Statement in Response to a Coordinated Smear Campign Targeting Independent Investigative Reporting Via Julie Cohen, Justice for Mark and Jacob Iskander Facebook Page

In response to the targeted smear campaign launched by Julie Cohen on the Justice for Mark and Jacob Iskander Facebook page regarding my coverage of the Rebecca Grossman case:

I am an independent journalist. For more than 15 years, I have reported on public corruption as a community service, largely free of charge. I do not have advertisers, sponsors, or financial backers influencing my work.

Covering high-profile, complex cases is central to the mission and content of my website. When I am approached to cover a story in an investigative capacity, I vet the project and, when appropriate, assess a project fee to research, write, and publish across my platforms. This policy is fully disclosed on my media website. It is public information.

Every article I have ever published is fact-based and supported by documents, evidence, and photographs. Not once have I received a demand letter requesting a retraction, deletion, or takedown of any article related to the Grossman case, because the reporting is accurate.

This is not “favorable” or slanted coverage. It is factual reporting, facts that much of the mainstream media deliberately omitted under the progressive prosecutorial narrative advanced during George Gascón’s tenure.

The current smear campaign is being pushed by Julie Cohen, who is also feeding misinformation to other platforms, including “Joe Knows Ventura”, and The Acorn, on behalf of the plaintiffs. The motive is transparent: they object to the fact that my reporting exposes evidence pointing to Scott Erickson as the individual likely responsible for the deaths of Mark and Jacob Iskander.

Julie Cohen, along with anyone else for whom I have documented proof of disseminating false statements about me or my work, will be receiving a formal cease and desist letter next week.

Screenshots and records are being preserved. If an Anti-SLAPP action becomes necessary, it will be pursued.

I have a 15-year, rock-solid reporting record with zero legal issues. Every media outlet covering this case has paid reporters to write about it. The difference is that their platforms are advertiser-driven, which inherently shapes coverage. I am self-employed, independent, and free to report without interference or financial pressure.

That independence is precisely why this reporting exists, and why it matters.

The cyberbullying by Cohen and her associates will not deter or silence coverage on my platform, including continued reporting on the Rebecca Grossman case.

Cece Woods, Editor in Chief