A Great Deal for Grown-Ups of All Ages

Dear Dispatch Reader:

G-File readers will note that I didn’t include any parenthetical “Dear Reader” gag. There’s a reason for that. Our readers really are dear to us. That’s because our whole mission is about readers, not clickers. Many media outlets simply don’t care if you actually read them, so long as they get to bank the clicks. But we are dependent on our members, and there’s really no point to join if you’re not a reader.

Well, maybe I should claw that back a bit. There is a reason to be a member even if you’re not a reader. What we’re doing is important. We wouldn’t be doing it if we didn’t think so. But we’re not a charity. We’re a business and one of the things we’re out to prove is that there’s a market for what we’re doing. So, yeah, I could make the case that subscribing is worth doing even if you don’t want to read some—or any—of the stuff we have to offer. I’m sure there are people who give to PBS or the local zoo, even if they don’t watch Masterpiece Theater or visit the monkey house.

But I don’t have to make that case. Because what we have to offer Dispatch members is worth the price. And if you’re the kind of person who thinks what we’re doing is important—for society, for journalism, or whatever—you’re probably also the kind of discerning reader who will see the value of what we’re offering. One reason we think you’ll see the value is that we take your time and your intelligence seriously. We’re not here trying to piss you off. We’re trying to illuminate what’s going on by focusing on the relevant facts and arguments that matter, not the irrelevant inanities that don’t. Sure, we think it’s important to “entertain” the reader in the sense that no one has time to read bad writing. So we work hard to provide clear, compelling, writing, reporting, and analysis. What we don’t do is “infotain” the reader by pandering to the lowest common denominator, carrying water for any party or personality or cherry picking only the facts that fit your preferred narrative.

If you care about what’s really going on in electoral politics, Sarah Isgur and Chris Stirewalt are your sherpas. If you want to stay abreast of how Congress functions—or “dysfunctions”—Haley Byrd Wilt is there. The Morning Dispatch provides what you need to be informed for the day ahead, and maybe the month ahead, too. Scott Lincicome is a master of economic policy, particularly trade, and he knows how to explain it without dumbing it down. If you’d been reading Tom Joscelyn all this time, you’d be getting the most trenchant and accurate analysis of national security, particularly on Afghanistan, out there. David French brings a long legal career and a lifetime of faith to his writings on everything from the courts to Congress, and from the pulpit and the pews. And, I write some stuff, too.

If you’ve made it this far but you’re still not sure, let me sweeten the deal: We are offering a 30-day free trial. Sign up for an annual membership now (the offer is only good through the weekend) and put my claims to the test. Read Capitolism and Vital Interests and The Sweep and Uphill. If it’s not your thing, cancel anytime. If it is, great. You’ve just gotten a free month of access and an even better understanding of what we are trying to do. 

We believe that we have already proven there’s a market for what we’re doing. We now want to prove that the market is a whole lot bigger than people think. If we can do that, there’s so much more we can do. Not to sound corny, but by joining our tens of thousands of subscribers you can not only help yourself, you can be the change you want to see in the world. Okay that was corny. But you get the point.

 Please, join us. I can’t promise you’ll agree with everything we say or like everything we report. But that’s the point. Grown-ups know that the news can never give you that. And The Dispatch is for grown-ups, of all ages.