Near as I could tell...
He's a blogger. Self-published freelance -- is that "journalism"?
Not in my book. But he tried to make a Federal case of something that should have been, "Sure, just give them back."
Nuh uh.
As to Jody's broader question of "activist journalism": Hell, yes. The Muckrackers stand out on the list of good guys; the Hearst newspapers of the preceding Gilded Age symbolize the Dark Side, historically.
That network with the name I wish they didn't have is merely the latest in a long string.