More than 200 years ago, a Massachusetts congressman noted that “falsehoods would fly from Maine to Georgia while truth is pulling her boots on.” The country was smaller then, and Twitter nearly two centuries in the future.
The truth can be labor-intensive to dig up—and when it is unearthed, it is often avoided like kale. Falsehoods, especially those that bolster our preconceived notions, are clickbait—shared and rewarded in the online marketplace, with crippling consequences for self-government.
Herein lies a harsh reality of online news and Internet economics—and a major reason behind the RealClearFoundation (RCF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working in partnership with RealClearPolitics. True investigative journalism, an essential component of democracy, is expensive. Deeply sourced, fact-based investigations can take weeks—even months—to produce.
Consider some of the recent stories published by RealClearInvestigations—RCF’s signature initiative.
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Vince Bielski’s series on violence in schools, following efforts to roll back stricter disciplinary policies and limit the presence of police officers.
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Mark Hemingway’s examination of the curious career of Stefan Halper, who worked with the FBI to uncover connections between the 2016 Trump campaign and the Russian government.
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Paul Sperry’s chronicling of the political context of U.S.-Ukraine relations that preceded the Russian invasion.
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James Varney’s series on the migrant crisis at the Mexican border.
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Steve Miller’s reporting on how states are reckoning with the fallout of hundreds of millions of dollars used to support public elections in 2020 (most of which came from Mark Zuckerberg).
We could not underwrite this level of reporting based solely on advertising revenue. This is where support from our readers comes in.
Your financial backing helps us investigate areas of American civic life that would not otherwise get the coverage they deserve—and to bring that reporting into the national conversation. In addition to having our stories linked to on RealClearPolitics, which reaches a broad, cross-partisan audience, we amplify our influence through syndication of articles in other news outlets and broadcast interviews.
Citations or re-publications of our investigative work have appeared, already this year, in national outlets ranging from Yahoo News and Newsweek to the New York Post and in nearly 150 local newspapers and TV and radio stations across the country—from the Poconos to Santa Barbara. Our reporters have appeared on prime-time cable news shows, chart-topping podcasts, and syndicated radio shows, reaching key markets across the country (including Chicago, New York City, and Washington DC).
Democracy depends on honest journalism. If you are concerned about the embrace of partisan agendas in many corners of the media landscape (for example), please join our effort to build a RealClear counterweight by supporting our spring fund-raising drive.
With your support, RealClear’s boots are always being laced up. Our reporters are up early, go to bed late, and are in the race to catch up to and overcome falsehood. Our enterprise is not a sprint. It’s a marathon, and the truth needs to win. Join us. We can’t do it without you.
