drop in readership from 2021 to 2024 during John-Henry’s tenure as CEO, a decline in monthly and new donors, and other business challenges. Additionally, an internal survey revealed significant concerns regarding staff sentiment and safety scores, which further informed the board’s considerations.

 

Nonprofits have to keep the money flowing, but should stick to their principles. A steep drop-off of nearly three-quarters of your readership is troubling.

I can guess why LifeSiteNews is losing readers and donors:

The Pro-Hamas, Anti-Israel Propaganda!

Truth matters in the fight against moral and sexual degradation. When a Catholic-based news site insists on pushing pro-terrorist propaganda, venturing into foreign policy conspiracy theories, they are embracing lies, one can expect that their once-faithful readership will be repulsed.

And now, we receive word that John Henry-Westen has been reinstated.

Surprisingly, the site issued a very short reinstatement statement:

The LifeSiteNews Board of Directors voted today to restore John-Henry Westen to his former position.

 

“John-Henry Westen has been recognized by the board as the President and CEO of lifesitenews.com Inc. subject to administrative review and investigation.”

C.J. Doyle of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts issued the following analysis:

"This is likely the only time in the history of corporate governance that a statement restoring a CEO showed even less cordiality than the statement which announced his firing.

The brevity, timing and language of the announcement all suggest a profound reluctance, or even resentment, on the part of those who issued it.

It was released at 5:47 EDT on a Friday afternoon, a time best suited to minimize publicity on a story that a corporation or a government agency wishes to bury.

The use of the word 'recognized', rather than the more usual 're-appointed' is curious. It might suggest that the previous vote was somehow improper or legally defective.

The inclusion of the phrase 'subject to administrative review and investigation' suggests continued hostility towards Westen by the Board of Directors.

There is also a striking omission. There is no mention of Westen being restored as Editor-in-Chief of LifeSiteNews, a position specifically referenced in his termination announcement.”

LifeSiteNews is losing readers, then they bungled the removal of the CEO. C.J. Doyle’s analysis makes sense. Potential litigation often scares organizations into a quick, unexplained course correction.

But did the board fire Westen because of the website’s increasing embrace of anti-Zionist propaganda? One of the frequent commentators on the site, Peter LaBarbera, shared with me that Westen was not removed because of the anti-Zionist turn in reporting: “It wasn’t about the Israel bashers. They’re still there!” He encouraged me to reach out to one of their main contributors, who privately shared his criticism of the anti-Zionism turn in reporting, but that writer has not gotten back to me yet.

If the LifeSiteNews board of directors can’t see how their dishonest reporting on the Arab-Israeli conflict is affecting readers, then they should be fired!

If LifeSiteNews editors want to maintain life on their site to report the news, they need to get back to reporting … news! All the anti-Zionist propaganda, I submit, is the real turn-off, turning off the donations and views.

The larger question remains: why publish such anti-Israeli (and thus anti-Semitic) garbage? One suspects that the site, based in Canada, is trying to placate an increasing Muslim population. Perhaps they are buying into the engagement harvesting that comes with anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Whatever the reason, they need a major course-correction if they want to survive.

Open Letter to Michelle Malkin Re: The Groypers

Michelle:

First of all, I love your work. I was there to meet with you last year when you spoke in Fullerton, CA last year.

 

Here's a photo of you and me after your talk:

 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=404551790459432&set=a.101614774086470&type=3

 

Second, I am THRILLED that you exposed CPAC and Conservative Inc at great length. They really screwed over MassResistance, as they pander to LGBT causes, including

 

I cannot thank you, in fact Brian and I cannot thank you enough for calling out and exposing CPAC!

 

They are not just bad, but dangerous to the conservative cause, since they induce college-aged people to think that you can be conservative and embrace a false agenda based on cultural Marxism which harms the civic culture and the societal underpinnings which make civilization—Western civilization—possible/

 

To be honest, Townhall.com has pretty much fallen into the Conservative Inc. category, too. I used to write for them, up to my last two articles about Pete "Alfred E" Buttigieg. Then they would not publish my submissions after that, and I just stopped writing for them.

