I want to share a personal message about why I work for The Intercept

I’ve never been more disappointed in how badly the corporate media is failing to report on the actual machinations of power in Washington, D.C., and beyond. If the media continues to report only on the culture war — and not the deep pockets benefiting from our distraction — we’re in trouble in 2024.




I’ve been a political reporter for almost 20 years. Before I became D.C. bureau chief for The Intercept, I worked at for-profit outlets like Politico and HuffPost.

But surveying the media landscape today, I’ve never been more disappointed in how badly the corporate media is failing to report on the actual machinations of power in Washington, D.C., and beyond.

In a democracy, journalists are supposed to inform the citizenry about the life-or-death decisions that are made by their elected representatives. Instead, liberal and conservative outlets alike are retreating into their respective corners to spin out superficial narratives and manufacture cultural grievances — all in a futile attempt to preserve their waning ratings and web traffic.

That’s why at The Intercept, we focus our political coverage on who profits and who pays in U.S. politics. We’re not waiting for the next cultural scandal; we think “business as usual” is the real scandal.

But exposing the shocking reality of political and corporate corruption is expensive work. It requires both thankless hours of old-school reporting and the resources only a modern news organization can provide. And it’s not the kind of thing that makes shareholders or advertisers happy.

Instead, our nonprofit newsroom depends in large part on the thousands of readers who pledge $5 or $10 a month to support our journalism. That steady base of support helps make sure that when a reporter comes to me with an incredible tip, we can give them whatever they need to report it out, no matter how long it takes.

We've just launched an April membership campaign with an ambitious goal of adding 3,000 monthly sustaining donors by the end of the month. This is our best chance to make sure The Intercept can meet our financial needs in 2023 and beyond — especially with another presidential primary season already underway.

Will you become a sustaining member of The Intercept with monthly donation of $5 today?

If you’ve saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:

Donate $5 monthly →

Donate other amount →

Right now, the leading likely contender against Donald Trump in the 2024 GOP primary is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has rightly received a volley of media criticism for his quasi-fascist attacks on teachers, LGBTQ+ rights, African American history classes, and more.

But the national media has mostly failed to look into DeSantis’s actual record as governor and representative — and the wealthy corporate interests and political machine behind his rise in Florida politics.

The Intercept did, and what we found isn’t pretty.

Close allies of the governor putting a local opponent in prison. Millions of dollars in state contracts awarded to campaign donors. And remember the awful TV stunt where DeSantis flew a group of asylum-seekers to Martha’s Vineyard? We found that DeSantis chartered the plane from another donor — and paid with taxpayer funds.

If the media continues to report only on the culture war — and not the deep pockets benefiting from our distraction — we’re in trouble in 2024.

That’s why I’m proud to work at The Intercept. Without clicks to chase or advertisers to please, our team is laser-focused on power and corruption in America. No matter what distractions the 24-hour news cycle may throw at us, we’re going to keep exposing who really wins in U.S. politics — and how ordinary people pay.

Having chosen the harder path, The Intercept’s nonprofit newsroom is all the more dependent on readers like you who give generously to make it possible. Will you make a monthly sustaining donation today?

Become a sustaining member now →

Thank you,

Ryan Grim
D.C. Bureau Chief

The Intercept’s fiscal sponsor is First Look Institute, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization (tax ID number 80-0951255).

The Intercept’s mailing address is:
c/o First Look Institute
P.O. Box 27442
Washington, DC 20038

The Intercept is an award-winning nonprofit news organization dedicated to holding the powerful accountable through fearless, adversarial journalism. Our in-depth investigations and unflinching analysis focus on surveillance, war, corruption, the environment, technology, criminal justice, the media and more. Email is an important way for us to communicate with The Intercept’s readers, but if you’d like to stop hearing from us, click here to unsubscribe from all communications. Protecting freedom of the press has never been more important. Contribute now to support our independent journalism.

Older messages

Ron DeSantis’s secret abortion bill signing

Thursday, April 20, 2023

Florida's governor signed a 6-week abortion ban in private, behind closed doors with no media present, announcing it in an emailed news release late at night. It's just the latest news from

Dominion Was Never Going to Save Our Democracy From Fox News

Thursday, April 20, 2023

With a $787.5 million settlement for its election lies, Fox News has avoided the legal and moral punishment of a court verdict. MOST READ Dominion Was Never Going to Save Our Democracy From Fox News

This could be your last fundraising email

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

We know that all these fundraising requests can get annoying. We'd rather send just one and raise all the donors we need right then. But if you make a monthly donation today, you can make this the

AFRICOM Chief to Congress: We Share “Core Values” With Coup Leaders

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Only the Pentagon could make Florida Republican Matt Gaetz sound like a sober, reasoned voice on US foreign policy. MOST READ AFRICOM Chief to Congress: We Share “Core Values” With Coup Leaders Nick

Readers are giving up on the 24-hour news cycle. We’re doing something different.

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Instead of chasing clicks, our team is exposing the quiet lobbying and corporate malfeasance that so often leads to disaster. But these investigations can take months or years. The ongoing support of

You Might Also Like

10 Things That Delighted Us Last Week: From Seafoam-Green Tights to June Squibb’s Laundry Basket

Sunday, March 9, 2025

Plus: Half off CosRx's Snail Mucin Essence (today only!) The Strategist Logo Every product is independently selected by editors. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an

🥣 Cereal Of The Damned 😈

Sunday, March 9, 2025

Wall Street corrupts an affordable housing program, hopeful parents lose embryos, dangers lurk in your pantry, and more from The Lever this week. 🥣 Cereal Of The Damned 😈 By The Lever • 9 Mar 2025 View

The Sunday — March 9

Sunday, March 9, 2025

This is the Tangle Sunday Edition, a brief roundup of our independent politics coverage plus some extra features for your Sunday morning reading. What the right is doodling. Steve Kelley | Creators

☕ Chance of clouds

Sunday, March 9, 2025

What is the future of weather forecasting? March 09, 2025 View Online | Sign Up | Shop Morning Brew Presented By Fatty15 Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images BROWSING Classifieds banner image The wackiest

Federal Leakers, Egg Investigations, and the Toughest Tongue Twister

Sunday, March 9, 2025

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Friday that DHS has identified two “criminal leakers” within its ranks and will refer them to the Department of Justice for felony prosecutions. ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌

Strategic Bitcoin Reserve And Digital Asset Stockpile | White House Crypto Summit

Saturday, March 8, 2025

Trump's new executive order mandates a comprehensive accounting of federal digital asset holdings. Forbes START INVESTING • Newsletters • MyForbes Presented by Nina Bambysheva Staff Writer, Forbes

Researchers rally for science in Seattle | Rad Power Bikes CEO departs

Saturday, March 8, 2025

What Alexa+ means for Amazon and its users ADVERTISEMENT GeekWire SPONSOR MESSAGE: Revisit defining moments, explore new challenges, and get a glimpse into what lies ahead for one of the world's

Survived Current

Saturday, March 8, 2025

Today, enjoy our audio and video picks Survived Current By Caroline Crampton • 8 Mar 2025 View in browser View in browser The full Browser recommends five articles, a video and a podcast. Today, enjoy

Daylight saving time can undermine your health and productivity

Saturday, March 8, 2025

+ aftermath of 19th-century pardons for insurrectionists ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

I Designed the Levi’s Ribcage Jeans

Saturday, March 8, 2025

Plus: What June Squibb can't live without. The Strategist Every product is independently selected by editors. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission.