Reporting Right

Reporting Right is a project of The Pro-Democracy Information Lab. We work to raise awareness about anti-democratic forces and encourage the journalism community to see combatting authoritarianism and raising awareness about extremist threats as key goals.

We’re Reading:

Hated By All the Right People

by Jason Zengerle

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See You Next Week!

Our Staff

Executive Editor Kyle Spencer

Issue Editor You-Yan Wang

Our Board of Advisors

Alex Aronson, executive director of Court Accountability

David Armiak, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy

Connor Gibson, founder of Grassrootbeer Investigations

Maurice Cunningham, retired associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and author of Dark Money and The Politics of School Privatization.

Isaac Kamola, associate professor of political science at Trinity College, founder of Faculty First Responders and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Nancy MacLean, William H. Chafe distinguished professor of history and public policy at Duke University and author of Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America

Ralph Wilson, founder of the Corporate Genome Project and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

The Substack-ification of American religion

Killing Weeds, Killing People

Reporting Right — Fri, 01 May 2026 17:35:00 GMT

THIS WEEK: Cancer Clusters Near You

If you cover a rural community, you likely have a cancer cluster near you.

And if the makers of Roundup — the most widely-used weedkiller in the world, which is believed by many researchers to be connected to those cancers — gets its way, Roundup will be blamed for making thousands of Americans sick for years to come, with little or no repercussions.

How is this possible?

Bayer, the parent company of Monsanto which makes Roundup, is drowning in lawsuits that are hurting its bottom line and its reputation.

Meanwhile, it is doing everything it can to keep the product on the market and shut down future lawsuits.

Where?

In the Supreme Court where it is trying to beat back countless lower court suits that are seeking to hold the company responsible for cancer cases.
In state legislatures where it is writing bills that will give it immunity from tens of thousands of Roundup cancer claims. (Find more on that HERE.)
In communities where it is propping up the Modern Ag Alliance, a fake grassroots org it leads, controls, and funds — to mislead the public about the safety of Roundup.
In the 2026 farm bill where a pro-pesticide provision sought to grant Bayer immunity from lawsuits. The bill has since passed in the House, without the measure.
In a Trump executive order that declared the use of the chemicals in Roundup “critical to national security.” The chemicals are also used in U.S. Military ammunition.

Here are five things you need to know.

What is in Roundup and why are the ingredients inside it thought by many scientists to be harmful?

Check THIS out.

What does the EPA, the federal agency funded to protect Americans from harmful products, say about Roundup’s ingredients?

THAT THEY’RE FINE.

Why is that?

See REGULATORY CAPTURE.

Where is RFK Jr. and MAHA on this?

RFK JR has ABANDONED his original convictions about the pesticide.

Many MAHA members are MAD.

How can journalists address/correct pesticide science denial?

CONFRONT THE SPIN

Where is info on the SCOTUS case?

HERE

How does Monsanto go after journalists?

THIS WAY

What are foes of the weed-killer doing?

THIS

Also in the News

Nicotine, anyone?

Learn more about Reporting Right

We’re Reading:

Whitewash: The Story of a Weed-Killer Cancer, and the Corruption of Science

by Carey Gillam

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Tell your fellow reporters to subscribe.

See You Next Week!

Our Staff

Executive Editor Kyle Spencer

Issue Editor You-Yan Wang

Our Board of Advisors

Alex Aronson, executive director of Court Accountability

David Armiak, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy

Connor Gibson, founder of Grassrootbeer Investigations

Maurice Cunningham, retired associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and author of Dark Money and The Politics of School Privatization.

Isaac Kamola, associate professor of political science at Trinity College, founder of Faculty First Responders and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Ralph Wilson, founder of the Corporate Genome Project and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Jesus in the Classroom

Reporting Right — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 17:31:00 GMT

THIS WEEK: Bibles at School

“Don’t forget your bible.”

That may be the new morning reminder for a slew of public school parents with children in certain states, as getting bible instruction in schools has become an increasingly popular item on the Christian Nationalist to-do list. In many places, local Republicans have been happy to support the addition.

Here are some examples

Some Tips on Covering Religion in Schools

EXPLAIN THE LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS

Most all initiatives are being contested, like in Oklahoma

DON’T ADOPT PARTISAN FRAMING DEVELOPED BY A PR FIRM

Many of the supporters of bible study in schools are framing bible study as a literacy enrichment issue. In other words, they insist they are offering something missing, not imposing something controversial and unconstitutional. Instead of repeating the framing as if it were fact, report on how the framing is — or is not — working and how opponents are framing the issue.

UNDERSTAND AND REPORT ON FIRST AMENDMENT AND THE ESTABLISHMENT CLAUSE

Critics see the above framing as just a way to get around regulations that relate to separation of church and state. Unpacking this is important.

TELL STORIES THAT EXPLORE HOW ACTIVISTS ARE PUSHING BACK

Like THIS.

OFFER CONTEXT

Efforts to get bibles in public schools are overlapping with a push to get religious schools included in state education funding programs. They also coincide with efforts among Christian Nationalists to take over school districts. Inform your audiences about the larger efforts among ultra-conservative Christians to push Christianity onto American students, at the taxpayer’s expense.

ASK ABOUT OTHER RELIGIONS

Folks who are pushing bibles into schools are often the same ones pushing for more of their conservative Christianity into many other facets of daily life. Be mindful of the number of other religions in America; and what it means to favor one. SEE: The Tyranny of the Majority

A guide for covering religion in schools

Also in the News

Anthropic and religion

A camp to turn you into an Alpha-male

With no civics, voters are in dark

Florida has vouchers for swimming lessons

Learn more about Reporting Right

We’re Watching:

Jesus Camp

Comic Relief

If You Like What You Are Reading:

Reach out for help at ReportingRight@googlegroups.com.

Tell your fellow reporters to subscribe.

See You Next Week!

Our Staff

Executive Editor Kyle Spencer

Issue Editor You-Yan Wang

Our Board of Advisors

Alex Aronson, executive director of Court Accountability

David Armiak, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy

Connor Gibson, founder of Grassrootbeer Investigations

Maurice Cunningham, retired associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and author of Dark Money and The Politics of School Privatization.

