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I felt really in the know when I discovered disinfo around '97 or so, had my first non-school email address through them, very seriously considered writing for them (and my roommate in fact did once), and attended the Disinfo.con2000 (still have the poster up in my living room, too). It was and, to some extent, still is a great resource for going from an isolated piece of esoteric information to its larger context. Then there was "THe Infinity Factory," which was like the best cable access show ever, but it got all slick with "Disinfo Nation." Hell, even the shortlived "Freakylinks" TV show was in large part based on Disinfo.
But there comes a point when what it asks outbalances what it gives. The ads, the personals, the paid email accounts, the registration, all this really soured me on what was once a daily ritual for me. And that, I feel, helped weaken what I think was formerly a stronger countercultural movement by tainting what was its most visible hub. Not that I don't think those involved ought not be compensated for their labors, but it all happened too quick and too severely.
I'm glad disinfo exists and still exists, but nowadays it's more a reminder of squandered potential than anything else. The books and videos are nice, but better that they be an ancillary product to what should have remained a stronger core brand. I don't know whether there's any one person or decision I would say is responsible for its successes and failures, and maybe by sabotaging itself in this way it's guaranteed that its legacy would never be as the huge corporate entity it could have become (which likely would have destroyed its cred in its own way, too). Nevertheless, in an age dominated by ginormous homogenous media entities, it would have been nice to have had at least one whose aims were transparently subversive, sort of a punk PBS. It may yet happen, but I don't see it right now.
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