Social justice activism and the media need each other. But in the greater interests of democracy and equality, they both need to work on their marriage. The media has been under attack for a long time. Sadly though, this is not only from dictators, corrupt criminal networks and those who benefit from obscuring the truth about what is happening in society. This we expect. We can handle our enemies. What is equally threatening now is the pressure from commercial and economic forces, and the shift to digital media, which has reduced advertising revenues that for a century held up print media, and the daily newspaper in particular. COVID-19 has accelerated these pressures. That is the powerful opening to an editorial from activist Mark Heywood editor of Maverick Citizen part of the Daily Maverick.