Mahyar Tousi’s New Media Conference, 2025 – My Takeaways

I wasn't expecting a wake-up call at the conference, but that’s exactly what I got. After hearing from brave people, unafraid to speak the truth, I came home convinced that silence is not an option.

The New Media Conference, organised by Mahyar Tousi of Tousi TV, took place at the Emmanuel Centre in Westminster, London, on Saturday 9th August. I was fortunate enough to be one of the thousand or so people who attended.

Throughout the day, I spent a fair bit of time wondering what on earth I was doing there. I’m not a media person, so I felt a little out of place. But I realise now that what it has done is encourage me to be a lot bolder about expressing my views as I grow my Substack and interact with the people and the world around me.

Why I Went

I found myself at the event because media personality and Reform Councillor for Durham, Darren Grimes, had shared a link to it on his Substack, inviting his followers along. When I first looked into going, the tickets were a bit expensive, so I decided against it.

Then I happened to watch one of Mahyar Tousi’s YouTube videos, in which he announced he was reducing the ticket price by half due to concerns about protesters. This had forced him to change venues multiple times and keep the location a secret until 24 hours beforehand. He said, “Let’s get as many of us there as we can.” That’s when I thought, “Wow, I’ll go!”

I live in a village in East Anglia which is beautiful but isolated. I’m concerned about the direction our country is heading in but, so far, I haven’t found many people locally to discuss these issues with. I needed to get my head into a place where I was surrounded by others who feel the same way I do.

I also wanted to add another dimension to my everyday life - which I love - but which for the past 11 years has been very much taken up with home educating my children, looking after various pets and doing some part-time writing and coaching. My family is my main priority but, as my teenagers become more independent, I’ve been exploring my own personal growth and development and thinking about what I want to do next.

Lately, I’ve had a growing interest in the politics of the UK. The conference seemed like a great chance to get out of my comfort zone, hear from some YouTubers I follow, and see what possibilities might open up. Over the past year or so, I’ve found myself increasingly watching the videos of some of the conference speakers as I do the washing up, hang up the laundry and prepare meals. The chance to be in a room with them and hear their viewpoints and insights directly was too good an opportunity to miss.

The Line-Up

The line-up of speakers was phenomenal. I felt truly privileged to hear from such great thinkers and action takers all in the same room on the same day.

Speakers

• Mahyar Tousi – Tousi TV | ▶️ YouTube

• Andre Walker – Andre Walker | ▶️ YouTube

• Andrew Gold – Heretics | ▶️ YouTube • ✍️ Substack

• Darren Grimes – Unleashed | ▶️ YouTube • ✍️ Substack

• Carl Benjamin – The Podcast of the Lotus Eaters | ▶️ YouTube • Sargon of Akkad | ▶️ YouTube

• Stephen Barrett – High Court Barrister | ▶️ YouTube • ✍️ Substack

• Peter Whittle – New Culture Forum | ▶️ YouTube

• Ridvan Aydemir – Apostate Prophet | ▶️ YouTube

• Dan Wootton – Outspoken | ▶️ YouTube

• Jack Ross – Turning Point UK | ▶️ YouTube

• Alp Mehmet – Migration Watch UK | ▶️ YouTube

• Benjamin Butterworth – Journalist, author at iPaper iNews | 📷 Instagram

• Andy Ngo – Journalist and editor-at-large for The Post Millennial. Regular guest on Fox News, contributor to New York Post and Wall Street Journal. | 🐦 Twitter/X

• Stefan Tompson – Journalist and founder of Visegrád 24 | 🌐 Website

• Rebecca Mistereggen – Journalist and show host with Norway’s Document.no | 🌐 Website

• Emily Schrader – Journalist, news anchor, expert on Iran-Israel relations | 📷 Instagram

Also present

• Young Bob – 17-year-old Christian evangelist who regularly speaks at Speakers’ Corner in London | YouTube

Finding Our Voice

I not only want to briefly share with you some of the main topics of the day, I also want to encourage you not to feel helpless, if at times you do so, in the face of the gargantuan issues facing our nation. I hope you’ll feel empowered in the knowledge that we can all play our part in influencing the trajectory of this country.

Whether you’re publicly raising your concerns about what’s going on politically or silently mulling things over and feeling frustrated that some people around you seem oblivious to it all, know that your part, no matter how large or small, matters.

The speakers on stage were all well known with large social media platforms and thousands, if not millions, of followers. It’s easy to get a sudden dose of comparisonitis and think thoughts like: “Well, it’s their job to say these things”, “They have a gift for it, resources and experience”, “That’s their role, they’re professionals, they’ve chosen to do this, it’s their purpose”, “What’s the point when there are such big, loud voices out there already?”, “I don’t know what I’m doing”, “I’m just an amateur”, “I’m just littl’ ol’ me, what can I possibly share or do?”

You may or may not feel like that but I’ve certainly frequently had those thoughts as I’ve started tentatively sharing notes and posts on Substack. My intention was never to post about politics and I wanted solely to write about topics related to coaching, however I literally can’t stop myself from writing about our current political situation because it’s so pressing.

