By Tom Kuntz, Founding Editor, RealClearInvestigations
December 2020
Major media today are advancing prescribed, ideologically shaped narratives across major areas of public interest—government, politics, the economy, culture, education, science, biology.
In part because of the resulting imbalances in such coverage, the RealClearFoundation, a nonprofit organization working in partnership with RealClearPolitics, launched a new voice in investigative journalism: RealClearInvestigations (RCI). Its ambition was not to add to a chorus of “follow-the-leader” journalism but to mount against-the-grain, “hit-’em-where-they-ain’t” investigative reporting.
Put another way, we’re the ones striving to get the rough first draft of history right, rather than presuming to rewrite the history of the United States for future generations of Americans.
To that end, RCI, drawing on the guidance of RealClearFoundation president David DesRosiers and RealClear executive editor Carl Cannon, has assembled a team of correspondents with no mandate other than to investigate the truth and report it.
With long experience at legacy news outlets, our correspondents can speak to the real clear difference that they have found in RCI.
Richard Bernstein: “After 35 years working at Time Magazine and the New York Times, I think I’m in a position to describe what makes working for RCI—and the editors Tom Kuntz and Peder Zane—different and special. What I’ve found—and I describe myself as an old-fashioned liberal—is not a commitment to any ideology or prefabricated conclusions but, on the contrary, an openness to good reporting wherever it may lead, a genuine respect to the open marketplace of ideas, and a commitment to rigor, scrupulous documentation, and lucid exposition—in other words, to serious, responsible, credible journalism.”
Eric Felten: “I have been able to do some of the best work of my career at RealClearInvestigations. The editors understand what it takes to do serious investigative journalism and have supported me in every way. When a 500+-page government report comes out, few are the journalists who have the time to do anything other than skim the executive summary for a hot-take. RealClear expects more than that from me. I work my way through every page; I chase down footnotes; I cross-reference statements against claims made before Congress. I dig for nuggets that might lead to the hidden veins. It’s a time-consuming process but one that produces results.”
Aaron Maté: “We are living through an era of journalism where foundational values—fairness, objectivity, skepticism—are often shunned in favor of partisanship and credulity. Thankfully, RCI has not followed this trend. This has meant that on the dominant story of the post-2016 era—the Trump-Russia saga—RCI has stood apart with accuracy and sobriety. Whereas countless other outlets opted to promote the fashionable narrative and ignore the countervailing evidence, RCI followed the facts. With its commitment to the craft, RCI has consistently published journalism that challenges conventional wisdom. In doing so, RCI offers a rare space for journalism to serve its core function.”
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RCI’s nonprofit status reflects a shift in the economics of journalism. Long gone are the days when even local papers could afford their own Washington and foreign correspondents—and with lavish expense accounts, to boot. Today, the reporting required by democracy depends on the generosity of readers who recognize the public good that journalists like Richard, Eric, and Aaron provide. If you are one of those readers, please support RealClearInvestigations today.