Isaac Kamola, associate professor of political science at Trinity College, founder of Faculty First Responders and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Ralph Wilson, founder of the Corporate Genome Project and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

MAHA Who?

Reporting Right — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 19:11:14 GMT

THIS WEEK: Covering MAHA

So what does MAHA even mean?

The loosely defined catch-all phrase seems to have a myriad of — sometimes diametrically opposed — definitions.

Here are a few of them:

A political ploy disconnected to real efforts to improve American health standards
A bunch of savvy social media mavens who profit off of real fears that public officials don’t actually care about the health of their constituents
The overlap between spiritual progressives and conservative Christians who have come together over their health concerns
A vaccine-obsessed movement that exploded when RFK Jr. messaged to a bunch of mothers (with unsubstantiated info on the health risks of vaccines) that he heard them
A bad answer to a good question

…All to say, when the term shows up in the news, it does not help audiences really understand the complex sentiments most Americans have about our healthcare system, or lack thereof….

So…when telling MAHA health stories:

Don’t oversimplify.
MAHA folk don’t all believe the same thing. If you are quoting self-identified MAHA’s, tell your audience exactly what they believe.
Don’t used loaded words like toxins, chemicals, or corruption.
Instead, report claims with language that describes the actual complaints, where they come from, and whether there is any substantiated evidence related to them.
Don’t report false claims as if they were accurate.
Instead, indicate what sources believe versus what experts report.
Don’t overlook political or economic incentives.
Instead, explain what they are. Businesses and some politicians now use MAHA as a catchphrase to sell products and get votes.
Don’t pit junk science against real science.
Instead, if people are disputing the science, unpack that.

Some good reading on the MAHA phenomenon

Your guide to who’s who in the MAHA Movement
MAHA: the numbers
The MAHA Report - what is it, anyway?
Don’t ask ChatGPT about your health!
Measles in America: Who exactly are the unvaccinated?
SNAP: more rotisserie chicken, less soda, and other ways fans of deregulation want to regulate what poor people eat.

Also in the News

The Annoyance Economy

MAGA influencers want to jail each other

How to guess if your job will be around in the future

Taxes? No!

Dems getting religion

Learn more about Reporting Right here

We’re Reading:

KFF’s Health News haikus - see bottom of Morning Briefing

Comic Relief

If You Like What You Are Reading:

Reach out for help at ReportingRight@googlegroups.com.

Tell your fellow reporters to subscribe.

See You Next Week!

Our Staff

Executive Editor Kyle Spencer

Issue Editor You-Yan Wang

Our Board of Advisors

Alex Aronson, executive director of Court Accountability

David Armiak, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy

Connor Gibson, founder of Grassrootbeer Investigations

Maurice Cunningham, retired associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and author of Dark Money and The Politics of School Privatization.

Isaac Kamola, associate professor of political science at Trinity College, founder of Faculty First Responders and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Ralph Wilson, founder of the Corporate Genome Project and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Covering the Rise of Abortion Abolitionists

Reporting Right — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 21:42:32 GMT

THIS WEEK:

Abortion Abolitionists are coming to your state.

As with many activists on the Extreme Right, these ones are:

led by men
getting national funding
building via local networks
pushing model legislation inside state legislatures
benefitting from assumptions that their goals are too extreme to ever materialize, while they work to normalize them slowly in the eyes of the public

For journalists, the question is no longer whether to cover these abortion abolitionists, but how to do so without normalizing their efforts to jail — and even execute — women who have sought abortions.

National coverage has mostly focused on the big picture. But there is not enough local reporting shedding light on the growing number of local initiatives.

To get some ideas about covering reproductive rights, in general, check out THIS.

For some background on the abortion abolitionist movement, check out THIS.

For a list of the model bills and info on actors, funders and tactics, check out THIS.

TIPS ON COVERING ABORTION ABOLITIONISTS

Name names

Multiple organizations are leading these pushes. Report on who’s working in your state.

Check out THIS

Don’t underestimate local buy-in

Check THIS out from Oklahoma

Explore growing fissures inside the anti-choice movement

Read THIS

Report on rhetorical tactics

For example, activists are comparing themselves to slavery abolitionists.

LIKE THIS

Also in the News

America’s Holy War

Campaigning on the flight

Will the Dems ever catch up?

Ripple effect of Iran war

Iran’s meme factory

The activists who want to abolish IVF

We’re Listening to:

Comic Relief

If You Like What You Are Reading:

Reach out for help at ReportingRight@googlegroups.com.

Tell your fellow reporters to subscribe.

See You Next Week!

Our Staff

Executive Editor Kyle Spencer

Issue Editor You-Yan Wang

Our Board of Advisors

Alex Aronson, executive director of Court Accountability

David Armiak, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy

Connor Gibson, founder of Grassrootbeer Investigations

Maurice Cunningham, retired associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and author of Dark Money and The Politics of School Privatization.

Isaac Kamola, associate professor of political science at Trinity College, founder of Faculty First Responders and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Ralph Wilson, founder of the Corporate Genome Project and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Learn more about Reporting Right here

Your Job is Dangerous!

Reporting Right — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 14:13:02 GMT

THIS WEEK: Safe on the Job

Press freedom is under attack.

The United States fell to 57th in the 2025 Reporters Without Borders’ Press Freedom Index. We are below countries like Poland, Ghana, Estonia, and South Africa. That marks our lowest rating since the index’s inception in 2002.

With this in mind, the Journalism Protection Institute at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism recently released a safety guidebook.

FIND IT HERE.

Some Important Takeaways

Journalists are no longer just neutral observers. They’re targets.

Safety prioritization and preparedness should be embedded into your newsroom’s culture.

Editors should be aware when assigning stories that identity-based risk is rising.

Legal warfare, surveillance, and subpoenas are new tools that may be used against your news outlet to suppress you.

Building safety into your reporting routine can help protect you.