I’ve come to realise that alongside providing us with facts and opinions about current affairs, one of these people’s roles is to inspire us to do the same. We all have a part to play. We need to find our voice, be courageous and take action. It’s hard, scary, and uncomfortable but it’s necessary. The more voices there are, the greater and quicker the change we can make.

I was struck by how brave each and every one of the speakers is. Most, if not all, have experienced verbal abuse; some have been cancelled; some have been physically attacked and some have lost their jobs. They’re at risk of having their platforms shut down and, at the most extreme, some of them risk their lives and have received death threats. And yet, they continue to speak out against injustice and are committed to telling the truth.

Below I’ll share some very brief snippets from the day. This is just a very small window on the event but I hope you will glean a few nuggets.

Key Themes

The main topics of the day included:

• Legacy vs New Media: Who is Winning the War for Influence? Debate between mainstream and new media voices

• Should Media Be Openly Biased? Is transparent bias more honest than pretending to be neutral?
  

• From Views to Votes: Can You Mobilise Voters Through New Media?
  

• Policing the Internet: Can Free Speech Survive the Online Safety Act? A legal deep dive into Britain’s new online battleground.
  

• From Fringe to Forefront: How the Debate on Demographics Broke Through the Media Firewall.

Three Key Challenges Facing Content Creators

Three of the biggest challenges to anyone producing content on social media were discussed:

1. The Online Safety Act
   

2. The redefinition of Islamophobia
   

3. The increasing reach of Ofcom into media channels like YouTube and other platforms

New Media Rising

Mahyar Tousi spoke about how new media platforms have been growing in popularity and influence and are now strong competition for the mainstream media, which so many people are disillusioned with because of their clearly biased narratives.

More and more people are choosing to consume news and other sources of information on what’s going on in the world from independent journalists, commentators, podcasters and citizen reporters.

People want to find things out for themselves from different sources rather than being dependent on a set of approved narratives and messages from the mainstream media.

He said that many in the mainstream media are well intentioned and don’t necessarily realise the ideological underpinnings of the ideas they’re promoting.

He said that new media needs to raise their voices louder, without losing civility, and we need more opinions not less. So there’s plenty of room for more people in the new media space.

Bias In Reporting

There was a discussion between a group of international journalists on bias. The general viewpoint was that it’s almost impossible to produce content that isn’t biased. There was a strong argument that it’s better to be open about bias than make out that there is no bias.

Darren Grimes in Durham

Darren Grimes talked about his role as a Reform councillor in Durham, where the council are listening to the concerns of local people and doing all they can to instil a sense of community and belonging.

They’ve been able to stop a number of solar farms from being given the go ahead and they’ve managed to create a pause on any further asylum seekers being housed in the area. Darren cited the plight of one constituent he spoke to who was concerned about an HMO housing five male migrants instead of a family next to her house.

Peter Whittle’s Three Priorities

Peter Whittle, of the New Culture Forum, outlined 3 priorities for us all:

1. Awareness of Islamophobia

2. We have got to stop self-censoring

3. Fight extraordinary indifference to free speech among young people

A Standout Line

One line that has stuck with me was Carl Benjamin stating, “We are second class citizens in our own country. It is absolutely unacceptable.”

Taking Political Action

There was a clear message throughout the day: we need to be politically active by lobbying MPs and councils, voting, putting people in power who will create change and even standing as candidates ourselves.

As barrister, Stephen Barrett reminded us, ‘We are the power. We are the Constitution.”

Free Speech and Cancel Culture

A man in the audience asked, “What do we do if we lose our jobs because of our political beliefs?” There was a discussion about that being a real and growing problem for people whose views differ from the mainstream narrative.

Dan Wootton spoke about how if any of the speakers face being cancelled they have quite a lot of support because of the work they do and contacts they have. However there are many who don’t have that and he agreed that it was a problem and we all need to think about how to support people when that happens.

The Rule of Law in 11 Words

Stephen Barrett spoke about how the law has become increasingly over-complicated in recent decades, and how that complexity has grown exponentially. It has drifted away from one of its original purposes: to be clear, simple and easily understood by ordinary people so that justice is accessible to all. He condensed the Rule of Law to just 11 words:

“Clear laws, known in advance, equally enforced, without fear or favour.”

Online Safety Act Concerns

Stephen also spoke about the Online Safety Act, explaining that one key part of it is essentially about criminalising offence. For example, a person can now be prosecuted for sending a message causing ‘non-trivial psychological harm’. The emphasis in the Act is on whether someone perceives they’ve been offended, which is illogical. In reality, offence is subjective.

Since legal cases are relatively slow and unwieldy, it's likely that many cases won’t be followed up. The Online Safety Act will be extremely hard to implement and police.

So, while we should be concerned and careful about what we say, we shouldn’t become overly paranoid and we shouldn’t let it stop us from speaking the truth, though we will need to be mindful of how we do that.

Since there will be so many offenses made and not all can possibly be prosecuted, what will likely happen is that some people will be singled out and made an example of as a warning to others.

