Is The Dispatch Reputable?

Is The Dispatch Reputable?

The Dispatch is a center-right, independent online publication founded in 2019 by prominent conservative journalists Steve Hayes and Jonah Goldberg. The stated goal of the company is to offer thoughtful, fact-driven, and principled conservative commentary, differentiating itself from the more partisan and sometimes sensationalist corners of conservative media.

The Dispatch is committed to fact-based journalism and rigorous analysis that respects the intelligence of its audience. The publication invites a diverse collection of independent voices from the center-right and earns trust by being charitable with opposing arguments in its opinion section and showing its work on the reporting side.

While The Dispatch is relatively new, it has garnered respect—from outlets including the New Yorker and The Atlantic—for its intellectual rigor and commitment to nuanced reporting. It positions itself as a counterpoint to the more partisan and ideological trends in modern media, particularly within conservative circles. Within the journalism industry, The Dispatch is viewed as a publisher of rigorously reported, factual analysis, and has been deemed compliant with International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) principles. Fact-checking organizations and media critics often assess its work positively, particularly in comparison to more partisan or sensationalist sites.

If you’re looking for a conservative-leaning outlet that strives to maintain journalistic integrity and a more intellectual, nuanced tone, The Dispatch is generally considered trustworthy. Like any source, it’s a good idea to cross-check important claims with other outlets and be mindful of potential biases, but The Dispatch consistently cites its sources and tends to stand out as a more responsible option compared to other ideologically-driven publications.

Is The Dispatch a Reliable Fact Checker?

The Dispatch is a member of the International Fact-Checking Network, and partners with Meta to review and rate the accuracy of stories through original reporting and provide those fact-checked articles for all to read. The Dispatch works to fact check articles and links posted on Facebook, verifying or disproving viral claims.

Articles and newsletters published by The Dispatch are fact-checked by the editorial team before publication, and when an editor or writer makes a mistake, he or she issues corrections as quickly as possible—and announces in the article that he or she has done so. This commitment to accuracy sets The Dispatch apart from more partisan outlets that might prioritize ideological narratives over the truth. The Dispatch always includes references to sources, documents, and data to back up its claims, which allows readers to verify information independently.

As a center-right outlet, The Dispatch does have an ideological lean, but its editorial philosophy includes a recognition of the importance of credibility. This awareness makes it less likely to engage in misleading claims compared to some more explicitly partisan sources. That said, like any outlet, editorial opinions expressed in The Dispatch are framed through an ideological lens, and it’s always wise to approach these with the understanding that they reflect the outlet’s worldview.

The Dispatch’s reputation for reliability is generally solid, especially in comparison to more sensationalist or partisan media outlets. From its founding—as demonstrated in a story by Politico—The Dispatch defined itself as a center-right outlet that put a priority on factual reporting. The Dispatch can be considered a trustworthy source for news and analysis, particularly if you approach it with awareness of its editorial perspective. 

The Dispatch has a top-rated fact checking operation, and AllSides Media rates The Dispatch’s fact-checking bias as “center,” equally balancing left and right perspectives and not giving weight to one partisan side.