More Resources

Promoting Journalist Safety

A Journalist’s Guide to Protest Safety

Some Alarming Reading

The story I have not told until now: Neo-Nazi threats and harassment

RSF condemns wave of violence against journalists covering Los Angeles protests

FBI asking press for info: Photographer questioned over identity of protesters at the Federal Building

Nashville journalist speaks out after ICE detention, calls experience ‘terrifying’

Nashville journalist’s release from ICE detention delayed, slowing action in federal lawsuit

FBI raids home of Washington Post reporter in ‘highly unusual and aggressive’ move

Also in the News:

Save D.C. golf from Donald Trump

Why (and how) everyone is cold-calling the president

The women who believe women should not have the right to vote

Using water to combat ICE

We’re Watching:

My Undesirable Friend

Comic Relief

If You Like What You Are Reading:

Reach out for help at ReportingRight@googlegroups.com.

Tell your fellow reporters to subscribe.

See You Next Week!

Our Staff

Executive Editor Kyle Spencer

Assistant Editor You-Yan Wang

Our Board of Advisors

Alex Aronson, executive director of Court Accountability

David Armiak, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy

Connor Gibson, founder of Grassrootbeer Investigations

Maurice Cunningham, retired associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and author of Dark Money and The Politics of School Privatization.

Isaac Kamola, associate professor of political science at Trinity College, founder of Faculty First Responders and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Ralph Wilson, founder of the Corporate Genome Project and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Young Republicans are increasingly being flagged for openly racist ideologies.

The Hate Economy

Reporting Right — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 15:00:00 GMT

THIS WEEK: The Hate Economy

Most journalists are encountering a hard-to-describe phenomenon: The normalization of hate.

The American Defense Secretary’s pastor has a guest on his show who wishes out loud that God would kill a Texas senate candidate.

That same Secretary of Defense tells a press corps the United States negotiates with bombs.

Open misogynists are getting mainstream play.

A GOP lawmaker tells a journalist: “I’d bust your face right now.”

How did this become normal?

This week, we are exploring:

Why this is happening.

How it is happening.

Where it is happening.

If hate is showing up on your beat — IRL or online —cover it.

Here’s some stuff to read:

Covering Hate Speech - A Guide for Journalists

Hate Speech & Hate Crimes - the American Library Association

The Extreme Gone Mainstream

Hate in the Headlines

Also in the news:

Naomi Klein thinks maybe it’d be good to unmute.

I’m selling your water?

Should Dems get sexier?

This homeschooler wants to protect the kids.

Secession, anyone? Not the show, the country.

We’re watching:

The Inquisitor (about civil rights icon Barbara Jordan)

Comic Relief

If You Like What You Are Reading:

Reach out for help at ReportingRight@googlegroups.com.

Tell your fellow reporters to subscribe.

See You Next Week!

Our Staff

Executive Editor Kyle Spencer

Our Board of Advisors

Alex Aronson, executive director of Court Accountability

David Armiak, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy

Connor Gibson, founder of Grassrootbeer Investigations

Maurice Cunningham, retired associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and author of Dark Money and The Politics of School Privatization.

Isaac Kamola, associate professor of political science at Trinity College, founder of Faculty First Responders and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Ralph Wilson, founder of the Corporate Genome Project and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

YouTube, it’s your turn in the spotlight.

Gaslighting MAGA

Reporting Right — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 16:23:00 GMT

THIS WEEK: Gaslighting MAGA

Tucker, Joe, Megyn, and a whole host of other former fans are shocked that the Trump presidency isn’t going the way they planned.

So are a lot of Trump voters who believed T…

Bring the War Home

Reporting Right — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 15:36:18 GMT

THIS WEEK: BRING THE WAR HOME

The American military is raining down on an already fragile region as Trump wages an unpopular, and ill-planned war with Iran.

As questions continue to swirl over the constitutionality of this war, journalists around the country — no matter their beat —ought to focus on keeping Americans as informed as possible.

A good rule of thumb: Start with what people already care about, and go from there.

______________________________________

STORY IDEAS TO INCREASE AWARENESS OF IRAN WAR

Safety Last

War Story: Hundreds of thousands of Americans were left stranded in the region as the war broke out.
Local Angle: Tell the story of anyone on your beat who tried to flee, fled, or has a U.S. family member detained in Iran.

Like This: They fought to get out.

Like This: Will my loved one become collateral?

Paying the Price

War Story: Gas prices are up and down because transportation routes are being disrupted.
Local Angle: Report on what that will look like for utility bills in your state?

Like This: States like these are vulnerable to soaring prices.

What Family Vacation?

War Story: Spring and summer travel is likely going to be impacted by increased airfare due to higher fuel prices.
Local Angle: Tell stories about how this will impact family travel on your beat? Are families making other plans?

Get Interactive

War Story: Polls show the war is enormously unpopular.
Local Angle: Launch an online conversation in your community. How do people feel? What are they worried about? How is the war already impacting their lives and their families?

Like This: We asked.

School Violence

War Story: Earlier this month, at least 175 student and educators in Iran were murdered after a Tomahawk missile, the kind only the United States has access to, hit their school.
Local Angle: Gun violence is an issue in American schools. How do local educators feel about American missile violence?

National Guard Goes International

War Story: Trump sent many National Guard troops to Middle East.

Local Angle: Is your state one of the targets?

Like This: Deployed.

Also in the news

Another journalist detained.

Taxpayers are still footing the bill for Noem’s Big Beautiful Jet.

Data Centers are reshaping politics.

Learn more about Reporting Right

We’re Reading

Shah of Shahs

by Ryszard Kapuscinski

Comic Relief

If You Like What You Are Reading:

Reach out for help at ReportingRight@googlegroups.com.

Tell your fellow reporters to subscribe.

See You Next Week!

Our Staff

Executive Editor Kyle Spencer

Our Board of Advisors

Alex Aronson, executive director of Court Accountability

David Armiak, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy

Connor Gibson, founder of Grassrootbeer Investigations

Maurice Cunningham, retired associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and author of Dark Money and The Politics of School Privatization.

Isaac Kamola, associate professor of political science at Trinity College, founder of Faculty First Responders and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Ralph Wilson, founder of the Corporate Genome Project and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Some Law Firms Said "No" to Trump: Make Them Household Names

Reporting Right — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 17:23:51 GMT

REPORTING RIGHT WILL BE AT IRE

JUNE 18-21

for a workshop on

COVERING RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM

If you did a story you’d like to share with colleagues

REACH OUT

Tell hero stories. Right now, they’re necessary.

