A long time ago, many of us used to trust the mainstream media and shared a common reality. Those days are gone. Trust in the media is at an all-time low.

A new cold war has emerged... between Chinese communist and anti-communist forces.

Russia and Ukraine are at war.

There’s turmoil in the Middle East -- from the Iran war to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Inflation and prices for everything from food to gasoline have reached record highs. The cost of living is too high. And the hurdles in the way of the American Dream have grown.

Illegal immigration is surging, yet support for lax enforcement grows. Our elites refuse to address what's really happening.

Civil liberties are under attack.

People are questioning whether elections are free, fair and legitimate.

Artificial intelligence is transforming our world... for better and for worse.

Indecency permeates popular culture. Some teachers, public schools and children's TV networks have turned what used to be family-friendly environments into platforms for pushing alternative languages, lifestyles, ideologies and movements onto children, robbing them of their innocence.

America is politically divided. Political violence is on the rise and people risk injury or death for their views.

People who speak their mind or express contrarian viewpoints are labeled Nazis, rednecks, racists, bigots, homophobes, transphobes, Islamophobes, antisemites, anti-vaxxers, anti-maskers and worse.

There are lots of parents concerned about what their children are doing online, problematic stuff in movies, TV shows and video games, and what future generations will inherit.

But there's hope. If you’ve got a problem with any of this, if you’re concerned about our future, and if no one else can help, maybe you can count on ... ESSENTIAL NETWORK! 

Essential Network is the response to the declining trust in the media and other institutions. We'll help you make sense of our rapidly changing and insane world. We're a team of talented and determined individuals who are not afraid to discuss what's really going on in America and the world.

We will provide a fountain of reliable information to vulnerable people in countries where people don’t have access to accurate information. We will point out media bias. We will call out falsehoods. And we will create solutions to what ails our modern media.

We're not just a media company that breaks the news. We stand up to elites who think they're smarter and better than anyone else, including everyone who votes for anti-establishment causes, traditional values or conservative populism -- a group of people they see as hopelessly dumb, prejudiced, uneducated and overtly religious.

With your remote control, your computer, and your smartphone, you can make a difference by watching and learning from our programming. When they flood the zone with wokeness, falsehoods, noise, media bias, cancel culture, censorship, insults, and divisive rhetoric, we will flood the zone with the opposite of all of that ... while putting facts and traditions first.

Unlike many in the elitist mainstream media, Big Tech and Hollywood, we love America. We're more honest than they will ever be. We are THE STRAIGHTFORWARD CHOICE. And most importantly, in times of light and darkness, we are ESSENTIAL and here for you.

Essential Network does not endorse or advocate for or against political candidates and ballot initiatives but generally leans to the center and the right-of-center in its political outlook.

OUR TEAM

Peter Matthews

Founder, Editor-in-Chief, and CEO

Host of Starting Point, Essential Network Movie Club, Essential Network's Guide to the Interesting, Chase for the Cup and The Entertainment Zone

Peter Matthews is an entrepreneur and independent journalist. An intelligent young man, he became interested in both politics and journalism at a young age. He launched a short-lived Substack at the age of 22. During the COVID pandemic, he witnessed lots of changes in society that he believed contradicted the traditional, American way of life.

After witnessing the deplatforming of his fellow Americans and the elitist bias of Big Tech, Hollywood, mainstream media and universities, he decided to become the media by launching Essential Network.

He is a graduate of Orange Coast College and has a B.A. in Political Science from California State University, Long Beach. When he's not on the air or in the recording studio, he loves to play video games, meet up with his friends, travel, watch sports and attend sports games.

David Thompson

Host of How They Lie To Us

Independent journalist David Thompson is a journalism enthusiast and content creator with a penchant for monitoring media bias and putting facts before feelings.

He named himself after two journalists he grew up admiring: David Muir -- the ABC evening news anchor known for his calm, dignified and erudite narration and presentation of news events -- and the late Hunter Stockton Thompson, a Rolling Stone journalist who was a countercultural icon that challenged authority, governments and media, and used his writing to critique American society, expose corruption and challenge hypocrisy.

Jonathan Jogiel

Deputy Editor-In-Chief

Jonathan is the deputy editor-in-chief of and a behind-the-scenes star performer at Essential Network. Jonathan, a Tel Avivian by birth and a Californian by choice, provides us with material exposing wrongdoing, shining a light on the truth, and helping America wake up. His positive optimism and his unapologetic support for masculinity are his trademarks. He loves baseball, UFC, all things Israel, fitness, and fashion (including Vuori). And most importantly, he loves great conversations and values freedom of speech.

Alessandra Rubin

Production and Social Media Assistant

A graduate of Orange Coast College, Alessandra serves as the production and social media assistant for Essential Network. When she's not working behind the scenes, she loves playing pickleball recreationally, watching Nickelodeon and Disney Channel, She also loves to play video games, listen to music, and meet celebrities.

Christian Roberts

Producer and Contributor

An avid racing enthusiast and journalism student, Christian is an all-around good guy and a proud American. He used to race at the Irwindale Speedway before its closure. His dream is to become a professional NASCAR driver. Though he’s grown up, he’s still a kid at heart.

His favorite Bible verses are Joshua 1:9 and Isaiah 41:30. 

Among his favorite motivational quotes:

“Racing is life, anything that happens before or after is just waiting” - Steve McQueen

“The winner ain’t the one with the fastest car, it’s the one who refuses to lose” - The late, great Dale Earnhardt 

“What’s behind you doesn’t matter” - Enzo Ferrari

“Ka Chow!” - Lightning McQueen