TL;DR
A journalist spent a week largely offline in the Galapagos and returned convinced that much of modern news is noise amplified by social media and a 24/7 cycle. Time away among diverse travelers and endemic wildlife prompted plans to focus on deeper reporting and to build a new, independent news site.
What happened
A reporter spent a week on a boat in the Galapagos Islands with minimal internet access. The group included people of varying ages, professions and political backgrounds who shared practical help and civil conversation; topics such as housing, healthcare and childcare arose but partisan vitriol did not. Removed from the constant feed of headlines and social platforms, the reporter found daily news felt largely forgettable and punctuated by manufactured urgency. He compared the islands’ ecological isolation — which produced unique endemic species — to the intellectual insulation needed to incubate distinct, meaningful journalism away from attention-seeking social media. He cites examples of persistent hoaxes and viral misinformation as evidence that the attention economy rewards sensationalism. On returning, he plans to shift coverage toward stories he considers substantive and to build a separate website intended to host reporting that can’t be found elsewhere.
Why it matters
- Highlights how social media and 24/7 news cycles can create a false sense of urgency and inflate trivial stories.
- Suggests that real-world interactions often lack the polarization portrayed online, raising questions about media narratives of national division.
- Argues for editorial models that prioritize distinctive, long-form or investigative work over rapid-fire click-driven coverage.
- Points to misinformation and recycled hoaxes as symptoms of attention-driven platforms that reward sensational content.
Key facts
- The trip was a weeklong visit to the Galapagos Islands with limited internet access.
- Travelers on the boat numbered over a dozen and included a wide mix of ages, professions and political affiliations.
- Conversations among passengers touched on costs of housing, healthcare and childcare but lacked partisan vitriol.
- The author felt much daily news was forgettable when not consumed minute-by-minute.
- He used the Galapagos’ endemic species and isolation as a metaphor for the need to incubate focused journalism away from social platforms.
- He observed wildlife including a Galapagos giant tortoise and a baby blue-footed booby.
- The piece cites the circulation of hoax material (an edited Jeffrey Epstein clip) as an example of social media misinformation.
- The author plans to focus more on important stories and to launch a new website separate from Substack to host original reporting.
- There is a request for paid subscriptions or one-off contributions via GoFundMe to support this work and the new site.
What to watch next
- Launch of the author’s new, independent website intended to host original reporting (planned for 2026 as stated).
- Editorial shift toward longer-term, original stories and away from chasing flash-in-the-pan news cycles.
- Subscriber drive and fundraising efforts to support the new site via paid subscriptions and a GoFundMe campaign.
Quick glossary
- Endemic: A species native to and restricted to a specific geographic area.
- Attention economy: An economic model in which human attention is treated as a scarce resource and content competes for engagement.
- 24/7 news cycle: Continuous news coverage that produces rapid, often real-time reporting and frequent updates.
- Misinformation: False or misleading information that is spread, regardless of intent to deceive.
Reader FAQ
Where did the author go?
He spent a week in the Galapagos Islands.
Was he completely offline?
No — he was largely without internet access but had brief, intermittent opportunities to check news.
Did he see notable wildlife?
Yes; he photographed or observed creatures including a Galapagos giant tortoise and a baby blue-footed booby.
Will he change his reporting?
He plans to focus more on substantive stories and to launch a separate website for original reporting.
Discover more from Ken Klippenstein No-nonsense reporting on the U.S. national security state and politics. Over 180,000 subscribers Subscribe By subscribing, I agree to Substack's Terms of Use, and acknowledge…
Sources
- Why I Disappeared – My week with minimal internet in a remote island chain
- Trouble in Paradise (?) – Galapagos Islands Forum
- Galapagos Islands
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Galapagos …
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