Few of us want to talk about the pernicious act of journalistic ignorance that comes from being decent. You just can’t believe some of the horrible stuff that is happening.

For months in 2016, before MAGA dragged the nation down, we saw reporters and editors mocking the orange-haired Trump. He was simply too gross, to win. Then, he did.

Then we had one assault after another on our democracy. We’ve seen Trump enrich himself with so many unethical, immoral, obscene moves — it all begins to feel like a dystopian film with Trump as the all-powerful ogre no one can defeat.

Now, if we are being honest, a lot of us are wondering if we can ever get out from under this turn of events. On some level, should we just accept that these are the new terms of engagement?

Exhausting us, numbing us, getting us to lower our own moral standards and our sense of urgency — this is, of course, part of the plan.

But some people have not allowed such normalization. Pro-democracy legal advocacy orgs — we see you Democracy Forward — have worked tirelessly, putting up one fight after another.

Those are heroes.

The other legal entities that have refused to kowtow to the Trump Machine? Four law firms, who embarrassed their weaker, morally-inferior counterparts when Trump came after them for bribe money, as part of an executive order that was essentially an intimidation move and a shake-down.

While many firms got on their knees - shame Paul Weiss— these firms: Jenner & Block, Susman Godfrey, Perkins Coie and WilmerHale said: “No!”

Heroes.

It’s depressing and upsetting to think that we are now praising American law firms for standing up for the law. But here we are.

Earlier this week, these firms were in the news when the DOJ dropped its cases, after federal judges had struck down the executive orders seeking to punish them for their passing an unseemly ethics test. The DOJ, in classic Trump fashion, quickly changed its mind. The appeals were still on.

Still, most people are pretty certain the firms will prevail. And everyone knows the firms that capitulated are now seeing that letting Trump bully you leads to one thing: More Trump bullying.

The honest people standing up to Trump, the bully, should be household names, included in American legend and lore — as should any and all MAGA resisters who stand up and win.

Heroism is contagious. Bystanders react when they see others react.

Journalists committed to fighting the anti-democratic forces racing through our country should know this, too.

If we believe now it is an American obligation to stand up for democracy, we need to show Americans other people who have done so, too. Even if, yes, we are exhausted.

Please tell hero stories.

HOW TO TELL HERO STORIES

Tell stories that:

Show how local leaders are standing up to Trump

LIKE: Local leaders protecting against Trump

Show how people finally said: “We can no longer support this.”

LIKE: Republicans finally standing up to Trump

Outline what got people finally protesting

LIKE: Why they came to the No Kings event

Turn ordinary people into heroes

LIKE: Americans communities resist ICE

Also in the news

Joe and James: Could Rogan support Talarico?

Famous and Sane: U.S. seems no longer such a great place to live

Social media as state media

Google may want you dead, if you click a lot before

Learn more about Reporting Right here

We’re Reading

The Last Honest Man

by James Risen

Comic Relief

If You Like What You Are Reading:

Reach out for help at ReportingRight@googlegroups.com.

Tell your fellow reporters to subscribe.

See You Next Week!

Our Staff

Executive Editor Kyle Spencer

Our Board of Advisors

Alex Aronson, executive director of Court Accountability

David Armiak, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy

Connor Gibson, founder of Grassrootbeer Investigations

Maurice Cunningham, retired associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and author of Dark Money and The Politics of School Privatization.

Isaac Kamola, associate professor of political science at Trinity College, founder of Faculty First Responders and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Ralph Wilson, founder of the Corporate Genome Project and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

When Christian Nationalism Comes to Town

Reporting Right — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 15:46:42 GMT

REPORTING RIGHT WILL BE AT IRE JUNE 18-21

For a workshop on COVERING RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM

If you did a story you’d like to share with colleagues

WE ARE LOOKING FOR JOURNALISTS TO JOIN US

REACH OUT

When Christian Nationalism Comes to Town

Christian Nationalism— which prioritizes religious doctrine over constitutional law — poses a grave threat to religious freedom in America.

But reporting on this can be a challenge.

Some audiences hear “Christian Nationalism”and think you are bashing Christians.

Others hear that Christian Nationalist believe our country was founded on Christian principles, and think: Of course, it was.

Still others may have some sense of our nation’s commitment to religious freedom. But they don’t really know what that means in practice.

When we report on Christian Nationalism we may be more effective if we focus on the specific freedom-robbing aspects of the ideology today and avoid history lessons.

Christian Nationalists believe:

The United States should govern via the Bible. This is what theocracies do.
Americans ought to have a religion imposed on their children in school via curriculum, bibles in the classroom, and religious iconology in the hallways. This is a violation of parental rights.
People of only one religion should lead the country. This is what they do in Iran.

Researchers who study Christian Nationalism know it’s a road to authoritarianism.

When reporting on local efforts to impose Christian Nationalist ideas in local government, we should prioritize understanding.

We should assume audiences aren’t acutely aware of how Christian Nationalism could rob them of freedoms they hold dear. We should let them know.

TIPS FOR REPORTING ON CHRISTIAN NATIONALIST POLICY

Whether you are covering a plan to put the Ten Commandments in front of City Hall, add bibles to public school classrooms, or infuse a district’s curriculum with Christian principles, it’s important to make the connection to Christian Nationalist ideology.

Identify what’s unconstitutional:

Keep it simple

Avoid statements that sound like opinions
Include the voices of lawyers etc. who can lay out how a policy conflicts with law
For example: “The Constitution says the government can’t favor one religion over another. Critics argue this policy crosses that line.”

Interview Christian critics:

If you only quote secular advocacy groups, sympathetic audiences may tune you out

Instead, quote:

Pastors who oppose government-imposed religion

Mainline Protestants concerned about pluralism

Black church leaders with civil rights perspectives
Catholic voices who defend church-state separation

Ask governance questions that highlight potential victims:

“What happens to families who interpret Christianity differently?”
“What protections exist for Jewish, Muslim, atheist, or non-evangelical students?
“What happens if the (state) constitution conflicts with a policy?”

SOME FACTS

According to a recent report by the Public Religion Research Institute:

1/3 of all Americans lean Christian Nationalist

56 percent of Republicans support the ideology

54 percent of Hispanic Protestants adhere to Christian Nationalist ideas

Christian Nationalists are more likely to support political violence.

