Help me remember a post on the blue about an academic/journalism "cult"? November 16, 2020 2:43 PM   Subscribe

I remember reading a post on MetaFilter at least 4 years ago that was about a weird network of interconnected organizations that were ostensibly about journalism, history, ethics, etc. but were actually some sort of cult. Many similarities to NXIVM but possibly something else.

This FPP was one of those down-the-rabbit-hole longform journalism pieces where the author was contacted by one of the groups, then started doing research about other groups, and found they all shared one vague agenda. I think these groups were located in upstate New York (like NXIVM), and the author traveled to one of them for some kind of seminar. Some kind of "institute," or ersatz "journalism school."

Does this ring a bell?
posted by MetaFilter World Peace to MetaFilter-Related at 2:43 PM (8 comments total) 3 users marked this as a favorite

Could it have been about The Epoch Times? There has been a lot of recent press, but it has been around long enough for this to have been on the blue before. My meager searching skills aren't turning much up in that time frame.
posted by meinvt at 6:55 PM on November 16, 2020 [1 favorite]


Was it this one?
posted by feckless at 7:15 PM on November 16, 2020


From 2019, but maybe The School of Practical Philosophy?
posted by ectabo at 7:51 PM on November 16, 2020


No, none of those, unfortunately.
posted by MetaFilter World Peace at 7:56 PM on November 16, 2020


The Knife
posted by cakelite at 8:15 PM on November 16, 2020 [4 favorites]


That’s it!! Thank you!
posted by MetaFilter World Peace at 5:12 AM on November 17, 2020 [1 favorite]


So maybe there was no post on the blue about it, this article in Paste resembles my memory of the piece I read.
posted by MetaFilter World Peace at 9:15 AM on November 17, 2020 [2 favorites]


Sounds like you've already got your answer, but if we're collecting underground societies of academics you may be interested in this quanta article on the Nicolas Boubaki group.
posted by Think_Long at 1:50 PM on November 18, 2020 [1 favorite]


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