Dear Dispatch Friend,
Let me get right to it.
The Dispatch is growing—in staff, in reach, in membership, and in ambition. And we need your help to do it.
Two years ago next month, Jonah Goldberg and I—along with a few optimistic colleagues—launched The Dispatch to fill a gaping hole in the political media landscape. We believed that there would be an audience for a media outlet that provided reliable, fact-based information from a center-right perspective. It’d be characterized by strong reporting and analysis based on research and knowledge. No clickbait, no hot-takery, no cheap partisan hits, no outrage chum.
We had our doubters. One of them—a former colleague of both mine and Jonah’s—confidently told a magazine reporter right after we launched that it wouldn’t work. “There’s absolutely zero market for it.”
Two years on, it’s clear that there’s not only a market for the kind of consistent, trustworthy work we do, but a real hunger for it. That’s why we now have more than 25,000 members and why we’re making preparations for further growth. And that’s where you come in.
If you’re receiving this email, it means you’re a regular reader of our work but you’re someone who hasn’t taken that next step to join as a member. All along, we emphasized that we are grateful for everyone who signed up for The Dispatch, whether you’re a paying member or a subscriber to our free stuff. We meant it—and we mean it still. If you’re not in a position to join us now, no worries. Keep reading our work and we hope that eventually you’ll find it worth taking that next step.
But if you’re someone who loves The Dispatch—someone who devours every TMD, French Press, G-File, and the rest—please consider joining us now. Let me give you two main reasons.
The first follows from what I’ve written above. We’re growing and every new member means we can do more—hire more staff, publish more accountability reporting, build out our podcast network, do more members-only livestreams. In short, we can build on what we’ve started.
And the second flows from the first. If we do well—if “the market” understands there’s an audience for the kind of fact-based journalism that we do—there will be more high-quality journalism. Others will see that good journalism can succeed—that it’s not necessary to crank out ragebait for clicks—and we’ll see better journalism.
That might seem a little abstract, but it’s true. And if there’s ever been a need for more good journalism, it’s now. By joining The Dispatch, you’ll be saying: “I believe in high-quality journalism and I want more of it.” You’ll get everything a paying member gets, of course—access to every newsletter, to every reported piece, to members-only podcast segments (coming), and more of the ever-popular, members-only Dispatch Live video conversations. But you’ll also know that you’re doing your part to support—and incentivize—the highest-quality journalism.
And now for the good news: It’s a great time to join. We are running a special 30-day free trial offer on annual memberships. If you know now is the right time, sign up and get 13 months for the price of 12. If you aren’t quite sold, sign up for the next month free and then cancel anytime if we don’t earn your membership.
I hope you’ll consider joining us.
Steve Hayes
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