Also in the news

State of Union: While Trump was calling Dems losers, three more were winning state races

Could Candace Owens take Erika Kirk down? She’s trying in this new doc.

MAHA backlash over weed killer

Bible-infused curriculum in Texas has some issues

We’re Reading

Everything by Christian Nationalist expert Katherine Stewart

Comic Relief

If You Like What You Are Reading:

Reach out for help at ReportingRight@googlegroups.com.

Tell your fellow reporters to subscribe.

See You Next Week!

Our Staff

Executive Editor Kyle Spencer

Our Board of Advisors

Alex Aronson, executive director of Court Accountability

David Armiak, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy

Connor Gibson, founder of Grassrootbeer Investigations

Maurice Cunningham, retired associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and author of Dark Money and The Politics of School Privatization.

Isaac Kamola, associate professor of political science at Trinity College, founder of Faculty First Responders and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Ralph Wilson, founder of the Corporate Genome Project and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

He criticized the police; he got a knock on his door

NYT Missed the Point on Local Story

Reporting Right — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 16:53:00 GMT

Top Story: The Dangers of Missing the Point

How was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?

In journalism-speak that expression probably translates into: Don’t bury the lede.

This week, Reporting Right is giving The New York Times an “F” for doing just that, losing sight of what a recent story should have been about.

A Tennessee sheriff jailed a man for 5 weeks for reposting a meme.

The New York Times learned about the arrest and wrote a piece that largely centered on the man’s internet addiction.

Although Larry Bushart was incarcerated on a $2 million bail, lost his job and is now financially unstable (because his wife was so stressed while he was in jail she couldn’t work) The New York Times spent graf after graf describing Bushart’s internet use and the ways in which the jailing made him rethink his unhealthy, all-consuming relationship to social media.

Further, the poorly-chosen tone of the piece suggested that perhaps it was a good thing that Bushart had been jailed. All that time behind bars got him thinking.

Really, New York Times?

Here’s what The New York Times should have done:

Reported on the ways that the Trump administration has normalized, even condoned free speech violations —and how this is impacting local municipalities and creating a disturbing boldness on the part of local officials. A look at Tennessee, specifically would have been a good idea.

Explained why jailing someone for expressing their opinion online is unconstitutional and undemocratic. Remember: Most Americans are getting any civics in school.

Asked the sheriff (a public official) some probing questions about his commitment to the First Amendment — and quoted him in the piece.

Questioned the elected officials in charge of paying that sheriff’s salary. What types of repercussions will he face?

Inquired about whether the Department of Justice would be opening an investigation.

Related what life in jail was like for Mr. Bushart.

At a time like this, seems like the journalism community ought to have some reporter version of the Hierarchy of Needs — as it relates to our democracy. Such a hierarchy would most definitely have put free speech over internet addiction in terms of import.

Today, a free speech violation on your beat is not an isolated incident, and it should not be treated like one.

If you are reporting on one, put the incident in context with examples of other places/times in recent months this has happened.

Missing the point isn’t just bad journalism. It is the difference between an informed citizenship and people ignorant of how their rights are being trampled on.

Here’s some important background:

She made a Facebook critique; the police arrived

Free Speech considerations for local government

An open letter to local public officials

Donald Trump’s attempt to criminalize free speech

Also in the news

Larry Bushart sues

Lara Trump says we will have “many Trumps” running for office

American lawyers start tracking Trump retaliation cases

We’re Listening to

Legal AF

Comic Relief

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Our Staff

Executive Editor Kyle Spencer

Our Board of Advisors

Alex Aronson, executive director of Court Accountability

David Armiak, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy

Connor Gibson, founder of Grassrootbeer Investigations

Maurice Cunningham, retired associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and author of Dark Money and The Politics of School Privatization.

Isaac Kamola, associate professor of political science at Trinity College, founder of Faculty First Responders and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Ralph Wilson, founder of the Corporate Genome Project and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

“The highest theater debut for a non-concert documentary in over a decade.”

The Melania Doc and Your Beat

Reporting Right — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 19:33:58 GMT

Top Story: What the Melania doc teaches us about truthful reporting

“Figures don’t lie. But liars figure.”

Mark Twain

Headlines around the country made it clear. The Melania film was terrible. But, boy did it do well at the box office.

That bold assertion spread quickly. And You Know Who — the guy who invented MAGA, MAHA, Sleepy Joe, and an urgent build-the-wall narrative that has normalized gun-toting federal agents (in American streets) hunting people down, and sometimes killing them —was really, really happy.

Once again, the press got suckered into telling a nonsensical tall tale drummed up by the Trump camp. It compared apples to oranges and required news consumers to know a ton about the American documentary industry to debunk it.

But Reporting Right has not been fooled. And you, dear reporter, should not be fooled either.

With a little context, the idea that the Melania doc did great at the box office is pretty preposterous, which is why we always encourage you to avoid spin coming from extreme right spin doctors.

The real story?

Despite its mega-budget, the Melania Trump documentary made less than half of what the last big ticket documentary made in its first week (adjusted for inflation). And that documentary (Chimpanzee) was made for a fraction of the cost ($5 million) of the Melania documentary ($40 million.) In other words, in 2012, when Chimpanzee came out, Americans were a lot more excited to see Oscar, the friendly primate, flittering about the forest than they were this year to see The First Lady prancing around The White House in stilettos.

Consider the statement:

Then consider these crucial facts:

Documentaries are not generally released in theaters. They usually release via streaming platforms.
The marketing budget for the Melania film was $35 million. The marketing budget for most American documentaries is rarely more than $50,000. So comparing Melania to other documentaries doesn’t even make sense. Would you compare attendance at a little league game to attendance at a MLB game? Would you compare a cupcake to a wedding cake? Would you compare a sinking sailboat to the Titanic and praise the Titanic for being so much more glamorous, when it went down? No, you would not!
It’s hard for us to understand how those facts turned into congratulatory reporting. But here we are.
Please don’t do this at home.
When sources tell you the things they are doing are the biggest, the best, the most popular, and the most profitable…make sure you know what those sources are comparing themselves to. If it doesn’t make sense to make those comparisons, don’t make them.

