Timothy Daniel Pool / b. 1986 / Chicago, Illinois, USA / Journalist, Political Commentator, Podcaster
Note: Only a couple of the following quotations are sourced; the others presumably come from Pool’s numerous online videos, commentaries, interviews, and podcasts.
Citizen Journalism
The only defense you have against police violence is to film it and share it so people are aware of what’s happening.
You never know when you might become the most important journalist in the world.
Unbeknownst to me, I started doing journalism, just because I was bearing witness.
I’ve resisted the tag “citizen journalist”—that’s not what I am.
Culture
The culture war is real, and it’s affecting every aspect of our society.
Documentary Films
A lot of documentaries are biased—they leave out a lot of information.
Free Speech
What you see from these tech companies—Facebook, YouTube, Twitter—they control the space and they control the speech.
I am terrified of a future where people will not share their opinions because people are being banned or ostracized.
I think information wants to be free, it deserves to be free, and the only way we are going to have a functioning government for the people is if people can see and understand why decisions are made. I hope I am contributing to that.
Life
Bloom beautifully . . . dangerously . . . loudly. Bloom softly. You are the blossom. However you need to—just bloom.
Media
The mainstream media has a credibility crisis, and it’s their own fault.
I’ve seen news organizations outright just take photos from Instagram and use it for news without credit, without permission.
Social media is reshaping the way we consume news and information.
There is no money. Companies are struggling and firing left and right. The companies that are doing well learned that hyper-partisan content shares better than real news.
Life is much more chill and boring than media makes it seem.
Political Discourse
It’s better to have a conversation with someone you disagree with than to shout them down.
We need to have more civil discourse and less tribalism in our political discussions.
Look, as far as I’m concerned, if someone who is white feels like people are saying things that are anti-white, sure, you’re allowed to feel however you want, and I really don’t see the problem with that. However, calling you a white supremacist discredits you beyond just your concerns about what people are saying about white people.
One of the problems with the Democrats and many people on the left—and it’s true for everybody, but something I’ve seen repeatedly among left-wing activists and the far-left—is that they don’t think about what the result will actually be.
Pool on Pool
I got started by couch surfing and being broke, homeless, without healthcare.
I’ve done a lot of the “No Blood for Oil” anti-war marches for whatever political reason that people have for being against war—I just don’t like war.
I want people to be able to get their information from me.
There were instances where—I can’t name names—but a big show used my content without credit.
I consider myself an activist, but I’m never a protestor.
I am an activist for transparency.
I used to be [an action junkie]. I used to travel all over the world, two flights per week. It’s not so much the action—but kind of, you know, definitely an adrenaline junkie, I’ve been skateboarding my whole life—but it was more so, I want to know why things are happening.
“The Full Tim Pool Interview,” John Stossel, Stossel TV, October 29, 2023.
I ultimately didn’t really care if I told people what was happening. I wanted to watch it so I knew. Because, you know, some people don’t trust the media, I don’t know who to believe, why don’t I just go there and I can see for myself? And as it turns out there is one good way to fund that: Tell people what you saw.
The Full Tim Pool Interview,” John Stossel, Stossel TV, October 29, 2023.
I don’t want to stand filming in front of the water cannon and guys with Molotovs. I want to show you what it’s like to be there as best I can, even if that ends with me running full-speed into a café and rubbing lemons all over my face after being tear-gassed.
As soon as I saw Google Glass, I realized that it would allow me to do what I always do with this first-person live recording, but my hands would be free.
No one tells me what I can and can’t report on, and no one tells me what to say.
The content I produce isn’t coming at the behest of a corporation or a government.
I try not to judge people.
Fusion [TV] told me and many other staff to “side with the audience.” Which they clarified as young people being liberal or left leaning, so that’s the angle we take regardless of the facts. It was not a fun time.
I started to feel an obligation to people who had become loyal to our channel. Those viewers were loyal to me and I am in turn loyal to them.
Truth
The truth doesn’t care about your feelings.
We need to have more civil discourse and less tribalism in our political discussions.
WikiLeaks
I am a huge fan of the ideals behind WikiLeaks.