The Epstein files yielded photos of Bill Clinton, not President Donald Trump.

The sex trafficking scandal involving billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, which mainstream U.S. media outlets have long dismissed as a 'conspiracy theory,' is finally beginning to reveal its true substance.

The world has been plunged into shock as revelations expose the systemic corruption of global elites and the cartel-like behavior of legacy media.

The 'Epstein Files' are an extensive collection of investigative records containing the names of individuals involved in the child sex trafficking network that billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein built over decades, targeting powerful figures in politics and business worldwide.

Dismissing it as 'Conspiracy Theory' No Longer Effective

According to Finance Today, with the recent release of an additional three million evidence files, Epstein's alleged involvement with Russian espionage, systematic blackmail of influential figures, and the full extent of the cartel connecting them are surfacing, shaking the foundations of trust in the entire elite-dominated structure of Western society.

Furthermore, the files mention Dr. Peter Attia, a world-renowned authority on 'longevity,' more than 1,700 times, and have reignited suspicions surrounding the Clintons. The desire for eternal life and their pursuit of longevity are nothing short of astonishing.

However, there is another aspect the author wishes to highlight. This incident is causing the hypocrisy of legacy media to be scrutinized by the public alongside it. Let's follow the report from Finance Today.

"Despite the destructive nature of the matter, the passive reporting by major U.S. media outlets such as CNN and the NYT is further fueling public anger.

Mainstream media are exhibiting a 'cherry-picking' attitude, remaining silent or downplaying reports concerning specific politicians or individuals linked to advertisers included in the list.

As the media falls silent, the power of information appears to have shifted to social media. Citizens are sharing the lists and flight records in real-time through X (formerly Twitter) and independent media. This has led to a perception that 'existing media is also part of the elite cartel,' extending beyond distrust in the media.

Information Power Shifts to Social Media as Media Goes Silent

As the article indicates, the Epstein case has long been suspected of being deliberately avoided or downplayed by mainstream media due to their collusive relationships with powerful figures.

When instances of withholding relevant information, despite possessing it, are exposed, the public has begun to perceive mainstream media not as 'guardians of information' but as 'shields of power.'

During the recent release of documents, mainstream media face strong criticism for either sensationalizing provocative content about specific figures like former U.S. President Donald Trump, business magnate Elon Musk known for his right-wing ideology, and Prince Andrew of the UK, or for minimizing reports on the involvement of individuals closely connected to them.

As the media remains silent, information power is shifting to social media platforms like Truth Social. [Photo=Yonhap News]

This makes the public's next step inevitable. Ordinary citizens and independent investigators are directly analyzing the vast legal documents, numbering over three million files, and disseminating them in real-time on social media platforms like X and Truth Social.

In the past, newspapers and television news monopolized information and set the agenda. Now, that control seems to have completely transferred to citizens and SNS platforms.

This is why the Epstein situation is being interpreted not as a mere sex scandal or social crime, but as a full-blown declaration of war by the public against the 'elite cartel.'

In the U.S. as well, mainstream media has, to some extent, suppressed discussions on sensitive issues such as the Epstein case and allegations of election fraud by labeling them as 'conspiracy theories.'

However, as the perception grows that legacy media are not reporting facts but rather managing and controlling the 'narrative' or social discourse, independent media and civilian analysts on social media who were tracking the Epstein case in the past are now being re-evaluated in American society as 'truth seekers, not conspiracy theorists.'

"They probably controlled election fraud just like they silenced Epstein"

The Epstein case and election fraud are like fraternal twins. Election fraud is also one of the areas where mainstream media has exerted the strongest control over reporting. The Epstein situation has the potential to bring about two decisive changes at this juncture.

Most importantly, it instills in the public the conviction that 'they are hiding something.' Just as the blemishes of a vast elite society could be concealed for decades in the Epstein case, it provides a powerful basis for public suspicion that irregularities or vulnerabilities in the election system can also be concealed.

The fact that key figures in politics, the judiciary, and the media are connected to the Epstein network gives rise to a critical perspective that the very systems responsible for election administration and reporting results could be manipulated by a vested interest cartel including election commissions, the judiciary, and the media.

It is like a perfect reenactment of the movie 'Inside Men,' where the gangster-turned-political broker Ahn Sang-goo (played by Lee Byung-hun) operates. And the ending? A massive exposé, much like the Epstein case. Are you the protagonist exposing election fraud, or the target of the exposé?

In the past, if the media declared "there is no problem," that was the end of the truth. But now, the situation is different. Just as citizens are directly analyzing the Epstein files, the trend of the public directly verifying and sharing election data and statistical anomalies is expected to intensify.

The more mainstream media remains silent, the more the public will tend to interpret it as 'evidence of concealment.' This will inevitably lead to an outcome where the more mainstream media remains silent on allegations of election fraud, the greater the influence of alternative media on those allegations will become, as seen in the Epstein case.

Ultimately, the Epstein case will become a symbolic event marking the collapse of the truth framework established by the establishment. When the media represents power rather than scrutinizing it, the public chooses to become the media themselves.

This trend raises concerns that it could lead to direct public scrutiny and distrust not only in future election integrity issues but also in major national policies and the judicial system as a whole. Even now, the political bias of South Korea's judicial system is already under suspicion by many citizens.

Of course, the movement of the public directly accessing 'raw information' like the Epstein files and reconstructing the truth will also present a new societal challenge of 'information dissemination chaos' as unverified information gets mixed in.

However, who is primarily responsible for causing such a situation? And what form will the 'grand restructuring of the information system' take after this chaos?

Former Editorial Advisor, Munhwa Ilbo