Dear Reader (Including those of you who only read the G-File for the canine updates),
I’m being presumptuous, but hopefully not too presumptuous. This note is mostly going out to the folks who subscribe to the free Friday Goldberg File. And I’m grateful and flattered that you do. If that’s all you can take of me, I certainly understand. If you don’t even subscribe to that and made it on this list anyway, I apologize for the presumptuousness.
But please hear me out anyway.
You should know that some of our best stuff is for members only (including my Wednesday G-File, now with a fresh lemon scent). And even if that doesn’t entice you, by becoming a fully paid member, you get more newsletters—from David French, Scott Lincicome, and The Dispatch staff—that are available only to members, including our must-read, full-length Morning Dispatch, which not only keeps you up on what’s important without wasting your time but gives you a leg up on what’s going to be important soon.
We’re also adding a ton of new stuff for members of The Dispatch community—access to our Dispatch Live broadcasts, a new books podcast hosted by Sara Isgur, exclusive invites to in-person events (remember those? They’re a little like Zoom calls but with three-dimensional people). And, as always, members get to comment on articles and join the amazing—and usually amazingly civil—conversation among our members.
But there’s one other benefit to pulling the trigger and jumping off the “free list” and onboard the Dispatch Member Train. You’ll be doing something important. I’m serious about that. When Steve and I launched this thing, we did it because we truly believed in what we were trying to do. We thought—and still think—the country needs what we’re offering. The media needs less clickbait, less partisan water-carrying, less garbage aimed at making people angry for no good reason, and, frankly, fewer insipid pop-up ads. And, since I’m speaking honestly here, conservative media in particular needs more voices willing to criticize the nonsense on some parts of the right without getting seduced into supporting the nonsense on the left.
That’s what we’re trying to do. And when you become a member, you not only help us grow, you lend your support to that cause. We’ve been honest from Day 1: We don’t expect you to agree with everything here, because we don’t want you to. We have too much respect for our readers —and listeners—for that. People of good will, from across the ideological spectrum, are going to disagree about the facts and how to think about them. The only thing we expect from everybody is that they think facts are important.
So, even if you think I’m full of it (not necessarily an unreasonable assumption from time to time), you can put me to the test. You can sign up for the full Dispatch for one month, for free. If you find yourself not wanting to stick around, fine. You can cancel at any point during the trial and you won’t be charged. But if you conclude that we provide value and that what we are trying to do is valuable and worth supporting, don’t lift a finger and you’ll join us as a paying member after 30 days.
Please. I’m not begging, I’m asking, because I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished so far and I want to share it. And I’m excited about what the future holds for us and we can get there faster with your help. So again, please give it a try. What do you have to lose?
Cheers,
Jonah
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