Also in the news

They want West Bank no more in Florida schools

Cuba not doing so great

Second thoughts about fake meat: Is this good for our economy?

Shocking: Americans are feeling pessimistic

Wild moments in Olympic history

We’re Watching

Chimpanzee

Comic Relief

If You Like What You Are Reading:

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Tell your fellow reporters to subscribe.

See You Next Week!

Our Staff

Executive Editor Kyle Spencer

Our Board of Advisors

Alex Aronson, executive director of Court Accountability

David Armiak, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy

Connor Gibson, founder of Grassrootbeer Investigations

Maurice Cunningham, retired associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and author of Dark Money and The Politics of School Privatization.

Isaac Kamola, associate professor of political science at Trinity College, founder of Faculty First Responders and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Ralph Wilson, founder of the Corporate Genome Project and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

School Vouchers for rural communities: Even Republicans think those are a bad idea.

Socializing Your Stories

Reporting Right — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 16:57:52 GMT

Top Story: You Did The Big Story, Now What?

Don’t believe the hype.

Local news matters. And people actually believe it is important to the well-being of their communities.

We established that last week.

This week, Reporting Right has some thoughts on how to get that local reporting in the hands of more people.

TIPS FOR GETTING THAT BIG STORY OUT THERE

Be like Taylor

You’re not a star. But your stories should be. Get folks excited/interested in your upcoming stories by thinking the way the music and film industry do. Create buzz. Let people know what you’re working on way before pub date. Do a countdown. Offer previews. Share your process.

Get social w/ social media folks

Local podcasters, Instagram personalities, think tank comms people, Tik Tok news aficionados etc. are always looking for content for their platforms. You can be that content. Don’t be picky. (Okay, be a little picky. ) But honestly, we should all be rethinking how we interact with the social media world. Just about any platform that wants to share your reporting with its audience, is a platform you should consider engaging with.

Source it

Whether your sources are local environmental groups, shopkeepers, politicians, activists, or kids at the local high school, enlist them in getting play for the big stories they are in. Don’t get too worried about whether they are biased. Encouraging them to push out your stories, even if they hate your takes, WILL generate traffic. You don’t need their love. You just need their audience.

Take it live

People — young and old — are desperate for in-person gatherings. If you did a great story important to the community, hold an event. Do live interviews with some of the people you interviewed, open up a Q&A, offer updated information, or give people access to experts who can talk more deeply about the subject.

A subject Substack

You are the local expert on your beat — whatever that happens to be. Start your own Substack page and offer weekly updates. Sometimes, that big story you did will be the update. But other times, you can offer insight into other pieces of information of interest to folks following the issues/places you cover.

Behind the scenes

Audiences love to peek behind the curtain. If you did a big story, do some social posts on how it came together, what your challenges were, things you discovered that didn’t get into the story.

Un-edit it

We do interviews and often get great stuff that never sees the light of day. We can’t quote everything one person says inside a story. But we all know, there are some people who really add value to our understanding of what’s going on. How ‘bout recording important interviews and publishing them in full – or edited, but lengthened? As long as your sources have given you the okay, this type of insider content can drive eyeballs, and generate more understanding and interest in the issues you cover.

Also in the news

Measles are back.

What happens when little FEMA tackles big weather? Hint: It’s not great.

The plot to undermine the 2026 election is getting underway. You may want to start planning ahead.

The Changing Face of Local Journalism

We’re Reading

from CJR

Comic Relief

If You Like What You Are Reading:

Reach out for help at ReportingRight@googlegroups.com.

Tell your fellow reporters to subscribe.

See You Next Week!

Our Staff

Executive Editor Kyle Spencer

Our Board of Advisors

Alex Aronson, executive director of Court Accountability

David Armiak, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy

Connor Gibson, founder of Grassrootbeer Investigations

Maurice Cunningham, retired associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and author of Dark Money and The Politics of School Privatization.

Isaac Kamola, associate professor of political science at Trinity College, founder of Faculty First Responders and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Ralph Wilson, founder of the Corporate Genome Project and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Trump’s Department of Energy reporting false fact about climate change in new, “official” report.

Local News is Like Your Teenager

Reporting Right — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 19:04:00 GMT

Top Story: Local News is Like Your Teenager

Local news is misunderstood.

Much like your teenager — or the teenager you once were — it is trying to find its way in a difficult, ever-changing environment.

This can lead to a lot of hand-wringing. And frankly, it can also lead to a lot of confusion. People in charge of shepherding local news into the next century are getting scared and they’re wondering: “Is it disappearing?”

Reporting Right understands the confusion. But, it’s time to get a grip.

The important thing to remember is that:

People want local news.

But, they are getting it in different places, via different entry points…which isn’t bad if you understand how the online ecosystem actually works.

Read on. You may be surprised to discover, YOU still matter A LOT.

5 Facts About Local News Today

Traditional media is still the trendsetter

You know all those social media influencers chitchatting about the news. Well, guess where they get that news?

An overwhelming number of them still turn to daily news stories. (That’s you!) They want (and need) new information on topics people are concerned about to keep their followers coming. In other words, they need content, which is what you provide.

Trickle Down (Not the Reagan-kind) is real

This means — whether you realize or not — what local stories you decide to focus on in your reporting are likely going to be what gets the most play in any given day inside your local online eco-system.

The stories you do really matter

That means when you pitch stories to your editor, you aren’t just setting the agenda for your news outlet. You’re setting the local online agenda.

Choose wisely

In an era of rampant misinformation, your choices matter even more. If you want residents to know the truth about why schools are closing in your rural community, which local officials are supporting ICE, as it threatens neighborhoods, or how a local rep actually voted on Medicaid, report on it. You’d be surprised to discover how far and wide a lot of the local stories you are doing are actually going on Reddit, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, etc…

Mules are everywhere

Remember during Covid, when you wanted to know what vaccine to take. I bet you asked your friend who majored in biology; or your mom, the doctor; or your girlfriend who works as a pharmacist. In other words, you asked the trusted messengers in your life who did their “own research.”

