We Have Met a New Media, and It Is Us
When we launched the MeidasTouch.com website on August 1, 2023, we had a very specific vision that we thought about for many months. We felt there was an unoccupied space that people had a hunger for. We watched over the years as people continued to disconnect from traditional news outlets in print, online and television. Many fled to social media for news and information, but that can often be an ugly quagmire of hate, confusion, lies, strife, and disinformation.
The traditional model of journalism in the United States is for writers and editors to start out in journalism school where certain basic best practices are taught. That is then reflected in the stories, where writers try to set their bias aside, write on a topic, contact both sides for comment, and often consult with "experts" on the subject to weigh in who are supposed to be neutral observers. Writers must be careful to avoid injecting their personal opinion, with sarcasm and humor typically off the table.
I want to make it clear that we in no way are critical of this approach. I remain a lifelong fan of traditional journalism when done well, and hope that it never dies or is replaced by anything else. There will always be a role for it to play, and I hope that entrepreneurs who have done well continue to invest in and support it whether it remains profitable or not for the good of the country.
Those of us who work for this site are not journalists in the classic sense, nor do we claim to be. Although we strive to always put out accurate information, we don't feel constrained by the rules that govern traditional mainstream media. We also believe in showing our work - putting the raw video clips, social media posts, documents, lawsuits, and statements from our subjects into our stories so you can see them yourselves and make your own judgments. While right-wing media critics can dismiss quotes in a traditional article as "fake news," it's difficult to argue that when you have the video clip in the story.
We also don't have the financial overhead burdens of traditional media that constrain us fiscally. We have learned how to cover events remotely, tapping into live-feeds of events, social media live streams from audience members and participants, and photos and video clips posted on social media from attendees. Yes, we aren't able to interview people and ask them questions, but that often is unnecessary - they tell us what they think on their own.
So we don't need brick-and-mortar offices. We don't need travel and expense budgets. We don't need support staff. What we need is our own experience and skill with technology and social media, and many of these skills cannot be taught in journalism schools because they are based in instinct and experience. Nobody working for us has to be taught these things, we have hired people who have already consistently demonstrated over time that they have them, and will continue to look for those kinds of people as we grow.
We also are not shy about sharing our opinions or using humor and sarcasm, although that is not a dominant feature of what we do. Obviously, many topics do not call for that so we play it straight with just the facts. But most subjects have plenty of room for well-placed levity or snark, and we aren't shy about interspersing that into our articles. We also trying to provide the broader context when we can - what is really going on behind the scenes that isn't being said by any of the parties involved.
Finally, everyone who works at Meidas already established a relationship with their readers before they started writing for us. That was done on their social media pages. They had the audience before they started writing, which was built strictly from their own talent and ability. Our followers are all organic. You came to us one at a time. Nobody followed us because of our titles, advertising, or who we work for. You followed us because you liked what we had to say as individuals, and found the content we provided valuable. This is the opposite of a writer for a traditional media outlet, who typically builds whatever following they have as a result of who they have worked for, when they worked for them.
There is a reason why so many traditional media outlets continue to close up shop and lay off workers while losing money. They continue to follow the old models, choose new models that are off track, or get way in over their head with overhead. We are building this one brick at a time and growing steadily. We didn't start up with a huge capital investment to hire dozens or even hundreds of writers with pressure to feed that beast. We think we are doing this the right way by being patient and building trust with the quality of our work.
People in traditional media have treated us in various ways. Some compliment and share our work. Some use the raw material in our stories to write stories of their own. Most credit us for that, but many don't. While they certainly would credit another traditional media company, perhaps they don't feel it necessary for a startup .com. Other members of the media treat us with the sneering, elitist, contemptuous attitude that has caused them to watch their own viewers and readers dwindle, while asking themselves why that is happening to them.
While we appreciate every media outlet that shares our work, and values and appreciates it, we aren't doing this because we seek their validation or approval. We aren't concerned with their judgments about our work because those opinions are completely disconnected with our mission. If we know in our hearts we have been sincere and did our best to put out a quality product, and our followers are pleased with it, that is all that matters to us.
We won't always been perfect, but I can tell you that every day we wake up determined to inform and entertain while striving to have our platform serve to help preserve our Republic and its institutions. We are neither far right nor far left. We are anchored firmly in the center with a wide spectrum of opinions among us. But we each share a common goal - to promote freedom, democracy, and fundamental fairness for all.
We hope you have enjoyed our work over our first 7 months. We are pleased with how many people have found it useful. We endeavor to continue to improve and grow with each passing month.
- Ron Filipkowski
Editor-in-Chief
