When I tell people about Straight Arrow, one thing I always mention is how unique it is to have an entire newsroom so personally dedicated to a singular belief: For Americans to trust each other again, first we have to trust the facts. That’s why we are so committed to unbiased, meaningful journalism, despite working in an industry with plenty of incentives to be louder, more sensational and more opinionated. It’s the reason we all got into journalism in the first place, and I believe Straight Arrow’s motto perfectly sums it up: Fear no fact.
Our focus is on producing stories that are genuinely valuable to you, whether it’s informative, providing accountability or just plain interesting. Stories like Lauren Pearle’s on how data centers are reshaping landscapes, Ally Heath’s on the choices Western states face as water runs out, or Keaton Peters’ coverage of how the demand for electricity is pitting ranchers versus utilities in a land-use fight all reflect our commitment to explanatory journalism spanning the nation.
Based on feedback from all of you who appreciate Straight Arrow, we’re on the right track. For a young company in a very loud market, we’ve been proud to see that there are more and more of you coming to Straight Arrow regularly, spending time with our stories and supporting what we do. It means the world to us.
This week, Straight Arrow has begun offering a premium subscription for those of you who wish to directly support our mission and ensure we can build an ambitious, sustainable publication. It comes with some great, exclusive offerings: Our new Unbiased Updates: Off Script podcast; a trio of new newsletters from health reporter Jess Craig, tech reporter Mikael Thalen, and media reporter Mark Keierleber; and exclusive feature reporting made just for our premium members. And our most-requested feature, an ad-free experience, is of course included. As always, we take your feedback to heart.
Our ambitions are big. We want to tell more stories and foster more conversations with you. We also want to show that doing journalism in the right way can indeed succeed. Your support will help us continue to expand what we do, and we welcome your input on what you’d like to see from Straight Arrow because we’re building this for you. Most of all, your subscription will help us deliver on our mission to fearlessly produce news without bias, manipulation or spin.
Our belief is that if you found us, you also believe in our mission. We may not agree on everything, and that’s okay. Our goal is to tell you what you need to know, not what you need to think. And your candor, feedback and support make that possible.
Thank you,
Derek Mead