 

Third of all -- GREAT ARTICLE about MassResistance’s efforts. To my knowledge, this is the first time you have taken on the Big LGBT agenda assaulting our country and attacking our children, our country, and our culture!

 

http://michellemalkin.com/2020/02/19/parents-anti-drag-queen-hour-resistance-rises/?fbclid=IwAR11fY3wF3cc1PfY3bFyXeQ3krUJuos-5EO6YBlNiszULVQsglNgkO70mGo

 

I hope that you write more articles exposing Big Gay. This agenda needs to be confronted head on! I am so thrilled that you are writing about this perverse Big LGBT agenda, and I hope that you will write more articles about it. MassResistance is staunchly committed to speaking the whole truth about this agenda: no one is "born that way", and in no wise should it be treated as a civil right. I have often shared that we need a wall around our border, but we also need a wall around our culture, protecting father and mother – Make Male and Female Great Again, Make Marriage Great Again, Make Mom and Dad Great Again. I believe that you would agree with me on this.

 

Now, I wanted to respond to the comment you wrote on Telegram:

 

https://t.me/MichelleMalkin/758?fbclid=IwAR0hXkA-3Q9cbdadq9CQLyCP3hm5VVNB2TdmggJ83JXv06H085-iajts5-w

 

I would like to first point out that I did not criticize you publicly. I wrote to you privately not to shame or demean you, but to share my concern. I care about your work very much, and I am in full agreement with your opposition to open borders, amnesty, etc. I have a copy of your latest book, signed by you! I only wish you had shared your upset with me privately, but that's fine.

 

Here's the debate I endured with Fuentes:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GACTVmvyoc

 

 It was really awful. He made a number of anti-Semitic comments to me, and he has made them to others. I'm not even Jewish, but to assume that one's ethnic status informs one's opinions or allegiances to the United States is distinctly un-American. He has made numerous comments dismissing or casting doubt on the Holocaust. He has also argued that people who are not white should live in another country. He really believed that conflict would end if we had a country with a more racially or ethnically homogenous population. "All men are created equal" reads our Founding Declaration. Fuentes does not agree with that. He has called marriage between a white person and a black person “degenerate.” This is not “America First”.

 

I admit that in the debate I was not prepared for the anti-Zionist arguments about the LaVon Affair, USS Liberty, etc. I later learned that many anti-Zionist, anti-Semitic polemicists often resort to these talking points to obfuscate the argument. A number of people caught me up to speed on these issues after that debate.

 

Fuentes was boorish, abusive, and very rude in the debate, as well. These behaviors and the ideas he has espoused are not worth allying oneself with. Granted, he agrees with us on stopping open borders, amnesty, and the LGBT agenda. But that does not excuse his other offensive and false views. They are not commensurate with putting American citizens, country, and culture first in our estimation. 

 

He even defended the Islamic Republic of Iran as a victim, when that country has routinely punished their own people (who love the United States) while providing funding for terrorist groups in the Middle East which attack us. That nation's parliament burns American flags. Why would anyone defend Iran, or more specifically the Ayatollah's regime?

 

He literally said "I would rather live in a fascist state." What? How is that America First? His views on race and the role of economic freedom are simply not "America First", either. He has written "fuck the free market" -- seriously? Free enterprise as domestic policy is excellent, a commensurate part of what makes America great. AND imposing tariffs on goods from rogue states and to protect our native-grown manufacturing industries is completely acceptable. Thomas Sowell defends the tariff practice in his book "Basic Economics."

 

Again, I shared those comments with you privately because I care about your mission and your activism. You are making a mistake promoting this young man. He shamed me as "Israel First" just because I care about the state of Israel and I want that country to thrive--as part of God's mission on this earth to redeem all of mankind through His Son Christ Jesus. You can love Israel, and still be "America First", and thus care about your own country. Part of the reason Trump is President is on account of Evangelical voters, and they wanted a stronger recognition of Israel, i.e. the proper location of our embassy in Israel in the capital city.

 

Watch the debate for yourself, and please notice that I have not called for nor demanded that this debate be taken down. I don't ascribe to "Cancel Culture":

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GACTVmvyoc

Furthermore, I do not want him or ANYONE deplatformed. I think it is totally wrong to deplatform people for sharing views that I do not agree with.

