The long tail of quality journalism
Media outlets often look for sensational stories that will elevate their brand overnight. At The Center Square, a project of the nonprofit Franklin News Foundation, we know it can take years of consistent, hard-hitting reporting to see the real impact. This reporting is possible because of our loyal and generous donors.
Together, we are building a sustainable news-media brand the right way: One fact-based story at a time.
We saw the culmination of this reporting most recently when other outlets were forced to admit facts about the COVI D-19 pandemic - facts that we reported on years ago, but they chose to ignore.
Since the beginning, the origins of Covid became a heated topic. Many in politics and media forbid the questioning of former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Tony Fauci's authority and expertise. The Associated Press, The New York Times, and The Washington Post labeled anyone who questioned their narrative as "conspiracy" and "fringe" theorists, with many getting censored on social media for spreading "misinformation."
Despite this pressure, we kept recording the facts. Today, that reporting has been validated.
While other outlets have had to issue corrections on their previous reporting, we are seeing the results of our diligent work. You and I were asking the right questions all along. Others are just now catching up.
Journalists don't scramble to sell headlines. They dig and document the facts over time and ask the hard questions. It is through this long game that you and I have pushed back on authoritarian government and demanded accountability.