Why subscribe?

I’m clinging white-knuckled to the lifeboat that is original journalism and storytelling because 1) I know no other thing and addictions don’t quit easy 2) a world without original storytelling, analysis and journalism — i.e. truth — isn’t one I want to be a part of and 3) because it’s sort of invigorating to jump into a dark deep end, as the media waters become choppier.

In other words, in the words of the wise investigative reporter and American University professor Chuck Lewis, we can’t let the bastards win. In the end, this is about seeing clearly enough to create a better world with storytelling and analysis that is clear-eyed and non-partisan so that we can diagnose the problems, find solutions and act. It’s also about keeping focused on people rather than political trends that sometimes mask instead of clarify what’s happening on the ground.

How is it free? I’m a freelance journalist and, obviously, this is one of many things that I do. But I want to build momentum and figure out what this thing is about before heading to a paid edition — which I hope, at some point, can fund this kind of truth-seeking (and allow me to pay others).

Plus, there are bigger things than money at play. At a moment when we are being pulled apart at the seams as a society, this needs to be a grassroots movement of people seeking the kind of truth that can help our democratic experiment continue. Yes, truth and judging things for what they are has that kind of power, and I hope you’ll become a part of it.

As of May 2021, I want to focus specifically on the gap between progressive movements, journalism and truth — or as close to it as I can get. As I wrote recently:

That means exploring storylines rooted in and around where I live in North Carolina as well as teasing out how national storylines in other places around movements are covered and how the politics around them get warped and distorted from reality.

A couple examples: exploring ‘defund the police’ from a practical rather than political lens, looking at living wage policy in other countries and looking at how money in politics warps outcomes in an unseen way. This isn’t wholly novel, but I think there is an ever-growing space between “news” — what’s happening today I should know about — and what I really need to know to be able to interpret said news.

The goal is to push for a better world and a saner, fact-based discussion of the issues we should be focused on.

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