Migration and Demographics

Alp Mehmet of Migration Watch shared that in 1991, 95% of the population in the UK were white British, whereas in 2021 that number was 74.4%.

Between 2001 and 2021, the population grew by 8 million, 7 million due to immigration.

As a result, local authorities are affected and there are severe social and economic implications for the nature and cohesion of our society.

A Survivor Speaks

One lady in the audience stood up to ask a question and explained she had been a rape gang victim many years ago. She left the country and now lives in America with her family. Her message was: we’re in a spiritual battle and the media is part of that battle ground.

She pointed out the magnificence of the venue, the Emmanuel Centre, and its beautiful circular-shaped wood-panelled auditorium adorned with Bible verses. It reminded me that we’re still, at the core, a Christian country, even if some have rejected or drifted from the faith or become disillusioned by the main spiritual institutions. No matter where we are on our spiritual journey, God can use us. We need to be prepared to speak the truth, call out what’s wrong and unjust and be bold.

The Other Side is Bold

The other side is bold. They don’t back down. We mustn’t let insults like ‘racist’, ‘Far-Right’, ‘xenophobe’ or ‘bigot’ silence us.

We must keep working to get our country back into the hands of people who act in the interests of the people, not the other way around.

The people in that room were speaking out and taking risks. One of them said that when what you say is couched in truth and context, it’s hard to argue against it. Truth always rings true, and that’s a strength we have when speaking against ideologies that don’t resonate deep down.

Heated Moments and Surprises

A couple of unexpected things happened during the day. There was an exchange between Andrew Gold and Dan Wootton that got quite heated. While it was awkward, for me it was a reminder that it’s OK to disagree. Free speech means listening to and accepting that people have different opinions.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, Ben Habib turned up towards the end of the day. He didn’t give a speech but he walked around talking to people.

Finally, on the way home, it was crazy seeing a huge police presence in Parliament Square for the Palestine Action protest taking place there. There must’ve been around 50 police vans. Maybe that’s an exaggeration but I’ve never seen so many police and their vehicles in one place. You’d have thought there had been a major national incident.

Inspiring Attendees

As well as hearing the excellent main speakers, I met some really interesting conference attendees.

They included

Paul Birch

, an ex-policeman and counter-terrorism officer, who I met on Substack and who writes insightful posts, mainly about policing.

I also sat next to a woman in her 70s who has a YouTube channel called Britain Fights Back with over 5,500 subscribers. She only started her channel within the last year and uses an AI voice because she has a medical condition that affects her voice. Despite this and being bedbound some of the time, she still manages to produce two or three videos for her channel a week.

Young Bob’s Example

One of her recent posts features Young Bob, a 17-year-old Christian who goes to Speakers’ Corner and other locations to talk about his faith. He’s been mocked and physically attacked several times, one of which you can watch here:

on Britain Fights Back. He’s an impressive young man; he just keeps getting up and carrying on, no matter the opposition he faces.

What More Can We Do?

We’re already seeing action: protests on the streets, flags flying, thousands of people posting on social media. Thankfully most events have been peaceful and it seems to be that it’s often the counter-protesters who tend to agitate situations.

So what more can each of us do to help create change in our country?

• Write to your MP

• Sign petitions (yes, even if it feels repetitive and pointless)

• Share information widely

• Help wake others up

• If you write on Substack or are on other online platforms, use those. Write, speak, interview, collaborate on the topics you care deeply about and help create community around those topics, whether in person or online

• Talk to friends and neighbours and get more involved in your local community

• Join a political party; connect with other members; become a candidate

• Listen to the concerns in your community and do things to make a difference

• Go to events, talks and protests

• Stephen Barrett suggested joining your local Residents’ Association or Community Partnership to discuss local issues and work for change.

• Know the Law and your rights

A Personal Turning Point

All in all, it was a fantastic day. Most significantly for me, it was the day I realised I can’t afford to stay quiet about what’s happening in Great Britain.

And, as one of the speakers said, ‘Whatever you do, have fun doing it.’

I most certainly will.

And I hope you will too.

Unsettling Events Afterwards

Ironically, after such a motivating event, with peace and truth running throughout the event, the following day I heard two unsettling stories on TousiTV that are a reminder that we’re currently living in volatile and uncertain times. Both events are connected to the conference.

The first is about some of the delegates being abused and attacked by an immigrant after the event.

The second is that TousiTV journalist, Niyak Ghorbani, was attacked by Iraqi Kurds at a pro-Israeli rally and hospitalised the following day. Thankfully Niyak is out of hospital and doing OK and the attackers have been identified.

You can watch videos about these 2 incidents here:

And here:

Final Call to Courage

For me, the New Media Conference was a call to be bold, carry on and to get together and support each other with courage.

So, as you go about your life:
Take courage.
Raise your voice.
Stand with one another.
And keep going.

PS: I’d love to hear your thoughts. What stood out to you most in this post? What do you think is the way forward? Share your perspective in the comments below, and if you know someone who’d value this post, please pass it on. The more voices we have, the stronger we become.