 

What can I say, Michelle, I love your work, but you are wrong about allying with this Fuentes guy.

 

Having written all of this, I thank you again for spotlighting the what MassResistance is doing. We need more nationally-read columnists standing up to and exposing the LGBT Agenda in its fullest. Too many conservatives have given up on calling out the lies about homosexuality, transgenderism, and the like.

 

I even wrote a glowing article about some of the so-called "Groypers" when they took on TPUSA for being pro-LGBT:

 

http://aschaper1.blogspot.com/2019/11/reflections-on-tpusa-culture-war-town.html

Thanks for allowing me to share these thoughts with you. Once again, I thank you and appreciate your help to fortify more people to fight this culture war and stop Big Gay.

 

One last tip:

 

You might want to start investigating the Big Islamic money that is flowing into colleges all over the United States. They are the ones pushing a lot of anti-Zionist, read Anti-Semitic propaganda around the country. You can definitely tie all of this to the massive refugee agenda that Big Business and Big Left are pushing.

 

And read "The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise" when you get a chance. The author Dario Fernandez-Morera tells the truth about the so-called "multicultural paradise" in Islamic Spain (which never happened, by the way), AND about the big rush of Islamic money pushing universities to abandon rigorous research and criticism of Islamic history and culture.

 

Thank you for your time, and once again, you can call me anytime.

 

Sincerely,

Arthur Schaper, Organization Director

Website: MassResistance.org

Email: arthur@massresistance.org

(781) 890-6001

@MassResistance

Anti-Zionist, Anti-Jew Sentiment Among "Red-Pilled" Groups

First, I learned about how extensive the Holocaust denial industry has grown, but I also learned that more people are taking on these lies and not backing down.

I have sensed for the last year that a number of conservative outsiders have had a problem with Israel. They claim that the country engages in human rights abuses, that they have no right to the territory. There are further claims that fault intelligence from Israel induced the United States into wars in the Middle East.

Much of this is bunkum, of course, but why do these otherwise conservative "red-pilled" groups hate Israel?

One source informed me that the wacky reports on YouTube have seduced many of these younger minds to reject the Jewish State. The conspiracy theories spun out about a few paramilitary ventures under Israeli authority have fed this unfunded hatred of Israel. A number of videos that I have watched articulate that the whole Holocaust is made up or exaggerated. After watching these videos, however, the arguments offer nothing substantive to debunk the Holocaust.

What do they say about the testimonies of the thousands of survivors? Where did they get the tattooed numbers from? I find it hard to believe that there would be so many people of different nationalities who would fabricate such an elaborate scam. How about the massive video recordings of Germans dumping the dead bodies of gassed Jews into mass graves? I saw those videos as early as 7th grade. I defy anyone to claim that all of those videos were some kind of elaborate hoax.

William Shirer's book "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" is one of the most exhaustive histories on the Third Reich, including the Holocaust. The bureaucrats and and Nazi military thugs who designed and implemented the massive annihilation of targeted groups, starting with the disabled and mentally ill, then continuing with their genocidal plans against Jews, Gypsies, and other "undesirables". They also kept exhaustive records of all the people whom they murdered. The rolodex records, names, the extensive steps to legitimize Jews, expel them, sequester them, incarcerate them, then annihilate them was well-documented.

Some "intellects" cannot fathom that such evil resides in the hearts, the flesh of mankind, yet it's there.

Beyond that, there is a growing upset about "Jewish Elites" controlling the media. These wannabe conservatives have a growing outrage with Jews in general, though, because a large segment of them do lean left. There are a number of people of Jewish descent who work in the entertainment and media industries, too. These individuals then conclude that "The Jews" are the problem.

But wait ...

Not every liberal media mogul is Jewish. Rupert Murdoch is not Jewish, and yet many of these globalized anti-Zionists fervently believe that Murdoch is Jewish! It's crazy. There is no talking to them about this matter.