You’re likely the trusted news messenger in your circle, so you may not realize. But for everyone else (who doesn’t have a friend/sister/niece/whatever who is a reporter) there is some trusted messenger who gets them the news. Guess where that trusted messenger gets that news? From you! You’re “the research.”

Remember, more than 30 percent of Americans say they still get their local news directly from news outlets. More than half still turn to local TV news. (These percentages are likely higher since at least some folks who report getting news online are actually getting it from news outlets online.) Why do they do that? Because it turns out, news from a real news outlet still carries some serious weight.

All to say…For many stories, YOU are the origination point. And that really, really matters at a time when our democracy is facing an avalanche of threats.

Next Week…How to help push your stories through the ecosystem.

Also in the news

Free Speech - but not for flags

College newspapers are getting silenced

Turning Point USA, the far right student group, finds a new type of sponsor for moving into high schools: the government.

Framed photo of Putin finds a home at the White House

What Are Journalists For - Jay Rosen

We’re Reading

Comic Relief

If You Like What You Are Reading:

Reach out for help at ReportingRight@googlegroups.com.

Tell your fellow reporters to subscribe.

See You Next Week!

Our Staff

Executive Editor Kyle Spencer

Our Board of Advisors

Alex Aronson, executive director of Court Accountability

David Armiak, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy

Connor Gibson, founder of Grassrootbeer Investigations

Maurice Cunningham, retired associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and author of Dark Money and The Politics of School Privatization.

Isaac Kamola, associate professor of political science at Trinity College, founder of Faculty First Responders and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Ralph Wilson, founder of the Corporate Genome Project and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Inside the civil war at the “anti-woke” university

A Trade War Comes To Town

Reporting Right — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 20:12:00 GMT

Top Story: A trade war comes to town

For months, retailers stockpiled inventory to avoid the arriving Trump tariffs.

But now supplies are dwindling. Stores are restocking, and the cost of goods is on the rise.

That uptick is likely to be felt across all our beats.

How do we humanize — and localize — a national economic story? Reporting Right has some ideas.

TARIFF STORY IDEAS

A choice they didn’t want

Many small-town retailers are facing the same dilemma: absorb the higher costs themselves, and see thinner margins — or raise prices, and risk alienating loyal customers who have made an effort to shop locally. Tell the story of two different retailers who made different choices and how their choices are impacting, their businesses, families, and the communities they live in.

When local government hits pause

As tariffs push up costs, some communities are quietly delaying projects—from road repairs to school upgrades to emergency equipment purchases. Report on what’s being postponed, how officials are making these sometime agonizing decisions, and how those decisions may or may not impact community safety, open spaces, etc.

Connecting the dots

As prices rise across the country, many Americans are feeling the impact. But are they fully understanding the cause? This story would examine whether trade policy and tariffs register in everyday conversations, and how misinformation may (or may not) be filling the gap. Through interviews with shoppers, business owners, and community leaders, explore how economic policy made in D.C. is understood (or misunderstood) at the local level.

When “feels-like-home” gets more expensive

For many immigrant communities, tariffs are showing up at the neighborhood grocery store, where specialty foods can be found. Products like soy sauce, noodles, spices, and other items imported from home countries are rising in price or disappearing from shelves altogether. Tell a story about how trade policy is impacting access to cultural staples, forcing families to substitute, stockpile, or pay more for items that carry deep personal and cultural meaning.

Contracting Contracts

As tariffs push up costs, companies are scaling back on contract labor and overtime. This story examines how tariffs are affecting hourly and gig workers who rely on flexible work to make ends meet—at a time when the cost-of-living is also on the rise.

Resources

Also in the news

Normalizing 4-day school

Melania takes a tumble

They staged an insurrection against the U.S. Now, they want to be paid

A Splendid Exchange: How trade shaped the world

We’re Reading

by William J. Bernstein

Comic Relief

If You Like What You Are Reading:

Reach out for help at ReportingRight@googlegroups.com.

Tell your fellow reporters to subscribe.

See You Next Week!

Our Staff

Executive Editor Kyle Spencer

Our Board of Advisors

Alex Aronson, executive director of Court Accountability

David Armiak, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy

Connor Gibson, founder of Grassrootbeer Investigations

Maurice Cunningham, retired associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and author of Dark Money and The Politics of School Privatization.

Isaac Kamola, associate professor of political science at Trinity College, founder of Faculty First Responders and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Ralph Wilson, founder of the Corporate Genome Project and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Students’ Civil Rights took center stage last year.

Covering Racism So People Will Listen

Reporting Right — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 20:09:00 GMT

Top Story: MLK Special Edition

For the last few years, newsrooms have been grappling with systemic racism inside their own organizations, while also trying to report on how systemic racism impacts so much of what we cover.

It’s a challenging topic to report on, as federal agencies, public institutions, and politicians are being warned by The Trump administration that a focus on racism and the toll it has played in the lives of so many Americans is aggressive, anti-patriotic, and discriminatory against white people.

To even focus on it, now can feel more like a political act, than a recognition of reality.

As we all tackle the challenges presented by dwindling trust in media and our own increased interest in covering rural communities (where we often communicate with more conservative audiences) finding ways to elucidate without alienating is important.

But, systemic racism can be hard to explain even to audiences receptive to hearing about it; as it is often hidden, coded, or buried inside procedures, policies, or a deficit in terms of outright concern for the traditionally marginalized.

While it can often feel important to name things, some of the best coverage about systematic racism doesn’t always rely on the term. Rather, it delves into data that is available to the public that presents as alarming and unfair. Often, this data is found with the help of local legal justice outfits, or FOIA requests

A lot of the best coverage relies on archives that help to put stories in historical context, showing how much discriminatory neglect can be baked into a community’s history.

Other powerful stories like this piece about the mortality rate of Black mothers and their babies start with alarming, and clearly discriminatory statistics and then go from there, unpacking why the disparity exists.

For more help on this topic, refer to the Investigative Project on Race & Equity, which offers trainings, story ideas, and insight.

Stories about systematic racism will present themselves to you when citizens identify wrong-doing themselves via lawsuits, marches or protests. But, uncovering violations yourself is one of the best ways to use your journalism skills and help keep the powerful in check and the powerless protected.

Some Reading:

How local grass-roots activism protects civil rights

When protesting makes you a “foreign actor”

Also in the news

The man who saw opportunity in the school bus Is Texas turning against GOP?

