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.
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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.
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Thank you,