Many Jews in the media and in everyday life are conservative, at least those whom I have met and read about. I have met Orthodox Jews in West Los Angeles who affirm to me that they voted for Donald Trump in 2016. Ben Shapiro, Mike Levin, Dennis Prager, David Rubin are conservatives or classical liberals. How about Evan Sayet, who used to be a confirmed liberal, but rebelled against his left-wing peers and allied academics when they spent more time defending terrorists than fighting them.

This idea of a Jewish plot to take over the media, to take over the world is simply unsubstantiated, but it's not an old line of attack. Read "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion", and you will find out that for the last 150 years, the push to demonize Jews as an enemy to every civilized country where they live. These notes have been thoroughly debunked as a Czarist forgery meant to justify the savage pogroms against Jews in Russia.

And yet ...

There are the Red Elephants. Nick Fuentes, and an assortment of other alternative right-wing groups and speakers who hate Israel. One video outlined reasons why Christians should give up their "love affair" with Israel; however, the video snipped out video segments from a Jewish gathering which was not taking place in Israel to begin with!

Anti-Zionist lunacy on full display

Then there are stories about the "unjust" treatment of the Palestinians, along with the argument that Israel is an imperial power taking land away from Arab owners. What?! Huh?! They see Iran as a victim-state rather than a sponsor of terrorism all over the world, including Israel as well as the United States. I don't recall Israel threatening to blow Iran off the face of the earth, nor do I recall members of the Israel Knesset burning American flags or taking Americans hostage.

I do recall reading about Israel taking out nuclear reactor in Iraq, which the violent Baathist dictator Saddam Hussein was building. There were diplomatic talking heads who condemned the incident, but in reality many heads of state were glad that Israel had taken the pre-emptive strike to take down the reactor in Osirak.

Then there are the arguments that support for Israel is somehow inconsistent with putting the United States first or investing in this country's better interests. I used to believe that the United States should provide foreign aid or investment to any country. Now I see that American investment in Israel pays off in multiple ways. $3.8 billion is a nothing compared to the data, the intelligence, plus the cultural and spiritual values which Americans and Israelis share.

I would submit that opposing Israel is in fact anti-American. One cannot claim to put America First if they routinely pillory and undermine the state of Israel.

That little nation along the Mediterranean coast is the only stable democracy in the region, aside from Iraq post-Hussein, although its status and stability are in question. The nation continues to serve as a countervailing force against Iran and against Islamic tyranny in the region. They have helped the long-term fight against ISIS. They provide food, water, and technology through research, development, and implementation throughout the world. Their humanitarian investments counter China's aggressive military and cultural imperialism in Africa, too.

And yet these "conservative" groups hate Jews and hate Israel.

Why?

1. YouTube viewership without critical thinking.
2. A latent atheism, which is common for many among the alt-right.
3. A knee-jerk Buchananite nationalism, even though Pat Buchanan no longer opposes Israel and considers the Jewish State an ally. Why did Buchanan's views change? He actually visited the country.
4. The fear of being labeled a "cuck" or "Establishment" by their alt-right peers if they stop hating Israel.

What is astonishing to me about this group is that they oppose globalism and the left-wing media ... except when it comes to Israel. They believe all the negative reports written in Haaretz about Israel. They will trot out two major negative events, the Lavon Affair and the attack on the USS Liberty, to justify their unfounded hatred of Israel.

This is no joke. I have read anti-Israel articles and listened to anti-Israel spokesmen, and they invariably throw out references to those two events, then they talk about Jews controlling the Fed, the media, major institutions in the United States Government.

It gets old fast. It's pretty sad, and yet all too common.

For the record, the USS Liberty incident was deemed a fog-of-war tragedy after at least six investigations. The commander in charge of the USS Liberty declared that it was a fog of war tragedy. Even if all the allegations of violent conspiracy are true, would these anti-Zionists conclude that the United States government worked with Israel to cover up this supposed deliberate attack?

How do we deal with these lies about Jews, Israel, the Judeo-Christian legacy?

We fight back with the truth, but we should not vouch for or demand the forced silence of these individuals. If people want to condemn Israel and embrace their Anti-Semitic beliefs, then so be it.

But we have every right to speak the truth and not hold back our recognition of the facts on the ground.