Getting a street named King

Judge weighs in; and he likes AI.

We’re Watching

These Civil Rights films

Comic Relief

If You Like What You Are Reading:

Reach out for help at ReportingRight@googlegroups.com.

Tell your fellow reporters to subscribe.

See You Next Week!

Our Staff

Executive Editor Kyle Spencer

Our Board of Advisors

Alex Aronson, executive director of Court Accountability

David Armiak, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy

Connor Gibson, founder of Grassrootbeer Investigations

Maurice Cunningham, retired associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and author of Dark Money and The Politics of School Privatization.

Isaac Kamola, associate professor of political science at Trinity College, founder of Faculty First Responders and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Ralph Wilson, founder of the Corporate Genome Project and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

What is citizen journalism?

Minnesota and Citizen Journalists

Reporting Right — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 20:38:00 GMT

(Click on photo)

Top Story: ICE in the streets

Wednesday’s murder of a Minnesota mother at the hands of an ICE agent is a tragic example of how some news stories really do benefit from the changing face of American journalism.

We can all get frustrated (and concerned) about the plethora of untrained “citizen journalists” out there. But the fact that Renee Good’s murder was recorded by (at least) one person who considered it their job to bear witness is good for both democracy and journalism.

Many of us would like the time to produce more long-form takes on why the current ICE policies are so problematic. But the truth is, showing with vertical video (not telling) may be the better method for drawing the most amount of attention to that story.

Why?

The Minnesota incident resonates on a visceral — not intellectual — level. You can tell people: You should be worried about government overreach here; or you can show them what that looked like for Renee Good.
You can tell people that ICE in the streets has the potential for gross civil liberty violations; or you can show them the video of Good being shot and killed by an ICE agent.
You can indicate how a lot of MAGA policy looks a lot like thug policy, or you can show them the Good video.
This doesn’t mean explanatory journalism isn’t needed here — for the who, what, when, why, and how. But we’d be lying to ourselves if we didn’t acknowledge how helpful it is to this story that people with looser ideas about who is (and isn’t) a news disseminator took on the job of recording this horrifying moment in real-time.

ACCOMPANYING STORY IDEAS

Fear and loathing:

With ICE violence in the news, people in your community are likely wondering: are there reported incidents of ICE violence here?

Taking action:

Who’s working to make sure that people in your community are safe from renegade ICE agents? What are they doing, and who is helping (not helping) them.

Do you have to go to school for that?

How exactly are the ICE agents in your community trained, monitored, overseen, evaluated, and compensated?

RESOURCES

How to work with citizen journalists

ICE Activity Tracker

I’m going to video this: Here’s what to know

What rights do people have?

Raids at work

Up-to-date detention facts

Also in the news

Turning Point USA at a high school near you

Stand-Your-Ground legislation increasing gun deaths

Data Center builders go for the Architectural Digest look

These documentaries about immigration

We’re Watching

Comic Relief

If You Like What You Are Reading:

Reach out for help at ReportingRight@googlegroups.com.

Tell your fellow reporters to subscribe.

See You Next Week!

Our Staff

Executive Editor Kyle Spencer

Our Board of Advisors

Alex Aronson, executive director of Court Accountability

David Armiak, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy

Connor Gibson, founder of Grassrootbeer Investigations

Maurice Cunningham, retired associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and author of Dark Money and The Politics of School Privatization.

Isaac Kamola, associate professor of political science at Trinity College, founder of Faculty First Responders and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Ralph Wilson, founder of the Corporate Genome Project and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Learn about Reporting Right

Guns R Us

Reporting Right — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 15:30:00 GMT

Top Story: Gun Country

No one is immune.

Shootings last week dominated the news. To feel safe on a beach, in an unlocked campus building, at a nightclub, inside a kindergarten classroom or walking through the lobby of a NYC office building is to deny reality. You are not safe. And neither are the people you love.

At Reporting Right, we hope you will find ways to tell that story by focusing on solutions: steps communities can take to make everyone safer.

Protective gun legislation
Military-grade weapon bans
Red flag laws
Better safety protocols in public and private spaces

TIPS ON COVERING GUN VIOLENCE

Highlight leaders who are working for legislation that offers everyone better protection
Report on ballot initiatives that have allowed communities to defang gun lobbyists and pro-gun donors by voting for changes they want, after devastating local shootings
Tell stories about what these shootings are doing to young people
Name names. Call out electeds who are hurting, not helping
Get specific. People want — and need — to know how other communities have fought this.

RESOURCES

READ: THE NEW YORKER ON HOW THE NRA WENT FROM GUN CLUB TO GUN LOBBYING GROUP

READ: THE GUN VIOLENCE ARCHIVES

READ: ROLLING STONE ON MAKING GUN-BUYING A HABIT

READ: THE NEW YORKER ON HOW LOBBYING GROUPS DO THAT

MORE INFORMATION

Understand what an AR-15 is.

Understand how violence, rage, racism and guns converge in America.

Don’t be an NRA spokesperson.

Avoid terms the NRA came up with. “Gun-rights” is one of them. It was drummed up by gun-sellers to normalize military-grade weapons in our neighborhoods.

Follow the money.

The NRA and other gun-rights groups pay politicians to support their industry. Make sure you understand how this works and report on the industries funding pro-gun candidates.

FAQs

Also in the news

CBS - MAGA Megaphone

Truth Social merging

Holiday spending: how it’s going

Oklahoma, God, and the classroom

We’re Reading

The Trace

Comic Relief

If You Like What You Are Reading:

Please share Reporting Right on your social media feeds.

Reach out for help at ReportingRight@googlegroups.com.

Tell your fellow reporters to subscribe.

See You Next Week!

Our Staff

Executive Editor Kyle Spencer

Our Board of Advisors

Alex Aronson, executive director of Court Accountability

David Armiak, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy

Connor Gibson, founder of Grassrootbeer Investigations

Maurice Cunningham, retired associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and author of Dark Money and The Politics of School Privatization.

Isaac Kamola, associate professor of political science at Trinity College, founder of Faculty First Responders and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War

Ralph Wilson, founder of the Corporate Genome Project and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War